Page 33 of The Umbra King

She went to check it out, and when she found the door locked, she taught herself to pick locks with the help of different videos on theesse-net. Once inside, she was fascinated with the meat hooks hanging in broken freezers and the pulley system over a huge drain in the floor.

It was the day The Butcher was born.

Now, she was thankful for her self-taught skill as she moved the pins around until the latch clicked. When she pushed the door open and entered the room, she couldn’t believe her eyes.

The entire ceiling showed a blue sky with a few clouds and bright sunlight. With her head craned back, she studied the ceiling to figure out how it was possible.

“Essence screen,” she murmured. The entire ceiling was one giant screen. She closed the door and looked around the room. It was a large bedroom decorated beautifully with a feminine touch.

An enormous sleigh bed sat against the far wall, and upon further inspection, Rory realized the entire frame was made of a metal the same color as gold moedas. “Aether,” she breathed.

The rest of the room was more of the same; the beautiful metal detailing covered everything, and Rory couldn’t help but run her fingers along every surface she could reach.

The entire room was bathed in faux sunlight, and Rory almost cried from the sensation. She didn’t think she would feel the light on her face again for a very long time, but it seemed she found sunshine in a bottle.

It was then she really inspected the room and noted there was no dust collected anywhere. The stairs were untouched, but this room was immaculate. There were two doors on the back wall of the room, leading to a bathroom and a closet.

“Whose room is this?” she asked aloud. It was obvious by the stairs no one had been here in a long time, so how was it clean? A spell, maybe? The roomwas fueled by essence, after all. Another mystery.

She pulled open drawers to hunt for clues as to who stayed here, but all she found were basic toiletries and cosmetics. Gorgeous gowns hung in the closet, as well as tailored women’s pantsuits.

Had the previous Umbra King’s wife stayed here? When Rory pulled open the slender drawer at the top of the vanity, she stared in awe. It was a built-in jewelry box, filled with exquisite jewelry of every kind. There was a small box next to the earrings, and when she flipped the lid open, she nearly squealed with joy. “Jackpot.” A golden key sat inside, and while it could be to something else, it matched the room and was the size of the lock on the main door.

She wasn’t a thief, but for this room, she would make an exception. Looking around one last time, she tucked the key in her pocket and slipped through the door onto the small landing at the top of the stairs.

“Please work,” she prayed. The key slipped into the deadbolt andturned, locking the door. She opened the door again, ran to the bathroom, and grabbed a towel.

She did a silent victory dance when she locked the door again and scrambled back down the stairs to continue her exploration of the palace. On her way down, she used the towel to dust the stairs. If people noticed footprints, it would draw unwanted attention to the room.

Afterward, she took the main staircase to the next floor, which were the legion’s quarters. It made sense, she guessed, but wouldn’t they want their own homes?

“Their rooms are likely bigger than yours, dumbass,” she mumbled to herself.

“They are,” a familiar voice said from behind her.

She spun around to find the Umbra King standing a few feet away, watching her intently. “Oh,” she replied as the stolen key burned a hole in her pocket.

“Are you lost, Miss Raven?” He had one hand in his pocket while he raised the other to his mouth and ran a thumb across his bottom lip as his eyes roved over her. The rings on his hand glinted in the torchlight, and while she’d never thought rings on men were attractive, they worked on him.

She jolted at her own thoughts. Why did she keep thinking like that?This man murdered your sister,she reminded herself. At least she thought so. It had been ten years since she’d seen him, but his face wasn’t one she could forget.

Then why did doubt cloud her mind when he was near? And why did his face anger her less and less after such a short amount of time?

No. It was him. Her shoulders straightened as she met his stare straight on. “I was getting to know the layout of the palace. Am I not allowed to do that?”

His hand dropped. “If you are looking for an escape from Vincula, there isn’t one.”

Her eyes turned to slits. “I’m not an idiot. If you’ll excuse me.”She turned to leave, but a wall of shadows stopped her. She glared at them and swore a silent oath to find a way to kill the stupid things.

“I will show you around. I wouldn’t want you snooping where you don’t belong,” he said, and approached her side. “I don’t trust you.”

Her glare could have sliced through steel. “I don’t trust you either.”

“Good,” he replied as his eyes roamed her face. The wall of shadows dissolved, and he motioned for her to follow. “As you pointed out, this is where the legion lives.”

“Why don’t they live in town?”

His eyes cut to her briefly. “They can if they wish. Most prefer to stay here where someone else does their laundry and cooks for them.”

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