Page 104 of Ascendant King
“We need to talk to Elizabeth. If Leon was working with Phelan, she might have information on what that alliance looked like. She might know if that’s where he went when he left House Bartlett.” Cade dropped his hand from my throat, wrapping one arm around his chest. “And we need to get a head count from the mages. Which families left for other houses, which were killed, and who’s with us.”
They were all reasonable, actionable steps. Still, I felt exhaustion at the idea in every line of my body. We had to find Leon. He had been studying the poison for so long that he mighthave an idea of how to stop it, even if it would never occur to him to do so.
But all I wanted to do was drag Cade back into bed, let the morning light paint his pale skin gold. I wanted to press my body onto his, feel how delicate he was under me and how he could hold me together when I wanted to shatter into a thousand pieces.
Before I could act on the impulse, give in to the part of me that hungered to throw up my hands, and be rid of all the complications of our lives and drag Cade back to bed, I heard someone on the stairs.
“King Bartlett, Alpha Castillo,” Sonja said, her hand tight on the banister. She trembled as she walked, controlling it by moving slowly, keeping her gaze fixed on the carpet.
In the bright light of morning, in Declan’s modern house, it became apparent how overworked she was, how little energy she had left. Her red magic had once given Tyson the strength of four or five wolves, as much as an alpha easily. Now, it looked pale pink on her forearm, revealing how weak she had become.
She followed my gaze and tugged down the sleeve of her shirt self-consciously.
“Around here, people can call me Miles.” I tilted my head, offering a smile that had more teeth than I intended. “After all, we are on the same side, aren’t we?”
“Miles.” She nodded, finally arriving at the bottom of the stairs. “Siobhan disappeared into the kitchen, but the other mages aren’t sure if it’s safe to come down.”
There was an implied question, and I waited, forcing her to ask it.
“Is it safe for mages to leave the third floor?” She looked between us, although her eyes settled on me eventually.
“It’s safe. All of my betas know that you’re working with us now.” I glanced at Cade, gaining strength from the way heturned back to me, letting me take the lead with my own people. “They’re somewhat used to consorts. Coral, Theo, and the other consorts that escaped have been living here. I know that Leon was pushing returning to the old-school way of treating them, but if any of the mages here treat them like second-class citizens, then wewillhave a problem.”
Sonja nodded, looking down. “What Leon put our consorts through… I have no excuse for not leaving with the rest. I thought I was staying to protect House Bartlett. If you need me to leave, if you needanyof the mages to leave to provide safety for our consorts, we will.”
Her face was ashen, her gaze fixed on the carpet. Despite all we’d been through, she was sure that I was about to kick her out. I probably should, no matter how much we needed their magic.
Shaking my head, I said, “As long as it’s a true partnership between mage and consort, we’re still offering sanctuary for anyone who stands with us against Leon.”
Sonja’s head snapped up, her eyes searching mine. “I’ll let the others know.”
“Before you go—” Cade held up a hand, and Sonja swung her gaze to him, bowing nearly in half. “—we need a head count. How many mages does Leon have with him? How powerful are they? How many did we lose, and how many fled to other houses?”
“It will be hard to determine all that.” Sonja closed her eyes. “But we’ll do our best. I know that he has at least a half dozen with him. I have no idea if they turned on him the way the ones that attacked us did when you severed the ties between House Bartlett and the poisoned ley lines. They were strong. Stronger than I’ve ever seen.”
Cade’s brows drew together, troubled. “That’s what Jack and Lily said.”
Sonja nodded. “They were stronger than you and me put together. Back when we were both at full strength.”
Her wry smile made Cade snort. “I trust you to find out from the others.”
She bowed again, turning and walking up the stairs. Tyson waited at the top, his eyes dull, his skin pale. He coughed harshly, and I smelled blood. She took his arm, leading him back up to the brand-new third floor we had acquired through magic.
We heard Rhys and Nia coming before they arrived.
“And youhaven’tbeen eating right. Don’t give me that look—I knowexactlywhat you look like when you’ve been eating vegetables, and you haven’t touched one since I left.” Rhys pushed open the door. They smiled when they saw us, eyes crinkling in the corners, their dark skin looking lustrous as normal, but if I was any judge, Nia wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been eating right while they were apart.
“Rhys. It’s good to see you,” I said.
“And you too.Someone’sbeen getting all of his vegetables in my absence.” Rhys shot Nia a significant look, but rather than annoyed, she looked relieved, ducking her head and bumping against them with her shoulder.
“Rhys, we’re very glad for your safe return.” Cade’s shoulders had come down from his ears, and the smile looked genuine. “How was your trip?”
“Informative.” Rhys sighed, brushing a hand over their cropped hair. “And frustrating. You know how the other houses can be. They keep everything as tight as a nun doing Kegels. But this was evenworse. I spent two weeks with House Radcliffe before anyone would eventalkto me beyond pleasantries. Do youknowwhat I’m like without gossip to feed me? It’s not fun for anyone!”
“Let’s get you settled first.” I looked around, frowning. “Where’s your luggage?”
“I may have fled the last house without any of my belongings except my winning smile and the clothes on my back.” Rhys offered over a sample of the smile, which was enough to win the state lottery. “We can talk now.”