“We don’t know what it means, either,” Lenora told him, seeing the question on his face.
Cat shrugged and grabbed her notes. “The story is long, but that’s the gist of it. I don’t think it means anything, but I took notes anyway.”
“That’s a good idea.” He turned to Kit and stood. “Can you help me look up a few things?”
Her eyes brightened as she told him about the catalog and how it worked. He already knew, of course, but she was in her element, and the light-hearted rapport of the group raised his spirits if only a fraction.
Rory’s pleas to focus on his happier emotions were fresh in his mind, and what better place to start than here?
The four womenand Caius sat around a table at the bar with their shots held high. It was their second one, and Bellina stood. “To Caius fixing his stupid mistake so we can see our girl again.”
“Here! Here!” they all shouted before throwing back the bourbon. It burned on the way down, and Caius licked his lips with a grin.
“For someone who rules an entire realm, I really am a dumbass,” he agreed. The group reminded him of Rory, and he tried to envision her laughing with her Erdikoa friends. He discreetly slid his phone from his pocket and pushed the button. Her eyes glared back at him. Turning it off, he put it back in his pocket.
Yes, he saw her in the soulscape, but there was something different about being with her in reality.
Bellina tapped his forehead. “Get out of your head. We’re having fun tonight, not sulking.”
Lenora gestured to his drink. “She’s right, dear. You can worry again tomorrow.”
He found nothing at the library, and when his mood soured, the others dragged him here and shoved liquor down his throat. In the over five-hundred years he’d been alive, he hadn’t had a group of friends since grade school, and even then, he had to leave them once he graduated.
He visited them periodically until he took the throne when he was twenty-five, but since then, he’d only ever had acquaintances.Being the king of the prison realm had been a lonely life until theAngelsarrived. Sam and Lauren appeared out of nowhere, and Caius took to them immediately.
But other than those two, Caius had no friends. He came with the women because they reminded him of his mate, but he stayed because he enjoyed their company.Did they enjoy him too, or did they pity him?
“Let’s play a drinking game,” Kit suggested, and Cat quickly agreed.
“Have you girls ever played crossfire?” Lenora asked.
They glanced at each other, and Caius couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You play drinking games?”
“Do you?” she returned. “You’re much older than I am.”
The group burst out laughing, Caius included. “I don’t, actually. Not since I was in my early twenties.”
“I didn’t know liquor existed that long ago,” Kit joked. At least hethoughtshe was joking.
Bellina sipped her beer and asked Lenora, “How do you play?”
Rory’s mother stopped a passing server. “Excuse me. Do you have plastic cups behind the bar?”
The waitress shook her head, quickly glancing at Caius. “We don’t. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, dear,” Lenora said with a motherly smile. “Thank you anyway.”
“The home goods store is still open,” Kit offered. “We can buy some there.”
“Let’s go,” Cat said, jumping up.
“You all go outside, and I’ll close out our tab,” he told them as he left the table. He didn’t have to pay, but he needed to inform the bartender the others’ drinks were on him.
Once outside, they ventured to the home goods store and bought a few packages of cups. “We need beer, too,” Lenora informed them.
After buying beer, they stood on the sidewalk outside. “Whose apartment are we using?” Bellina asked the group.
Caius didn’t intend to join them, but he wanted to pay for theirthings. It didn’t feel right to enjoy time with Rory’s friends when she couldn’t. “I’m going to turn in for the night. You ladies be careful.”
