Page 3 of Bonded Chaos

However, they both knew better than to question my orders.

“And be quick about it before her companion loses his head.”

Without another look in her direction, I stalked away, eager for the moment I could lay my hands on my little mate.

Chapter Two

Cadence

The sun warmed my face as I soaked in the beauty of the day. Inhaling a deep breath, I let the smell of freshly baked bread mix with the floral scents of the nearby flower display and madea mental note to collect a bouquet for the apothecary before leaving the marketplace.

“Cadence, are you even listening to me?”

I turned toward my brother and rolled my eyes. “Callum, as your sister, I have absolutely no interest in your sexual exploits.”

Callum’s lips twitched, and a smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth. “Even if said exploits were with Teal?”

“You did not!” I gasped as I clutched his forearm.

“I most certainly did,” Callum grinned.

“You know that if Roarke finds out you were fooling around with his sister, hewillmurder you without a moment’s hesitation,” I teased.

“Are you going to tattle on me, Cadence?” Callum asked with a raised brow.

“Of course not,” I scoffed. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“You know, one night with Teal might just be worth the risk.”

I narrowed my gaze at him, and he winked.

“You’re a pig,” I chastised, but I couldn’t keep the laughter out of my tone. If the wide grin on Callum’s face was any indication, he’d heard it, too.

A sudden sense of awareness prickled up my spine, and I resisted the full-body shiver that fought to break free. The surrounding air felt suddenly stifling, and my next inhale of breath was filled with suffocating tension.

I scanned the marketplace, searching for the unseen eyes that I knew were watching me. The feeling of awareness grew stronger before morphing into something far more unsettling as it crept along my skin.

A short distance behind me, I spotted a man dressed entirely in black. He had his hood pulled low over his head, concealing most of his face.

He just stood there, in the middle of the street, staring at me.

Despite not being able to see all of his face, I could make out his grey eyes boring into me from beneath the hood.

His unblinking gaze remained fixed on me with a disturbing intensity. I sucked in a sharp breath, unsure why I suddenly felt cold all over. Even though I stood in a wide, open marketplace, the man’s gaze made me feel trapped, cornered… like prey.

My heart thundered inside my chest, and my palms grew clammy. As if the man could sense my mounting discomfort and was enjoying it, he took a step closer, and a small smile spread across his lips, visible from beneath his cloak.

“Cadence?” my brother asked. “Are you all right?”

I pulled my gaze from the hooded man and faced my brother. “I… I’m fine,” I said, forcing a smile.

Callum’s eyebrows furrowed in concern, unconvinced by my faltering grin, and he glanced around the marketplace, trying to identify the source of my unease.

I looked back toward the man, but he was gone.

“What errand were you running for Mama, anyway?” I asked, changing the subject.

Callum cast another worried look in my direction before he shrugged. “She wanted to make Papa’s favorite pie, and I stopped by at the wrong time.”

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