It was on the tip of his tongue to blame her and her outbursts. If not for Lenora’s actions, Rory wouldn’t have felt the bone-deep guilt that crushed Caius as if it were his own.
But deep down, he knew it wasn’t her fault. Had he been in her position, he would have done the same because Rory was worth fighting for. He would do whatever it took to bring her home, even if he had to rip the realms apart to do it.
Her last words pounded into him on a loop.‘I will find my way back to you.’
“I asked you a question, young man,” Lenora clipped, bringing him back to the present.
He chuckled. “Lenora, I have been around much longer than you.”
“Don’t take that tone with me,” she scolded him. “Answer my question. Why did you send my daughter back toErdikoa?”
The hurt in her eyes nearly killed him, and he knew he wouldn’t tell her the truth. He wished he had never allowed Sam to tell Rory of her mother’s behavior, and while he couldn’t go back in time, he could protect Lenora from the same guilt.
“She missed her friends and family, and I couldn’t bear to see her in pain.” It was a half-truth.
Lenora studied him. “You love her?”
He nodded, not trusting himself to talk.
“And she loves you,” Lenora stated with finality. “We have to get her back,” she said sternly, switching from a grieving mother to a commander of a legion.
Caius’ brows rose, and despite the hole in his chest, he smiled sadly. “She’s a lot like you.”
Lenora harrumphed and smoothed a wrinkle from her pants. “Of course, she is. Her father is a big puppy dog.”
A laugh burst from Caius. “A gentle puppy dog she is not, but from what she’s told me, Cora was.”
Lenora nodded. “My girls were opposites on the surface, but not here,” she said, patting her chest, just over her heart. “Despite what Rory believes, she is good.”
“I know, and I told her as much, but—” He stopped to clear the emotion from his throat. “She won’t remember the confidence she gained in herself while here, but maybe her soul will.”
“When I first saw you and your brother, it was difficult to tell you two apart,” she confessed as she regarded him with keen eyes.
“I am nothing like Gedeon.”
Lenora leaned forward and grabbed Caius’ hand. “I know, honey.” She gave his hand a pat and sat back. “Once my visions were clearer, it was obvious. That is why we must bring her home.”
Caius studied the woman closely.Bring her home.Did she mean Rory’s home here with him or in Erdikoa with her old friends and family?
He leaned back in his chair. “You didn’t see how we do that in one of your visions, did you?” As aSibyl, Lenora saw every potential future. In Erdikoa, her mind was muddled most of thetime, but she didn’t have her abilities in Vincula, allowing her clarity.
Lenora’s eyes glassed over. “I must have, but when my mind is clear, the memories of my visions are patchy at best.”
Caius’ jaw tensed. “What do you remember? Your prophecy was vague, other than the part about us being identical twins.”
The prophecy she’d had about Rory ran through his head on a loop.Two were one, and one is yours. Do not let him fool you. His darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you.
Lenora rubbed her temple before sighing. “I don’t remember much, but your brother will find her, and when he does, he will scar her for life. Or kill her.”
Caius hadn’t realized his hands gripped the arms of his chair until the wood splintered. “Over my dead fucking body.”
Her head turned slowly toward him. “It will be.”
The silence stretched between them as Caius used all his self-restraint to tame the shadows threatening to destroy his office.
The door slammed open, and Sam stepped over the threshold with a menacing glare.
“Were you raised in the woods, boy? Don’t slam doors,” Lenora chided. Normally Caius would laugh, but he didn’t feel like it today, or maybe ever again.
