“I’ve already come up with the alternative we will take.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Will we?”

“We should get married.”

My forehead puckered, and my mouth dropped open. “What did you say?”

“It’s the most logical move,” Mason said. “You can’t run House Medeis alone.”

“Mason.” My voice was hot with frustration. “I’ll admit to being a weak Adept. But it is an insane jump to get from there to ‘we should get married’!”

“You’re unable to protect yourself or House Medeis,” Mason said.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I have no delusions about my power. But there are about a thousand different plans we can enact that don’t involve the two of us getting hitched. You don’t even like me!”

“The House comes before all.”

“That’s nice, but I draw the line at an arranged marriage!” My voice was growing louder with my disbelief.

“Adept? Is everything okay?” Felix poked his head out of his bedroom, his gold hair shining in the dull light as he peered suspiciously at Mason.

I gritted my teeth but forcibly smiled. “Yes. I was just having a discussion with Mason.” I yanked myself from Mason’s grasp, and he let his arms drop.

Mason offered me a smile. “Won’t you even consider it?”

Was this why he’d been so friendly the past few weeks? Not because of my parents’ death, but because he was hoping to sway me?

“No,” I said, “I won’t consider it because it’s not necessary.”

Felix frowned and fully emerged from his room, pausing to roughly kick a few other bedroom doors.

“It’s the fastest way,” Mason said. “And speed is vital in this case.”

I sourly pressed my lips together to keep from shrieking. “Not important enough to make you propose in the middle of the night!”

Felix made a choking noise as Momoko, Great Aunt Marraine, and Franco—Felix’s older brother—emerged from their quarters.

Momoko yawned and stretched her arms above her head. “What’s going on?”

“Mason has apparently lost it,” Felix said.

“Maybe if he was sleeping right now this wouldn’t be a problem.” Great Aunt Marraine struggled to put on her thick, blue framed glasses. Her hair was in curlers, and she looked fierce as she tied her purple bathrobe.

Mason glanced back at our family, and I sighed—it wasn’t my intention to publicly embarrass him. Who knows, maybe that was why he approached me at night?

“I’m twenty-two, Mason,” I reminded him. “I’ve been the Adept for three weeks. Figuring out the new power balance doesn’t have to be an instant thing.”

Mason stared up at the ceiling. “It would have been easier this way.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “What are you talking about?”

An explosion rocked the House, making the lights shake and the walls groan.

Chapter Three

Hazel

“House Medeis?” I slapped a shaking hand on the wall, trying to judge the House’s state, but it was no use: I hadn’t Ascended yet, and I had too little magic to get a good feel for it.

“That came from the front hall,” Great Aunt Marraine shouted.

“Let’s go!” Felix and Franco sprinted down the hallway and darted into the corridor that held the main staircase.

I moved to follow them, but Mason grabbed me by the wrist. “Not yet, Adept,” he said.

“Let her go, Mason.” Momoko stalked closer, her wizard mark surfacing as she funneled magic.

Mason glanced at her, and something felt off. When his wizard mark—which stretched all the way to his jaw—surfaced, I stiffened. He made a flicking motion, blasting Momoko with blue magic. She crashed into the wall with a groan.

I lashed out, kicking Mason in the gut. “What are you doing?”

He coughed, but yanked me closer. His mistake—years of being bullied made me anticipate his reaction. As soon as I smacked into his chest, I stood on my tiptoes and summoned what little magic I could channel to my fingers, which I then jabbed into his eyes. I might not have a lot, but apply it to just the right spot on a person and it will still work!

The magic crackled, and Mason swore as he released me, clawing at his face.

I scurried around him, sprinting to Momoko’s side. “Everyone, wake up!” I tried to keep an eye on Mason as I inspected Momoko, trying to judge how badly she was hurt. Thankfully, more House Medeis wizards emerged from their rooms.

“I’m fine.” Momoko leaped to her feet and shook out her hands. Her wizard mark was darker than ever as she made a pulling gesture, producing more magic before she advanced on Mason with a snarl.

A few of the senior wizards popped out of their rooms, half dressed.

I spotted Mr. Baree among them, quickly calling magic to his hands when he noticed the way Momoko placed herself between Mason and me. “Mr. Baree, wake the others in the other wing. Something’s going on!”

