Nothing they said made sense. Why would the king spy on his own siblings?
“We can’t leave her unprotected,” Lauren said, grabbing Rory’s attention.
“Patrick can take off those nights,” Sam reasoned. “You will wait to leave until after she is asleep.”
Rory heard rustling. She hated not being able to see them. “Someone can attack just as easily at night,” Lauren pointed out.
Sam grunted. “No one knows about this house, and I am more worried about her sneaking out. It is better if she does not know.”
How stupid did they think she was, and why did they think she had a set bedtime like a toddler?The coddling was driving her insane. Sam’s words offended her. She understood the gravity of her situation, and unless an emergency arose, she wouldn’t sneak out.
“Fine,” Lauren conceded. “I’ll see you at the bunker next shift change.”
The two fell quiet, and Rory heard the front door open and close. She stared in a daze, trying to make sense of what she had heard. A shadow crossed over her face as Lauren appeared on the eave with her phone pointed at the open window, and Rory muffled a scream.
TheAngellaughed at her phone and tucked it away in her pocket. “I knew you were listening.”
Rory pursed her lips and tried to look like she didn’t almost shit her pants. “I don’t appreciate being treated like a child.”
“Sometimes you act like one,” Lauren replied immediately, making Rory scowl. “You don’t understand the danger you’re in, and I know you’ll figure out our schedule soon enough. I am asking you to stay here.”
“How selfish do you think I am?” Rory asked incredulously. “I know what is at stake, and I know my family will hurt the most if something happens to me. Don’t pretend to know anything about me.”
“I do know you, and I know you still want to avenge your sister.” Lauren’s wings appeared and spread wide. “I am asking you not to.”
Without another word, Rory watched as her guard disappeared into the night sky.
Despite being restless,Rory refrained from gulping down her sleeping potion after crawling into bed. It was late, and she didn’t want to sleep the next morning away.
Instead, she mulled over theAngels’conversation. Why would they spy on the Lux King, and why would the Lux King spy on the Scales of Justice? As with everything else in her life since she returned, she felt like she already knew the answer but couldn’t reach it.
Sighing, she tugged on her comforter and berated herself for worrying about things out of her control. Her mother would return in a year, and everything would go back to normal.
Unless Rory’s soul was trying to warn her about something.
“Fuck it,” she muttered and grabbed the potion from her nightstand, hoping she found answers in her dream.
Wildflowers tickledthe bottoms of her feet as she meandered through a garden. There was no sign of Not-Bane yet, and she walked faster along the winding path.
The walkway opened to a small pond, and the sight made heat pool low in her stomach. The closer she got, the more aroused she became. Shereallyneeded to get laid.
Did she have a pond fetish now?
“Hello, Miss Raven.”
The silky voice sent a sensual shiver down her spine, and she cursed her body for betraying her. Without turning, she said, “Hello, whoever you are.”
The heat from his body caressed her back as his breath fanned over her hair. “Are you still on that?”
Lifting a shoulder, she feigned nonchalance. “You say you’re not Bane, yet you tell me nothing about yourself. How would you feel?”
She felt his hesitation and held her breath, hoping her mind was conjuring up another memory. “You can call me Caius.”
“You’re named after the Umbra King?” Another thought occurred, and her eyes widened. “Are you the Umbra King?”
His lip tugged to the side. “I imagine many people name their children after theRoyals.”
He was right. She’d gone to school with a Gedeon and an Atarah. “Where do you live?”
