Page 21 of A Story of Sinners

Chapter9

Ryken

My eyes hadn’t strayed far from Dahlia the entire night. Even now, as she sat at the main table centered along the dais next to the new queen of Cambriel, her expression remained vacant. She was in the hall physically, but her mind was elsewhere.

The queen, Gabriella, spoke to her as if they were on friendly terms, but Dahlia hardly said a word in response, only adjusting the sleeves of her gown every time she moved. My teeth ground together as I studied the thin, low cut red fabric that dipped nearly all the way down to her bellybutton and slit along both sides of her legs, but I smirked when her eyes met mine before quickly darting back to her food.

She shifted in her seat, brushing a lock of that ruby hair behind her shoulder and revealing the bite mark I’d left there. The one that cemented my claim. The one that displayed her as mine and mine only.

My fists clenched around the edge of the table as I resisted the urge to drag her away, to punish her for choosing him over me.

I’d been so concerned over Dahlia. There were so many nights she’d refused to speak with me or look at me while I’d occupied her dreams. When she finally did, it was to speak of her own death. I’d feared for her safety, thought her to be in danger or on the verge of death. I’d felt her sadness and desperation through the bond and was terrified of what I would find upon arrival in Cambriel. Yet, here she was—safe and happy, living a life of luxury as the king’s mistress.

My little crow would be in for a rude awakening once I got my hands on her.

Fin gripped my wrist. “Calm down. You’ll get what you want. He’s desperate for aid and would be insane to hold on to her.”

“Heisinsane,” I whispered harshly. “Who knows what he’s capable of. He’d doom his own kingdom to prove a point.”

“You act like you know him.”

I did know Aiden, very well. I had studied him for years and come to one conclusion: he was dangerous. He may have seemed devout and kind to others, an upstanding gentleman, but he was a zealot, an obsessive, conniving maniac. His obsessions were always taken to an extreme, whether that be his religion, taking his father’s crown, or Dahlia. My mate.

A hand gripped my shoulder, and I turned to narrow my eyes on Fin. Noting my bared teeth, he withdrew. “You are growling. Everyone’s looking.”

When I lifted my gaze to the witches at the table, they lowered their eyes.

“Ryken. Relax,” Fin ordered. “We need to remain on good terms for now.”

Eulalia looked over her mate, her eyes soft and reassuring. “We will get her out. Matilda has a plan, but it must go accordingly. There are too many possible fluctuations, and if we venture down the wrong path, I fear it will result in Dahlia’s doom.”

Eulalia used Matilda’s visions for guidance, attempting to control the outcomes of fate, playing around with possibilities. Her moves reeked of desperation, and her current advice was to do nothing, to let fate unfold while remaining detached from the outcome, from Dahlia.

She must have no idea who I was.

I would get Dahlia back, even if my actions destroyed the world in the process. I wouldn’t let her flaunt herself to another man for much longer, and once my mate was trapped in Faerie, it would be over. Neither Eulalia nor Fin would look at me the same once they found out what I had planned for her. The little crow needed to learn a lesson, and I was more than willing to teach it.

To be gifted a mate was a blessing of the highest sort, and to deny a bond like that was sacrilege. It was a rare, all-encompassing sort of gift from the gods, the universe, the fates. Nobody knew exactly how mates came to be, but it was undeniable. Extraordinary. Destiny. To deny something so rare and special was a travesty. To choose another…well, that was profane.

Seeing her seated at his side, even with his wife between them, made me sick to my stomach.

My lip curled as Dahlia leaned over Queen Gabriella and whispered to Aiden. He studied her momentarily and then nodded, snapping for Brandon’s attention.

I ground my teeth as Brandon rushed over to the table and spoke with his king. Dahlia looked so settled, so comfortable in her position as the king’s whore. She’d chosen this over me.Himover me.

I could have given her everything and more, but she’d made a fool of me.

My blood boiled as she pushed back her chair, and Brandon took up position behind her, following her through the hall as she made her escape for the night, likely heading to that slimy king’s bedroom. I had to hold back a growl. My chair screeched as I stood.

Fin slid his hand down his face. “Please don’t, Ryken. You’re going to start a war before this one has a chance to begin.”

My eyes sliced to his. “And what would you do in my position?”

Fin’s lips tightened as he glanced at his mate, then nodded. He would do the same.

I stormed in the direction the two of them headed, through the banquet hall, the entrance hall, and up the winding staircase of the palace. When they took a turn at the corridor, it was apparent where they were heading: Dahlia’s old room. Her mistress room. The very same one I’d taken her in.

Their voices filtered through the hall as I peeked around the corner, hers sending a thrill down my spine.

---