Page 47 of The Umbra King

Is she being monitored now? “I’m scared of the dark,” Rory lied as she tried to walk around her.

“Liar,” the woman called after her.Did everyone here have built-in lie detectors?

Rory spun around and threw her arms up. “What do you want me to say? Who are you, anyway?”

“I want you to tell me why you were afraid. A serial killer running through the streets looking as though she’d seen a ghost isn’t normal.” The woman leaned a hip on the counter and grabbed a knife from the block to pick at her nails. “I’m Lauren.”

Rory gave up. “A guy at the bar threatened me, but to be fair, I threatened Nina first.”

“Ah, Ronny,” Lauren concluded. “He’s an asshole.” She looked at Rory with a serious expression. “He’s also dangerous. His soul was a dark grey, and sending him here was a risk. Do not find yourself around him alone.”

With that final warning, Lauren turned and pushed her way through the back entrance, disappearing into the night.

Rory shook her head in disbelief. If Lauren meant to make her feel better, she did a terrible job.

As she approached her room,Rory wished she’d slept in the garden when she saw Nina and two men standing in the hallway of the staff quarters. They abruptly stopped talking and stared at her with various looks of malice.

A warning crept down her spine, and she took measured steps toward them. If they wanted a fight, she would give them one, but without herFeystrength, she wouldn’t win.

It pissed her off how the staff acted like she personally wronged them. They were criminals as well, and yes, her crimes seemed muchworse, but their judgment was harsh. Almost too harsh, and she wondered if she had Nina to thank for that.

They didn’t speak to her or touch her when she stepped around them and into her room. She sagged against her door. Despite the serenity of Vincula, she feared she would die, whether it be at the hand of a fellow inmate, or after she exacted her revenge.

One thing was certain, she wouldn’t leave Vincula alive.

15

The next afternoon,Bellina and Rory sat in the bakery where Cat worked. Rory was grateful Bellina hadn’t brought up the night before. A small mercy, though Cat was a different story.

“Don’t sweat it, butcher girl,” she called from behind the counter. “No one takes Nina seriously, and Ronny is nothing but a love-sick dick.”

“Thanks,” Rory mumbled around a mouthful of donut.

“Are you wearing that saucy dress you bought to the Plenilune ball?” Bellina asked, shimmying her shoulders.

Rory took another bite of her donut and looked at Bellina as she chewed. “What is the Plenilune ball?”

“The staff really goes out of their way to keep things from you,” her friend said, shaking her head. “The Plenilune is in three days, and every month the king throws a ball. It’s not as pretentious as it sounds. There are no poofy dresses or ballroom dancing.”

“The entire town is invited,” Cat chimed in. “Every shop in town pitches in, so there’s a variety of food.”

Rory set her donut down. “Of course, it’s in three days,” she muttered. “Ihaveto wear that dress because I’m out of credits.” Thedress left nothing to the imagination, and she could only imagine what the staff would think of her once they saw her.Her plan had been to catch Caiusalonein it.

She could hear the insults now.Whore. Butcher slut.She sighed.

Bellina shimmied her shoulders. “You’re definitely getting laid.”

“As great as that sounds, everyone in this realm hates me,” Rory reminded her.

“No, they don’t. Most of them, maybe, but not all. Everyone liked you last night.” Bellina shoved a forkful of cheesecake into her mouth. “Besides, even your worst enemy will want to fuck you in that thing.”

“I don’t know what your dress looks like, but I already want to fuck you in it,” Cat offered.

Rory laughed as she stood. “I have to get back so I can go to sleep. Three a.m. comes early.”

Bellina set her fork down and leaned back in her chair. “I can’t believe they put you on the early morning shift. At least you get two days off each week.”

“It doesn’t surprise me.” Rory replied. “The upside is if the ball is in three days, I’m off the next morning.”

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