Page 145 of Bonded Chaos

My mouth felt dry, and sweat beaded on the back of my neck. She was right. I knew exactly what my future held if I stayed behind. Ryker had shown me as much when he told me I could trust him in one breath and then locked me up like a prisoner with the next.

Decision made, I straightened my shoulders. “I’ll come with you, but if this is some kind of trap, I won’t hesitate to end you.”

Eleanor smiled as if my murderous intentions pleased her. “I’d expect nothing less.”

She moved to the desk, rummaged through its contents, and found a small bowl. With one swipe of her hand, she sent all sorts of instruments, parchment, and ink sailing to the floor. Eleanor emptied the vial of Ryker’s blood into the bowl and looked up at me expectantly.

“Come,” she said as she clasped my hands in hers. “It’s time.”

My heart pounded as Eleanor chanted, her voice low and melodic, as her words wrapped around me like an embrace. I glanced at the bowl and swallowed the bile creeping up my throat as I saw the blood boiling.

Eleanor’s chanting grew louder, and her brows furrowed in concentration. Then, without warning, a searing pain burned my neck as the metal of the collar heated. My hands moved instinctively as I clawed at it, trying desperately to free myself from its fiery grip.

“Hold still,” Eleanor chastised, but I was beyond hearing her.

I could smell the acrid scent of my flesh burning as Eleanor’s magic surged, igniting the collar anew. The metal burned hotter, and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip to keep from succumbing to the pain. I couldn’t afford to lose consciousness or be otherwise distracted when I still wasn’t sure if I could trust her.

A deafening snap filled the room, and the collar broke apart before falling to the floor.

I was panting heavily, the pain slowly receding, and when I glanced in Eleanor’s direction, she appeared to be faring no better.

“We have to go,” she said between ragged breaths.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere he’ll never find you.”

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Ryker

My mind raced as I marched through the palace back to Cadence. A weight had been lifted from me, knowing that Riordan had made his connections available for my purposes.Yet, so much still needed to be done before I would be satisfied that she was safe.

My footsteps faltered for the briefest moment as a strange sensation washed over me. It wasn’t painful, but I’d experienced nothing like it before in my life.

A feeling in my gut told me it had to do with Cadence, and I wasted no time as I stepped inside my shadows, reappearing outside my chambers.

I swung the door wide open, and I had to clutch the door frame for support when I was confronted by the sight before me.

Lying in a small pile on the floor, mottled and charred, was the collar I had placed around Cadence’s delicate throat to prevent her from ever leaving me.

My mind struggled to make sense of it all, but a single thought drowned out the rest.

Cadence had finally broken free from me.

Only one person besides Riordan knew about the collar and its purpose. No doubt, Eleanor’s chambers were as empty as my own now were.

My heart thundered against my chest, and my vision blurred as rage consumed me. I could smell the magic that still lingered in the air, and it set every nerve ending ablaze. Eleanor had dared to enter my private rooms and take what belonged to me.

With a guttural roar, I swept my arm over my desk, upending the last remnants that remained. The action didn’t dissipate my mounting rage, so I picked up the table and threw it across the room. It crashed against the wall, splintering on impact and sending small particles of wood sailing in every direction. Shadows sprang free from my palms, and I slammed my fists into the cold stone walls.

But it wasn’t enough.

My shadows slithered around my bed frame, and I tugged, tearing through the carved posts like a blade through flesh.

“Fuck!” I bellowed.

But no matter how much I raged and tore the place apart, the wrath I felt at Cadence’s betrayal remained.

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