Gagging, she followed him out of the building, wondering what had just happened.
Rory stoodin the middle of Turney’s apartment on a field of wildflowers. Their soulscape was at Turney’s place?Interesting.
“There’s my favorite girl,” Caius’ silky voice said from behind her.
A smile spread across her face, and when she turned, her breath caught. He was shirtless in pajama pants, and black veins covered his arms and torso like tattoos. It was hot as fuck.
“What is this?” She ran her hands over his chest, and his pec jumped under her touch.
He caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the inside of her wrist. “They are nothing to be concerned with.” Bringing her to his chest, he descended on her lips. “Fuck, you taste sweet,” he groaned into her mouth and swept his tongue against hers.
Her mind went foggy as she lost herself in him. Slowly, he ran a hand down her side toward the waistband of her sleep shorts. She leaned back to look at him, and her eyes caught on their surroundings.
“Stop.” She placed her hand on his chest. “We need to talk.”
The arrogant mask he wore conveyed nothing as he checked out the apartment. “Where are we?”
“That’s what we need to talk about.” She started toward Turney’s prophecy-filled room, and Caius followed close behind.
Once inside, he looked around silently, approaching the closest wall to read the random thoughts. Snatching a sketch of her off the wall, he spun around in a fury. “Is someone stalking you?”
Rory’s mouth fell open as the veins on Caius’ chest crawled toward his neck, and his golden eyes darkened.
“Caius, stop,” she pleaded. What was happening to him?
Following her gaze, he glanced down at his chest and closed his eyes briefly, stopping the marks from spreading.Not tattoos.
The words scribbled on the adjacent wall jumped out at her, and she couldn’t form a coherent sentence.
He was across the room in a flash, and his hands snaked around her neck to cup the sides of her jaw, rubbing tenderly to soothe her. “I’m fine.” He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. The skin was hot, and it did nothing to calm her.
“He fills himself with poison,” she recited with a trembling lip. Fear slammed into her.His darkness is poison.
“Poison? What are you talking about?” His eyes searched hers.
She could only point at the wall behind her. Was she losing him? Her mother warned her, as did Turney. She didn’t care that he might not save her, but she cared if he died. He couldn’t go to the aether before her; she wouldn’t survive losing him again.
“What are you doing to yourself?” She tried to regain control of her emotions, reminding herself that he was here and whole. “Whatever it is you’re doing, stop.”
“ASibyllives here,” Caius surmised as he read the prophecy Turney scribbled on the wall earlier that day.
“Yes, and he said you’re filling yourself with poison, just like my mother did.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and prompted him to look at her. “Please. You can’t save me if you’re dead.” Being saved was the last thing on her mind. She could save herself, but appealing to his protective side was the only thing she could think todo. “You would risk destroying yourself and leaving me to fight Gedeon alone?”
The roots climbed up his neck and teased the bottom of his jaw. Whatever coursed through him was connected to his anger, and she made it worse. “Calm down. I’m fine,” she said, repeating his words as she grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest.
His eyes brightened, and he pressed his forehead to hers. “I know these scare you, but they prove I’m getting stronger. Every time they grow, I create a larger object than before.”
The look of the veins didn’t bother her, but the implications of what they meant did. Her eyes tracked over every inch of his torso. “Explain.”
“The shadows I control created the realms,” he explained. “Cat discovered the story in an old storybook, and Sam confirmed it.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t following.
“I can control whatcreatedthe realms. With practice, I have created boulders out of thin air using shadows.” Her brows rose. “A real boulder, not shadows shaped like one.”
“How?” She didn’t know what to say. It was hard to believe without seeing it for herself, but he wouldn’t lie.
“If I build my strength, I can create a way through the magic barrier.” His eyes implored her to believe him. “Did you think I would let anything keep you from me, knowing you’re in danger?”
