I stepped back, and Cade opened the door. We walked through the hallways silently, stopping in front of the formal dining room. Breakfast had been set out, and the dryads were already sitting. Leon sat on one side of the table, along with Petrona and Sonja. Brett had taken a spot further down the table, the smirk on his face telling me that this was a man who had finally wormed himself into a seat at the table he so dearly wanted.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” Cade said.
“We were told it was a long evening for you”—the elder tree nodded her head—“and your consort.”
“Since we’re all here, let us open negotiations on the reason you came and the reason we invited you.” There was none of the exhaustion I saw on his face in Cade’s voice. Instead, he sounded abrupt, verging on rude.
The elder tree frowned. “Is it not common to have the meal first?”
“Are you unwilling to negotiate now?” Cade asked, volleying the question back into their court, making it clear that not negotiating now would be a loss for them.
“If now is when you want to negotiate, let us begin.” The elder tree didn’t look at any of the other dryads, whether because her power was strong enough among them that she spoke without needing their support or because they were silently communicating the way I had seen the night before.
“You are concerned that unknown assailants are invading your territory and destroying trees,” Cade said.
“Yes, we had hoped for help with it from you, our allies,” the elder tree said.
“In due time,” Cade said. “Our concern is the disease which has ravaged some trees in our forest, as well as reclaiming some of what is rightfully our territory.” He leaned back in his chair, tilting his head to stare at the elder tree.
She straightened. “You speak of the reclaimed lands.”
“I speak of our territory, which you were given custody of and failed to return,” Cade said.
“The reclaimed lands were not fit for anything when we were given ‘custody’ of them. They were poison. Much of the land is still poisonous to walk upon.” She looked around the table, her eyes catching on Leon before returning to Cade. “Your battle with House Doyle left every life within the boundaries dying. Your greed cost the forest and its inhabitants. It was notlandwhen you gave it to us—it was a graveyard that your grandfather begged us to help restore. And as your friends, we did. Should we give it back to you again so that you might once again drain all the life from it?”
Cade looked at her for a long beat. “So some of the land is healthy again.”
“Is that all you heard?” The elder tree shook her head. “It saddens me, saddens my heart that this is what your family has been reduced to.”
“You have asked for our help in a matter that is great. However, all magic is an exchange. You should know better than most that I cannot simplygiveyou something without asking for something in return.” Cade stared at her. “Although I’m sure kindness was the motivator for helping my house with the reclaimed lands, you cannot deny the boon you were given for that help.”
“A pittance compared to the work that we still do bringing life where there is only death.” But the elder tree tilted her head, considering. “We have managed to clean a mile along the border between our two properties. That area is safe again, even for careless mages.”
“Good. Our house may go to war again soon, so I cannot promise help from any of the mages or consorts that pledge fealty to House Bartlett.” Cade turned his head just slightly. It wasn’t enough to look at me, but I felt as though he was staring at me, as though I was naked before him, wearing only his collar. “However, I can give you your own wolf pack to protect your lands. They will be yours to command, yours to use as scouts or fighters if you choose.”
A sound yanked itself out of my throat, a harsh, growledNo. It wasn’t even a word, just a partial noise.
Sonja exploded from her chair. “My prince! You cannot seriously be talking about the wolves from last night. They must be questioned first. We cannot just hand them over to the dryads.”
“The wolves from last night must be killed.” Leon spoke for the first time at the far side of the table. His expression was grim, his hands clasped in front of him. “That is what the law says.”
“House Bartlett law says that any unbonded wolf on our property, here without explicit consent of prince and council, will be put to death in a manner decided by the crown.” Cade stood slowly, and as he stood, tattoos flowed from under his collar over his shoulders, draping behind him like a shadowy cape. “Am I not the crown?”
“You are,” Leon said cautiously.
“Then the manner of death I choose is a life sentence of service to the dryads.” He turned back to the dryad. “Do you accept?”
I found my voice again, unable to stop myself. “Cade, no. You can’t—”
Cade’s magic flowed out of my clothing, gagging my mouth, binding me.
The dryad bowed her head. She didn’t even look or talk with any of the other dryads at the table. “We accept this bargain.”
“Good. Everyone else is dismissed. We have war council later today.” To the dryads, he only said, “I will make arrangements so you receive your boon before you leave. In exchange, you will work with the seneschal to mark the new boundaries between our lands.”
No one moved. With a violent swipe of his hand, Cade threw his magic at everyone else in the room. “Dismissed.”
When his magic disappeared, the dining room was empty. Cade spun to me.
