Page 86 of Ascendant King

“Because that’s been your plan all along. You little Trojan horse. You want House Bartlett weak. You want it to fall because you’re too scared to lead it. You’re too scared to be king.” Declan flicked the cigarette onto the carpet. It began to smoke, lighting the wool.

Flames surrounded us.

“I’m not afraid of anything,” Cade said fiercely. “I’mcertainlynot afraid of dead men.”

“Then call me the ghost of Christmas future.” Declan lunged forward, and before I could stop him, he wrapped a hand around Cade’s neck, dragging him across the room and pinning him to the wall. “Because here’s what I see: you, the king of a deserted house, because everyone has abandoned you for a better house, for a moreworthyhouse, for a king who isn’t afraid.”

Cade struggled, tearing at the hand around his neck. His black magic flowed over his fingertips, pale gray because of how exhausted he was.

But it seeped through Declan’s arm, hitting the ground with an audible thump. I shook my head, trying to make sense of it. Either Declan was here, in which case Cade’s magic should work on him, or he was in our heads, in which case he shouldn’t be able to pin Cade against the wall.

Declan lifted Cade off the ground. “You child. I gave you everything. I gave you all of my magic, I nurtured you, let you grow. I kept you safe. And this is how you repay me.”

I leapt forward, grabbing at Declan, but he was even faster. The branches growing from his spine swept me aside, knocking me against the window. My head snapped back, cracking the glass pane, and I stumbled, seeing double.

As I lurched back toward them, Declan looked over at me in disgust.

“I even gave you the last of the Castillos on a silver platter. You could have left him dead and avenged your father.” Declan shook his head, pulling Cade back slightly from the wall only to slam him back against it.

Cade’s face was pale, and he tried to gasp for air, but Declan’s hand was too tight.No. I lunged across the room, stepping over roots and branches, avoiding razor-sharp leaves that swept overmy head. At the last moment, I stumbled, hitting Declan’s legs and passing through them.

I might not be able to touch Declan, but I could grab Cade. I wrapped my arms around him and tore him free of Declan’s grasp, pushing him behind me. Cade gasped, color returning to his face, his pale lips pinking.

“What are you talking about, Declan?” I glared at him, and slowly, my vision made him one instead of two. “You never had magic.”

“Iammagic. I am the promise between family and power. I am generations of Bartletts.” Declan’s voice was changing, growing deeper, echoing with his power. Gold dripped from his eyes, the poisonous sap running down his chin and scarring the floor.

“House Bartlett,” Cade said hoarsely. “You are House Bartlett.”

“And you will not weaken me.” Declan reached out again, but I was faster, throwing myself between his hand and Cade.

“Do it!” I yelled over my shoulder. “Now.”

Declan’s hand passed through me, but I had set myself on fire for Cade. I could handle fighting the ghost of my old boss. I ran at him, grabbing one of the branches that grew from his neck.

To my surprise, I was able to grip it, and I used it to swing him around, slamming him into the wall.

He hit it so hard that it left a dent in the plaster. Growling, Declan lurched forward, poison dripping from where I had torn the branch free.

“He should have killed you.” Declan’s eyes were narrowed, slits of pure fury. “No one shall challenge House Bartlett. No other mage house. Nodog. His father understood that.Heshould have understood that.”

“So sorry that my love story interrupted your plans for world domination.” I bounced on the balls of my feet, dartingforward with a punch that passed through Declan’s face until my hand hit the sharp leaves framing his head. They sliced open my knuckles, but I couldn’t let myself feel the pain. Instead, I pressed my hand further in, gripping wood and yanking it through Declan’s head.

It came with a horrible tearing, popping sound, and Declan’s eyes went wide, his mouth dropping open. He snarled, lurching forward, stumbling until he was able to grab hold of me.

I forced my legs to go slack, and he fell with me to the carpet, the branches of tree growing out of him cracking as they hit the floor. He scrambled up, pinning me to the ground, wrapping both hands around my neck.

“He should have killed you.” Even dripping poison sap, he looked so much like Declan that for a second, I thought maybe my ex-boss was still in there.

I gritted my teeth, forcing out the last of my air. “He did. It didn’t take.”

“He ismine. He wants to claim that he is House Bartlett? No.Iam House Bartlett, and Cade is mine.” Declan opened his mouth, throwing back his head until enormous wooden fangs dripped from his lips. He lunged forward, clearly about to tear out my throat.

“And with our compact fulfilled, I release the ley lines!” Cade shouted.

Declan froze, and I could feel the scrape of wood against my skin.

Then, slowly, he began to melt, every part of him disintegrating, becoming nothing but the honey magic that was the poison taking over the ley lines. It coated me, covering my skin, getting in my mouth as I gasped for air.