Page 27 of The Umbra King

Adila also knew he hated black souls more than anyone. As a child, he would cower when one was near because the feeling of them covered him like poisoned vines.

Being locked in Vincula weakened his power, and although hewas still strong, it was possible his ability to sense black souls was gone. Until now, he had not been around one.

After Max left, Caius stepped from the shadows through the doorway toward Aurora. “Your face looks a bit swollen, Miss Raven.”

The woman looked up, hatred transforming her face, and Caius chuckled lightly. She’d called him Bane with the same look, and the memory made him study her more closely. “Who are you?”

A black soul in Vincula, calling him by anything other than his given name or title, was not an ordinary inmate.

She threw the brush she held into the bucket of soapy water and glared. “I am The Butcher,Your Grace, and I will not hesitate to string you up with a dagger in your heart.” He had no doubt she meant every word. There were two ways to kill aRoyal: a dagger to the heart or decapitation, and she clearly had a thirst for blood.

His anger rose fast, and shadows struck like vipers, knocking her on her back as they gripped her throat. “You are a vile creature, and if you threaten me again, I will send you to hell myself.”

Her chest heaved as her face reddened. Despite his aversion, he couldn’t help but drink in her body.

Her grey eyes sparked with fire, standing out against her dark hair, streaked lightly around the ends. She was fit, with lean muscles, small tits, and long legs. Her face was one of the most beautiful he’d ever seen, and he ground his teeth.Fucking Adila.

Aurora Raven would be his greatest temptation. The thought made him release her and take a step back. “Finish scrubbing my kitchens, and mind your tongue, or you will lose it.”

He left, his late-night snack forgotten as he decided to have Sam travel to Erdikoa and find out everything there was to know about the notorious killer.

Caius needed sleep, and tomorrow, he would find a way to relieve the tension brought on by the woman he leftbehind.

Rory thoughther arm was going to fall off. Who knew cleaning ovens was such a workout? She’d been cleaning for so long the breakfast crew had come and gone, and now it was quiet again, save for a few staff members preparing breads.

She couldn’t shake her encounter with the Umbra King, and not for the first time, she hated herself for being stupid. Playing it smart was how she would find her sister’s soul, not pissing off the man who held it.

Her knees cracked as she stood, and she was glad she finished before the lunch crew came in. If she never had to scrub another oven for the rest of her life, it would be too soon. She hauled her bucket to a nearby sink to rinse the grease and grime from her supplies before heading out.

After putting everything away, she asked a passing maid where Nina was. She didn’t know if she was supposed to check out for the day or not and decided she’d rather be safe than sorry. The last thing she needed was an extra shift.

Finding her way to the room number given to her, she knocked on the door, and it swung open as soon as she touched the wood. Her mouth dried at the sight before her.

“I’m ready for you,” Nina purred over her shoulder to Caius, who stood naked behind her. The head maid was on all fours, wearing only a bra as she presented her bare ass like a bitch in heat.

The king met Rory’s stare and pinned her in place.

“Are you here to watch, Miss Raven?” he asked in a rough voice as his hand found his hardening cock.

She stared at the king’s muscular body; he was a magnificent suit harboring a murderous beast.

Nina twisted her head toward the door. “Shut the door, you fucking pervert.” The woman’s voice grated on Rory’s nerves, and she clenched her fist while glaring daggers at the king’s shadows billowing on the ground around him. If they grabbed her, she would make it her life’s mission to light the palace up like anAatxesoul.

“Or is this your thing?” Nina continued as she sat back on herheels. “Did you watch your victims fuck before acting out your own sick fantasies?”

Rory’s body vibrated with anger. The‘fuck you’sat on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it. Caius watched her darkly as she grabbed the handle of the door and slammed it shut as she left.

Her anger at the words from that horrible woman’s mouth grew as she stomped through the hallway. She knew the staff would hate her, but to see her sister’s murderer look at her like she was filth was too much.

At least her victims deserved it. Cora had the sweetest soul in all the realms, and he stole it. She knew her methods were cruel and disturbing, but she couldn’t find it within her to care.

Caius staredat the door as it slammed with Aurora’s anger, and the second she was gone, his cock deflated. He pumped his hand and closed his eyes, but the traitorous appendage wouldn’t cooperate. He frowned at Nina’s back.

When he was free to pass between realms, Caius only fucked women in Erdikoa, but since being locked in Vincula, he took mistresses who weren’t sentenced very long, allowing him to switch often.Nina was his current mistress, and at the moment, he cursed the day he first took her to bed.

They wouldn’t remember him when their time was up anyway.

Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he bent over and grabbed his clothes.

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