Page 87 of Ascendant King

It tasted foul, and I rolled to my side, spitting and gagging, trying to get it out.

“No! Miles!” Cade crossed the room so fast I was sure he used magic.

He pressed his hands to me, but his magic was nothing but a gray shadow, as pale as newsprint on fingertips.

Pulling off his shirt, Cade tried to wipe away most of the poison while I focused on breathing.

“Is it done?” I asked.

“Yes.” Cade shivered, dropping his shirt to the side and framing my face with his hands. “We need to get you clean. We need to burn it off.”

Cade stood, locking his knees before reaching down. My limbs felt leaden; even though I knew I should have more energy than him, I could barely stand.

“I don’t have the magic.” Cade’s voice was broken. “I can’t let it take you.”

I exhaled sharply, pushing out everything in my lungs. Sap coated my mouth, the taste honey sweet and rancid. Leaning forward, I was sick over the floor, my body throwing up everything left in my stomach.

“Miles,” Cade said.

But I closed my eyes. I knew what I had to do.

I reached up, touching the band of magic around my neck. I could feel it in my hands, in my mind, and I drew it out, letting Cade’s magic flood over me, letting myself burn with the warmth of my love and affection for him.

This poison couldn’t take me because Cade already had me. It couldn’t have me because I wasalphaof the Los Santos Pack, and my pack needed me. I wouldn’t let it. I wouldn’t let it. Iwouldn’t let it have me.

As I burned, as I seared it from my skin, I felt Cade’s magic flow from my neck over my entire body. I was Cade’s mate, he was mine, and the poison that had killed my mother wouldn’t kill me too.

“Miles.” Cade’s voice brought me back, and I collapsed against him. His magic slithered up, wrapping around my neck again, a firm reminder of what we’d decided to be to each other.

Cade dragged my arm over his shoulders, and we stumbled to the door, wrenching it open. On the other side, Isaac had his hand raised, orange magic floating above his palm.

“Cade!” He looked between us, eyes wide. “What happened?”

“I freed our house of the poisoned ley lines.” Cade looked down. “And I know what happened to my father.”

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

We moved to Cade’s bedroom, Isaac and Jay leaving to find everyone else we needed to speak with. When Cade and I were alone, he crossed the room, reaching up with one hand, hesitating before brushing his fingers over my cheek.

“Are you all right?” His eyes pierced mine, and the joke I had been about to say withered on my tongue. “I killed you.”

His fingers trailed down, tracing over my throat where I still felt his ink on my skin. My whole body shivered, burning alive with the heat of his touch.

“It wasn’t you. It was the poison,” I said.

“No.” Cade shook his head. “I spent so long afraid and angry. I took it out on you when we first met, but it wasn’t your fault.” Cade swallowed, forcing his gaze up to meet my eyes again. “Any more than it was your parents’.”

“What do you mean?” But I knew. I was being cowardly. I had experienced what he meant.

“If we were just reenacting what happened, then I know what my father was feeling. I could feel the effects of the poison inhim. The effects of the poison and House Bartlett.” He blinked, exhaling sharply, his nostrils flaring. “He wanted to protect me, yes, but it was more than that. I could feel that he wanted to killeverywolf.”

Cade stared at me, searching, and I found myself able to give him the same honesty. “My mother thought she was protecting her pack by killing your father. Only she was convinced that her pack was House Bartlett. It was… confusing. She came here for peace, but in that moment, all she wanted was to kill, and she was convinced the only way to findpeacewas to kill your father.”

Cade nodded, his fingers gently stroking over my Adam’s apple, drawing circles at my pulse point, as though reassuring himself that my heart still beat, I was still alive.

“I know what you mean. It was confusing for me too. There were too many thoughts in my head, but one thing I knew was that neither one of us was in control.”