Chapter 31
VINCULA
Sam tucked his wings tight and stepped into Caius’ office, looking as formal as ever in his outdated uniform. It couldn’t be comfortable to wear leather and metal all day like a warrior from an old storybook.
Caius filed away the contract of their newest arrival and set his hands in his lap to hide the black marks that refused to fade. It wasn’t Sam’s business, but the Angel seemed to think it was, and he didn’t feel like arguing today.
After their soulscape last night, anger stronger than anything he’d ever felt burned him from the inside out. Time with Rory was limited; he couldn’t worship her the way she deserved, hear her laugh whenever he wanted, or simply stare at her for no reason at all.
With his waking anger came the blackened veins; only this time, they didn’t fade. It was localized to his hands, but it would only spread until he had her in his arms.
“What are you thinking, brother?” Caius’ thoughts dissipated at the sound of Sam’s voice, having briefly forgotten he was there.
“Rory,” he admitted. “As always.”
Sam crossed the room with a look of sympathy, and Caius ground his teeth together. He didn’t want pity; he wanted his mate.
“I am meeting with Adila tonight,” the Angel informed him.
Caius didn’t know what he expected Sam to say, but that wasn’t it. “She speaks to you?” Hurt and betrayal coursed through him, giving way to fury. The veins on his hands spread to his wrists, and he focused on his breathing to calm himself.
The Angel sat on the bench, resting his elbows on his knees.
“She has not abandoned you as you think.” Caius rotated slowly to look at his friend.
“She could not tell me much because Gedeon not only has her Royal phone bugged, but he also has spies watching and listening to her every move outside of her chambers.”
“What do you mean?” Caius demanded, stunned.
“I am meeting with her to find out more, but Anastasia said Gedeon started hiring non-Aatxe guards a year ago. According to the guard we questioned, Gedeon hired them to spy and listen for anything of interest, specifically pertaining to the Royals.”
Caius didn’t know what to say. He had a million questions running through his mind. Was Gedeon’s extra precaution because of Caius' scheduled release? Why did Adila sentence him all those years ago? Did she know it was Gedeon all along?
“We are meeting at the place where you two camped as children,” Sam said, interrupting Caius’ downward spiral. “Where is this location?”
Caius’ brows rose. When he and his siblings went to school in Erdikoa under aliases, they were split up. He and Adila lived with one foster family, while Atarah and Gedeon lived with another. Four ethereal-looking children at the same school drew more attention than only two.
Caius and Adila would venture into the park near their foster family’s home, and when she said she wished they had a hideout, he begged his real parents for moedas to have one built. He was thirteen, and Adila was eleven, and they viewed the treehouse as their own little palace.
They never told Atarah or Gedeon. It was an unspoken rule that it was for them and no one else.
Looking thoughtful, Sam scratched at the stubble on his jaw. “Rory and Dume have a treehouse they visit. She found your names carved on a bookshelf. Is it the same place?”
Caius’ heart warmed at the thought of Rory in the place that held his happiest childhood memories. He’d been surprised in their soulscape when she claimed it as her own.
“Yes, it’s the same,” he confirmed. “Take Lauren with you. You will return to Rory after, and I will get a full report from Lauren on the meeting.” What he really wanted was a full report on Rory. What does she do during the day?
After Sam left, Caius slipped through the passageway that led to the pond.
He stood by the water, surrounded by memories of her. The first night he watched her come undone was on this bank. Seraphim, he missed her.
He needed to train, or he’d lose her forever. Concentrating, he imagined a large boulder, bigger than the last, hovering over the pond, but after several minutes, nothing happened.
“Fuck.” How could the Seraphim let this happen? They went through the trouble of creating a failsafe no one understood, yet a murderer with a black soul presided over an entire realm for half a millennium, and they’d done nothing.
Ever since Caius sent Rory away, anger trailed him like a shadow, coiled and ready to strike. He hadn’t been in this dark of a place since Atarah was murdered, but even then, it wasn’t like this.
That familiar feeling seeped into his skin, fueling his resentment toward the creators for turning their backs on him and everyone else in the realms.
A delicious burn crawled across his arms with a rush of power not far behind. Staring out over the water, he silently commanded a boulder to appear. Shadows rushed around him, shooting forward and colliding with the shadows around the pond.
Merging, the darkness turned solid, forming a boulder the size of Caius’ desk, and he stared at it hovering in the air, fascinated by what he’d done.
The large rock balanced on a shelf of shadows, and Caius released them, watching the boulder plummet into the water.
By the time he registered the splash, he was drenched from head to toe with his hair matted to his forehead, but he didn’t care because he was getting stronger.
The burning faded, and he glanced down, rolling up his sleeves. The veins had climbed higher without fading.
Whatever they were made him stronger, and strength was what he needed.