Chapter 4 #2
He searched Lenora’s eyes and implored her to understand.
“It wasn’t something I could risk. Had we married, Gedeon would have known another Royal was blessed, and nothing would have stopped him from tracking her down.
” Caius massaged his forehead, attempting to erase this nightmare of his own creation.
“And if he knew she was important to me, he would try to take her from me.”
“She could have stayed here,” Lenora objected. “If she could pass between realms as a Royal, she could have stayed here with you until your new contract was fulfilled.”
“And when she went to visit you?” he challenged.
Nothing would have kept Rory from seeing her mother.
“Or how about the fact that Gedeon can pass between realms, too? Vincula is the first place he would look. My power is not at its full potential while I’m locked away.
I am powerful, but the magic keeping me here blocks my ability to tap into the shadow power of Erdikoa.
Without it, Gedeon is stronger than I am. ”
Lenora huffed. “There is no light in Vincula, meaning your brother only has access to one realm. How is he more powerful than you?”
“There is light,” Sam corrected her. Caius was thankful for his friend.
He understood Lenora needed answers, but he wasn’t in the right head space to give them.
“You cannot have dusk without sunlight. Though you can barely see the Vincula sun’s light through the shadows, it is still here.
” Sam nodded at Caius. “Gedeon has access to both realms, and Caius does not. He is weak.”
Caius shot daggers at his friend. He wasn’t weak, just weaker than usual.
“You really thought this through,” Lenora remarked, and when Caius nodded, she ran a hand through her grey hair. “Why does your brother hate you so much?”
“He has since my power manifested.” Caius thought back to the pure hatred he saw on Gedeon’s face every day of their lives growing up. “He felt jilted that the shadow power skipped him. He thinks I stole it from him.” Gedeon was the older twin, and the Royal powers always went to the same child.
The light power went to the oldest Lux heir, making them the Lux ruler; the shadow power went to the second oldest, making them the Umbra ruler, and the power of justice went to the youngest, making them the Scales of Justice.
There had only ever been three Lux children until he and his siblings. Identical twins were technically one child split into two in the womb. It was assumed there would be no more children after the twins were born, and when their mother became pregnant with Adila, it shocked everyone.
Their parents assumed Atarah would be the Lux Queen, Gedeon the Umbra King, and Caius the Scales of Justice since they were the three oldest. Every Royal child inherited their power at six years old, and when the twins turned six and Caius inherited the shadow power while Gedeon inherited nothing, it stunned everyone.
Lenora spoke, pulling Caius from his memories.
“I know you only want to protect my daughter, but make no mistake, Gedeon will find out about her, and when he does, it’s up to you to save her.
” The weight of her words crushed him. “I don’t know why he killed my little girl all those years ago, but I know he has already scarred Rory once. Please, don’t let him do it again.”
Sam adjusted his stance awkwardly. Neither of them wanted to tell her their suspicions. “We think we know why he killed Cora,” Caius said grimly.
She clasped her hands tightly in her lap. “Why?”
Caius couldn’t get the words out because he knew they would wreck her.
“Cora was Gedeon’s Aeternum,” Sam answered for him. “We believe he killed her and kept her soul so that he couldn’t have children with her. If he doesn’t have children to pass the three Royal positions on to, he will rule forever.”
Lenora’s wrinkled hand shook as she covered her mouth. The men stayed quiet while she collected herself, and when she lowered her hand, her features hardened. “Why couldn’t he just stay away from her? She was a child!”
“We don’t know,” Caius admitted. “These are just theories, but my guess is that Gedeon already felt the pull toward her and didn’t want to chance giving in to the bond.”
Lenora stood abruptly, almost knocking over her chair. “I would like to be taken to my room, please.” Caius wished he could snatch his words back and tell her he didn’t know why his brother killed her daughter.
Sam walked into the hall and returned with a maid. “Gracie, please take Lenora to her chambers.”
Caius put Rory’s mother in the finest guest room they had instead of the apartments. It was the least he could do.
“Yes, Your Grace,” the older maid said and waited for Lenora to follow her.
Once they left, Sam’s large wings flared slightly. “We must tell Rory at some point,” he said.
Caius ignored him, tired of this discussion. “How is she?”
