Page 61 of The Umbra King

The woman’s eyes met hers. “I am here to speak with you regarding a death that took place last night.”

Rory kept her expression neutral. If they blamed her for Ronny’s death, it was a one-way ticket to hell.

“Who died?” she asked as she threw back her covers and stood.

“Where were you last night?” Lauren demanded, ignoring the query.

Rory eyed the woman. “Are you an enforcer?” OnlyAatxecould be enforcers unless the rules in Vincula were different.

Lauren stepped back into the hall and wings exploded from her back. Rory stared slack-jawed at her. “Holy aether.”

As quickly as they appeared, they vanished. “I prefer to stay shifted,” Lauren told her. “But I work with Sam and the legion.”

Rory nodded dumbly. “I was here last night.”

Lauren turned back to the wet clothes in the bathroom. “Why are your clothes wet?”

Rory kept her face impassive. “I wanted to wear them tomorrow, and the launderers won’t have them back in time. I washed them myself.”Please don’t be a lie detector like Caius.

“The man who scared you the other night, Ronny, was found dead this morning by the lake in town.”

“That’s terrible,” Rory lied through her teeth. “How did he die?”

Lauren walked around Rory’s room, touching her things. “His throat was ripped out. It looks like an animal attack; the panther maybe, but she is usually gentle.” TheAngelpaused. “But there are rumors it was you. After all, you have a flair for the dramatic.”

“How would I rip a man’s throat out?” Rory demanded. “He was twice my size.” She paused. “And Lo didn’t do it.”

She couldn’t let the panther go down for this.

Lauren’s perfectly arched brows rose. “How could you possibly know that?”

Damnit, Rory. You idiot. “Because,” she started, grasping for something to say. “Because she was with me.”Idiot.

Lauren crossed her arms. “I thought you were here all night?”

“I was,” she replied. “But Lo was with me. She roams the palace sometimes. You can ask anyone.”

“And she just so happened to come to your room?”

Rory nodded, confident in her lie. “Yes. She prowled into the kitchen when I was cleaning up before my shift and followed me. Some of the townspeople saw her follow me through town once.” Rory cringed. That was last night, but she would leave out that detail. “She likes me, I guess.”

Lauren nodded, and Rory could have sworn she was fighting a smile. “Alright. If you hear anything, let someone in the legion know.”

Rory’s shoulders relaxed when Lauren turned her back. “Absolutely.”

She closed the door behind the woman and rested her forehead against the wood. That was close.

Rory groanedat her reflection in the mirror. Huge bruises marred the skin of her neck, as well as her arms and legs, where she hit the dock as she struggled on her way down. Her adrenaline had kept the pain away until now.

She had yesterday off, but now, two days later, the bruises seemed to be more prominent than before. Not even makeup helped.

With one last look, she huffed and left before she tried to do something stupid like tie a scarf around her neck to wear in the sweltering kitchens.

Trudging down the empty halls, she thanked theSeraphimno one would be in for another hour and a half, and when she stepped through the door, she screamed like a banshee. There stood Caius in his low-slung pajama bottoms, fifty-seven abs, and a pastry in his mouth.

Her hand was covering her racing heart. “Do you wait in here to scare me on purpose?”

He finished chewing and smiled, and Rory almost stumbled at the magnificence of it. It wasn’t sardonic like she was used to, but a brilliant smile that lit up his handsome face. “Would you like that, Miss Raven?”

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