Page 98 of The Umbra King

Sam waltzed across the room, put away his wings, and sat down. “The door was open.”

“Oops,” Bellina said sheepishly.

Rory sprang into a sitting position. “Sam, what do you know aboutAeternums?” TheAngelfroze, and Rory narrowed her eyes. “You knew.”

He scratched his jaw, the scruff making the movement audible. “Yes.”

“And?” Bellina asked impatiently.

“And,” he said tersely. “There is nothing else to tell. She is his eternal mate, and once they sleep together, the bond will strengthen.” Rory squirmed, and Sam flashed a smug smile. “When you marry, you will become aRoyal.”

Bellina’s jaw hit the floor. “As in, anactualRoyal? Immortality and all?”

Sam nodded as Rory flinched. “Why do you look as if you will faint?” he asked her.

She motioned wildly. “Immortal? Do you know how long that is?”

He gave her a look that told her he knew exactly how long it was. “You are already set to live another five-hundred years at least,” he pointed out. “Why are a few hundred more unsettling?”

“Wait,” Bellina said, holding up a hand. “You said she would be immortal.”

“She will,” he replied. “She will only be able to die by a knife to the heart or decapitation, and she will not age until the new Umbra King or Queen takes the throne.”

Rory and Bellina stared at him, and Rory was more confused now than when the conversation started. “Explain it to me like I’m a child,” she said to the giant turkey.

He mumbled something under his breath before obliging. “When the Lux King or Queen finds theirAeternum, they will have three children. One will possess the power of light to rule Erdikoa; one will possess the power of darkness to rule Vincula, and one will possessthe gift of judgment to become the Scales of Justice. Once they are born, they take the throne at twenty-five years of age, and the current rulers step down.”

“What happens to the parents when they step down?” Bellina queried.

“They lose their memories of ever having ruled and receive new memories. They remember their children but think they work in The Capital. It allows their children to still visit them,” he explained.

“And when their kids don’t age?” Bellina challenged. “This sounds made up.”

Sam looked ready to flick her across the room. “They take a shapeshifting potion to make them look older.”

“I would lose my memories?” Rory almost cried. How cruel to narrowly escape losing her memories in Vincula, only to lose all of her memories when a new ruler took the throne in Vincula.

“No,” Sam said, confusing her. “Only the Lux rulers because their children will already be grown. You and Caius will step down and move out of The Capital to live normal lives, aging like normal and able to have children if you wish.”

“Had I known I was getting a history lesson today, I would have brought a pen and paper,” Bellina groaned.

“He said he wouldn’t make me,” Rory forced out, trying not to freak out. “He said he’d keep his distance, even in the soulscape.”

Sam’s face turned grim, and Bellina threw her hands up. “What is a soulscape?”

“Is that what you want?” Sam asked, ignoring Bellina.

Rory shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. We agreed to date, but there’s no guarantee we’ll like each other enough to get married forever.” She smoothed a hand down her towel. “CanRoyalsget divorced?”

Sam shook his head. Whether to answer her or because he wanted to throttle her was up for debate.

“When is your first ‘date’?” Bellina asked with a gleam in her eye. “We need to go shopping.”

“He didn’t ask me out on a date,” she replied. “I told him to wine and dine me.”

“And sixty-nine,” Bellina added, shimmying her shoulders.

“For aether’s sake,” Sam grumbled as he stood. “I will leave you ladies to it.”

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