Page 136 of Bonded Chaos

His tone was chilling, and goosebumps rose on my skin.

“Did you think being bonded to the prince meant you were safe here?”

I didn’t get the chance to respond as he lunged again, slashing his blade at me. I ducked in time to avoid the brunt of his strike, but I still wasn’t fast enough to escape without injury. Red hot pain seared my shoulder, and I could feel the warmth of my blood as it trickled down my arm.

The man laughed maniacally, and the sound grated against my ears like broken glass.

“Who sent you?” I demanded, trying to inject as much authority as I could manage into my tone.

“You should worry more about what I intend to do to you.”

I rolled my eyes despite the fear that gnawed at me. “It’s pretty obvious, don’t you think?”

The man sneered, his upper lip curling as he glared at me from beneath his hood. Without warning, he lunged at me again. I raised my arm in a feeble attempt to block the strike, and this time, he didn’t simply graze me with his blade. He drove it into my forearm with such force that the tip pierced the other side.

Pain surged through me, and I fought the overwhelming urge to vomit. I could hear the man moving around me, but the soundwas muffled. A buzzing sound erupted in my ears, and my vision blurred as I stumbled away from my attacker.

He gripped the hilt of the dagger before he ripped it from my arm. Agony shot through my entire body, and I cried out, unable to contain the sound of my pain. Cruel laughter surrounded me as I fought to remain conscious. I needed a reprieve, a moment where I could focus on healing my injuries without the threat of my death looming over me.

Today was not my day, however.

The man charged straight for me, gripping my hips as he lifted me before driving me into the ground. One swift movement knocked the breath out of me, and it took a while for my mind to catch up. Then my lungs inflated, and it was as if I was inhaling fire, the burning pain almost unbearable.

But I refused to lie down and die that easily.

My heart pounded against my ribs as I scrambled to my feet and prepared to break the oath I’d made to my mother. I called on my dormant magic, and my veins flooded with power. I could feel my body repairing itself as I faced off against the man sent to end my life.

“You look far too confident for someone about to die,” he mocked.

I grinned, letting the menace show in my expression. “I could say the same about you.”

He barked out a laugh before he surged toward me.

My hand clasped his wrists, and a shockwave of energy burst free on contact. My magic seeped into him before he had the chance to utter a single word. His jaw dropped, and his skin tightened as I drained the life from his body. His fingers curled into skeletal claws as they pressed against the gaunt, shriveled skin. His flesh withered, and his eyes rolled back, leaving only the black abyss of his sockets.

When it was done, all that remained was an empty, fragile husk that was beyond recognition.

I was panting heavily when I released my hold on my attacker, and his remains fell to the cold, hard floor.

“Cadence,” a familiar voice whispered from the doorway.

I spun around to see Ryker staring at the man lying at my feet. His mouth opened and closed as he took in the scene before his steel-grey eyes settled on me.

His gaze narrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line.

Then he rumbled the two words I’d been hiding from my entire life.

“Wraith Borne.”

Chapter Fifty-Five

Cadence

Ryker slammed the door with such force that the walls vibrated, and I flinched, unable to hide my terror.

I took in his rigid stance. His broad shoulders were tense, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. His storm-grey eyes surveyed me, wild and furious.

I stepped back as my heart hammered inside my chest. The heat of his anger was palpable, radiating in waves that made the walls press in around me.

---