Page 45 of The Umbra King

Bellina grabbed napkins from the bar and handed them to Rory. “That asshole. He’s been in love with Nina since she arrived.”

Rory glanced toward the exit and decided to avoid him at all costs.

“What kind of mystic is Nina?” Rory didn’t know, and the maid’s hair always hid her mark.

“Alchemist,” Asher answered. “Rumor is she would manipulate men and then steal their money.”

“Of course she did,” Rory muttered under her breath.

The old man held his hand out. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Max.”

Rory put her shaky hand in his. “Rory. Thank you for that.”

He tipped his head in acknowledgement and stepped around her to order a drink. “What are you drinking? It’s on me.”

Rory waved him off. “I appreciate it, but I think I’m going back to the palace.”

Bellina motioned for Kit to bring her purse from the table. “I’m going with you.”

“No,” Rory said, motioning for Kit to stay put. “I’m fine.” Kit stood with Bellina’s purse half suspended in the air before plunking back down in her chair.

Bellina’s hand motioned to Kit again, but the woman merely raised her middle finger in return.

“Please let me walk you back,” Bellina tried again.

Rory shook her head. “I murdered thirteen people all by myself. I think I can manage to walk back to the palace alone.”

A silence fell on those around them, and Rory guessed her dark humor wasn’t well received, but before she could apologize, Max’s booming laugh filled the space. “Yeah, you’ll be alright. Come on, Bellina. Leave the girl be.”

Rory shot Max a grateful smile and left.

14

Caius woke with a start,a sheen of sticky sweat coating his body. He scrubbed a hand down his face and threw his comforter back. “Fuck.”

Another nightmare. They’d become more frequent over the last few years, and sometimes, he had them while awake. Sam said he dozed off from lack of sleep and didn’t realize it, but Caius knew that wasn’t the case.

Tonight’s wasn’t as bad as some, but his heart still beat against his ribs. Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed and standing, he walked to the closet to dress.

He crossed the room to a bookshelf and pulled out a book to hit the button hidden beneath. The shelf slid sideways, revealing a dark stairwell leading to an underground tunnel.

Tunnel wasn’t the correct word; it was more of an ornate hallway leading to the palace gardens. He flipped the switch to the essence lights, stepped inside, and pushed the button on the stone wall to close the hidden door.

Once at the end, he pushed open the door and stepped into thepalace gardens. They were located outside of the palace walls to help conceal the entrance to his tower, and he thanked theSeraphimfor their ingenious design. It was created as an escape in the event of an emergency, but he used it to come here undetected.

It was strange really, how they created the realms, designing things they deemed important, like The Capital in Erdikoa, the Lux Palace, the Umbra Palace, and the essence system. Then they left, making theRoyalsand other mystics figure everything else out on their own. They never returned, nor did they speak with anyone, not even theAngels. What was the point?

Caius stopped trying to figure out the universe when he was imprisoned by his own sister. He meandered through the winding paths and eventually found his way to the small pond hidden behind the lush greenery.

It was much smaller than the lake in the park, and there were no piers or fish. It had posts with lanterns placed sporadically along the walkway, giving off the faintest glow. Only a handful of people knew the pond existed, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Someone sat on the shore, and he stopped short as he closed in on the water. He debated turning around, but before he could, Aurora’s red, splotchy face turned to him. He waited for a quick remark or murderous glare, but all he got was her back as she turned away.

Caius had never been unsure of himself a day in his life, but he didn’t know what to do as he stood with his hands at his sides, staring at a woman he should despise. His instinct told him to go to her, but his brain screamed at him to go back inside.

“How did you find this place?” was what he settled on.

He saw her chest rise as she sniffled and dutifully ignored him. His gut tugged him toward her, and his feet moved without permission.

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