Page 15 of Bonded Chaos

I ground my teeth together to stop myself from stalking across the room and ripping my brother’s head from his body.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Ryker,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “I don’t intend to bed the woman.”

The thought of them tangled in his sheets turned my vision red, and my hands itched to hit something.

“Oh no. Stop right there, Ryker. You know I was only trying to help you,” he said as he darted away from me.

It was then that I realized I had moved across the room, closing the distance between us.

“If people believe her to be one of my conquests, they won’t look twice at you.”

“If you value your life, Little Brother, you will stop talking. Right. Now.”

“Not another word,” he agreed.

I took a moment to rein in my anger. My brother would never betray me. Yet, that knowledge did little to quiet the primal urge to eliminate anyone who even breathed in Cadence’s direction.

As much as it pained me to admit, however, Riordan’s idea was a good one.

“You make a valid point,” I grunted.

My brother tried in vain to hide his grin, but he was smart enough to know when he should remain quiet.

“Once I allow her some more freedom, it wouldn’t hurt to have her seen in your company around the palace.”

“More freedom? You make it sound like she’s a prisoner,” Riordan scoffed.

When I didn’t contradict him, Riordan’s eyes widened in horror.

“Where exactly did you meet your mate, Ryker?”

“The Seelie Kingdom.”

“The… the Seelie Kingdom,” he repeated in disbelief. “Are you telling me that your mate is one of the Seelie Fae?”

I gave a curt nod in response.

“One,” Riordan said, raising a finger. “Why the fuck were you in the Seelie Kingdom to begin with?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Riordan cut me off. “Two, the fact that she is Seelie is ahugefucking problem!”

“I’m aware,” I gritted out.

“How are you not seething right now?” he demanded, throwing his arms up. “You have a Seelie mate?”

“I do not care that she is Seelie, only that she is mine. And if you are wise, Little Brother, you will not question me again.”

Riordan tilted his head toward the ceiling and blew out a breath before returning his gaze to me.

“And what, she just came with you?”

When I failed to answer, Riordan pressed, “Shedidcome willingly?”

“Define willingly,” I mused.

“For the love of the gods, Ryker, you cannot just steal your mate away like she’s some kind of treasure.”

“Of course I can,” I sneered. “I am the Prince of the Unseelie Fae.”

---