Page 77 of The Umbra King

He glared at her and surveyed the desk before picking it up, spilling the contents everywhere. The wood splintered in two, and Sam caught both pieces. Rory was amazed at his strength and agility. He was not of these realms.

“Why didn’t you take everything out first?” she griped, pointing at the files and pens on the ground. “You’re going to break something.”

He gave her a flat stare and held up one half of the large desk. “If you are not strong enough to move the desk, you do not get a say in how it is done.”

She hurled a book across the room and nailed him on the butt. He turned slowly, and she wondered if he would rip her head off. Literally. “Did you throw a book at me?”

She crossed her arms. “Yes.”

He shook his head and continued toward the door.

“It’s not fair to ask me to be understanding of someone treating me like dirt, and I’ll throw this entire room’s worth of books at you if you suggest otherwise again,” she called after him.

He gave her a crooked smile that momentarily stunned her. “Finish picking up the books, and I will take care of Caius.”

Sam burst into Caius’room like a bull chasing red. “What did you do?” he boomed.

Caius already knew what he was referring to. “What I had to do.”

“You had to destroy your office and force Rory to clean it up?”

Caius checked Sam’s ears to see if they were emitting steam.

Sam hadn’t been this upset in a very long time, and Caius closed the book he was reading. “We need to keep our distance, and if she wants to throttle me, it will be easier.”

“Why?” Sam asked indignantly. “Why are you fighting this so hard?”

“Because,” Caius shouted as he stood, letting all of his frustrations out on his friend. “If I lose myself in her, I won’t be able to kill Gedeon.” He closed his eyes to steady his breathing. “I cannot allow Atarah’s death to go unpunished. His soul is the blackest of them all, and he rules an entire realm.”

Sam’s wings flared slightly. “You can still have your retribution, with Rory at your side. Speak with Adila when your contract is up and handle the situation like a king.”

“And chance Gedeon interfering?” Caius laughed bitterly. “If he catches wind, he will do everything in his power to stop me, and you know that as well as I do.”

“What good does it do to push her away?” Sam’s voice was filled with disappointment.

“Because if I had her,trulyhad her, I wouldn’t let anything separate me from her, including death,” he replied. “My agenda is the most important thing in the realms to me, and I refuse to let her change that. I’d like to think Adila would spare me for ridding the realms of Gedeon. But I also never imagined she would lock me away for a crime I didn’t commit.”

Sam shook his head, and the look on his face punched Caius in the gut. “You are a fool.” He stopped on his way out the door. “Do nottreat her like she is beneath you. She is your equal, and while you may not want her, she deserves to be treated as such.”

Caius stared miserably at the door. He wanted Rory, but he didn’twantto want her. Sam was right. Treating her the way he did was not the answer, but being around her wasn’t an option, either.

“And then thatfuckwad told me to clean it up!” Rory exclaimed, as her hands motioned wildly. “Can you believe that?”

She sat at a table with Bellina, Asher, Cat, Tallent, and Kit. They listened to her entire rant about King Twat, as she now referred to him, but they’d yet to respond. Her name calling was childish, but she didn’t care.

Until they exploded with laughter. “It’s not funny!” Rory protested.

“Yes, it is,” Cat replied as she giggled into her drink. “He either wants to sleep with you, or hereallydespises you.”

“Next time, put his books back with the spines facing the inside of the bookcase,” Kit suggested. “He’ll never read again.”

Bellina was quiet as she watched Rory. “What?” Rory asked her.

“Why would he give you a job, be nice to you, and then be a jerk?” she wondered. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Nothing about the king’s actions makes sense,” Asher said, before chugging the rest of his beer. “He killed his sister, but we know he’s not the nightmare they say he is. He humiliated Rory in front of everyone and then bought her a new wardrobe. The man is an enigma.”

Tallent was quiet during the exchange until he finally set down his drink with an indiscernible look and asked, “He moved Nina out of the palace for you, didn’t he?”

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