Page 122 of The Umbra King

She knew that, but it didn’t make it any better. “You’re planning to confront your brother. That’s a big deal.”

“It won’t be immediate.” It was then she saw the worry lines etched in his face. Killing his twin wouldn’t be easy; it was unfathomable to her. They were two sides of the same coin, and when Cora died, so did a piece of Rory.

“I’ll meet with Adila and see if she can sentence him to hell,” he continued.

“And if she doesn’t?” Rory’s voice shook. Gedeon deserved hell. Adila must understand that.

Caius was quiet, and she dreaded his next words. “Then I will do as promised and kill him.”

It was what she wanted, but at what cost? What if Gedeon killed him first, and when did she change her mind from wanting retribution over everything, to wanting Caius’ safety above all else?

“Come back to me,” was her response, because it was all she cared about now.

He turned to her. “I can’t guarantee that.”

“You have to.” Fear crept over her, and she wanted nothing more than to lock him in Vincula for another five-hundred years. “When I’m free, we can make Adila understand, or we can deal with him together.”

He tilted his head to look at the ceiling. “Please don’t ask this of me. I have spent five-hundred years planning.”

“You would leave me so easily? After all your proclamations ofour future together?” Dread consumed her, no longer tamable. Was this what love felt like, this all-consuming need to be with someone?

It felt fast, but in hindsight, it wasn’t. It’d been about three months since they first met, and the bond was always there, pulling them together, and who knew how many soulscapes they’d met in over the years. They didn’t remember them, but their souls did.

“Leaving you will be the hardest thing I will ever do, but I thought you’d understand that our sisters deserve this. Your sister’s soul is trapped, and she deserves to ascend into the aether.”

“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t throw her in my face. We will find her.” She swallowed hard. “But if Adila refuses to help, we will find hertogether. You have waited five-hundred years. What is five hundred more?”

The silence that filled the air was heavy, and she prayed he would reconsider. She lay back down and pulled herself as close to him as possible, and before she drifted to sleep, he murmured, “I will always come back to you.”

The next day,Rory sat in the office with Lauren, Sam, and Caius, discussing the possibility of Nina being involved in Bellina’s assault and the attempts on Rory’s life.

“Who else could it be?” Rory asked, throwing her hands up. This was exhausting.

“She was in her apartment all night,” Lauren informed them. “It’s possible she convinced someone else to do it, but she hasn’t corresponded with anyone outside of her new job at the hobby store. Caius’ last visit seemed to have shaken her.”

“We need to find out who attacked Bellina and make them tell us who put them up to it,” Sam said. “Lauren can get anything out of anyone.”

Lauren’s mouth spread into a feline grin. “Gladly.”

“How do we do that?” Rory asked, determined to put this to rest as soon as possible.

Caius shifted in his chair. “We have enforcers questioning the staff with hopes someone saw who entered Bellina’s room or other suspicious persons.”

Lauren began pacing. “How did they wipe Bellina’s memory? Her concussion wasn’t that bad, and once healed, her memory should have come back.”

They pondered the observation, and Rory remembered something Kordie told her once.Never accept food or drinks from anyone. Some harmless potions mixed together can be dangerous.

“They mixed potions,” she guessed. “An alchemist friend back home told me regular potions can be mixed to make dangerous ones.”

“Sam, bring every alchemist in for questioning,” Caius told his commander. “Lauren, stay with Nina.” He paused, cursing. “Nina is an alchemist. Question her first. Meanwhile, Rory and I will speak with the palace doctor to see if there is an antidote to reverse memory potions. We’ll have it imported from Erdikoa if needed.”

They broke apart with a plan in place. Rory wanted to check in on Bellina, who insisted on returning to work, and when Rory walked into the seamstress quarters of the palace with the king, everyone stopped to stare.

“Please return to work,” Caius said, addressing their audience. Rory held in a laugh at the expressions on their faces as they ducked their heads and started snipping and sewing furiously.

Bellina looked up with a smile. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Her cheery tone was forced, and Rory’s stomach hurt, knowing it was her fault.

Rory perched on the edge of Bellina’s workstation while Caius stood with his hands in his pockets. “We just stopped in to say hi.”

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