Page 32 of Exiled Heir

“Well, his arrival did stir up a hornet’s nest.” Isaac ate more of his salad, looking considerably less homicidal. “Did he tell you any details? Or did he just make the murders sound vague so you felt like a romance hero coming to save the mage prince?”

“Your detailswerea little sparse,” I said, smiling at Cade.

Ignoring the sharp, annoyed look that Cade sent my way, I took a bite of my own salad. The greens were delicious, fresh and perfect in my mouth, with exactly the right amount of crunch when I chewed.

“If he’s going to protect you, he has every right to all the information available,” Jay said quietly. His shoulders were hunched, and he was glancing at Cade out of the corner of his eyes, his left hand gripping his fork tightly. The discussion had made him tense, and I felt even worse about pushing for dominance with him earlier.

I didn’t need to know his life story to understand that wolves without packs didn’t always start out without them. More often than not, the story behind why they were alone was horrible and violent. Not that I knew anything about that.

“I have a bit of experience with security,” I said, gesturing vaguely. “Another set of eyes might help.”

“Yes, well, forgive me for wanting to keep the illusion longer. Feel free to shatter it with my complete inadequacy.” Cade gestured at Isaac with his free hand, finishing his own salad and using a napkin to dab at his mouth. He leaned his face on his hand. “Go on.”

“A month and a half ago, while Cade was on his way to a meeting with House Morrison, his car exploded. It flipped over, rolling, killing the driver and the secretary with him. I did the investigation myself afterward. The explosion was set on a time delay, meaning that it wasn’t location or distance that set it off.” Isaac pushed away his unfinished salad.

“You think that means it was someone here at House Bartlett,” I said.

“I don’t know what to think. The car had been out for repairs the day before because our on-site mechanic couldn’t handle it. There was a chance that someone else got to it in town, but because it was a time delay, they might not have even been targeting Cade.” Isaac frowned at Cade. “They might have been intending for a larger explosion that would take out a piece of the property.”

“Or they knew that that car specifically had been off property.” I considered where that thought led. “Meaning that someone from House Bartlett could cover their tracks.”

Isaac’s lips tightened. He had thought the same thing.

“A time-delayed explosion is a lot different than a poisoning,” I pointed out. “Are you sure it was the same person?”

“No.” Isaac shook his head. “Firefly Lounge is a club that services a specific kind of clientele.”

I didn’t say anything. I knew better than most what kind of people visited Declan’s high-end mage bar. I had only been called on a few times to deal with issues there, and almost always, it was a mage that had gotten too drunk or too high for their own good. Luckily, when they were that drunk or high, mages were usually more damage to themselves than Declan’s property.

“It was a magical poison?” I looked between Cade and Isaac, figuring out what they weren’t saying. “Meaning the target was mages or a specific mage. How many of the houses were there?”

“A great many,” Cade said.

“Including House Morrison?” I asked.

“A minor cousin and his entourage,” Cade said.

“But you were the highest-ranking member of a house there,” I guessed.

“Meaning the rest of the houses blame us for the attack,” Isaac said. “Because Cade didn’t even get sick.”

“You didn’t get sick?” I frowned.

“No. I reacted faster than most once I sensed the poison,” Cade said shortly.

“What did staff say? What did the owners say? There’s security at every entrance and exit, including magical security. How would someone have even gotten a poison like that inside?” I frowned down at my salad, then took another bite. The first vegetables in four weeks, and I couldn’t even enjoy them. “Did you talk to…”

I trailed off, realizing I was about to reveal my connection to Declan. If Cade wanted us keeping our relationship secret, then I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to reveal I had been Declan’s right hand up until two weeks before the poisoning.

Cade stared at me, his face suddenly pale as though he was just now realizing we hadn’t come up with a cover story. I offered him a smirk. I’d been undercover before; I knew what I was doing. He frowned, lips tightening, and I could practically see his rolled eyes.

“By the time any of the houses got there, the place was cleared out. The staff was gone. The office was burned. We’re pretty sure it was owned by Declan Monroe, but no one can figure out a motive for him wanting to kill a member of our house, or any other house for that matter.” Isaac shook his head, hand clenched around his fork.

Jay reached out, putting his hand on Isaac’s shoulder. Isaac’s whole body relaxed, and he turned toward Jay with a smile. Some visceral part of my brain gave me a flashback. My mother hunched over, face in her hands. My father behind her, placing both hands on her shoulders and leaning down to kiss her temple.

I stared down at my food, eating everything on the plate mechanically. When my vision cleared, the past gone just like my parents, I turned to Cade with a frown.

“Why Firefly Lounge? Who suggested meeting there?”