Page 58 of Contested Crown

The white slash on her badge meant Nicole wascloseto becoming a full member of House Morrison. Close was good enough here. Close was someone who might feel loyal to Cade further down the line.

Her smile was quick, and she addressed both of us by name during the meal, narrating about some of the people around her. Her long sleeves and high collar prevented me from seeing how much magic she had.

When we were done, she guided us out of the house, down a gravel path. I expected the House Morrison training grounds to be like the arena in House Bartlett, where I had finally fought Tyson. But instead of using magic to take us there, Nicole led us through hedges onto a wide lawn. There were already thirty or so mages arrayed around the area. Some were practicing against dummies, working to target their spells. Others were working together, weaving their spells into enormous nets or giant balls of light.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cade’s lips twitch. He narrowed his eyes, looking around the grounds. I tried to see what had him worried. To me, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Elizabeth walked across the grounds, moving from group to group, speaking quietly enough that even my hearing couldn’t pick up what she was saying.

“Lady Elizabeth!” Nicole waved her hand and Elizabeth turned, her lips pressed into a smile that looked about as far from genuine as you could get.

Her eyes looked over us, and she jerked her chin in acknowledgment. She said goodbye to the group she was with and headed across to us.

When she came close, she nodded at Cade. “Thank you for joining us, Prince Bartlett, Consort Bartlett.”

“How could we resist such an intriguing invitation?” Cade asked.

“Yeah. Absolutely irresistible, Lizzie,” I said.

Her eyes narrowed on me, and I smirked. The sarcasm was right there, but she chose to ignore it.

“We have practice dummies, if you would prefer to work on offensive magic, or I can set you up with your own space for any defensive spellwork you need to practice.” Elizabeth turned, gesturing to the arena behind her. “If we have time, I would love for some of our mages to be able to practice with your consort. It’s rare that we get a chance to fight a werewolf here.”

I noticed that word. Rare. Notnever, and something in the implication I didn’t like. Did they not get to practice with werewolves because they didn’t allow them at House Morrison? Or was it something even more sinister? Maybe the werewolves that they did practice with didn’t last very long.

“We will happily practice with anyone you suggest,” Cade said. “My bond with my consort is new. He’ll fight in human form for now.”

He said it fiercely, awkwardly, an order to a woman who didn’t answer to him. Elizabeth blinked, the purse of her lips sour.

She opened her mouth, and I could see that she was about to force the issue, not because she wanted to antagonize Cade but because she couldn’t take orders from him in front of her own underlings. Declan would have shot someone in the head for taking liberties like Cade just had.

“I’m still getting used to his magic. It would be a big help for us.” Elizabeth’s gaze swung to me, and I felt like I was diving in front of a bullet for Cade. It was a position I was used to being in.

Elizabeth’s lips tightened. “Of course.”

She called over two other mages and gestured us toward a patch of open field. As we walked over, I tried to size up the two mages. They were both men, one taller than the other.

The taller one was chattering happily, using his hands as he spoke. His sleeve rose up, and I saw a hint of sky-blue tattoo on the inside of his wrist. The other stopped beside him, his hands shoved into his pockets, eyes on the ground.

None of the mages here wore House Morrison crests, so I couldn’t tell who was already part of the house and who was still in training.

“I’ll set up a boundary,” Elizabeth said. She touched her wrist, pulling magic out from under her sleeve. The blue looked darker in the sunlight, and a line of magic slithered in a wide circle. “That just keeps any fight from taking over the entire practice field.”

Cade nodded. “We need time to set up.”

He pulled me away, although I had no doubt that everyone was watching us closely. Nothing we said was private.

When he looked up at me, I could see the question in his eyes. I shook my head, raising one shoulder and a shrug. No, I wasn’t sure I could beat two full-grown mages on my own. I’d barely been able to handleonein the past. Cade’s lips went flat, nearly white, and he exhaled sharply. Then, he touched his throat, a line of thorny tattoo coming off on his fingers. He tossed it to me, as though it was a physical thing, and I reached up, catching it on my hand. It twisted up the arm opposite the blades.

“I still don’t like this,” he murmured. “I don’t know what the magic is bringing back with it. It’s alwaysmorewhen it comes back to me from you.”

I shrugged. “Do we have a choice?”

His head twitched.No.

I turned, shrugging, stretching my neck until I heard a pop. I bounced a couple of times on the balls of my feet before turning back into the ring. I stepped in, my eyes fixed on the two mages. The taller one wasn’t smiling anymore, his lips still. The shorter one stared at me darkly.

For a long beat, tension rose in the air. Then, they attacked.