Chapter 5
ERDIKOA
Rory sat up, covered in sweat, with a racing heart. She placed her hand over her chest and willed herself to calm down. It was only a dream.
Seeing Bane had shaken her, but what unsettled her more was her soul whispering to believe him. At least in her dream, it did. Had her time in Vincula made her an idiot?
Her soul whispered things her entire life, whether it was colors or simple gut feelings. It’d never steered her wrong.
Throwing back the blanket, she stood and padded to the bathroom to splash water on her face. She’d never seen Bane up close, and it was nauseating to learn he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, but he looked different somehow. Why did she remember him differently? Had too much time passed?
She splashed more water on her face and relieved herself before sitting back on the bed, unable to shake the dream. Bane didn’t seem surprised when she attacked him; he expected it, but he’d never seen Rory before. That she knew of, anyway.
He bested her. Was her mind telling her to train harder? Her breath hitched, and she clenched her fists in her lap, reminded of Cora’s soul trapped somewhere.
No. She’d been given a second chance at a life, and she couldn’t throw it away to seek revenge. A day ago, she would have made plans to continue her search for him, but now, she realized some things were more important than vengeance.
Bile rose in her throat. She had to choose between putting her family through hell again to save Cora’s soul and leaving Cora’s soul trapped forever in order to keep her family from suffering more heartbreak at her hand. The word unfair didn’t do her situation justice.
She sighed, telling herself not to seek Bane out, but if the opportunity to kill him arose, she would take it.
Standing, she grabbed the clothes she wore yesterday and pulled them on. She’d ask Lauren to take her by her old apartment to pick up her things.
Besides, she wanted to see Keith and Kordie, assuming Dume told the truth about them wanting to see her. Buying a cell phone was a top priority. And a job.
Rory stepped into the hallway and ran into her father. A smile tugged at her lips as she hugged him.
“Good morning,” he greeted and kissed the top of her head.
“Good morning.” She untangled herself from his arms and stepped back. He looked tired. “How was work at the clinic? I didn’t realize there was a night shift.”
He patted her shoulder and started toward the stairs. “Come eat breakfast with me, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
As she approached the stairs, she groaned as something inside her recoiled. Her feet faltered. Since when did stairs bother her?
Her father looked concerned when he turned around. “Is everything okay?”
She mentally slapped herself and ran down the stairs, eager to be done with them. “Just tired.” A sweet smell assaulted her as she entered the dining room. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Waffles,” Lauren said as she set down a bottle of syrup and took a seat.
Rory sat opposite of her and stared at the tall stack. “I didn’t realize they were a golden color.” Her father and Lauren looked up, and she felt her neck heat. “They used to look grey to me.”
“I can make them different colors,” Lauren said to break the awkwardness. “I just have to add food coloring to the batter.”
Rory shot her a grateful smile. “I love waffles no matter the color.”
“Cora hated them but loved pancakes,” Patrick recounted with a chuckle. “Do you remember that?”
“How could I forget?” Rory snorted. “It didn’t matter how many times Mom told her it was the same batter. She refused to eat them.” Laughing, she soaked her waffles in syrup, filling her entire plate.
“They’re not the same,” Lauren replied before popping a forkful of waffle into her mouth.
Rory and Patrick looked at her and burst out laughing.
“It’s the texture,” Lauren insisted, waving her fork over her plate.
“Don’t tell me you don’t like pancakes,” Rory teased with a wide grin.
“They feel like a sponge.” The guard’s nose wrinkled. “What’s to like?”
Rory’s father was still laughing when he pointed his fork at Rory and said, “This one right here will eat anything.”
Rory shrugged and shoveled a piece of waffle into her mouth. “Life’s too short to pass up food.”
“Your mother used to say the same thing,” her father remarked, cutting his waffle into tiny triangles.
She tried not to let the reminder of her mother pull her into the all-too-familiar dark place that plagued her thoughts and swallowed her bite without chewing.
“Lenora doesn’t have her abilities there,” Lauren said softly, meeting Rory’s gaze. “Her mind is clear, and you might not believe me, but the inmates are treated very well. Some prefer it to Erdikoa.”
Rory stared at her plate. “I believe you.”
“Tell me about your job, Dad,” she said, changing the subject. “When did they start needing a night vet?”
Patrick picked up his napkin, wiped his mouth, and took a drink, stalling. “I quit the vet’s office and took a job at the library downtown to stay with your mother during the day.” Rory’s mouth fell open. He loved treating animals.
