Chapter 10
VINCULA
“She’s remembering,” Caius said the second Sam walked into his office. “I could see it on her face.”
Sam’s wings tucked tightly against his body as he ambled across the room. “That is impossible. The magic cannot be broken.”
“She’s my Aeternum. Maybe the magic doesn’t work as well on her,” Caius replied. “We can’t let that happen, or at least, if she remembers, we need to convince her it’s all in her head.”
He wanted her to remember him so he could touch her, kiss her, tell her how much he loved her, and hear her say she loved him, too. But it wasn’t safe. His chest ached every time he looked into her questioning eyes.
“She is not remembering,” Sam asserted as he reached into his pocket and took out an apple. “It is your heart fabricating what you want to see.”
Maybe he was right. Caius ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
It’d only been four days since she left, but it felt like a lifetime.
All he wanted was for her to live a full life before they were reunited in the aether, but if Gedeon ruled Erdikoa forever, that would never happen.
If Cora was Gedeon’s Aeternum, and he trapped her soul, then he would never have children, and Caius and Adila had to stay in their positions as well.
The Royals ruled in their positions until the Lux ruler had three children to inherit their powers and positions. If Gedeon had no children, there would be no one to inherit their thrones, and he’d rule forever. They all would.
Unless he allowed Gedeon to kill him. He shook off the intrusive thought.
His brother could not be allowed to rule forever.
There was no telling what type of ruler he would become.
Nothing was amiss in Erdikoa as of now, but that could change at any moment.
Power could corrupt even the purest of souls.
Gedeon’s soul was already black, and Caius shuddered to think of what too much power would do to his twin.
“I need you and Lauren to spy on Gedeon when you switch shifts,” he said abruptly. “Do it at night. Rory will be asleep and unaware of what you’re doing.”
Sam dropped onto the bench, and Caius thought it might break with the force. “How are we to do that undetected?”
He ignored the Angel’s sarcasm and flicked his hand in Sam’s direction.
“You can shift into whatever animal you wish. I have faith you will find a way in without drawing attention to yourself.” Sitting back, he studied his friend.
Any other time, Sam would tell Caius to fuck off, but it was for Rory, and the commander would do anything for her.
“What are we looking for, exactly?” Sam asked after a brief pause.
Caius tried to suppress his triumphant smile. “We need to monitor my brother to ensure he doesn’t know about Rory.”
The smile slipped off his face. If Gedeon found out about her, Caius didn’t know what they’d do. His only choice was to break through the barrier before then.
“Just do it,” he said with finality. “And find Kit before you go. See if she’s made any progress.”
Kit stood on a ladder, reaching for a book on the top shelf, praying to the Seraphim she didn’t fall to an early death.
“What have you found?” a booming voice said from behind her.
She jerked, making the ladder wobble, and she knew her time had come. Two large hands grabbed the ladder, holding it still.
“You are not very coordinated,” Sam said and stepped aside for her to climb down.
When she stepped off the last rung, she sniffed indignantly. “And you are an asshole.”
He ignored her. “You did not answer my question.”
She held up the book she almost died for. “I found a few so far that might be promising.” His pounding footsteps echoed through the quiet library as he followed her to the back room. “We need people to help go through them.”
The torchlight reflected off of his armor when he crossed his arms. “No one can know.”
She snorted and tossed the book onto the table with the others. “It’s too late for that. Lenora told Cat and Bellina about her vision and the king needing to find a way to Erdikoa.” The commander’s permanent frown deepened. “They’re both smart. Cat loves history too, and we need to utilize them.”
“I will have them removed from their jobs,” he replied. “How many more books do you have to look through?”
Kit pointed to the massive catalog. “I’m not even a fourth of the way through, and I read most of the night and all of today.”
“Read faster.” Sam turned, and she briefly considered pelting him with a book.
“Send the others here as soon as possible,” she called after him.
He left without responding, and Kit decided she didn’t like the giant cockatoo.
Lenora, Bellina, and Cat burst into the library and called out for Kit.
She poked her head out of the back room. “In here.” Seeing Lenora enter with her friends didn’t surprise her.
The women meandered through the shelves, and when they piled into the room, Kit handed them each a book.
“Look for anything pertaining to the barrier, breaking out of realms, the powers of the Royals or stronger beings, and anything else that sounds even vaguely related to breaking the king out of here.”
Lenora grabbed Kit’s hand. “Thank you for what you are doing for my daughter.”
“She isn’t just your daughter,” she replied. “She’s our friend.”
“Yeah,” Cat added. “She beat the shit out of Tallent for hurting Bellina. The least we can do is keep her from getting killed.”
Bellina stiffened, and Kit wanted to slap Cat for being insensitive. “She’s right,” Bellina clipped. “Let’s get started. The sooner we find something, the better.”