Page 46 of The Umbra King

“Is it not part of the gardens?” she asked, still refusing to look at him.

Her voice held none of her usual bite, and he hated it.

“Technically, yes,” he replied. “But no one spends enough time in the gardens to find it.”

“What do you want, Your Grace?” she asked, her snark working its way back into her voice, bringing a whisper of a smile to his lips.

He huffed out a laugh and asked, “Crying over your mother again?”

Her head turned eerily slow to look at him, and by the time their eyes made contact, hers were filled with hate. “Never speak about my family again.”

His brows rose. “I will speak of whomever I wish.” She turned away from him again. “Why were you crying?”Fuck subtlety.

“I wasn’t. My allergies are terrible here with these nighttime plants.”

“As bad as you are at lying, I’m surprised you were not arrested sooner.”

Aurora rose and stomped off, but she didn’t get far. “Call off your dogs,” she demanded through clenched teeth as she struggled against the shadows he used to stop her.

“They’re not mine.” He turned to look at her. “Why were you crying, Aurora?”

“Why do you care?” she shot back. “I’m getting the treatment I deserve. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“Walk with me,” he said, releasing the shadows surrounding her.

He saw her hesitation, but eventually, she conceded and followed him as he walked around the pond. “What do you think you deserve, Miss Raven?”

Her brows came together. “What?”

“What treatment do you think you deserve?” he clarified.

The silence seemed to stretch forever, but then her mask of cool indifference blanketed her face when she answered, “It doesn’t matter what I think. There will always be someone who thinks of me as their villain. The least I can do is be a damn good one.” She looked at him. “Everyone loves to hate the villain, including you.”

“Am I your villain, Miss Raven?” He didn’t know why he asked, but he was interested in her reply.

He wished he hadn’t because her response was immediate. “Yes.”

Their gazes collided in a battle of wills, and he leaned down so his lips grazed her ear. “Then I’ll be a damn good one.”

With that, he left her standing in the glow of the lanterns, putting much needed space between them.

That fucker,Rory thought as she watched Caius leave. She’d been too shaken by her encounter with Ronny to take advantage of her time alone with the king, but even if she’d been in her right mind, she was ill prepared.

Dealing with Caius wasn’t like dealing with men she picked up from the bars. Not only was he a king, but he was also a master manipulator.

The way he’d spoken to her tonight bordered on caring, and she knew that wasn’t something he was capable of. It was time to throw everything she had into her plan and find Cora’s soul so she could kill the king and be done with it.

He always knew when she was lying, and she needed to get better at it. She would practice in her bathroom mirror like an idiot if that was what it took.

She hurried back into the palace, but when she entered the back door to the kitchens, a woman with dark hair lined with white streaks cut her off. Rory paused, unsure of what to do.

Did she need to prepare for a fight, mumble an awkward excuse, or ask her about the weather?

“You were scared,” the woman said.

Rory stared dumbly. “No, I’m not.”What is with the people in this realm?

“Not now,” the woman clarified. “When you were walking back to the palace. You were scared.”

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