Page 119 of The Umbra King

He turned to her. “Yes. What else would you call sharing the same space?” He regarded her carefully. “I can move my things back to my quarters if it makes you uncomfortable.”

She squeezed his hand. “No, stay.”

He drank her in, wondering why theSeraphimdeemed him worthy of someone like her. “Always,” he said, pulling her in for a kiss.

His tongue caressed the seam of her lips, asking for entrance she immediately granted, and his hands tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

Her fists bunched the fabric of his shirt, and he felt his heart hang over the edge. He was ready to fall, and as he kissed his future wife, he knew it wouldn’t be long.

When they pulled apart, they were both breathing hard, and Rory’s lips were swollen. “Your lipstick is smeared,” he murmured.

Her thumb swiped the area around his mouth. “So is yours.” He grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. “We’ll clean up when we get there.”

“Absolutely not,” she said, laughing as she tugged her hand from his. The intimate moment was over. She produced a mirror and tissue from her small purse, and Caius wondered what else was in there. It wasn’t very large, and there wasn’t anything she needed to carry other than her inmate card.

After cleaning herself, she used the tissue to tidy up around his mouth. “There.” She held out her hand for him to grab. “We’re late.”

The bar was busy,but inmates cleared a path when he walked in. It felt ridiculous to be king sometimes. Rory’s friends waved them over to a large table, already littered with empty glasses.

“You’re late,” the girl with dark, curly hair said. She turned to Caius with an almost giddy smile. “I’m Cat.”

He shook her hand. “Please, call me Caius. Nice to see you again.”Her eyes lit up, and she opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted.

“I’m Tallent,” the man said tightly, refusing to hold out his hand, and it took Caius by surprise.

Caius tipped his head. “Nice to see you again.”

“I’m Kit,” the taller woman said as she threw back a shot. “Nice to meet you, Your Grace.”

“Where’s Bellina?” Rory asked, looking around.

“She’s late, too,” Cat snipped. “We thought you were together.”

Rory continued to survey the room, but eventually sat down. “If she’s not here within the hour, I’m going to look for her.”

Kit zeroed in on Rory. “You’re anxious. Is there a reason to be worried about her?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. She’s never been late before, is all.”

“She’s been late a time or two,” Tallent reassured her. “She’ll show.”

Bellina didn’t show,and Rory stayed perched on her stool, watching the door. “I’m sorry guys, but if I don’t find Bellina and know she’s okay, I won’t be able to think about anything else.”

“Why are you worried?” Cat asked. “She’s an adult. Maybe she was tired after work.”

“Or maybe she’s at the bottom of a set of stairs,” Rory countered, making the table fall silent. “Or being beaten by two giant men.”

Rory stormed out, and Caius turned to the others. “I want you three to go home. She’s right, someone is trying to hurt her, and they might try to hurt her through you.”

He left, not waiting to hear their replies, and caught up with Rory before she stepped through the door. “Where do you want to check first?” he asked.

She grabbed the sides of her head. “I don’t know. She was coming to meet us. Anywhere between here and her room.”

“Keep an eye out, and stay close to me,” Caius told her as they set off toward the palace.

There wasno trace of Bellina in town, and when they hit the landing for the staff quarters, Rory was so tightly wound she could have sprung into Erdikoa. She knocked on Bellina’s door, but there was no answer, and Caius watched her anxiety grow.

Instead of knocking again, Rory opened the door, and Caius pulled her back. “Please don’t barge into dark rooms unprepared,” he said, grabbing a torch off the wall.

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