Page 108 of The Umbra King

Caius gently touched her arm to stop her. “Are you okay?”

She averted her gaze with a slight nod. “I will be. We’re meeting him tonight for a quick goodbye. He didn’t want to make a big production out of it.”

Caius’ hand moved to the back of her neck and pulled her to him. Kissing the top of her head, he put his arm around her and led her to the door. “I have an idea.”

“Where are we going?”

“Where I go when I feel like shit,” he replied.

Intrigued, she went without argument but couldn’t help but ask, “What makes you feel like shit?”

“I miss my family, too,” he said ruefully.

Empathy flowed through her as she followed him through the gardens, past the pond, and down a hidden trail. As many times as she’d been here, she had never noticed it. They came out on the other side of the trail into a long field marked with lines and two arrowball nets on each side.

Arrowball nets sat atop large, forked poles, split down the middle, with a net between each pole vertically, and a horizontal net cresting the top. Caius jogged to a building behind the nearest net, opened the door, and emerged with three arrowballs.

The name arrowball was misleading because it wasn’t a ball at all. It was slender and shaped like the tip of an arrow, and when thrown, it eventually circled back to the thrower.

It was what made arrowball so hard. They passed it down the field by throwing it to their teammates, but if they didn’t throw it hard enough and they didn’t catch it soon enough, it circled back and not only did they lose ground, but they might also lose the ball. Thekey was to get it into the net, but again, if they didn’t time it right, it would circle back before hitting the net.

Rory saw an arrowball circle back out of a net after it was already in. The team didn’t get the point, and the stadium went crazy. The two vertical nets were three points each, and the net on top was worth five points. It was high up, and hard to make. They had to throw the ball from far back to angle it right.

She wasn’t much for sports but watching an arrowball game in person while drinking beer with friends was fun. “You play arrowball?” She didn’t think kings played sports.

His smile was a mile wide. “I played in grade school.”

Rory jogged across the field to where he stood. “I didn’t knowRoyalswent to grade school.”

He dropped the balls, removed his shirt, and wiped his forehead. “How do you think we learned to read and write?”

She paused for a beat. “Tutors.”

He picked up a ball and motioned for her to go downfield. “There was a school right outside The Capital we went to under aliases. We even had a house and fake parents we pretended to live with.”

Rory’s mouth ticked up. “I bet the ladies stumbled over themselves to get to you,” she teased. “Even without being aRoyal.”

He waggled his eyebrows. “You will stumble, too.”

She shook her head lightly, laughing, and he barked out directions as she moved down the field. He pulled back, twisting his upper body, and let the ball fly. When he did, he took off running toward Rory, and her pulse picked up as she tried to gauge where to run.

The ball was low, but not low enough for her to reach, and she jumped, making a grab for it, but she missed it right before it circled back. “No!” she screamed as her feet hit the ground.

Caius jumped, his vertical impressive, and his abs and obliques flexed as his arm reached above him and snatched the ball from the air. Watching him in action was like watching an artist create a masterpiece. His body was made for this.

Still, she hated losing, and when he turned to her with his winning smile, she attacked, making his smile grow. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder as she squealed and beat playfully against his back. “You apologize right now,” he teased. A sting on her ass was accompanied by a loud slap, and she bucked.

“Did you just spank me?” she asked in disbelief.

He spanked her again. “I did. Cheaters will not be tolerated, Miss Raven.”

She wriggled in his hold, and despite herself, she giggled like a schoolgirl. “Do you promise to be good?” he asked, his deep voice rumbling against her thighs.

She bit back a smile. “Yes, Daddy.”

His body went tight, and his grip bit into her legs. “Watch what you say to me, unless you’re ready for the repercussions.”

He slid her down the front of him, every part of her touching his torso, and when her feet hit the ground, his hands cupped the side of her neck and jaw as he leaned in for a kiss.

---