Page 11 of Ascendant King

“A king needs a steed. Call it a gift,” he’d said, but I’d paid him with an expensive bottle of red from Declan’s wine collection.

Cade and I sat in the back together, staring out opposite windows. In the front, Gabe was driving, nodding along to the hip-hop he’d put on. He shouted back, “Should we stop for food?”

“There’s food in town,” I said. “A place on Main Street. Thelma’s Restaurant.”

At least, there should be. Part of me wondered,What if it’s gone?What if every bit of my childhood was erased? What if,what if, what if, what if. The anxiety crept along as a green highway sign indicated we were getting closer to Flores.

“Should we stop there first?” Gabe asked as the song changed to something with a heavy bass beat.

I checked the time. “Yeah, let’s go there first.”

Cade said nothing, the silence a wall between us that had been built brick by brick, without any chance of forgiveness.

“Unless you want some other kind of food,” I said to Cade, keeping my tone casual. I was asking a question of a friend, not desperate for any contact.

“It’s fine,” Cade said, the first words he’d said to me all day.

“How’s the magic doing?” I glanced at him, but with his high-necked shirt, long jacket sleeves, and chilly expression, I couldn’t see a hint of ink anywhere, not even a line of Basil’s scales at his wrist. “That was a lot you used last night and in practice.”

“I’m fine,” he said.

“Fine,” I said pointedly.

Cade glared at me, which shouldn’t have felt good, but it did in a strange way because at least he was reacting to me. At least he had some skin in the game.

“You want me to order ahead?” Gabe asked, breaking the tension.

“No, it’s not that kind of place.” I turned back to Cade, ready to push him, see if I could get any more of a reaction, but my phone began buzzing in my pocket, vibrating enough that I pulled it free and checked the screen.

“What’s up, Heather?” I asked.

“Nia says that we can get to Flores in three hours. Wait.” Heather paused. “No, now she says half an hour, using magic Rhys left her.”

“Tell her not to worry. Hold down the fort; we’ll be home tonight.” I looked out the window, the scenery starting to lookfamiliar. Eleven years, and I still recognized the stores and billboards. Everything looked the same, even though I could see where new buildings had eaten away at empty stretches of highway.

“Now she says fifteen minutes,” Heather said. “And she doesn’t look happy.”

“Tell Nia we’ll be home before curfew, and we promise not to go up to make-out point. We’re just making a pit stop.” I closed my eyes, remembering the rumble of my father’s truck, the way the seats in the back had been worn nearly through, the padding coming out where the stitching was loose. “We might even come back with some new packmates.”

I thought it was unlikely. Anyone who had worn Castillo Pack colors was probably dead, and if they’d survived by pretending they hadn’t ever heard the name Elena Castillo, I wasn’t sure I wanted them in my pack.

“Okay. He says he’ll be back tonight.” Heather lowered her voice. “She’s really mad, boss.”

“Tell her to stop worrying,” I said. “I’ll be fine.”

Whispering, Heather said, “She doesn’t think you’ll be fine.”

“Put me on speaker.” I waited until Heather told me I was. “Nia, I swear to god, I’m going to be fine. This is a brief stop to check if anyone here is Castillo Pack. If we see any Ghost Pack, I’m not going to start a fight.”

“She says that you’d better finish it if someone starts it,” Heather informed me.

“Noted.” I smirked. “You stay safe. How did it go with the dealer?”

“We’re still watching him,” Heather growled. “He’s cagey. We almost lost him twice. Coral is pissed because he slipped away when she was watching him, but her mage was able to keep up.”

“Good.” I stared out at the eucalyptus trees surrounding a farm in the distance. “See you tonight.”

“Thanks, boss.” Heather waited for me to end the call.