Chapter 39
VINCULA
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Caius stared at his scar, tracing the raised skin with his finger for the millionth time. He had an idea, but everything had to be perfect.
Climbing into bed, he lay back and waited for sleep to drag him under.
The wildflowers were soft beneath Caius’ feet, and he frowned at the ostentatious golden hues of the room. Why were they here?
“Did you paint your throne room?” Rory’s voice echoed off the high ceilings.
Twisting around, he drank in the sight of her as she walked toward him. Fuck, she was gorgeous.
“I would never,” he assured her. “We’re in the Lux Palace.”
She froze in place. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, wanting their time together to be anywhere but here.
Turning in a slow circle, she surveyed the room once more. “It’s identical to yours.”
He nodded and closed the gap separating them. The wonder in her eyes was intoxicating. “The palaces have identical layouts.”
Her eyes sparkled with something. Excitement maybe? “Then I know my way around the Lux Palace,” she noted.
Protectiveness surged to the surface, and his voice hardened. “Do not go there.”
“I’m not an idiot,” she clipped. “It was just an observation.”
If she killed him in the soulscape, would he die in real life? It was best he didn’t find out. “What did you do today?” The need to know everything about her, even her day-to-day, was overwhelming.
Her face split into the biggest smile he’d ever seen. “My friends and I went to an amusement park.”
The happiness radiating from her soaked into him, and he pulled her to the ground to sit. “There’s more,” he said, noting the mischief in her words. “What did you do, Miss Raven? Terrorize the workers?”
She shot him a tiny glare, and he tried not to smile. “Sam went too,” she revealed dramatically.
Caius chuckled. “Did he hate it?” The Angel was allergic to anything fun.
Her laughter died down, and she lifted a shoulder. “He pretended to, but I saw him smile.”
“I never thought I’d see the day when the commander enjoyed anything,” he commented.
“What’d you do today?” She lifted a brow. “Brood in your office? Destroy it and make an innocent bystander clean it up?”
“Mmm, I reserve that job for you and only you, Miss Raven.”
She leaned over and pushed his shoulder. “Next time, I’ll rip the pages out of your precious books.”
“As long as you’re bending over to do it, I don’t care,” he crooned, dragging his eyes up and down her body. She squirmed, and the action made him hungry to spread her thighs. He pushed the thought aside. “I went to the bar with your mother and friends.”
She sat up and stared at him. “Truly?”
His face split into a wide grin. “Lenora taught us a drinking game.” Rory’s mouth hung open, making him laugh. “Cat and Bellina were quite the pair. Kit and I didn’t stand a chance.”
Something between a scoff and a laugh burst from her chest. “You were partners with Kit, and she didn’t kill you?” She clapped as she laughed, throwing her head back, and Caius wished he had his phone to record her. “I would have given anything to see that.”
His voice grew serious as he sat up and grabbed her chin. Her laughter petered out as he stared at her. “You will. I’ll play again, and you’ll be there to watch.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I know you’ll find your way to me, and when you do, we’ll kill Gedeon and return home.”
Home. “We can’t attack him without a plan. The most important thing is reuniting so we can marry.” He ran his fingers over his scarred chest. “Once you’re immortal, we can figure out what to do about him with the help of my sister and the Angels.”
She nodded. “I’m glad to know your sister isn’t on Gedeon’s side, but what could she do to help? She has no power, only immortality. Can she at least fight to protect herself?”
Caius chewed on her question, hating that she had a point. “I don’t know, but we’ll discuss it later.” He leaned forward and crawled over her, making her lay back. “For now, I want to make the most of the time we have left tonight.”
Her pupils dilated as she bit her lower lip seductively. “And how will we do that, Your Grace?”
Nudging her knees apart with his own, he lowered himself over her, kissing her neck where his bite mark remained.
“First, I’m going to fuck you with my fingers so I can suck them clean.
" He lifted his eyes to hers and licked his lips.
"Then I'm going to bury my face in your cunt and fuck you with my tongue.”
“That’s a good way to start,” she breathed, and his cock stiffened at the heady look in her eyes that quickly turned to a frown. Not a look he wanted to see before having sex. “We can’t do anything for another few days,” she lamented.
He pulled back and sat on his knees to tug down her shorts, needing to check that she was okay. “Why? Are you hurt?”
Slapping his hand away, she sat up. “I’m on my period.”
Looking down at her shorts, he smirked. “Did you think your blood would deter me?” he asked her, and when she shrugged, he slipped his fingers under her waistband and tsked. “I have bathed in the blood of your enemies. What makes you think I would not paint myself with yours?”
She gasped and grabbed his wrist. “What makes you think I want you to?”
“Have you never had sex on your period, Miss Raven? I assure you, it’s just as fun, if not more.” He tugged on her shorts again. “Lift your hips for me, baby.”
When he had her shorts off, he ran his thumb over the outside of her panties, but nothing was there. She must be wearing a tampon.
Leaning over her, he propped one arm by her head, and his other hand covered her panties as he stroked slowly, pressing down when he passed over her clit.
Her breathing picked up, and he lowered himself to kiss her, pulling on her bottom lip with his teeth. The panties beneath her fingers grew wet with every stroke, but that didn’t make sense if she had a tampon in.
Sitting up, he pulled off her panties and looked at her wet pussy. There was no string nor blood, and he frowned. She leaned up and dove her hand between her legs, probing her own entrance.
His cock hardened more at the sight. “When I realized we couldn’t have sex, I wished I wasn’t on my period,” she said sheepishly. “The soulscape must have taken it away.”
