Page 83 of Bonded Chaos

Ryker sighed.

The man fucking sighed.

It was almost as if it washislife that had been uprooted.

“Cadence,” he said, the single word a plea. “Can we agree to put our differences aside for one day and just enjoy ourselves?”

Enjoy ourselves? The man was delusional!

“Please,” he added when I didn’t respond.

I eyed him, and a hopeful grin pulled up his lips.

“I promise I have no untoward intentions, Cadence. I only want to show you something I think you will appreciate.”

“What kind of something?”

Ryker extended his hand to me, and his grin turned predatory. “You’ll have to come with me to find out.”

I debated with myself for a moment, but my curiosity won out.

“Fine.”

I dressed quickly, not bothering to brush my hair. Instead, I ran my fingers through the mane of knots and hoped for the best.

“Ready?” Ryker asked as he extended his palm once more.

“Is there a reason I am required to touch you?”

“Yes,” he chuckled as he took my hand in his and pulled me to him. “Even if that weren’t the case, I’d still want to touch you, Cadence. I always want to touch you.”

I couldn’t even be mad that my body was betraying me. My mind was also on board for whatever dark and delicious thoughts were occupying Ryker’s head.

How could I hate the man and crave him at the same time?

Too caught up in my musings, I didn’t notice when the room darkened.

“Oh no,” I began, but it was too late.

Shadows as black as night surrounded me, suffocating any hint of light as Ryker moved us through the darkness.

Mercifully, it was over as quickly as it started.

“Not my favorite pastime,” I grumbled, and Ryker laughed.

The sound was so genuine, with no trace of his usual cynicism or cruelty, that I was momentarily stunned.

“Come on,” he called as he gripped my hand and tugged me along behind him.

I scanned my surroundings and gasped when I realized we stood atop a mountain range.

“Stunning, isn’t it?” Ryker murmured.

“It is.”

The valley below was breathtaking. The rolling hills cradled the valley’s basin while the shimmering threads of the riverwound their way across the terrain, catching and reflecting the sunlight as it traversed the landscape.

Villages and farms dotted the horizon, their red roofs blending seamlessly with the vibrant greens of the forest lining the valley. I peered up at the sky, an infinite canvas of shifting white clouds that only served to highlight the beauty of everything below.

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