Caius and Adila would venture into the park near their foster family’s home, and when she said she wished they had a hideout, he begged his real parents for moedas to have one built. He was thirteen, and Adila was eleven, and they viewed the treehouse as their own little palace.
They never told Atarah or Gedeon. It was an unspoken rule that it was for them and no one else.
Looking thoughtful, Sam scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “Rory and Dume have a treehouse they visit. She found your names carved on a bookshelf. Is it the same place?”
Caius’ heart warmed at the thought of Rory in the place that held his happiest childhood memories. He’d been surprised in their soulscape when she claimed it as her own.
“Yes, it’s the same,” he confirmed. “Take Lauren with you. You will return to Rory after, and I will get a full report from Lauren on the meeting.”What he really wanted was a full report on Rory. What does she do during the day?
After Sam left, Caius slipped through the passageway that led to the pond.
He stood by the water, surrounded by memories of her. The first night he watched her come undone was on this bank.Seraphim, he missed her.
He needed to train, or he’d lose her forever. Concentrating, he imagined a large boulder, bigger than the last, hovering over the pond, but after several minutes, nothing happened.
“Fuck.” How could theSeraphimlet this happen? They went through the trouble of creating a failsafe no one understood, yet a murderer with a black soul presided over an entire realm for half a millennium, and they’d done nothing.
Ever since Caius sent Rory away, anger trailed him like a shadow, coiled and ready to strike. He hadn’t been in this dark of a place since Atarah was murdered, but even then, it wasn’t like this.
That familiar feeling seeped into his skin, fueling his resentment toward the creators for turning their backs on him and everyone else in the realms.
A delicious burn crawled across his arms with a rush of power not far behind. Staring out over the water, he silently commanded a boulder to appear. Shadows rushed around him, shooting forward and colliding with the shadows around the pond.
Merging, the darkness turned solid, forming a boulder the size ofCaius’ desk, and he stared at it hovering in the air, fascinated by what he’d done.
The large rock balanced on a shelf of shadows, and Caius released them, watching the boulder plummet into the water.
By the time he registered the splash, he was drenched from head to toe with his hair matted to his forehead, but he didn’t care because he was getting stronger.
The burning faded, and he glanced down, rolling up his sleeves. The veins had climbed higher without fading.
Whatever they were made him stronger, and strength was what he needed.
32
ERDIKOA
Rory and Laurenwalked into Night Potions after eating lunch and found the rest of the group waiting on them with drinks in hand. Rory smirked despite her nerves when she saw Kordie’s bright blue hair and blunt bangs.
“I like your hair,” she told her as they sat. Dume slid Lauren a water and Rory her usual.
“Just tell us,” Kordie blurted out. “Never text‘I need to tell you something’unless you plan on shouting it as soon as you walk through the door.”
Smiling sadly, Rory took in her friends’ worried expressions. If Adila sent her to Vincula, would she be able to come back soon, or would the Scales of Justice force her to complete her original sentence?
Keith set his drink on the table, and his mouth turned down. “Judging by your face, it’s nothing good.”
Dume stayed quiet, staring at Rory with a deep sadness. He knew her better than anyone here, and he probably already knewher plan.
“You’re going back,” he guessed, but there was no venom in his voice. Only disappointment, and somehow that was worse.
“You can’t,” Kordie protested, standing.
Keith placed a gentle hand on his girlfriend’s shoulder, stopping her. “We need to hear her out.”
Sera stayed quiet, which struck Rory as odd. She talked more than Kordie. “Caius is my mate,” Rory began, earning her an incredulous scoff from Dume. “The Lux King is his identical twin brother and the one who killed Cora.” That shut Dume up. “He also killed Atarah and took over the Lux throne. Caius was falsely accused, and now, instead of being free to exact his revenge, he’s locked in Vincula for another five-hundred years because of me.”
“How is it your fault he was sentenced longer?” Kordie demanded. She wasn’t taking this well.
