Page 113 of The Umbra King

Rory turned his chin to look at her. “Funny. Next time, bring them over to play.”

Lips brushed her ear. “You are not getting me naked tonight, Miss Raven. Crawl in bed, or I will put you there myself.”

Sighing, she slipped under the blankets and waited for him to join her. After showering and changing into sweats, he slid in beside her and folded his arms beneath his head.

“I almost lost you today.” He’d been holding back his emotions for her sake, she knew, and as much as she didn’t like to be coddled or have attention brought to a situation she’d rather forget, he needed to unload.

“But you didn’t. You gave me protection I was too stubborn to accept.” She was on her side with one arm under her head, and the other reached for him, settling on his chest. “Thank you.”

“It’s my job to protect you,” he said, swallowing hard. “I almost failed.”

“It’s not your job,” she murmured. “That responsibility lies on no one but me.”

He rolled his head to look at her. “You’re wrong. As my mate, I was made to protect you, and you me. Would you let me die?”

“No.” Her answer was instantaneous. She could no more let him die than herself. It wasn’t love; it was instinct—one she would follow without question.

His hand grabbed hers, stopping its descent. “Careful.” Lacing his fingers with hers, he murmured, “Tell me about Cora.”

Rory’s stomach tightened, and she swallowed her emotions before exhaling. “She was good. If she did anything considered mean, it was in defense of someone else, usually me.” Tears pricked Rory’s eyes. “One time, she heard me crying in the bathroom, but I wouldn’t let her in.” She laughed at the memory. “She shifted into her lamb and kicked the door in with her back hooves.”

Caius’ expression softened with a crooked smile. “That sounds like something you would do.”

Rory’s laugh was light. “She shifted back and wrapped me in her arms, asking no questions. I never liked to be pressed, and she knew that. We sat in the bathroom for an hour, and when I was finished crying, she said, ‘Never lock me out again.’”

A soft sob ripped from Rory’s throat, and Caius pulled her close, rubbing soothing circles down her back. “She sounds exactly how I imagined your twin would be.”

Rory shook her head against his chest. “She didn’t deserve to die before me. She would be ashamed to see what I’ve become.”

“If she was the person you say, she could never be ashamed of you.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “Despite what you think, you are good in your own way. Everyone does bad things. Yes, some are worse than others and deserve a fate worse than death, but most are only trying to navigate life and all it throws at them. Never discount yourself for your flaws.”

Her lower lip trembled as she swallowed anothersob. “How can you know? I did terrible things.Terrible, and I deserve a fate worse than death.”

“You are stuck with me for eternity,” he teased. “That is punishment enough.”

She sniffled with a wry smile. “You’re not so bad, Umbra King.” Laying her head back down, she said, “Tell me about Atarah.”

His arm tightened slightly, and his heart pounded harder against her cheek. “She was something else. Good doesn’t describe her. When I took the throne, we began discussing reform for Vincula.”

“What else could this place need?” Rory mused. “Some inmates prefer it to Erdikoa.”

“Things can always be better. Visitation, for one. Allowing pre-approved friends and family members to visit or, at the very least, allowing inmates to bring pictures of loved ones from home.”

She shifted closer to him. “Why can’t they do that already?”

“We weren’t sure. The visitors are a safety concern. There would need to be a protocol in place to ensure they bring nothing in or that they wouldn’t stir up trouble. We were brainstorming on ways to make it work. As far as the pictures, I can’t say.”

Rory stayed quiet, giving him the time he needed to continue. “Gedeon murdered her before we could put our plans in motion.”

“And you’re sure he killed her?” she asked cautiously. It was a sensitive subject, and she understood the conviction. She’d been wrong about Caius, but not wrong about what she saw.Identical twins.She still couldn’t believe it.

Even though his face was the one she saw, she no longer saw Cora’s lifeless body when she looked at him. There were subtle differences she hadn’t noticed before. Gedeon wasn’t in color, and the way Caius carried himself and the lack of cruelty on his face. Caius’ hair is shorter than Gedeon’s, and the Umbra King wouldn’t be caught dead in the light suit his brother wore.

Since getting to know him better, she knew he could no sooner put a knife in her sister’s heart than he could in hers. She hoped he brought her Gedeon’s head on a spike.

“Yes. Gedeon’s soul is black, and it suffocated me growing up, but I never told our parents.” He huffed out a false laugh. “I was trying to protect him.”

“How did no one else feel it?” she asked.

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