Lauren stood, and wings shot out of her back, making Rory yelp as she pushed back from the table. Her chair toppled over, and her father moved to help her up. They stood, and Rory’s eyes popped out of her head as Lauren crossed her arms and gave them an ‘I told you so’ look while sporting two beautiful white wings that wouldn’t fit through a doorway.
“What the fuck?” Rory breathed. “Shit, are you really aSeraph?”
Lauren scoffed. “No. In their true form, they have wings on their legs, back, and face.” She shivered. “Could you imagine feathers tickling your nose all the time?”
“I read a book onAngelsrecently,” Patrick said with awe still in his voice. “There are different types and a hierarchy.” He looked thoughtful before snapping his fingers. “You protect—you’re one of thePrincipalities, aren’t you?” She nodded, amused. “You can shapeshift into any animal.”
Rory rubbed her eyes.Was she still dreaming?When she looked back at Lauren, the wings remained. “Holy aether.”
Lauren’s wings disappeared, and she gathered their empty plates. “Something like that. Put away the syrup, please.”
Rory grabbed the bottle and trailed theAngelinto the kitchen. “I’m sorry for laughing. I didn’t knowAngelsexisted outside of storybooks.”
Lauren rinsed the dishes before loading them into the washer. “There are a lot of things you don’t know.”
“No shit,” Rory mumbled under her breath. “And Sam?”
Lauren nodded. “His wings are bigger than mine. It makes him look like a giant bird.”
“How often will you two switch out?” Rory asked, moving around the kitchen island.
“Every few days, maybe every week.” She dried her hands on a towel and took the bottle from Rory’s hands to put away. “We havedifferent duties in Vincula and need to check in often to ensure everyone is doing their jobs.”
Rory’s interest was piqued. “What do you do in Vincula?”
“I run patrols around the town and take reports from other enforcers in the legion. Sam handles patrols in the palace and processes incoming inmates.”
“He’s a paper pusher?” Rory bit back a laugh.
“Please ask him that,” Lauren said with a wicked glint in her eye. “No. When an inmate is stationed in the palace, he assigns them a room, takes them to Caius for their assignment, and tells the head of the palace staff what room they’re in so they can issue an inmate mystic card.”
“Caius?” Rory barely heard anything Lauren said after hearing that name.
The guard’s eyes raised to hers. “That’s all you got from that? Interesting. He’s the Umbra King.”
“Oh,” she said lamely. She knew who the Umbra King was; she just didn't know why his name feltimportant. “Did I meet the Umbra King?”
Lauren stopped moving for a beat. “Every inmate does.”
Rory wished she could remember.What was he like?If Vincula was not as they’d been told, did the same go for the king? She frowned. That can’t be right. He killed his own sister.
She pushed the thought from her mind. “I need to go to my old apartment and get my things.”
“No, you don’t,” Lauren said. “Your friends are bringing them later today.”
“Friends?” Rory squeaked. “Will Keith and Kordie come too?”
“They wanted to be here last night, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Rory’s chest constricted. Dume said they wanted to see her, but when you’re a convicted serial killer, it was hard to believe.
That evening,after her father left for work, Rory flipped mindlessly through the ES channels, stopping on an arrowball game.
The prickling feeling returned, like there was something she should remember about the sport. Did all returned inmates experience this sensation? She stared at the screen, watching the players run down the field.
Arrowball never interested her. Sure, she enjoyed going to games with friends and drinking amongst the energetic crowd, but other than that, she couldn’t care less.
Frustration made her want to punch the pillows on the couch. Would she always have this sense of vague recognition, feeling her memories just out of reach?