He let his disappointment show but said nothing. “Then our bloodbath will have to wait for another time. For now,” he drawled, placing his hand over hers. “I’ve changed my mind.” Her shoulders sagged. “I want to fuck you with your fingers.”
The grey in her eyes almost disappeared, and he groaned as she plunged her fingers deeper inside herself. The sight was magnificent, and he had to be inside her in some way.
As she fucked herself, he slid a finger in below hers and met her rhythm. She threw her head back when he used his other hand to work her clit, and he’d never been so turned on in his life as they both moved in and out, her arousal coating them both.
His palm faced the back of her hand, and he added another finger, making her moan. “I never thought I’d enjoy watching someone other than me fuck you, but I’ve changed my mind.”
The feel of her walls dragging against the back of his fingers along with hers on the other side was euphoric, and his eyes were glued to the sight. He slowed their pace, and she moved her hips, riding them both.
He guided her fingers to rotate slowly as they moved in and out of her dripping cunt, and her moans grew louder while her hips jerked, needing more. Eventually, he gave her what she wanted and moved their hands faster, making her cry out.
Her breathing picked up as small sounds filled the air, and when he felt her muscles throb around them, he curled his fingers, pushing hers up to rub against the sweet spot inside her.
One of her legs jerked, and her back arched as she moaned. Their pace grew frantic, and when she released, he felt her cum coat their fingers. Their movements slowed, and when he extracted both their hands, he brought them to his mouth and licked them clean.
“Aether,” she rasped, watching him. “You need to fuck me right now. If we run out of time and your cock hasn’t been inside me, I’ll buy one tomorrow and use it instead.”
A deep sound rumbled in his chest as he covered her body with his. “Make sure you video it.”
Her breath caught, and he slid his pants down, not bothering to take them off. Without warning, he slammed into her, and she yelled so loud that he dropped his head. “Do that again,” he ordered as he thrust into her again.
He didn’t move fast, but he drove hard and deep. “Squeeze your pussy around me.” With his next stroke, she did, and he choked out a strangled sound. “Seraphim.”
Grabbing his neck, she yanked him down, bringing their lips close. “No Seraphim here. Just me.”
He lost control and fucked her harder than ever with her legs clamped around his waist. His dick throbbed, and he cursed, refusing to spill until she did.
Reaching between them, he pushed on her lower stomach, forcing her inner spot to rub against him as he moved in and out of her.
“Caius,” she chanted like a prayer, and her muscles quivered around him.
“Come for me, baby. Let me hear you.” He moved faster as he pulsed his hand over her lower abdomen, and when she released with a scream, he detonated.
Their breaths were loud as he slowed, but he didn’t remove himself from her. He wanted to feel her warmth until he faded away. He kissed her, deep and slow. “I love you, Rory, and I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
He left a trail of kisses down her jaw until his mouth hovered above the fading bite mark. “You’re mine.”
Sinking his teeth into her neck, he bit her harder than last time, breaking the skin. She shrieked, and her arms wrapped around his back like a vise. Lifting his head, he licked the blood from his teeth.
The room shimmered, and he berated himself silently, having forgotten to ask her to do something for him, and his words came out in a rush. “Find information on the soulscape magic.”
Caius jolted upright, breathing hard. “Fuck.”
After dragging himself out of bed, he examined his upper body in his bathroom mirror, twisting around to see his back. The black veins had receded. He noticed a small retreat when he woke up with his new scar, but this morning, they were gone from his chest completely and only covered his arms.
The only difference between now and two days ago was the overwhelming happiness he felt after waking from their soulscape, giving Rory’s theory about positive emotions more weight.
Today he would try it, and if it worked the same, he would focus on that instead of fueling the pit of anger inside him.
He had a new sense of hope with the discovery surrounding the soulscape. If his theory was correct, it would change everything, but first, he needed to see if Rory looked for the information he asked her to.
He dressed and slipped through the passage toward the pond, remembering every moment from last night. Reaching for every good memory he had with Rory, he stepped into the open area around the pond and closed his eyes to channel it.
The happiness and relief he would feel once he found a way to her was overwhelming, and when he opened his eyes, the shadows were already moving with impressive speed.
He imagined the way she would look at him when he found her in Erdikoa and how he would feel when she was in his arms. Shoving the swelling emotions outward, he watched an enormous boulder fall toward the water and quickly called on the other shadows to slow its descent.
The rock hovered, cradled by shadows, and his hands tingled with excitement. The object was larger than his throne, and he walked around the pond’s edge for a better look. Rory was right.
His clever little mate.
Directing the shadows to carry the boulder to the far bank, he continued around the outside trail, and when he stood next to it, he placed his hand against the rough stone.
It was hot, and he yanked his hand back. When he examined his palm for burns, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The veins were gone.
It wasn’t just the veins disappearing. He felt different, too. Instead of the cool burn of the dark marks, his body tingled with warmth.
“I’ll be damned.” Still examining his arms, he backed away from the boulder and focused on what he wanted to do next.
He mastered creating an object, and now he needed to mold it into what he needed.
Using the same tactic as earlier, he watched in utter amazement and satisfaction as the rock carved itself into a replica of Rory. She looked seductive and wore nothing but a sheet surrounding her body like a dress.
She’d kill him when she saw this, but he didn’t care. It was proof of his strength.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to translate his new skill into breaking through the barrier. When Sam returned, he’d ask his advice because how could the Angel refuse when his only reason for not helping Caius before was the darkness poisoning him?