The Angel’s face fell. “She is not our Rory, at least not yet. What little light she had in her left when she learned of Lenora’s incarceration.”
The words made Caius clench his fists as he fought for control again.
How had things gotten this fucked? She was supposed to return to Erdikoa and live a full life with her friends and family. Now, her mother was here, informing him Gedeon would eventually find Rory.
His attempt to control his frustration was futile.
“Fuck!” Everything flew off his desk with a violent swing of his arm, and the shadows exploded around them. Bits of wood from the furniture and bookshelves flew around the room.
Sam batted the shrapnel away from his face and glowered at Caius. “I know you are upset, but losing your temper will not help. Lauren and I will protect her with our lives.”
Caius said nothing as he tried to push his anger down. It took everything in him to force a semblance of calm, pat Sam on the shoulder, and slip through the passage leading to his and Rory’s room. His only solace now was the soulscape.
Caius walked through a field of wildflowers that covered the floor of his throne room. He craned his head back to inspect the ceiling. Everything was the same, yet different. He couldn’t put his finger on why.
“Who are you?”
He’d know that voice anywhere, and the recognition made his heart lurch. They were in the soulscape.
When he turned, the air left his lungs at the sight of the most stunning woman he’d ever seen.
And she was only wearing a pair of panties and a bra. Fuck.
It felt like roots held him in place as he restrained himself from pulling her into his arms. He didn’t want to scare her away, but as soon as she saw his face, he realized he’d forgotten one very important detail.
“Bane.” Her eyes flashed between shock and hate, the same hate she displayed when she appeared in his throne room.
The memory made his mouth pull into a smile. Sam was wrong; she was still his Rory, deep down.
She looked around, and when she saw the elegant room covered in flowers, her brows knit together as she mumbled something to herself.
“Hello, Miss Raven,” he purred. She thought he killed Cora, but he’d won her over once, and he would do it again.
“Fuck you,” she sneered. Looking around again, she feigned turning her back to him and then charged, kicking out her leg.
He expected the attack and sidestepped her easily. “Usually, women try to get in my pants a different way,” he taunted. “Kicking them off is a method I’ve not seen yet.”
His words did nothing to deter her as she came at him again. And again. And again. She said nothing, only grunted as she attacked with impressive skill, and it made him proud. Even if she didn’t remember their lessons, her body did.
Finally, he grabbed her and pulled her back to his chest, pinning her arms to her sides as she thrashed against his hold.
“I am going to fucking kill you,” she swore like an oath.
“Mmm,” he hummed. “How will you do that, Miss Raven? You seem to be in a bit of a bind.”
His words ruffled the hair above her ear, and small bumps peppered her flesh. He smiled. “If I let you go, will you be a good girl?”
Her head almost split his lip when she threw it back, but he dodged just in time. “Now, now,” he crooned. “You’re being very naughty.”
She stopped struggling, and her chest heaved from exhaustion and anger.
“Let me go,” she demanded through gritted teeth.
He wished he could kiss her neck and tell her he loved her, but she wouldn’t understand. Instead, he lightly squeezed before releasing her.
She stepped forward and spun around to face him. “Where the hell are we?”
He smirked. “You are stunning when you’re mad.”
If looks could kill, his head would be on a spike. He motioned around them. “It appears to be a throne room.”
Rory stared at the ground. Caius saw her eyes widen, followed by her shoulders relaxing. “Figures.”
He watched her closely and chanced a step forward. “Is something wrong?”
“Fuck you,” she snapped. “I can’t even enjoy sleeping.” She glared at him, and he smiled widely.
“It’s not unusual for me to be the star of someone’s dreams.” Advancing forward, he glanced at her lips. “But it’s usually more fun than this.”
She tried to push him back, but he stood firm. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
He wet his lips and let his eyes run the length of her body. “Why do you think you haven’t already?”
Red colored her cheeks as the storm clouds in her grey eyes grew darker. “I prefer not to sleep with the man who murdered my sister.”
Caius watched her anger rise, and for a split second, the temptation to tell her everything overwhelmed him, but she wouldn’t believe him. He couldn’t risk her safety, anyway. Her reaction to him tonight was proof he was right. She would go straight to Gedeon and get herself killed.
