Page 48 of Contested Crown

Cade leaned forward, pulling me down so that his mouth was against my ear. “I meant it. I meant every word.” He reached up, wrapping one hand around my throat and squeezing just slightly. “Whatever we do here, I won’t let them hurt you.”

Then he released me, shutting off the water and stepping out before I could say anything.

In the closet were two sets of clean clothes. Cade’s were typical mage wear—high collars and black slacks. Mine was a set of V-neck shirts and black jeans.

I put my finger on the dip of the collar, frowning.

When I looked at Cade, he paused, buttoning up his shirt. His eyes went to me, to my inkless throat.

Before we could decide anything, there was a sharp rap on the door. I hurriedly pulled on some pants and chose one of the shirts at random while Cade finished dressing.

He opened the door, his eyes going wide. I looked over his shoulder and saw an older woman, her smile warm.

“Cade! When I heard you were here, I knew I had to see you!” She opened her arms and wrapped him in a hug. He stumbled forward, still holding on to the door with one hand.

She released him, and he stepped back, brushing his hands over his shirt. I was reminded of a cat given a stroke it hadn’t asked for.

When he turned to me, I recognized the expression on his face as shock, although to anyone else, it would have looked bored.

“Miles, this is Larissa, Leon’s wife.”

ChapterSixteen

Larissa laughed, waving her hand at the introduction. “Oh, Leon and I are long since… well, I suppose we’re as divorced as two people still married on paper can be.” She smiled at Cade, warm and loving. When she turned to me, there was something sharp in her eyes, shattered glass left behind by some hurt. “I heard you came with a consort.”

I twitched, unable to help the snark that rose up. “And he has a name and everything.” I extended out my hand. “Miles.”

She started to take my hand, then pulled up, hesitating for half a second before shaking my hand. “You aren’t wearing your collar, Miles.”

She immediately released me but stopped short of wiping her palm on her skirt. Instead, she reached out, linking her arm with Cade and tugging him along. He went, body stiff.

I wanted to push in between them, to make her stop touching him, but I was reminded again of Cade’s implication. There were no rules of hospitality here. Meaning our safety was not guaranteed.

Instead, I said, “We were told to wait in the room until dinner.”

“Oh, I’m sure the head of security will make an exception for an old woman.” She smiled over her shoulder, eyes twinkling. I closed the door behind us. There was no way to lock it. I hadn’t seen any keys in the room.

Cheerfully, she pulled Cade with her down the hall. The building, shaped like a large rectangle, had rooms on the outside, with a large center courtyard filled with trees and other greenery. The hallway windows looked down into the center, giving a beautiful view.

She turned two corners, pulling us to the opposite side of the building, then stopped in front of one of the doors, pointing at a golden plaque on the wall. It had her name, Larissa Lucas, and her room number underneath.

“If you have any questions at all, or if anyone is giving you a hard time, including Elizabeth, come see me. She’s very dedicated to her job, but she and Phelan both take their positions far too seriously.” Larissa produced a set of keys, unlocking her door and ushering us inside.

The apartment behind the door was massive. So massive that I didn’t understand how it could possibly fit in the building. There was a sitting room, a small breakfast nook tucked near the window, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The walls were a pale blue, decorated with black-and-white photos of the California coast.

“Sit, sit.” She nudged Cade toward one of the couches as she went into a small kitchenette.

I prowled around the room, but just as in our bedroom, I didn’t see any obvious signs of listening devices. Nor was there any real danger. No closed doors, no hidden compartments.

Cade cleared his throat, and I turned to look at him. He raised an eyebrow, and I came to sit next to him before Larissa could take the seat herself.

Larissa came back in from the small kitchenette, a tea tray held in her hands. She placed it on the coffee table and poured three cups. When she handed over Cade’s, her palm lingered on the back of his hand, clasping his wrist briefly before letting go and sitting back. She handed mine over without even a glance at my face.

“It is so good to see you. I always worried about what happened to you after I left. I wished I could have taken you with me, but I wasn’t sure what good that would have done.” She chuckled. “We might be on the brink of warnow, but if I had taken the Bartlett heir back then…”

Cade watched her over the rim of his cup, remaining silent. I expected him to follow up with a question, but the silence stretched, and Larissa cleared her throat. I realized that Cade had learned the technique from me, letting someone stew in their own anxiety until they gave up more information.

“I didn’t have much of a choice. Icouldn’thave taken you with me. I barely got out with my own life.” She looked down at her teacup, the porcelain trembling against the dish for a second as she raised it to her lips.