Page 12 of Exiled Heir

Then we were through the gate, speeding on smooth, black asphalt. My mouth dropped open, my heart beating quickly. I panted, looking around us.

“You don’t have a gate opener?!” I growled.

“No need. That’s just the visual cue of our wards. They encircle the estate. No one who doesn’t have express permission can get in. Or out.”

I turned to look at him, swallowing and taking a half second to soothe my breathing before I asked, “I’m trapped here?”

“You agreed.” Cade slowed the car as we passed through an intersection.

If I squinted, I could see houses in the distance. One and two-story buildings that were more shadow than shape.

“I agreed to do a job, not step foot into a prison.” I clenched my fist and shook my head violently.

“You want out? You want to lose half a million dollars and go back to having Declan on your tail?” Cade’s voice was cool, and he screeched the car to a stop in front of a massive house. “I gave you a choice. You chose to come with me. We made an agreement. Are you going to break it?”

The part of me that didn’t want to wear the collar bristled. I bared my teeth, biting back a growl. Finally, I shook my head, taking two long breaths before speaking.

“No.”

Cade looked me over, his chilly eyes catching on my naked throat. “The next two days will be crucial. If they’re going to make a move on me or you, the best time to do it would be before we’re joined, before we complete the ceremony and you become my consort. You need to be on your toes, be prepared for anything.”

“Anything like what?” I pressed.

“They won’t attack outright. The poisoning and the explosion—neither one of those was direct combat. But they’ll trysomething. While we’re apart, that’s when they’ll think you’re vulnerable. Can you be ready?” Cade shifted in his seat, and I watched the tense line of his neck, the frown between his brows.

“Yeah,” I said. “I can be ready.”

“Are you sure?” Cade asked, his eyes searching my face for something.

“Yeah.” I wanted to reach out and brush back his blond hair from his forehead so I could see his expression more clearly. “I’m sure. If I’m ready, I can take on a mage.”

That wasn’t true, and I wasn’t sure why I’d said it, but the tension around Cade’s eyes relaxed, and he exhaled a long breath, nearly a sigh. “Do you remember our story?”

“We met three weeks ago. You asked me to be your consort, I agreed. We dated by going to restaurants and museums.” I drawled the last word, making sure it was clear how ridiculous it was that I would ever go to a museum. “I’m not collared yet because you are a nice boy who wanted to show me around and make sure I fit with the in-laws before making an honest man of me.”

“Maybe Ishouldhave stopped at the local community theatre. That was about as convincing as their rendition ofA Streetcar Named Desire.”

“You want to see my Brando impression?” I said. “Because from my recollection, that wasn’t a play that worked out well for anyone.”

“I need you to make it believable.” Cade opened his door. I saw his shoulders rise and fall once before he stepped out. “You’re the only one I trust with this. Please.”

The word was half breath; Cade and I were two prisoners trapped behind House Bartlett’s wards. He sounded hesitant, and my heart clenched. Cade had said he trusted me.

I followed him.

The air outside was chilly, from the time of night but also from the tall trees that bordered the house. We were in the middle of the forest near Clear Lake, at the heart of House Bartlett territory.

The forest smelled of damp, growing trees, the decomposing leaves on the forest floor. Inhaling, I closed my eyes. I could feel the fur and claws and teeth under my skin. The wolf in me wanted out, wanted to run and howl, no matter how tired, dirty, and injured the human in me was.

When I spoke, I felt almost like whispering, each word absorbed by the forest around us. “Are we sneaking in?”

Cade turned to the house, and the front door opened. A tall man stood in the entryway. He was backlit, so I couldn’t make out more than his height. His body was narrow, and even though it was almost two in the morning, I could see from his outline that he was wearing a business suit.

Cade’s face stilled, and then his lips tightened, creases forming in the corners of his mouth. “Leon. I didn’t expect you to still be up.”

The man bowed his head, and Cade took the stairs, not looking back at me. For a half second, I hesitated.

The building was imposing, three stories tall, made of stone. Wide marble steps led up to the massive front door. At the top, Cade finally turned, looking over his shoulder toward me. Even squinting, I couldn’t see his face with the light behind him.