This was his opening to help her remember. “A woman named Nina was infatuated with me. She thought you stole me from her and convinced men to kill you.” The image of Rory lying broken at the bottom of the stairs turned his stomach. “Once we proved it was her, you slit her throat.”
Rory blanched. “I killed someone in prison? Why am I not in hell?”
“You were going to be my queen, and it was your right to pass judgment and dole out the punishment you saw fit.”
“Queen?” she exclaimed with wide eyes, and he nodded. “Youarethe Umbra King!”She stepped away from him, and he regretted saying anything at all. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought if I told you anything about your time in Vincula, there would be consequences, but I changed my mind.” Silently, he pleaded for her to come back to him.
“Why me?” she whispered.
This woman was always too hard on herself. He closed the distance between them, unable to stay away. “It was always going to be you, bond or not.”
She frowned. “Bond?”
A wry smile formed on his lips. “You are myAeternum.”
No longer able to hold back, he kissed her. She hesitated but soon opened for him, and the feeling was like no other. Kissing her again was rapturous, and when she pulled away, he felt the loss deep inside.
She pressed her fingers to her lips.“What is anAeternum?”
The room shimmered, and he hung his head. “Wear a dress tomorrow night,” he said, kissing her cheek.
She looked around and groaned. “It’s time to wake up.”
17
ERDIKOA
Rory jumpedout of bed and rushed to the bathroom to get ready. Hurrying to her closet, she yanked on whatever clothes her hands landed on and hopped as she pulled her socks on before running downstairs.
She’d never lived in a house with stairs, and as her sock slid, she learned a valuable lesson: never run down a set of stairs unless you want to tumble. She screamed, but two meaty hands caught her before she hit the ground.
“I thought you were athletic,” Sam said after setting her on the ground.
Her track record with stairs was getting increasingly worse, she thought as her heart pounded.
Ignoring his jab, she grabbed the shoes she left by the door and pulled them on. “I need to go to the library.”
He pointed to a window. “It is still dark outside. The library is not open.”
She reached into the pocket of her hoodie and called her father, who picked up on the second ring. “Hey, is everything okay?”
“Can you let me into the library? I need to find a book.” She grimaced at her rudeness. “Sorry. Nothing is wrong, but I need to look for anything onAeternums.”
Sam stared at her. “Why are you looking intoAeternums?”
She twisted around, and his expression made her turn to him fully. “Tell me what you know.”
“If I find anything on them, I’ll bring it home,” her father promised, reminding her he was on the phone.
“Thanks, Dad. Love you,” she said quickly and hung up.
“That was rude,” Sam remarked.
She poked his chest. “Don’t change the subject. What do you know aboutAeternums?”
He turned from her and walked toward the kitchen. “I know nothing.”
