“That’s not the same,” she said hotly. “She tried to kill me. Pick him up.”
Wyll drank in his surroundings, his handsome face filled with child-like wonder. Rory knew that look.
Caius roughly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his feet. “Walk, or I’ll kill you.”
Wyll straightened, nodding as he stumbled alongside Caius. A man grabbed Rory’s arm when she passed his table. “Do we need to call emergency services?”
Caius shoved Wyll forward and caught the man’s wrist. “If you touch my wife again, I will break every bone in your hand.”For fuck’s sake.
Rory had convinced him to wear casual clothes today, and while she loved him in a t-shirt and jeans, the black veins covering his arms made him look menacing. He was going to give this innocent bystander a heart attack.
“Wyll is fine,” Rory told the man with a polite smile. “He needs air. Thank you.”
She pushed her husband forward as he glared at the concerned patron, and when they were outside, she threw her hands up. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “I don’t like people touching what is mine.” His eyes slid to Wyll. “No matter when it happened.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” she warned him and turned to Wyll and Adila, who stared at each other intently.
“Adila, is he what I think he is?” Rory asked her. She remembered Wyll was aSylphand eyed the Lux Queen up and down. It was probably an inappropriate time to ask what twistedSylphability she inherited from herAeternum, and Rory made a mental note to ask later.
“Did you have grey-scale sight?” Adila asked Wyll, who nodded in response, confirming their suspicions. “And can you see color now?”
He nodded again, and Caius muttered, “You have got to be kidding me.”
“Call the car,” Adila said without looking away from herAeternum. “We need to take him to The Capital.”
Wyll finally came to his senses and held up his hands. “What is going on?”
Adila looked both ways down the sidewalk, ensuring no one was close enough to hear her. “I’m going to show you something, and then you must come with me to the Lux Palace.”
He ruffled his hair and exhaled loudly. “Okay.”
She pulled him to the side of the building and motioned to Rory and Caius. “Can you two cover us?”
They both moved to hide the other two from prying eyes, and Adila held out her hand, calling light into her palm. It twined around Wyll’s fingers, and he stared at it in awe. “It’s beautiful,” he murmured.
“I am the Lux Queen,” she whispered to him. “There is much we need to discuss.”
Wyll glanced at Rory, and she nodded. “She’s telling the truth. My husband is the Umbra King,” she said, pointing to Caius. “Show him.”
Caius glared at her, and she glared right back in a battle of wills. “Fine,” he reluctantly agreed and held out his hand, showcasing his ability.
“Aether,” Wyll muttered under his breath. “I don’t know if I’m losing my mind or if you’re telling the truth.” His expression softened at the pleading look on Adila’s face. “Fuck it. I’ll go.”
The threeRoyalsbreathed a sigh of relief, and Rory called Caius’ driver to pick them up.
Caius pulled her into his side and leaned down to murmur in her ear, “If you ever threaten to withhold your body from me again, I will make you suffer when you give it back.” He licked the point of her ear, sending tingles to the apex of her thighs. “The next time we meet one of your past lovers, I will fuck you in front of him to stake my claim.”
“We can hear you,” Adila snapped.
Caius smirked, never taking his eyes off his wife. “Good.”
After droppingWyll and Adila off at The Capital, Rory and Caius stayed the night in Erdikoa instead of returning to Vincula right away. As they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk toward one of Rory’s favorite restaurants for dinner, she did a double take at the man across the street.
Could it be him?Tapping Caius on the shoulder, she discreetly pointed, trying to stay calm. “Is that who I think it is?”
He followed her line of sight and chuckled when he saw the other man. “I believe it is.” She pressed a hand over her pounding heart, and Caius gently tugged her forward. “We can say hi.”
