Chapter 12

Stryker

I paused for the fifth time since leaving Aribella in that room alone a few moments ago. My muscles were tense and my hand gripped the banister so tightly I expected wood shards to crack off.

The look on her face when she realized I’d chained her to the bed would forever haunt me. She tried to cover it with anger, but I’d seen the truth in her eyes. Betrayal. Sorrow. Pain. I’d hurt her, deeply.

My mind and heart warred with each other.

Aribella’s large brown eyes appeared in my mind’s eye, heavy with unshed tears, and I spun around. My legs took me back up the flight of stairs in jerky movements until the large brown eyes morphed into crystalline blue ones.

My blood ran cold and I froze, my body locking up as a memory sucked me under.

Her husky laugh beckoned me. Rosaline looked over her shoulder at me with a come-hither stare. I reached out and captured a lock of her silky moon-colored hair in between my fingers just to have her twist out of my grasp.

“How much do you love me?” she asked, a smirk curling the corners of her mouth.

This was a game of hers. She always wanted me to tell her how much I loved her, like she was gauging my affection no matter how often I told her or how many gifts I lavished on her.

A spike of irritation ran through me, but I shoved it away, telling myself it was normal for her to want reassurances. That it wasn’t because she truly doubted the strength of my love for her, but that it was her own insecurities bubbling to the surface.

Even though I was an Ethereum lord and Rosaline was a commoner from a small village within my kingdom, I didn’t care a lick about our differences in station. The moment I’d laid eyes on her I was already half in love.

But even though I didn’t like it, I could understand how she might be worried I would get bored and throw her away. It was a common enough instance with nobility, but that wasn’t me. My love was steadfast, and I’d spent these last months convincing her of that.

It was wildly known that I didn’t love easy—I’d been let down by those closest to me and used too many times for my wealth to have a heart that readily opened—but when I did, it was deep and lasting.

Reaching for her again, she allowed me to capture her. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. “I love you with the strength of a thousand stars and to the depth of the deepest abyss.”

She smiled at me and stroked her finger down the side of my face. “Do you love me more than you love your riches?” she taunted playfully.

“My riches are nothing next to you,” I answered truthfully and her smile twisted into one of victory. Like she’d just bested an opponent and reveled in her triumph. But when my brows pulled together in confusion, the harsh twist of her lips softened, making me feel silly for reading that much into them.

Later I would look back and see the signs I missed, but as she rose and planted a sweet kiss against the corner of my mouth, the shadow of concern melted away and I fell into her and under her spell like I did every time.

I shook myself, nausea roiling in my gut at even the memory of Rosaline. Turning on a heel, I jogged down the stairs and out of the townhouse, only feeling like I could take a full breath of air once I was on the street.

No. I would not fall for a beautiful woman again only to be betrayed.

I headed toward the main street, taking a right when I reached it and looking for the tavern where I was to meet my men. I was in a foul mood as I stomped down the street and I’m sure my face showed it because fae skidded out of the way as I passed.

I shouldn’t be recognized here. I was wearing plain clothes and the chance of any of my brother’s subjects having met me before was low. However, blending in was never something my brothers or I did well. Our magic and size made it almost impossible. So it was best if I could get off the street quickly. I didn’t want my prey realizing I was here, at least not until they’d fallen into my trap. Then I would relish watching their faces as they discovered I’d caught them. Seeing fear fill their eyes when they realized what horrors awaited them. I’d worked hard to build up a reputation that struck terror into the hearts of those who opposed or defied me.

Yes, that would be satisfying indeed. These thieves had been plundering my mines and I’d wasted enough time and resources on trying to capture them. Time and resources that should have gone to my people instead of them, and for that they had to pay.

My gaze snagged on a pair of women walking down the street arm in arm. A redhead and a blonde, and I couldn’t stop my thoughts from turning exactly where I didn’t want them to go: to Aribella and Rosaline.

The two women were nothing alike, at least not physically. Rosaline had been tall, even for a fae woman. In heels she’d only stood a few inches shorter than me, which was impressive since I was six-four. She radiated strength, where Aribella, in contrast, was petite, small, almost fragile, yet temptingly curved and soft in all the right places. Even now my hands itched to pull her close and feel her body pressed up against mine.

