Page 116 of The Umbra King

“She is a woman you saved,” the commander replied. “She is a feisty one.”

“Bruce’s daughter,” Rory recalled, snapping her fingers. “He said her name was Sera.”

“Have the enforcer departments made any statements?” Caius asked.

Sam shook his head. “Not to my knowledge.” For the first time since arriving in Vincula, Sam looked uneasy.

“What else?” Rory asked, on high alert.

“Your friends still take care of your mother, but she has been difficult,” Sam replied carefully. “They do not know why.”

“What does that mean?” Rory demanded on the verge of hysteria.

Sam’s eyes darted to Caius before returning to her. “On her luciddays, she tries to escape, going on about saving you. Keith said it was a prophecy.”

Rory’s body was numb. She caused this. “It’s too late,” she croaked. “My darkness sent me here, and my mother will be dead before I return. She doesn’t understand.”

“What prophecy?” Caius asked with a sense of urgency, surprising Sam and Rory both.

“Two were one, and one is yours. Do not let him fool you. His darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you,”Rory recited. “It was something she said not long before I was arrested. I don’t understand the rest, but the darkness reference was obvious.”

“Two were one, and one is yours,” Caius said, barely above a whisper.

All three seemed to realize the meaning at once, because they all moved. Rory’s knees almost buckled with shock. “You,” she said, pointing at Caius. “‘Two were one, and one is yours.’She means you.” Identical twins, once a single embryo, split in two. “You really are my mate.”

Caius looked offended. “You doubted me?”

“No,” she lied.

Caius circled back to his desk and sat down, grabbing a pen and pad. “Say the prophecy again.” He scribbled as Rory repeated each line. Once finished, he tapped his pen against the pad as he read the words before looking up. “You won’t have one second alone for the next five-hundred years, maybe longer.”

Rory narrowed her eyes. “It is only one possibility of an infinite number of futures. Just because a section of it is true doesn’t mean all of it is.”

“I don’t care,” he clipped, putting the pen and pad away. Standing, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and approached her with an outstretched arm. “Shall we?”

Rory looked at Sam for backup, but he only gave her a toothy smile.

“Where would you like to eat?” Caius asked casually.

Giving up, she grabbed his hand. “The sandwich shop next to the bakery.”

He leaned over and kissed her forehead, warming her insides. “Good choice.”

Rory’s facecurled in disgust as she watched the deli worker make Caius’ sandwich. “Ketchup and lettuce?” She was going to hurl.

“Many people eat ketchup and lettuce on burgers,” he replied smoothly, taking his sandwich from the worker.

“You’re eating a turkey sandwich!” she exclaimed.

He waited for her to get her food and led them to a small table in the back. She was used to the stares by now. Word had gotten around about her relationship with the king, and while she hated prying eyes, it was better than the sneers she used to endure.

“Why does the type of meat matter?” he asked, pulling out her chair.

She thanked him and placed a napkin on her lap. “It just does.”

He watched her unwrap her sandwich and take a huge bite. “You take that sandwich almost as well as you take my cock.”

She sputtered, and for a split second, she knew she would die of either embarrassment or asphyxiation. He smirked and took a bite of his own food. “You can’t say that in public,” she whisper-yelled.

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