That meant I had to get back to the house quietly.
As I began my trek back up the hill, I wondered what game Jesaiah was playing. Was hethatscared of a new alpha? Was the prince taking on a consortthat muchof a threat? Or was this about Leon? Leon had been angry Cade had taken me, someone no one knew or trusted. Was that what this was about? Was Leon trying to get rid of me and using Jesaiah to do it?
How did Isaac and Jay fit into this? Jay had been the one to bring me to Jesaiah, but he had been hesitant to leave me alone with the older alpha. Either he knew, and he didn’t like it, or he didn’t know but suspected. Which made me wonder what Isaac knew. Was Isaac in on it too? Were he and Leon, so publicly at odds with each other, secretly working together?
To what end?
I slunk behind a tree, squinting through the woods. I was positive this was where I had come through the barrier. The wards were invisible, but I knew it had to be there. My nose twitched, smelling my dried sweat on the ground. Even an hour old, I could still smell the terror in it.
There was no movement on the other side of the wards. I stayed there long enough that my muscles cooled, beginning to cramp, and the last of the sun slipped over the horizon, leaving me in a rapidly darkening forest. Cautiously, I crept forward until I ran into something hot and buzzing.
I jumped back. The barrier had singed my palm. Shaking my head, I reached forward with my hand until I touched it, then drew back just enough that I could feel the buzzing of the magic without getting burned. Using my palm, I traced through the air until I felt the gap I had squeezed through. It was small. Maybe the size of a dog door. Definitely not large enough for a full-sized werewolf, which explained why Jesaiah hadn’t followed me. Taking a long breath, I crouched low and squeezed through.
The burning hurt more this time because I was expecting it. I grunted, forcing my way through as quickly as I could. On the other side, I panted. Some of the blisters had burst open at the second exposure to the magic. Standing, I checked the muscles of my legs, searching for any hint of movement in the forest around me. Nothing. I pointed myself in the direction of the king’s house and began walking.
If I had come through, what else had crept onto or off House Bartlett lands?
The air around me cooled, and the further into the forest I got, the less nervous I was that someone was looking for me. No one popped out of the bushes; I didn’t hear any howls or yips, anything else that would imply someone was trying to scare me into making a mistake.
The paths I had noticed earlier through the woods were narrow for a human but perfect for a shifted werewolf. I felt a twinge of jealousy, a spike of sadness that I couldn’t run these paths the way they should be run because my wolf was out of reach.
If I hadn’t been able to access my wolf when my life had been in danger, when Jesaiah had been breathing down my neck, about to tear my throat out, there was no way the wolf would suddenly become available now that I wanted to take a nice relaxing lope through the forest. I stayed focused, continuing to head in the direction that I was almost positive the king’s house was in.
I wasn’t sure how long I traveled. The four weeks I had been on the run had turned me into lean muscle and pure perseverance. I was used to driving myself harder than I ever had before, and Declan had taught me how to drive myself pretty hard, even before he wanted my head on his wall.
The trees began thinning out, and I stopped when I could see the back lawn of the massive house.
Lights illuminated everything a buttery yellow. I waited, hiding myself behind a tree. I needed to get to Cade before I saw anyone else so he would know what the situation was. There was no way he could brush off an attempt on my life and a hole in his wards the way he brushed off Keith selling his secrets.
Mentally, I reviewed the map I’d made during Jay’s tour. Potentially, I could use the servants’ hallways, sneak my way to the staircase, and then sprint for Cade’s room. No. I might run into one of the servants, and there was no guarantee who was more loyal to Jesaiah and Leon than Cade. I suspected almost all of them.
The comments about Cade the ice prince, the sarcastic snarks, the side-eyed looks told me the staff didn’t like their master.
Vines grew along the back of the house, gripping tight to the stucco, their tendrils digging into the masonry. They were thin, too thin to hold my weight, but it did give me an idea.
I concentrated on my fingers, bringing back the rage and anger I had felt when Jesaiah attacked me.
My wolf couldn’t come to the surface, but I could do this. With a growl, I pushed all my rage into my fingertips, the claws growing long and sharp. Based on my mental map, Cade’s room was the far one on the left side of the house. With one last glance around, I sprinted across the open lawn where I was exposed and leapt onto the wall, my fingers digging in. I had to be quick. Speed worked in my favor, and within seconds, I was on the second story, peeking into the window I was sure was Cade’s. He was inside the room, pacing back and forth. He spoke to someone, but the window didn’t let me see who it was.
If it was Leon, then I was screwed. My foot gave out, and I reached up in desperation, grabbing hold of the windowsill and pulling myself up. Cade spun, his eyes going wide when he saw me. Then he was crossing the room, opening the window with one movement, his other hand reaching out and dragging me inside by my shirt.
I fell to the floor, panting for a moment before springing to my feet and checking who else was in the room with us.
Rhys stared at me, their eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. Nia slouched in a chair in the corner of the room, not even looking up at me.
“Oh my god, this istoo much. Talk about a dramatic entrance.” Rhys fanned themselves with their hand, turning to Nia. “Did you see that? I might be hallucinating the Romeo and Juliet vibe here.”
Nia grunted, lifting her chin in a short nod.
“Okay, good, you saw it too. So I don’t need to go see Dr. Have You Heard Of A Vegetable, Rhys?”
“Where were you?” Cade exploded.
He looked… disheveled. His blond hair was tousled, his lips plush and pink, with a slight flush rising on his cheeks, exposing his anger. He’d pulled his tie askew, the knot crooked and top button undone.
For a beat, I imagined that he was this rumpled for a different reason. No, I didn’t have time for that, and I wasn’t planning on pursuing it.
I pursed my lips, tilting my head at Rhys and Nia.
