Page 100 of The Umbra King

Sam’s deep laugh surrounded them. “She said you were to court her.” His wings flared slightly. “You have never courted a woman in your life.”

Caius’ brows drew together. “Yes, I have. I courted women into my bed all the time.”

“That is notcourting, and if you think it is, you will fail.” Sam spread his wings and took to the skies.

“Fuck you!” Caius yelled, and Sam’s laugh echoed like thunder as he disappeared, presumably to the other realm.

Caius needed something to relieve his stress, and he knew just the thing.

“You’re the king’s what?”Tallent asked as their group sat around a tall table at the bar.

“HisAeternum,” Kit said, clearly irritated. “How you guys made it through life without knowing the basic history of our realms is beyond me.”

“Not everyone grew up with history experts,” Rory snarked. “I don’t like to read, anyway.”

“The education system needs a reboot,” Kit said and threw back a shot.

Cat’s hand raised. “I knew.”

Bellina choked on her beer. “There is no way you knew what anAeternumwas.”

Cat pulled her shoulders back. “I’m not an idiot, and I love reading. I wanted to be a teacher.”

Everyone stared at her. “You would have killed your students,” Tallent informed her. “You nearly killed your brother for messing with your hair.”

Cat shrugged. “He deserved it, and I stand by that.” She paused. “He was going to use it for an illegal potion.”

Everyone was quiet at her admission, and Rory saw her in a new light. “You should have shot him in both legs,” she said, making Cat smile.

“This means you’ll be our queen,” Kit said, getting the conversation back on track. “Do we get special treatment?”

Rory rolled her eyes at her friend. “I will not be your queen.”

“Yes, you will,” Cat returned. “Did you not know marrying a king makes you a queen?” She squinted at Rory. “Do you know how to read at all?”

Rory threw a balled-up bar napkin at her. “I know how to read.” The thought of being a queen made her pits sweat.

She fanned her underarms, and Bellina patted her shoulder. “Think of it this way: Nina is going to flip out when she sees you on the throne.”

“I bet you can pass between realms,” Cat added. “Your sentence would be over.”

“You don’t know that,” Tallent argued. “The king is still bound.”

“Not for much longer,” Bellina reminded them. “His contract is up in a month or so, isn’t it?”

Rory’s hope moved like a rollercoaster at the prospect of leaving, and she needed to ask Caius when the time was right.

“Evil bitch incoming,” Cat muttered under her breath.

The group turned toward the door, and the women groaned. Nina walked in with the men Rory saw her with in the hallway a while back, and when they saw her, they shot daggers in her direction.

“Sometimes I wonder if she follows me,” she whispered. “Everywhere I go, there she is.”

“To be fair, the town isn’t that large. Do you think she’s the one who pushed you?” Tallent asked, glancing back.

Rory took a drink. “I don’t think so. Whoever pushed me was strong, and Nina’s arms are like limp noodles.”

The group busted up laughing, but Rory didn’t find it funny. Someone tried to kill her. She needed to spar with someone to brush up on her skills. Next time, she would be ready.

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