Page 156 of Bonded Chaos

A whole body shiver tore through me as the threat hung heavy in the air between us.

Sorrow washed over me anew as I realized my father really was dead. The man before me was a stranger, a mere shadow of the one I had lost.

I gave a curt nod, and my father’s grin returned.

“Excellent,” he said as he rubbed his hands together. “Now sleep, Daughter. You will need it for what comes tomorrow.”

I lifted my chin and followed after him. Whatever came next, the only person I could rely on was myself.

Ryker wanted to own me, and my father intended to use me.

I would do as my father asked. I’d find out Ryker’s secrets, but I wouldn’t hand them over to him blindly.

I’d do whatever needed to be done to protect myself and the life of my child.

Chapter Sixty-Three

Cadence

The weight of inevitability pressed down on me, and I struggled to stay upright. I wasn’t sure how Ryker would react when he found me, but I knew our reunion would be emotionally charged.

Whether that emotion was anger or relief, I couldn’t predict.

I took a steadying breath and let the sounds of nature soothe me. The crunch of dead leaves beneath my boots mixed with the shuffling and scraping of the creatures that called the forest home.

The wind twisted through the trees, making the woods seem as though they were alive — as if the whispers of all those who had traveled the same path now sang out to me.

Crisp, clean air filled my lungs, going some way to ease my mind, which raced with a thousand fractured thoughts. But it did little to uncoil the tight knot of tension that wrapped around my throat, suffocating me.

I could feel the concealment spell fade as the bond surged to life inside me.

And if I had felt it, so had Ryker.

He was close, and it wouldn’t take him long to find me.

A shudder wracked my frame, and I knew my time was up.

His presence cut through the air like lightning, sharp and impossible to ignore, electrifying my body in his wake.

My magic rose to the surface, dangerous and alert.

“Cadence.”

His voice was a low growl that sent an icy shiver racing down my spine.

The single word was a warning.

I froze, every muscle locking into place, before I willed myself to calm down and turned to face him. He narrowed his steel-grey eyes, and his nostrils flared wide. The corner of his mouth was lifted as though he were forcing himself to contain a snarl. His jaw was clenched, and I could hear his teeth grinding together.

His face was a mask of barely concealed fury.

“You’ve been busy, wife.”

Ryker’s tone was deceptively calm, and I tensed as he stepped toward me. My heart thudded in my chest, but I forced myself to straighten my spine.

I would not cower before him.

Ryker stopped a few paces in front of me, his towering frame looming over me, forcing me to crane my neck to look up at him.

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