Page 129 of Bonded Chaos

That got a reaction out of her.

Cadence turned to face me. Her eyes narrowed in disapproval, and her lips pulled up in a sneer.

Fuck!

She was most beautiful when she looked ready to end my life with her bare hands.

“I might be a monster, Cadence, but I’m a monster who’d do anything to keep you safe. No matter how reprehensible. Even if it means you hate me for it.”

I paused, searching her eyes for any sign that my words were getting through.

“I won’t lie to you and tell you that I regret stealing you away or deceiving you into carrying my child or making you my wife.”

Cadence stiffened, but I pressed on.

“But I do regret that my actions hurt you.”

I waved my hand between us as I said, “This is all new to me, Temptress. Despite how it looks, I am trying to be the man you need. It won’t happen overnight, and I’ll probably fuck up more than I succeed, but I’m committed to doing better by you. I want to be the mate you deserve.”

Cadence met my determined gaze, and this time, she saw me, really saw me. She scanned my face, studying every detail as if seeing me for the first time.

My heart hammered inside my chest, and I bit my tongue to stop myself from filling the silence, giving her the space to come to me of her own volition.

Any hope of reaching Cadence vanished as she turned away.

Just like every time before.

With a resigned sigh, I stood and headed toward the door.

It was time for a different approach.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Cadence

Ryker had left me alone for the rest of the day, only returning late in the afternoon to inform me that the King had requested our attendance at dinner.

As he led me into the dining hall, the grandeur of the space was impossible to ignore.

The high vaulted ceilings drew my gaze upward, and I studied the intricate patterns carved into the beams overhead. I couldn’t make out the finer details of the design from where I stood, and yet, it captivated me, reeling me in and making it difficult to look away.

In the center of the hall, a grand table stretched the length of the room, set with glittering crystal goblets and the finest porcelain I had ever seen. An array of mouthwatering dishes lined the tabletop, and I had to wonder if we were expecting company, given the amount of food that had been prepared.

The entire dining hall was designed with comfort in mind, and yet, no room had ever felt more oppressive.

Tension rippled beneath Ryker’s composed exterior as he pulled my chair out for me. All the while, his father, the King of the Unseelie, glared at him from his seat at the table.

“Your Majesty,” I said as I bowed my head in acknowledgment of his station.

He grunted in answer, but his eyes never strayed from his son.

As we sat in awkward silence, the only saving grace I could find was that Riordan had also been summoned to join us. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, and the King’s piercing gaze turned to me. He had stormy grey eyes, the same shade as Ryker’s, and they seemed to bore into me as if he were searching for all my secrets.

“Cadence,” Ryker rumbled next to me, but I studiously ignored him, instead focusing my attention on his brother.

“I didn’t see you today, Riordan. What mischief did you get up to in my absence?”

Ryker’s expression was unreadable as he piled my plate with every sort of vegetable and meat imaginable, but the faint tick of his jaw betrayed his displeasure. I speared a baked potato andpopped it into my mouth as I waited for him to answer. Riordan chuckled and shook his head, but he was enjoying himself more than he’d admit.

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