“No,” Sera said sharply, guessing the direction of Rory’s thoughts. “Nothing like that, but I had severe bruising and cutsaround my neck, wrists, and ankles. I had a few torn ligaments and a broken wrist from trying to break free.”
Rory tried to look around the house without being obvious. Potions to heal immediately were extremely expensive. She’d planned on paying for whatever Sera and Keith needed, but she didn’t know what that was yet. Her father promised to get her a list for Keith today, and she had planned to take stock of Sera’s injuries during this visit.
Her guilt over not arranging it immediately ate at her, but Caius assured her they were stable and insisted she rest before going anywhere. He was right, but it didn’t make her feel any better.
Dume read her mind and nodded toward Caius. “He made arrangements for the potions.”
Rory flipped around to look at her husband. “You did?”
Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’d do anything for them,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Because they’d do anything for you.”
“Keith?” she asked, and he smiled.
“Yes. We were going to surprise you tonight.”
Dume chuckled. “She would have made the arrangements for his care before the end of the day. We would’ve had to tell her, anyway.”
She shrugged sheepishly.
“How long did Gedeon masquerade as you?” Caius asked Sera.
“Three or four days, I think,” she replied. “My bathroom doesn’t have windows, and I had to guess.”
Rory thought of the times she saw Sera over the last week, remembering Sam’s unease around her. Her face twisted in disgust. “Did you go dress shopping with Kordie and me?” Sera shook her head sadly, and Rory clenched her jaw. “That bastard watched me change.”
The shadows in the room moved around them, and she wrapped her arm around Caius’ waist. “He’s dead.”
The muscle in his jaw feathered. “I’d raise him from the dead to kill him again if I could.”
Rory patted his arm reassuringly and turned back to her friends. “Sera, do you work at The Capital?”
“No,” Sera answered, sounding confused. “I’m a receptionist at a pediatric clinic downtown. Why?”
“Gedeon said you did when he wore your skin,” Rory replied bitterly. He’d fooled them all for far longer than he should have.
“Rory,” Dume said sharply. “Don’t upset her.”
Sera started to protest but stopped when her attention snagged on Caius. “Rory failed to mention you had tattoos,” she commented, squinting at his forearm. “They make your blood look black.” There was nothing judgmental in her tone. In fact, she sounded impressed.
Caius lifted a hand and wiggled his fingers with a wry grin. The dark marks had receded some, but not all the way. The remaining black veins covered his hands, arms, torso, and neck. A few crept over his jawline, but barely.
“They weren’t there before,” Rory answered, taking his hand to graze her thumb over his knuckles. “But he knows I like tattoos.”
He lifted her palm to his lips and planted a soft kiss on her wedding mark. “I would tattoo my entire body for her if she asked.”
Dume stood and fussed with Sera’s blanket to cover her legs, and to Rory’s surprise, she let him. “I know you haven’t seen her in days, but Sera needs her rest,” he said, turning to them. “I’ll bring her to dinner tonight.”
Rory’s brows rose as she looked from Dume to Sera, who watched Dume with adoration.
“We understand,” Caius replied and steered Rory into the hall. “We’ll see you tonight.”
“You didn’t tell me your friends all dated each other,” Caius said when they stepped outside, leading her to the car with a hand placed protectively on the small of her back. “I wouldn’t have dreamed of killing theAatxeif you had.”
Her eyes crinkled at the seriousness in his tone. “They weren’t until now.” She jumped into the backseat of their car before the driver could open her door. “Besides, I like it when you’re jealous.”
Caius didn’t know how to drive, having been locked away for solong, and instead of learning, he insisted on hiring a driver while in Erdikoa. She hated driving anyway.
The privacy screen closed, and Caius slid her across the seat, pulling her into his lap to face him. “How much do you like it, Miss Raven?” His fingers lifted the bottom of her sundress and ran along the edge of her panties. “Shall we see?”