I had to shout to be heard above the rattling, but the House wasn’t reacting much besides creaking floorboards, so I couldn’t tell what was happening.

What had Mason done?

Yells echoed from downstairs, but Mason stood between the stairway and the rest of us. When I cautiously started to approach, Great Aunt Marraine and two other wizards stepped in front of me.

“We have to see what’s downstairs.” I watched Momoko and Mrs. Clark—Felix’s mom—stalk closer to Mason.

“We can’t risk you, Adept,” Great Aunt Marraine grimly said.

“But—”

“We’re under attack!” Felix bounded up the stairs, turning around to cast whirling balls of magic behind him. “House Tellier busted through the front gate! They’re swarming—” A bolt of orange magic struck Felix, and he fell with an ominous thud.

House Tellier wizards—led by Gideon the Idiot—stormed the stairway. They weren’t hiding their House—they all wore black sweaters or blazers with the orange and yellow House Tellier crest on the front.

My brain struggled to understand. There hadn’t been serious physical fighting between wizard Houses since World War II. That Tellier would attack us was unthinkable—and why would they even do it? What could they possibly gain from this?

“I asked you nicely, Hazel.” Mason briefly looked back and exchanged nods with Gideon as the House Tellier wizards trotted down the hallway. “Now I’m ordering you: marry me.”

I had been trying to count the House Tellier wizards—it looked like they outnumbered those of us in this hallway, though who knew if they’d already subdued the rest of the family in the other wing? I felt my empty pocket again and cursed my nonchalance in leaving my cellphone in my bedroom, but Mason’s words yanked me out of my thoughts.

“Do you seriously not know what year it is?” I snapped. “Because this isn’t the medieval ages. You can’t buy me for a cow because you want my House!”

He didn’t even blink at the accusation that he was after House Medeis.

Instead, he smiled politely. “This isn’t an economical exchange but a political move. I deserve to be Adept and lead House Medeis. You—made out of the same overly optimistic and pacifist stock as your parents but lacking their admirable power—do not.”

His words made my knees shake.

This wasn’t just an attack; it was a coup. Mason wanted to lead, but without my blood to legitimize him the House would rebel and chaos would rule. His attempt to belittle me and use my low powers was just a shield to cover how power hungry he was. He had to be, no one would have called my parents pacifists. Being part of House Medeis meant you took a vow to honor life!

I tried to swallow, but almost choked as Mr. Baree and the other House Medeis wizards crowded around me in a protective huddle.

“But it seems you’ve misunderstood,” Mason continued. “If you don’t marry me, I’ll start killing off the House Medeis wizards one by one and take it by force instead. We’ll begin with…your friend.”

He glanced back over his shoulder, and two House Tellier wizards dragged Felix, still unconscious, up to him.

“Felix!” I lunged, but Mr. Baree caught me and held me back.

“You can’t, Adept.” Mr. Baree had to tip his head back to avoid my fists as I tried to thrash free. “If he gets you, it’s over.”

“He’s attacked the House—do you really think he’ll let Felix go?” I snapped.

“It doesn’t matter,” Mr. Baree firmly said. “The House comes before everything.”

The House!

I whipped my gaze back to Mason. He was holding a ball of magic that crackled like electricity as he curiously watched me, his hand hovering just over Felix’s heart.

“House Medeis,” I shouted. “Can’t you do something?”

The building rattled and groaned, but nothing happened.

“It can’t, in fact.” Mason still wore his usual smile, looking as kind and calm as he had at my parents’ funeral. “I waited just until you stretched its power to its weakest. You never Ascended and bonded with it, so there is very little it can do to protect you.”

I could hear my heartbeat in my eardrums.

How. How could this happen? It was unfathomable.

“Roy, did you get a hold of the others?” Mrs. Clark asked.

Mr. Baree shook his head.

“Felix!” Momoko shouted.

“Decide, Adept,” Mason said pleasantly. “Marry me, or Felix dies.”

I tried to wriggle in Mr. Baree’s grasp, but being part hulk and part bear he didn’t flinch, even when I elbowed him in the stomach.

Great Aunt Marraine leaned closer on the pretense of soothing me, but she spoke in a lowered voice. “What are the chances after he makes Hazel marry him he’ll force her to Ascend, and then have her killed?”