Page 143 of Bonded Chaos

Shuffling behind the door halted my pacing mid-stride.

Had he returned?

Was he alone, or was I about to face my execution?

My ears strained as I pulled my magic around me, ready to defend myself no matter what odds I faced.

Fear gnawed at my gut, and my heart pounded in my chest as I waited for the telltalesnickof the lock. When it finally came, I sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back.

The door swung wide, but instead of an army ready to seize me, a tall woman with raven-colored hair and crimson eyes greeted me. Her pale skin shone under the light pouring into the room, and her smile sent a ripple of unease through my body.

Every instinct told me to run, but before I could, the woman spoke.

“Cadence, I presume?” she asked as she stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

Her voice was smooth and unhurried, and her posture radiated quiet confidence.

“Who are you?” I demanded as I created distance between us.

“I’m here to get you out.”

Her words were as unexpected as they were alarming. I narrowed my eyes at the woman as I gripped the edge of Ryker’s desk.

“Who are you?” I repeated. “And how do you know my name?”

Her lips curled into a wicked smile as she sized me up.

“I am Eleanor, and I’m one of the last Blood Fae to serve the palace. I have learned many things about you, Cadence, since creating that shackle for the prince.”

Eleanor pointed to the collar around my throat, and I bristled.

“You made this?” I snarled, as my fingers gripped the metal.

Eleanor nodded, not at all alarmed by my hostility.

“When the prince demanded I make that collar, I took it upon myself to learn everything I could about the woman he held captive.”

She stepped toward me, and I mimicked the movement as I backed away.

“You had to be important for His Highness to invest so much energy to keep you contained,” she mused.

My breath hitched, and my pulse quickened. There was something not quite right about the woman before me. I sensed her magic in the room, dark and wicked.

“You should go,” I said, sounding more authoritative than I felt.

Eleanor took a step closer. “If I leave, who will spare you from the executioner’s block?”

I reeled back as though I’d been struck, and I could feel the blood draining from my face.

“Don’t look so alarmed, Cadence,” she chuckled. “I am not here to harm you, and I have no intention of revealing your secret. As I said, I’m here to help you.”

“Why?”

I cursed myself for the tremor that accompanied my words. Something warned me that showing weakness to this woman would be a fatal mistake.

“Does it matter?” she asked as she raised a brow. “If I can free you from this place,from him, are you in any position to refuse me?”

She was right, and I hated it.

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