ERDIKOA
Rory’s neckburned as she stepped out of the shower, and she promised Caius a slow death again for biting her like a rabid dog. Sure, the sentiment turned her on, but it hurt like a bitch.
She had an inkling he’d do it again once it healed, but she had an idea to put an end to it. The last thing he said before the soulscape ended plagued her.“Find information on the soulscape magic.”
He looked desperate when he said it, so it must be important. She’d already asked her father to search for books aboutAeternums, and if there was information on soulscape magic, it would have been there. She needed to think of something other than combing through books at the library.
Lost in thought, she floated down the stairs and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, only to find Sam holding out a steaming cup.
“Thank you.” She sighed and took a drink, hissing when it singed her tongue. “How’d you know when to make this for me?”
He picked up a glass of raw eggs, and Rory had to look away. It was too early to throw up already. “You are loud when you move around.”
She blew on her coffee and threw daggers with her eyes. “I am not. Do you have supermystic hearing?”
He ignored her and gulped down hisbreakfast. “Supermystics are not real.”
She snorted, unable to help herself, and hoped he never changed. “Who was the woman you spoke to in the store last night?”
Sam had parked directly in front of the convenience store, and the front of the establishment was all windows. She watched him at the checkout, speaking to a woman who looked to be in her thirties, smiling at her like a love-struck teenager.
He ignored the question and left the kitchen, but she hurried after him, trying not to spill her coffee. “Who was she?”
“She was no one,” he said dismissively.
“I don’t need your powers to know you’re lying.” She planted herself in one of the oversized chairs across from him because he took up half the couch.
“I met her at the Lux Palace,” he answered reluctantly. “She is a maid and agreed to report anything of value.”
Rory watched his face for any clue about what he felt for the woman. The way his face looked when he spoke to her suggested she was more than an informant. “She’s cute.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed, but his face remained impassive.
The odds of him telling her were slim to none, so she changed the subject. “You’ll never believe what Caius told me last night.”
This caught his attention. “He went out drinking with my mom, Kit, and…” Her voice trailed off as something occurred to her.Why didn’t she think of it before?“Kit.” She set her coffee down and jumped up. “Kit!”
Sam looked alarmed. “Did she die? Why is that a good thing?”
“No, she’s not dead. What is wrong with you?” She ran into the office, looking for a computer. “Why is there an office but no computer?”
“Why are you yelling Kit’s name?” he questioned as he watched her run around.
“Her parents are the best historians in the realm,” she said,grabbing her phone to search their names on the essenet. “Do you know her parents’ names?”
Sam tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. He usually had it pulled back halfway or in a low bun, but not today.Maybe he hoped to run into that woman again.
“Why do you need a historian?” he asked, clearly annoyed.
“The last thing Caius said last night was to find information on the soulscape magic,” she explained as she searched for historians on her phone.Did historians have netsites or did they work for companies?
Sam stayed quiet as Rory typed away. “Dammit,” she hissed. “I don’t even know her last name.”
He sat back down on the couch and said, “Her parents’ names are Meena and Kellin Cooper.”
She glowered at him. “Why didn’t you tell me when I asked?”
“I am telling you,” he deadpanned, and she wanted to ask to see his wings so she could pluck them bare.
Typing their names into her phone, she asked, “How do you know that?”
