Page 99 of Bonded Chaos

A cruel smile played on Ryker’s lips, and I had to question my sanity when I discovered I rather liked this unhinged side of him.

“You can come out now, Cadence.” Ryker’s deep voice rumbled over my flesh, and I froze, not daring to breathe in case he was bluffing.

“Or you could continue hiding behind that tree trunk, making it even easier to catch you.”

Not bluffing, then.

I stood from my hiding place and dusted off the debris that had clung to my cloak. When I raised my head and met Ryker’s gaze, I could see the burning fury blazing there.

“What are you wearing?” he growled.

I peered down at the cloak Riordan had given me, but I couldn’t find anything amiss with it.

“Riordan’s cloak,” I shrugged.

“Take it off.”

“No. It’s cold.”

“Take. It. Off.”

The command in Ryker’s voice was difficult to resist, but I did.

“I said no,” I retorted as I straightened my spine.

A low, throaty chuckle erupted from Ryker, and for the briefest moment, I wondered if I’d made a grave mistake.

“Run, Temptress.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked, confused.

“Not yet, you’re not. But you will be.”

Ryker’s words settled over me, and warmth flooded my core.

What had he done to me? Was I now the type of person who got aroused by being threatened?

“Don’t let me catch you, Temptress,” Ryker said as he pulled his tunic over his head.

“What happens if you do?”

My mouth was dry, and a faint heat flushed my skin.

“Oh, I think you know,” he crooned, as he slapped the hindquarters of his massive war horse, sending it racing back toward the palace.

Ryker stretched the muscles in his arms, and I watched, transfixed, as they bulged under the strain.

“Three.”

Panic gripped my chest, but I pushed it aside to survey my surroundings.

“Two.”

I wasted no time as I rushed into the forest, heedless of the noise or the obvious trail I left in my wake.

I needed to put as much distance between me and Ryker as I could manage.

“One.”

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