Her mother was not trapped in her mind anymore. She was treated well. She was not trapped in her mind anymore. She was treated well, Rory chanted silently. Maybe if she said it enough, it would make her feel better.
She set down her fork. Her father was one of the best veterinarians in the realm. People traveled across the city with their pets instead of using the offices closest to them. “Can you get your old job back?”
His mouth lifted a fraction. “I like the quiet calm of cleaning the library.”
“You clean the library?” Cleaning was a respectable job, but he hated cleaning. Patrick nodded with a genuine smile, and Rory returned it. “You really love it.”
“I do. I love animals, and there is nothing more rewarding than saving someone’s beloved pet, but telling someone that not even potions can help took a toll on me.” He dropped his napkin on his empty plate. “Don’t tell my boss, but sometimes I sit and read while I’m there.”
Lauren’s silence didn’t go unnoticed by Rory. “And what about you? How did a non-Aatxe become a guard?” Jealousy struck her hard in the gut. Had they allowed her to be an enforcer, would she have still become The Butcher?
Lauren smirked. “Because I’m an Angel.”
Rory and Patrick looked at each other, and while her father looked star-struck, Rory laughed. “Are you a Seraph? Should I bow down?”
Tears were forming in her eyes as she continued to laugh. It wasn’t that funny, and she knew that, but it was the first truly funny thing to happen since her arrest.
Lauren stood, and wings shot out of her back, making Rory yelp as she pushed back from the table.
Her chair toppled over, and her father moved to help her up.
They stood, and Rory’s eyes popped out of her head as Lauren crossed her arms and gave them an ‘I told you so’ look while sporting two beautiful white wings that wouldn’t fit through a doorway.
“What the fuck?” Rory breathed. “Shit, are you really a Seraph?”
Lauren scoffed. “No. In their true form, they have wings on their legs, back, and face.” She shivered. “Could you imagine feathers tickling your nose all the time?”
“I read a book on Angels recently,” Patrick said with awe still in his voice. “There are different types and a hierarchy.” He looked thoughtful before snapping his fingers. “You protect—you’re one of the Principalities, aren’t you?” She nodded, amused. “You can shapeshift into any animal.”
Rory rubbed her eyes. Was she still dreaming? When she looked back at Lauren, the wings remained. “Holy aether.”
Lauren’s wings disappeared, and she gathered their empty plates. “Something like that. Put away the syrup, please.”
Rory grabbed the bottle and trailed the Angel into the kitchen. “I’m sorry for laughing. I didn’t know Angels existed outside of storybooks.”
Lauren rinsed the dishes before loading them into the washer. “There are a lot of things you don’t know.”
“No shit,” Rory mumbled under her breath. “And Sam?”
Lauren nodded. “His wings are bigger than mine. It makes him look like a giant bird.”
“How often will you two switch out?” Rory asked, moving around the kitchen island.
“Every few days, maybe every week.” She dried her hands on a towel and took the bottle from Rory’s hands to put away. “We have different duties in Vincula and need to check in often to ensure everyone is doing their jobs.”
Rory’s interest was piqued. “What do you do in Vincula?”
“I run patrols around the town and take reports from other enforcers in the legion. Sam handles patrols in the palace and processes incoming inmates.”
“He’s a paper pusher?” Rory bit back a laugh.
“Please ask him that,” Lauren said with a wicked glint in her eye. “No. When an inmate is stationed in the palace, he assigns them a room, takes them to Caius for their assignment, and tells the head of the palace staff what room they’re in so they can issue an inmate mystic card.”
“Caius?” Rory barely heard anything Lauren said after hearing that name.
The guard’s eyes raised to hers. “That’s all you got from that? Interesting. He’s the Umbra King.”
“Oh,” she said lamely. She knew who the Umbra King was; she just didn't know why his name felt important. “Did I meet the Umbra King?”
Lauren stopped moving for a beat. “Every inmate does.”
Rory wished she could remember. What was he like? If Vincula was not as they’d been told, did the same go for the king? She frowned. That can’t be right. He killed his own sister.
She pushed the thought from her mind. “I need to go to my old apartment and get my things.”
“No, you don’t,” Lauren said. “Your friends are bringing them later today.”
“Friends?” Rory squeaked. “Will Keith and Kordie come too?”
“They wanted to be here last night, but we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Rory’s chest constricted. Dume said they wanted to see her, but when you’re a convicted serial killer, it was hard to believe.