He glanced behind him, surprised to see Lenora up this early. “I don’t mind sharing,” he said, holding up his bowl.
Rory’s mother scurried around the island and into the other kitchen. She popped back into the room with her own bowl and sidled up next to him. Peeking at his snack, she tsked. “I didn’t take you as someone who ate plain vanilla.” Her gaze lingered on his hands. “What is this?” She reached out and poked the black veins.
He twisted toward her and glanced at her bowl, grinning at the chocolate syrup and nuts sprinkled on top. “They’re tattoos,” he lied. “And I didn’t picture you as someone who ate ice cream for breakfast.”
Her eyes ticked to his hands one last time before she popped a bite of ice cream into her mouth. “It’s no different from syrup on waffles or jelly on toast. Sugar is sugar.”
“I like the way you think.” He licked the back of his spoon and set his bowl on the counter. “Why are you wandering the palace this early?”
Mixing the contents of her morning dessert, she avoided his gaze. “Pieces of visions are coming back with clarity but no context. I am painfully aware I hold the key to saving my daughter with no way to access it at will.”
“What did you see?” Caius couldn’t comprehend receiving visions and not understanding what they meant. Wasn’t it like watching a movie?
Her eyes glazed over, staring at nothing. “Maybe I shouldn’t call them visions because it’s not always visuals. It can be anything from whispers to feelings to pictures, and if I only have one or the other regarding a specific event, the meaning is unclear. At least that’s how it’s been since arriving here.” She set her bowl down. “I have seen you grab Gedeon away from Rory and snap his neck, just as I have seen him drive his power into her chest while she lay lifeless on the ground. I canfeelwhat those visuals mean. I know if you don’t break free in time, she will die, but…”
Her hesitation made him nervous, and he struggled to steady his voice. “But what?”
“But I suspect the prophecy of the golden child differs from the visions of you saving her.” She shook her head, frustrated. “I can’t see that part of the prophecy. I only hear it over and over. It’s connected, but not the same.‘Only the golden child can save you.’I know those words are true.” Her tired eyes lifted. “This ‘golden child’is her only hope.”
An unfamiliar sensation filled Caius’ veins: fear. “Is it possible I am also the golden child, and I must protect her from more than my brother?”
Would he have to protect her from himself if darkness took him over?He almost glanced at the veins marring his hands but didn’t want to draw her attention to them.
The sigh she released was heavy with defeat. “Yes. Anything is possible.”
“Lenora, you have helped Rory and me more than anyone else. We know I must find my way to her, and when I do, I’ll protect her from everything. I swear it.”
Lenora grabbed both of their bowls and carried them to the sink. Her silence hung heavy between them, and her next words rocked Caius to the core. “Do not make an oath you cannot keep.”
His feet were lead as he stood rooted to the floor. “I know you have your doubts that I will escape in time, but I am not making an empty promise. Iwillget to her in time.”
Lenora nodded weakly. “I’m counting on it, dear.” She went rigid, staring at him with unseeing eyes, and when she blinked back to reality, she covered her mouth, looking at his hands. “His darkness is poison,” she whispered as she continued to stare. “Whatever you are doing, you must stop.”
He was thankful he’d gotten dressed before coming to the kitchens. Otherwise, she would see how far the veins went. “They’re just markings.” Wiggling his fingers, he smiled. “I am the shadow king, after all. It only makes sense that I have shadows in my blood.”
She grabbed his arm and shook it. “You cannot save her if you are dead, Caius.” Her voice broke. “I saw the darkness consume you.”
“That doesn’t mean it killed me,” he replied carefully. “Consume and die are vastly different. What did you see?”
Her brow furrowed as she stepped back. “I saw the darkness cover you completely, and then you…” She trailed off and looked to be searching for the correct word. “Were nothing.”
The experience had shaken her, and Caius couldn’t deny that her words were haunting, but earlier, she admitted it was hard to interpret her visions.
With tears in her eyes, Lenora backed away and left him standing alone with nothing but the shadows for company.
Caius stoodin line at the deli and twisted his hand as he stared at the veins. He liked how they looked, and briefly, he pictured his marked hand around Rory’s throat as she came.
Yes, he definitely liked the way they looked. “I knew I’d find you here,” Lauren said from behind him.
He glanced at her with a wry grin. “I like sandwiches.” The deli reminded him of Rory, of the way she squirmed when he declared his intentions to marry her. The memory made him happy, and he needed more happiness in his life right now.
Lauren ordered and moved to his side as they waited for their food. “I put my reports on your desk.”
“No issues, I take it?” he asked, sticking his right hand into his pocket.
She side-eyed him. “With the legion or with Rory?” He mindlessly twirled the ring on his left hand, drawing Lauren’s attention. “What is this?” she demanded, reaching for his wrist.
Caius pulled his hand from her grasp and stuck it in his other pocket. “A side effect of my training.” The man working behind the counter called his name, and after grabbing his food, he asked, “How is she?”
