Page 58 of Bonded Chaos

Ryker’s gaze roamed over the crowd as though he were searching for someone. When his steel-grey eyes landed on me, a shiver raced down my spine. His stare narrowed as if warning me not to make a scene.

I straightened my shoulders and raised my chin as I glared right back at him.

“That’s the little fighter I’ve heard so much about,” Riordan chuckled from beside me.

Despite my composed exterior, the room spun, and I felt as if a hand was wrapped around my throat, cutting off my oxygen.

I desperately needed the reprieve that only the cool night air could offer me.

I remained in place until Ryker and Celeste took their seats alongside the King on the dais, and with the formalities over, the party resumed.

“Join me outside?” Riordan asked as he jutted his chin in the balcony’s direction.

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I gave him a curt nod, and he gripped my hand in his as he pulled me through the crowd. On my way out, I glanced toward Ryker and saw that he had once again donned the mask of indifference he so often wore.

A rush of anger pulsed through me, sharp and cutting.

What game did Ryker think he was playing? Keeping me at his mercy,fucking me, and all the while he had a godsdamned fiancée waiting in the shadows?

Riordan placed his palm on the small of my back and guided me through the doors to the balcony. The cool night air washed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping and shaking all over.

“It’s all right,” he soothed as he rubbed his hand up and down my spine. “You’re all right, Cadence.”

When I regained control of my breathing, I flashed Riordan an embarrassed smile.

“I don’t know why I’m so shaken. You might not know this, but I can’t stand your brother.”

Riordan chuckled, but there was a knowing look that twinkled in his eyes as he gazed at me.

“Just taken by surprise, I guess,” I muttered.

Riordan made a sound of affirmation, and I pulled my gaze from his as I peered down at the courtyard below. We stood in companionable silence as Riordan allowed me the space to gather myself.

“Do you want to get back at him?”

When I glanced in Riordan’s direction, mischief gleamed from his smoke-grey eyes, and his lips were pulled up in a wicked grin.

“What did you have in mind?”

Pushing off the banister, Riordan raised his hand and extended his palm to me. I studied it for a moment, and Riordan’s grin only widened.

“Come on,” he cajoled. “You know you want to.”

Dimples appeared in his cheeks, and I knew I was done for.

With a resigned sigh, I placed my hand in his and let him lead me back inside. My gaze drifted toward the dais, and when my eyes locked with Ryker’s angry ones, I internally chastised myself for caring.

“See, it’s already working,” Riordan whispered conspiratorially.

I laughed, feeling much lighter.

The music softened, and couples flocked to the dance floor as they prepared to join in the waltz.

“I’m not the best dancer,” I confessed.

“Lucky for you, I am. Just follow my lead.”

Riordan’s hand rested firmly on my hip as he guided me about with quiet confidence, his eyes never leaving mine.

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