“Why do you think I killed your sister?” he asked instead.
“I saw you with my own eyes, and I know you have her soul,” she sneered. “This might be a dream, but I will find you, and when I do, I will enjoy watching the life drain from your eyes.”
Yes. He definitely made the right decision in not telling her.
The truth in her words reminded him of how she killed Tallent and condemned Nina. She was her own brutal version of the Scales of Justice, who waited for no one to pass judgment on the wicked, not when she could do it herself.
She was a stunning little savage, inside and out.
“Have you ever heard of twins, Miss Raven?” he asked. “Shapeshifting potions perhaps?” Rubbing his jaw, he winked. “I am quite handsome. It would not be unheard of for someone to desire my looks.”
A flicker of doubt crossed her features so quickly that he would have missed it if he didn’t know her like the back of his hand.
It didn’t last long. “I know what I saw.” The anguish in her eyes killed him.
“I didn’t kill your sister, Rory.” He hadn’t meant to say it, but her pain would always be his weakness.
“Don’t call me that,” she fumed and walked away.
Much to her obvious dismay, he followed her, and when she whirled on him, he couldn’t help but smile at the annoyance on her pretty face. “Go away.”
He’d never smiled so much in his life, and his cheeks hurt from it, but seeing her again was a new kind of high. “No.”
She studiously ignored him and sat on the plush ground. His long legs folded as he sat across from her. When he leaned back on his hands, her eyes landed on his naked torso, and pain pricked his tongue as he bit down to keep from laughing at her flustered state.
“Do you like what you see, Miss Raven? You can touch if you’d like.”
Her lip curled. “You are vile.”
“That’s not what you said last time.” He fought off a laugh as the apples of her cheeks turned red again. He ached to trail a hand across them.
The room shimmered. “Not yet,” he pleaded silently, not ready to let her go.
“What’s happening?” she asked, waving her hand through the glittering air.
Caius sighed and stood. He didn’t want her to know who actually killed her sister, but he didn’t want her to hate him every time they met, either. She didn’t need to know it was Gedeon. She only needed to know it wasn’t him.
“I didn’t kill Cora.” He took one last look at her before she was taken away by the morning light. “I’ll make you see that one day, but for now, it’s time to wake up.”
Caius stood in the shower with his head bent as the hot water pelted his skin. All he wanted was Rory in his arms, but even in the soulscape, she hated him. He’d hoped since their bond solidified before she left that her soul would remember him.
Theoretically, that should be the case, but his mate had always been a wild card. Everything about her was wild.
Remembering their last day together, he groaned as blood rushed downward.
They’d had sex too many times to count, and her moans were burned into his mind. He could hear them as if she were here with him now, and he could almost feel her beneath him, battling for control. She would relinquish it to him in the end. She always did.
Wrapping his hand around his cock, he stroked slowly, thinking of her perfect body and the way her arousal covered him as he slid in and out of her. He missed the soft pants she made when he pulled her nipples into his mouth and sucked them between his teeth, only to bite down to hear her cry out.
His head fell back as his hand squeezed around the tip of his dick before sliding back down to the base. The palm of his hand was nothing compared to her pussy, and there was no slapping of skin in the air, but he could pretend.
His imagination ran away from him as his strokes came faster with the image of his cock slamming into her while shadows held her arms above her head.
He’d slow down to a painful pace, relishing in the way her inner muscles throbbed around him. It was a sensation like no other.
“Faster,” she’d demand, and he’d refuse to give her what she wanted.
Torturing her was an addiction. He’d wrap one of her legs around his waist and throw the other over his shoulder as he lifted her hips for a new angle that allowed him to dive deeper.
Then he’d give in, unable to help himself, and slam into her hard enough to make her scream.
“Yell for me,” he’d command as he slammed into her again, and she’d obey because she always did. His name would echo around their room, and when his thumb found her clit, she would tumble over the edge.
Her cries were music to his ears, and he slapped the shower wall with a moan as his cum mixed with the water dripping down the marble. As he emptied himself, his strokes slowed with his heavy breaths.
The wall was cool against his skin as he rested his forehead against it.
She’d always been his fantasy, but now she was one he couldn’t have.