Page 98 of Ascendant King

“Leon used the poison from the ley lines to bring him back. I don’t understand it. Cade has some idea, but…” I shrugged.

I glanced over my shoulder, but I couldn’t see Jesaiah in the kitchen, so I looked over the assembled wolves.

“Unfortunately, this doesn’t change anything. We stay overnight in the king’s house, then return to the city in the morning.” I glanced at Cade. He raised his chin, shoulders going back. “We’ll take any House Bartlett mages that want to comewith us. In the morning, before we leave, Cade and I will go back to the dryad village and let them know.”

I stepped through the crowd of wolves, feeling them form up behind me. We walked back to the king’s house, and I heard murmurs in the crowd but nothing definitive. Nia bumped her shoulder against mine, the frown on her face as clear as her sign had been.

“I don’t know what we’re supposed to do with him.” I lowered my voice, aware that almost every wolf was still able to hear me. “He’s dead. I killed him myself before Cade and I fled House Bartlett. All that’s left is… his body. I can’t make myself destroy that.”

The words became a challenge at the end, and Nia ducked her head, tilting her chin slightly to expose her throat. It was clearly an agreement, even if her gaze was still troubled. Back at the main house, everything was logistics. We had enough beds for everyone, and even though I wanted privacy, and Cade clearly needed it, we accepted a bed at the edge of the ballroom.

Lily and Isaac had been busy, using cleaning spells that jumped from bed to bed so that by the time I lay down on the cot, it smelled only like clean laundry, fresh from a clothesline.

Cade sat on the floor, a mage light hovering over his shoulder as he began to read Leon’s journals more thoroughly. I tucked my chin on his shoulder, catching a few sentences here and there.

We didn’t speak, and the room went silent, the only sound from the three wolves that were posted in the hallway. I tried not to worry that we still hadn’t caught Leon, that the other packs might not support us in a second attack.

In the quiet, it was easy for a single thought to spin out, becoming a hundred different worries. WherewasLeon? This was his stronghold. This was where he should have made his last stand.

What did it mean that House Morrison had known about the poison, had sent someone to work with Leon on studying it. More importantly, who had they sent?

I sat up, picking up the journal that Cade had thrown on the ground back in Leon’s secret lab. Cade glanced up at me, eyes wide, one eyebrow raised in question. I slid off the cot, sitting next to him as I paged through.

Finally, a name stood out on the page. Phelan Morrison.

I stared at it, remembering the tall, thin mage from House Morrison, who worked as the spymaster for the house, keeping his eyes on everyoneinthe house with the same attention he paid to any threats outside the house. After a moment, I nudged Cade, gesturing to Phelan’s name.

Cade blinked, brows drawn together, mouth working for a moment before he remembered the sleeping wolves around us. If Phelan had been Leon’s research buddy, were they close enough now that Leon would go to him for help?

Or maybe, Leon was just hungry for more sources of magic, and Phelan had learned how to use mages as batteries. Leon had drained all of the consorts of House Bartlett dry, and his plan to drain the wolves of Los Santos had failed.

I didn’t realize how long I had been staring at the same page until Cade pried the book from my fingers. He nudged me back onto the cot, squeezing himself between the wall and me. Wrapping one arm around my stomach, he drew me back against him, face buried between my shoulder blades.

He had my back, and the arm around my midsection anchored me to the moment, not letting my mind spin out in too many directions, and I was facing outward, ready to defend the both of us.

Go to sleep, Basil advised. I felt his body flex against my throat, squeezing just enough that I knew he was still there.I’ll keep watch.

The next morning, everything that had sent me spiraling the night before looked easier to deal with. We had only managed a few hours of rest, but even that was enough to clear my head.

The drivers arrived in front of House Bartlett, and I made sure everyone was packed up, including the betas with us. Nia refused to leave my side. Emilio got out of the car when he realized we were staying behind.

Heather started to, but I held up a hand. “Take everyone back. Get them settled. We’re going to be returning with mages, so we’re going to need room and supplies. Maybe even medical treatment.”

“Yeah, but how are you getting back, boss?” Heather asked with a frown.

I grinned, gesturing at the detached garage to the side of the house. “We’re coming back in style. We have the King Bartlett’s fleet at our disposal. Don’t worry about us.”

Nodding slowly, Heather got back in, and the convoy set off. After they passed out of sight, the house became eerily quiet. We were four people on an estate that had once housed hundreds.

“I’m going to summon Petrona,” Cade said. “She and Siobhan should be able to bring everyone else back.”

Before I could say anything, he’d already sent off a flicker of black magic that disappeared into the forest. Emilio shifted uncomfortably, glancing between Nia and me. Nia’s expression was bored, distant. She reached a hand up, brushing over the silver chain at her neck, as though reassuring herself that her collar was still there.

“Any news from Rhys?” I asked.

She nodded but didn’t indicate anything else, so I assumed it wasn’t good news.

A few minutes later, magic popped audibly, and groups of mages returned. Petrona looked tired, but the mages with consorts were visibly healed.