His head swam, making him stumble. When he looked in the mirror, black veins branched over his jaw, and solid black eyes stared back at him.
They were the last thing he saw before everything faded to nothing.
46
ERDIKOA
Rory fell to the ground,gasping for air as her body burned with an icy rage that wasn’t her own. Her vision tunneled, and instead of seeing her surroundings, she saw Caius in a mirror, completely covered in black veins.
Soulless black eyes stared back at her, and it took everything she had to keep from screaming.
She watched those pits of nothingness roll back in his head as he fell, leaving her panting on the gravel driveway as Sera shook her with shock on her face.
“Rory!” she exclaimed, grabbing her by both shoulders.
A sob tore from Rory’s chest as she tried to figure out what had happened. “I saw Caius.” Her brain nagged at her, telling her she knew exactly what it meant.
When the fog cleared from her mind, she struggled to her feet, and her fear merged with panic. “He’s dying,” she croaked and pulled out her phone, fumbling it.
Sera gasped. “Who? Caius?”
“I need to call Sam. He has to get to him.” Her hands shook so hard that she could barely press the buttons.
“I’ll call him,” Sera said, grabbing the phone from her. “You can’t even talk. What’s your code?”
Rory’s hands tingled, and she tried to steady her breathing. “I don’t have one. It swipes open.”
Sera frowned at her. “That’s not safe.” Her fingers worked quickly, but the phone sparked, making her yelp and drop it. “What the hell?” She scooped the device off the ground, and Rory grew distraught. She didn’t know Sam’s or Lauren’s number by heart, and Sera’s next words confirmed her fear. “It’s not working.”
Rory fisted her hair. “I have to find them. Call Dume. Maybe he can get me into The Capital. Lauren and Sam switched shifts tonight. Sam left early, but maybe I can catch Lauren at the bunker when she arrives.”
Sera perked up. “I can get you in. I work there, remember?”
“We need to leave now,” Rory insisted, too frantic to thank her friend.
Sera nodded and ran to her car with Rory on her heels. “Don’t worry,” she soothed her. “We’ll find them. I’m sure Caius is fine.”
She sounded as unsure as Rory felt.
As they pulled onto the main road, it occurred to Rory that she could have woken up her father to see if he had Sam’s number, but it was too late now. Her best bet was to catch one of theAngels and beg them to save her husband.
It felt like hours before they neared The Capital, and once Sera parked in the far corner of the staff parking lot, Rory hopped out.What if she couldn’t find Sam or Lauren?She’d have to go to Adila. TheRoyalcouldn’t send her to Vincula, but Adila could go to check on him.
Rory turned toward the gates, but Sera grabbed her arm. “This way,” she whispered and looked around to ensure no one was in the lot. “There’s another entrance no one knows about. Only select staff members are allowed to use it.” She held up a lanyard with a badge.
“What the hell do you do here that you get to use a secret entrance?” Rory whispered.
“There’s no time for that.” Sera slipped through the dense foliage surrounding the lot, beckoning Rory to follow her, and they crept around the outside wall.
“Are we going to the back?” Rory asked. They’d been walking for a while.
Sera abruptly stopped and turned to her. “We’re here. When we go in, stay behind me, and don’t talk to anyone. The less attention you draw to yourself, the better.”
Rory nodded and watched as Sera touched the door, making it spark.
She didn’t even use her badge.
Rory stepped back, remembering how her phone sparked when Sera held it.
