Page 126 of Bonded Chaos

I tsked as I prowled toward the sniveling man, and his face contorted with terror. The smell of piss filled my nostrils, and I peered down at the man’s trousers, which were steadily growing damper.

My lip curled in disgust. I’d pity the man if I were capable of such an emotion.

“You forget yourself, Lord Barrington,” I taunted, as I moved closer. “For far too long, you have bathed in the false radiance of the crown, believing yourself untouchable.”

“P-please,” Lord Barrington stammered.

“But you forget the true power of the Unseelie Kingdom hides in the shadows. And try as you might, there is no keeping the shadows at bay.”

With a flick of my wrist, I sent my shadows surging forward. They extinguished the light in the room as they wrapped around Lord Barrington with terrifying speed, holding him in place.

The man struggled against his bindings, and his fear fueled my power.

“Not so demanding now, are you, Lord Barrington?”

His struggles became frantic as I plunged the chamber into darkness, my shadows spreading to each corner, swallowing every remnant of light.

“You thought you’d leashed the Night Cursed Prince,” I said as I barked out a laugh.

The sound was unhinged, deranged, tortured even. I should have been concerned that I was enjoying myself so much.

But I wasn’t.

Instead, I let the madness in and embraced it like an old friend.

“You thought you could intimidate me. You thought you could pull on my leash, and I would bow my head in submission,” I mocked.

My shadows pulsed as they snaked around the man’s throat, and a strangled sound passed between his lips.

I cocked my head to the side as I listened to Lord Barrington beseeching the gods to save him.

“Lord Barrington,” I teased. “I never knew you took your faith so seriously.”

I could hear my father calling out to me, begging for me to put an end to things as he struggled to see past my shadows.

Moving around the trembling Lord, I positioned myself at his back and brought my lips to the shell of his ear.

“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I whispered, as desperate sobs wracked the man’s body. “The gods aren’t listening.”

I threw my head back and slammed my fangs into the side of his neck, piercing his jugular. Blood gushed from the wound, drenching his tunic, and I felt his pulse slow as his life left him.

When his heart ceased beating, I retracted my fangs and let his body fall unceremoniously to the floor.

I didn’t bother to clean the blood smearing my face as I recalled my shadows, letting the light flood the room once more.

My father’s gaze landed on the crumpled body of Lord Barrington, and he sucked in a ragged breath. He lifted his head to look at me, and his eyes were wild with fear.

“What have you done?”

I stalked toward him, planting myself right in front of him as I stared him down. My father shrank away from me, and the action gave me a sick sense of satisfaction.

“The same thing I will do to anyone who threatens my wife or child,” I growled.

I waved my hand in Lord Barrington’s direction, and my father’s eyes followed before he could stop himself.

“Let this serve as a warning,” I said, never taking my eyes off him. “Father or not, if you come after Cadence, I will end you.”

With the threat of my words hanging between us, I stalked from my father’s study, eager to return to my wife.

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