Page 71 of Contested Crown

“Everyone is here by choice,” he repeated.

“Right.” I let it sit there, an accusation.

“This is a kindness,” King Morrison said. “For everyone involved.”

“Oh, yeah,” I said sarcastically. “I can see that. A kindness. Out of the goodness of your heart. You’re locking your own people up in padded cells. Forcing everyone else in your house to cut off their own magic. Kidnapping mages off the street. Grafting foreign magic onto them like they’re monkeys you’re trying to give wings.”

“Quiet!” Elizabeth shouted. “You knownothing.”

“I know that something reeks in this room, and it sure as hell isn’tDenmark.” I glared at her, my rage finding a new outlet. “You let them torture the people you’re supposed to protect. You aren’t anything more than a bully. Requiring performance for food—and you call being a consort torture!”

“Prince Bartlett—Cade—” King Morrison sighed. “There is something wrong within the hundred houses. If we let our people go mad and then kill them like animals, there’s somethingwrong.”

“King Morrison—” Cade started.

“Howard,” the king said. “Call me Howard.”

“Howard.” Cade considered his next words, and I saw his mouth move as though tasting them before saying anything. “Howard, you’re right. I likely was close to tipping over into madness myself before I found Miles. But you’re suggesting that all of this is done out of kindness?”

There was just the right amount of doubt in his words, the slight edge, a sarcastic glint. He was a future king challenging a current one, and his feint worked.

“They would have killed Summer if they’d known about her.” Howard gestured upward to the attic. “If any of the other houses had known about her, they would have demanded that she be killed because we’ve all seen what great power and a lack of control can do.”

“How does Summer come into this?” I asked.

“I needed a strong house to protect her. I need a strong king to keep her safe when I’m gone.” Howard rubbed his eyes. “And then once we started, more people heard about the fact that at House Morrison, a mage’s ability could grow exponentially. People whose entire lives had been limited, suddenly weren’t any more.”

He trailed off, his fingers resting against his lips, staring into the distance.

“Once that happened, we had more people than we could help. So we needed more. The mages running from the houses, they’re usually the ones with too much excess magic, too close to the edge. We can help them,” Elizabeth said. Her eyes were lit, bright with fervor. “We can help them, but only if they’rehere.”

“The bounty is just to keep them safe,” I drawled. “Sure.”

“To what end?” Cade said. “Morrison is safe now. The other houses won’t be able to touch you with what you already have. Why keep going?”

“Because”—Howard looked at him fiercely—“once you realize it’s wrong, the wholesystemstops making sense. This should be available to all mages. Every mage should have the chance to avoid madness or increase their power.”

“Have you asked any of them?” Cade said. “What it’s like to have another’s power on them?”

Howard waved a hand. “They said uncomfortable. But several of them have come and requested more. It cannot be that bad if they want more.”

Cade was pale, everything in him still. When he opened his mouth, it was like watching carved ice speak. “You want me to be that king so that I can continue your work, build a house that will protect your daughter.”

“Oh, don’t pretend that you aren’t getting what you want too.” Howard waved a dismissive hand. “You’re going to be well compensated for it. You’ll get your crown. You’ll get the satisfaction of knowing that the house that chose someone else over you is now yours, that you are the most powerful mage king in the country and likely the world.”

“No,” Cade agreed. “I would get plenty out of it.”

“And who wouldyoube after there’s a new king?” I asked Elizabeth. “The good right hand?”

“I would be whatever the king requires of me,” she said stiffly, her eyes going to Howard.

“Elizabeth has always been loyal.” Howard smiled. “I’m glad you understand, Cade. Now. I’m sorry to force the issue, but we must have a decision from you. Will you agree to marry Summer Morrison and become king upon my death?”

ChapterTwenty-Four

Cade went pale, his eyes so wide that I saw the whites around his irises. He was completely still, a statue that breathed.

“We still need more time,” I said.