Page 52 of Contested Crown

“I imagine you have so many questions, Prince Bartlett. Let me answer any that have come up.” Caroline’s invitation was warm, the implication in her smile clear.

Cade inhaled, and clearly, hehadbeen thinking of questions because his first one was, “What would be my position in House Morrison if I were to marry your heir and Morrison helped me reclaim my throne?”

“Back before the hundred houses were recognized as their own, it was common for the major houses to claim lesser ones as vassals.” Caroline raised her eyebrows, lips twitching. “You would still be King Bartlett. No one wants to see House Bartlett fall.”

Elizabeth had gone into the small bathroom, barely large enough for a sink and shower. When she came out, she shook her head. Howard prowled through the art studio, his movements stiff as he looked at a work in progress displayed on one of the easels.

The past few hours had been confusing for my nose. There were so many new smells, so many new locations that it was impossible for me to sense when something was out of place.

In this room, with the sharp smell of acrylic, the chemical scent of paint remover, I could barely smell Cade.

I couldn’t defend Cade here. Everything was political. His sharp words, his knowledge of how mage houses worked, was the main defense we had.

The clawing, desperate wolf inside me hated that I couldn’t defend my packmate. A physical threat was about the only thing I was good against these days. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye.

I was across the room in a second, dropping to my knees and tearing the bed skirt away. The woman hiding underneath screamed, and I saw a flash of dark hair and pale skin. She scrabbled backward, and Elizabeth and Howard were both shouting at me, Caroline standing frozen with one hand over her mouth.

I tuned it all out, staring at the woman. My blood was going, the way it might if I was shifted and saw a rabbit cross my path. But this person was scared; I didn’t even need my nose to tell me that.

“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. Can you come out?” I reached out my hand.

She put her palm in mine, and her slender fingers were too cold. Letting me draw her out, she almost collapsed in my arms by the time she cleared the bed. Howard was looming over us, Elizabeth tugging at my shoulder.

The woman reached up, grabbing my face between her palms. “You aren’t like them. Don’t let them make you like them. Don’t let them make you colors.”

Frowning, I maneuvered us to standing, turning her over to Caroline when she finally managed to cross the room.

“Summer,” she cooed, brushing back the woman’s dark hair. Fiercely, she looked at Howard. “I’m taking her downstairs to get cleaned up. We’ll be back soon.”

Without waiting, she gestured in the air, swiping her hand as though she was spinning a top. They were gone in a swirl of green magic.

“Thank you for finding my daughter so quickly,” Howard said.

When I turned to him, my arms crossed, unsaid condemnation on my mouth, I saw that he looked older than he had a few minutes prior. The creases on his face were deeper, his head bowed under an invisible weight.

His nostrils flared, eyes sparking, and then his chin went up, shoulders back.

“While we wait, would anyone care for some wine?”

He walked over to the table, the rest of us pulled in his wake. We passed through an invisible line of magic, the buzz of it vibrating against my skin. Inside the spell, there was no scent of acrylic paint, no chemical scent of paint remover.

Two wine bottles sat on the table, six wineglasses placed in front of settings. Howard took his place at the head of the table, and Elizabeth took a seat at his right hand after a subtle glare at Larissa. Cade brushed past me, his hand trailing down my forearm and a single finger pressed to my palm before he moved to sit on Howard’s left side.

I blinked, surprised at the affectionate touch. Then, I felt magic buzzing against my palm. I closed my fist, unwilling to reveal whatever Cade had given me.

Howard poured us all glasses, even a cup for his absent wife at the other end of the table. The seat to her right didn’t have a wineglass.

Howard took a long drink of his wine, and silence settled over the table. When he had drained it, pouring himself another glass, he repeated, “Thank you for finding my daughter.”

“It was nothing.” I debated saying anything else but couldn’t help but ask, “Is she going to be okay?”

“I’m afraid it’s rather typical for her. All of the new people must have frightened her.” Howard didn’t say anything else, and Cade shot me a significant glance.

I looked around the room with new eyes. When I had first seen it, part of me thought it was a sanctuary, a place away from all the people in her house, a private retreat that she could make her own.

Now I realized what it was: a prison. The wards weren’t to protect her; they were to keep her trapped.

“She succumbed to her magic?” Cade asked, his voice sharp.