Page 67 of The Umbra King

“I would say call me if you need me to walk you, but we don’t have phones,” Asher lamented.

“I won’t leave the palace alone,” she promised. “Now, can we enjoy our night?”

As if on cue, Cat popped up beside them with Tallent in tow. “Kit will be here in a half hour.” She looked at their glasses. “Where’s mine?”

Tallent steered her toward the bar. “You can get your own drink.” He waved at the table. “We’ll be right back.”

Nina sidled up next to Tallent and Cat at the bar and smiled politely. Something she said made Tallent laugh, and Cat shook her head. Nina’s face was beautiful when she smiled.Would Rory still be Nina’s enemy if she wasn’t The Butcher who caught Caius’ attention?

Nina spotted her staring, and the woman’s stance transformed, promising violence. Something about Nina had gone from nasty to downright sinister, and it sent chills down Rory’s spine.

Shaking off the unease, Rory turned back to the table with a smile and raised her glass. “To my no longer fucked up vision.”

23

Once again,Rory was dying. Nina so graciously switched Rory to the evening shift and put her on toilet duty. Gracie explained where she would go, and that she was to clean every toilet except those occupied by staff, per Nina’s orders. Every other room, including those of the legion, was cleaned by the staff.

The palace was enormous, and Nina said Rory couldn’t stop until every toilet was clean. She would scrub all night and into the next day, and she considered slamming her hand in a door to get out of it.

Rory decided to start on the top floor and work her way down, but as she stepped onto the final landing, she regretted her decision. Her legs were jelly, and it would have been wiser to start from the bottom and work her way up, taking breaks on each floor.It was too late now.

Her mouth parted in awe as she looked around the top floor. Instead of a group of hallways, it was a large lobby. Velvet couches lined some walls, and tables with various games such as chess sat around the room with chairs.

There was one door at the back, and she hurried across the room and pulled it open. She was greeted by a wide hallway with a singledoor at the end. It must be the bathroom for the game room, she guessed. She knocked softly to ensure she didn’t walk in on someone taking a shit, and when there was no answer, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

She cursed under her breath, looking around the massive room that was definitelynota bathroom. It was decorated with black furniture, and instead of looking old-fashioned and ostentatious like the rest of the palace, it was modern, with clean lines.

She gasped when she realized the room had power, like the sky room. Essence lights adorned the ceiling and an essence screen hung on the wall.

It must be Caius’ room. She opened the first door on the side wall to a closet full of finely tailored clothes. His scent filled the air, and she took a deep breath like a stalker. The door clicked softly as she closed it, and when she opened the other door beside it, she died of a heart attack, she was sure of it.

In front of her, lounging in a black porcelain tub, was Caius. Steam curled around him, and his broad back rested against the back of the tub.

Strands of his hair fell into his face as his arms rested on the sides. Despite her entrance, he seemed unbothered.

“If you wanted to see me naked, Miss Raven, all you had to do was ask.” He stood, and Rory let her eyes trail down his naked form, and her blood heated at the sight.He was huge.

“What are you doing here?” he asked as he reached for a towel.

“Toilets,” she croaked. “Nina told me to do every room in the palace.”

His skin glistened as droplets of water ran down his chest. “Stop gawking, Miss Raven.”

Her eyes snapped to his, and her shock turned into annoyance. “Excuse me, Your Grace. I didn’t expect to see a penis today.”

He moved closer, and for a moment, his eyes reflected what she felt on the inside. “It’s night. What exactly did you expect to find in the palace bedrooms?”

Her fist tightened around the bucket handle. “Your girlfriend is the one who moved me to the night shift.”

The corner of his mouth lifted with amusement. “Is that so?”

The realization hit her that Nina did this on purpose. She knew people would be pissed Rory was barging in late at night to scrub their toilets. “That bitch,” she hissed under her breath.

A beautiful smile spread across the king’s face. “Yes, Nina is a vicious little thing, isn’t she?”

“Would you like me to still clean your toilet,Your Grace?”

“Of course,” he said with a flourish toward the toilet. “I wouldn’t miss another opportunity to see you at my feet.”

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