I fisted my hands until my fingers ached, but it didn’t stop my mind from comparing the two beauties. Aribella had a thick mane of loose red curls and rich brown eyes, where Rosaline had an ice-blue stare and straight, white-blonde hair. Rosaline was skilled in seduction, and it was clear Aribella didn’t know the first thing about it, which made her all the more desirable to me.

No, they were not the same, not in looks or personality, but the feelings they both managed to stir within me were far too similar for me to overlook. And for that alone, I would never fully trust Aribella. I’d learned my lesson the first time and I’d be damned if I would fall into that trap again.

I looked up and realized I’d reached my destination, The Wily Jackal. As I shoved into the tavern I slammed the door on those unwanted thoughts, firmly setting my mind on one thing and one thing alone. Finding the thieves and making them pay.

* * *

After a couple hours of my men divulging all of the intel they had gathered, I decided that they’d done well. They had located the hideout of the thieves. The three criminals had built a nice little empire for themselves, hauling my treasures down from the Eastern Kingdom and selling them underground here in Beggar’s Hole where no one asked any questions.

It felt good to know that come morning, I’d have them in my possession. I’d already mentally picked out cells for each of the betrayers and was looking forward to breaking them. I didn’t believe for a second they’d orchestrated all those heists on their own. They had to have a broader network of fae aiding them throughout my kingdom, and I intended to ferret out every single traitor and make them pay. A task that I’m sure I could accomplish with Aribella at my side.

Aribella .

Even thinking about her made my chest tighten. Day would break in a few hours and so I bid my men farewell and left the tavern. I quickened my steps as I headed back toward the guesthouse where I’d left her.

I didn’t expect to be out this long and I told myself the anxious energy running through me had nothing to do with being separated from her. She was smart, crafty, and I wouldn’t put it past her to find a way out of those handcuffs. The feeling had nothing to do with the broken look on her face before she turned her back on me. Or that I felt regret that I hadn’t followed through and kissed her: at least that’s what I told myself.

It would have been supremely stupid and shortsighted of me to have given in to my desires in that moment. And I was convinced that’s all they were. Desires that needed to be squashed. I’d already learned my lesson when it came to women and determined a long time ago that I’d sooner carve my own heart from my chest than let another into it.

Despite my reflections, I still took the stairs up to the fourth floor two at a time, unable to stop myself from racing back to our shared room. I froze in front of the door, taking a beat to compose myself.

You’re a powerful Ethereum lord , I said to myself. Not some lovesick young pup. Pull yourself together .

Throwing my shoulders back, I pulled the key out of my pocket and unlocked the door, then opened it, taking care to be quiet in case Aribella was still sleeping.

The room was pitch-black, which gave me pause because the lamp had been set low when I left. Could the oil have just burned out, used up? It was across the room from Aribella, and since she was handcuffed to the bed she couldn’t have doused the flame.

I was used to the darkness, empowered by it myself, and so my eyes quickly adjusted to the low light even though only wan strands of moonlight filtered through the open window.

Open window?

My heart stuttered, missing at least one beat before it sped up again. I was at the bed in an instant, my eyes verifying what my gut already knew. She was gone.

The handcuffs I’d used on her were still hanging off the iron bedrail, one band sheared open. It was clear it had been cut off her. I scanned the rest of the room and nausea roiled in my stomach. She hadn’t just escaped, someone took her.

With a roar I grabbed the wooden chair and flung it across the room, where it broke apart, splintering into a million pieces. Shadows shuttered and danced across the walls as I lost control of myself and my magic.

Fear like I’d never experienced before threatened to pull me under.

Where was she? Who took her? Were they hurting her?

A fresh wave of anger burned through my chest. I wanted to rage, rip this room and the town apart with nothing more than my bare hands.

It took effort to pull myself back from the brink. My hands shook as I sprinted from the room, down the stairs, and into the streets of Beggar’s Hole to gather my men. I didn’t know where she was, but I had an idea where to start looking. I sent up a silent promise to the villains who’d taken her that when I found them, there would be nothing left of them when I was through.

The sky was just starting to lighten. There weren’t many fae out at this early hour, but even so I didn’t try to hide who I was as I sprinted through the streets, shadows trailing in my wake.

Only one thing mattered, finding Aribella.

As I ran, every emotion I tried to suppress about her came rushing to the surface in an unstoppable tsunami. No matter what I’d told myself before, it all boiled down to one simple truth: Aribella was mine.