Page 102 of The Umbra King

When she turned the corner to the staff quarters, she caught Nina in the hallway with the same men. The men didn’t work in the palace, or Rory would have seen them. Well, maybe not. The staff was huge, but seeing the three together made unease snake down her spine.

There was a good possibility one of them pushed her, and being alone with them felt like a bad idea. She reversed before they spotted her and snuck back up the stairwell.

Where would she go now? Max and Bellina’s rooms were both in the staff quarters, and she didn’t know if Max was even home. He hadn’t joined them at the bar, and she suspected he was preparing for his departure.

He insisted they not have a party and instead wanted to say a quick goodbye. It made Rory sad.

A few staff greeted her as she snuck through the hallways. Since Bruce’s arrival, some treated her better. Others did not. Bruce was due to leave soon, too, and she made a note to seek him out before he left.

Not knowing where else to go, she wandered to the legion quarters and sought Lauren’s room. When she knocked, Lauren opened the door with a wide smile, but it dropped at the look on Rory’s face.

“What happened?” she asked as she moved aside.

Rory followed her inside and plopped down in a chair. “Caius screwed Nina today.”

Lauren’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not possible.”

Rory laughed humorlessly. “It is. He came out of his office shirtless. He didn’t see me, and when I walked into his office, Nina was buttoning her dress and bragging about it.” She looked miserably at Lauren. “He can rot in hell, and so can she.”

Lauren rubbed her forehead. “It must be a misunderstanding. He wouldn’t do that.”

Rory laid her head back on the chair. “Whatever you say. I’m not staying in the sky room, and when I tried to go to my old room, Nina and two men were whispering in the hall.”

“Did they say something to you?” Lauren asked, grabbing her boots.

Rory held out her hand. “No. Calm down.” Lauren shot her a look. “I don’t recognize the men, but I’ve seen her conspiring with them a few times. I’m just paranoid.”

“Do not underestimate Nina’s hate for you,” Lauren cautioned. “Stay away from her. She is a manipulative con artist who wants the king.”

“She can have him,” Rory spat. “He’ll never touch me again.”

Lauren sat down and rubbed her forehead again. “You’re wrong. I don’t know what happened, but I have known Caius for a long time, and I know you’re wrong.”

The conviction with which she spoke caught Rory by surprise. With no other option but to return to the sky room, she stood with a sigh. “Thanks, Lauren. I’ll see you around.”

“I’m serious about Nina,” Lauren called after her. “Stay away from her.”

That wouldn’t be an issue. The last thing Rory wanted was to see her or the king ever again.

Caius stared wide-eyedat his office. “Damnit, Nina.” He’d gone for a run, and when he returned, Nina was perched on his desk with her top undone. It was time to assign her a new job out of the palace. All he’d wanted was to see Rory, and he was met with his biggest mistake instead.

He’d left her in his office to find his head of employment and speak to them about finding Nina a job in town. Leaving her alone with his things was a mistake, and he needed to lock his office every time he left. He’d give Rory a key, and no one else.

Rory burst through his office door, and the tension from Nina’s tantrum left at the sight of her. An easy smile pulled at his lips. “Hello, Miss Raven. Did you miss me already?”

The snarl he received in return took him off guard, and he made to grab her as she stormed past, but she slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” She looked around ruefully. “And don’t make the staff clean this. I’ll do it.”

He looked around, bewildered. “You did this?”

Ignoring him, she continued on to her room, but he threw up a wall of shadows.

“YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLES! GET OUT OF MY WAY!” shescreamed at the wall. Caius would have laughed if everything wasn’t falling apart.

“Rory…”

“Don’t,” she snapped. “You don’t get to call me that.”

His mind reeled, trying to remember what he’d done to piss her off. “I don’t understand.”

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