Page 35 of The Umbra King

“He told me to call him Sam,” she said defensively. “And he is nice to me.” Kind of. She wasn’t sure he liked her much.

“Interesting,” Caius murmured. “I think we’re done for today.”

A slight twinge of disappointment pinched her chest. She needed to see more of the palace, and while it was better to search without the king watching her every move, having someone explain the layout was helpful. She would ask Bellina.

Silently, he led her back to the staff quarters and left as she stared after him.

11

Nina flouncedinto the kitchens not long before Rory’s shift was over and gave her a cruel smile. “I heard you’ve been making food and sneaking it to your room.”

Rory stiffened. “And?”

“And you will eat with the others in the dining hall, or you will not eat at all.” Nina looked positively delighted, and Rory dug her nails into her palms to keep from punching her. “It opens for lunch soon. I suggest you hurry.” Nina turned to the other staff still in the kitchen. “If any of you allow her to leave with food and I find out about it, you will not be pleased with the work you are assigned.”

Anger roared in Rory’s ears. She threw her rag in the laundry bin by the door and stepped through it, needing to be alone before she did something she’d regret. Nina knew as well as she did the dining hall wasn’t an option.

Unable to look at Nina a minute longer, she marched out the back door of the kitchens and across the stone courtyard surrounding the palace. When she reached the edge of the massive space, she slipped through a small man-sized gate at the back.

It surprised her to see a garden filled with various lush plantsand beautiful flowers. The stone walkway twisted in a spiral toward a large flower in the middle. The plant was huge, with a bell at the top.

“Fitting you should find the reaper flower,” a voice said from behind her. “It blooms once a year and smells of death.”

A small, growl-like sound emitted from her chest. “Fitting you should find me to gloat.”

In her peripheral, he stepped next to her, but she refused to look at him. “You will need to refresh my memory. I’m right about many things.”

The pebbles beneath her feet crunched when she turned on her heel to flee, but shadows stopped her retreat. “I am fucking sick of these things,” she half-yelled as she swiped her hand through them. To her surprise, they scattered despite being solid seconds before.

“Refresh my memory,” he repeated. “What has the little butcher wound up today?”

She spun on her heel again to face him, red hot fury seeping from her pores. “Nina made sure to tell the kitchen staff to stop me if I tried to take food to my room. Seeing as you were the only person who knew, I have you to thank, no?”

“You made quite the impression on the staff.” He smirked. “They are giving you the welcome they think you deserve.”

“And you?” she challenged. “Do they give the infamous sister killer the treatment he deserves?”

She was shoved to the ground, but shadows cushioned her fall, preventing the gravel from cutting her knees.

He strolled toward her, his expression lazy. “I must admit, Miss Raven, I enjoy seeing you on your knees.” His pupils flared.

She recognized the lust in his eyes, and she fought to keep her expression neutral.

The shadows kept her pinned in place as she struggled, and the king smiled. “You despise me for two deaths, yet you have taken thirteen lives. Does that seem rational to you, or are you as deranged as they say?”

He would swing headless for all his people to see, she vowed silently to herself.

“You are nothing but a hypocrite.” His words should have held venom, but they held nothing but amusement. Giving her his back, he walked away, but not before calling over his shoulder, “I hope you have the day you deserve, Miss Raven. I know I will.”

Once he was out of sight, his shadows released her, and she glowered as they retreated. “You are assholes too,” she hissed after them.

A plan formed in her mind, and she wanted to scrub her skin clean at the prospect. She saw his desire, and she would use it to her advantage. The king may hate her, but he was attracted to her, too.

Nothing brought down a man’s defenses like sex.

Rory was lostin her own thoughts as she wound through the palace garden for an hour. If she was going to do this, she would do it right. Seduction was nothing new to her. When she wanted a good fuck, she found one.

The first thing she needed to do was use her credits for new clothes. She would buy comfortable items, including jeans that showcased what little butt she had and whatever else she could find to make the king drool like the dog he was.

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