Page 47 of Contested Crown

“Well, they’ve definitely kept it updated. How many people do you think live here?”

Cade shook his head. “More people than House Bartlett has.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Then why don’t they just attack House Bartlett? They have the numbers.”

“Because Bartlett would ask the seven principal houses to step in. Then the hundred mage houses would have to choose sides.” Cade walked to the window, observing the trees. “Morrison has enough people to conquer Bartlett and likely most of the minor houses in California. But not enough to take on the entire hundred.”

“And I’m sure the principal houses don’t want someone else to become king of the hill.” I walked over to a dresser, where everything that had been in the Nissan had been deposited. It looked untouched, but I didn’t trust that.

“It would solve all of our problems,” Cade said vehemently, trying to convince himself. “If I join House Morrison, they can go to war with Bartlett, and it would be seen as an internal matter. None of the other houses would be forced to step in.”

I didn’t say anything, instead turning to examine the room, running my fingers along the baseboard and window, squinting up at the ceiling. I didn’t see any listening devices, but they had to be there.

I looked at Cade, raising my eyebrows significantly, and he nodded. “Yes. They’re listening.”

Gesturing with both hands open, I frowned at Cade. He immediately knew what I was trying to say and shook his head. No, he couldn’t do anything.

He tapped his chest, where I knew most of his magic was focused. Without more power, we would just have to accept that they could hear whatever we said.

“I’m going to take a shower,” I said.

Cade looked at the bathroom, his brows twitching together. Then he looked at me, his eyes lighting. I immediately understood. Even magical listening devices might be difficult to hear through with the shower going full blast.

“I’ll join you,” Cade said.

“Interested in conserving water, Your Highness?” I teased for the microphones.

Cade made a face. “Given the number of washes we’ve skipped in the past few weeks, I would say we’ve conserved enough to enjoy a nice,longshower.”

In the bathroom, we stripped efficiently. I turned on the water, putting my hand under the spray until it was the perfect temperature. Then I stepped in, Cade following behind me.

Putting my lips close to his ear, I asked, “Are we safe?”

Cade tilted his chin up and laced his fingers through my hair, his lips practically touching my ear. I shivered, my cock giving a twitch against his stomach.

“King Morrison didn’t offer me hospitality, even when I asked for it.” Cade pulled back, his eyes searching my face to see if I understood the nuance.

I squinted, trying to work it through. Not for the first time, I wished that I was back with Declan. There, things had been simple. If you were staying at his house, you were his friend. If you had a bullet in your brain, you were his enemy.

Howard, King of House Morrison, hadn’t offered us hospitality, meaning the rules of hospitality didn’t apply. While under his roof, we could be injured, we could be hurt.

That meant, at any point, Elizabeth could come for us again. Maybe, if Cade didn’t agree to willingly become the husband of the House Morrison heir, they might force the issue physically.

But it also created a loophole for us. We didn’t have to obey their rules; we didn’t have to act in good faith. In fact, it might help us more than they realized if we weren’t bound by hospitality for our safety.

“How much magic do you have?” Water pounded over my back, trailing down my chest. I felt Cade’s nipples harden against my body, and he shivered.

I turned us so that he was getting his share of the warm water and then traced my fingers over the goose bumps that rose on his shoulders.

“More than I had. But not enough to transport us.” Cade tilted his head so that the water flowed over his neck. “I’m not sure I want to practice taking magic from you anymore. If I wasn’t taking back the magic that made up Basil, then what was I taking?”

His eyes searched my face, and I realized what he was worried about. He was worried that whatever he had gotten in return was the opposite of how most consort bonds worked. Rather than him shoving his extra magic into me and turning me into a larger, buffer werewolf, he was taking magic from me, diminishing me physically or mentally.

Nodding, I turned and grabbed at the soap and washcloth left for us in the shower. I lathered up the cloth, then began washing Cade. He shivered under my ministrations, and his hand reached up, his fingers dragging down my throat.

I wondered if he thought about the collar too—where it would sit around my neck, what it would mean if I was wearing it.

When Cade was clean, I put more soap on, ready to wash myself, but his hand closed over mine, taking the cloth from me. He washed me slowly, his fingers gentle on my skin.