The Umbra King (Vincula Realm Book 1)

After work the next day, Rory took the fastest shower she could, changed into a pair of leggings and a hoodie, and set out to find the king. Surely he didn’t sit in his office all day. Knowing where to start proved to be difficult, and her plan didn’t seem as clever as she stood in her room with no direction.

The best places to start were where she’d seen him before, and she made her way back to the throne room. She pulled up short at the crowd of people gathered in the enormous room, all staring at Caius lounging lazily on his throne.

Rory stuck to the shadows, knowing if the others saw her, they would kick her out, or worse. What were they doing? A grunt filled the air, and her head whipped to the circle at the other end of the room. A man was on the ground at the end of the marble walkway, looking around.

They’re either receiving a new inmate or punishing one. Unable to help herself, she inched closer for a better look. Her eyes flicked to Caius, who was watching her instead of the new arrival.

Shadows cloaked her, and while they weren’t dark enough to prevent her from seeing, they were dark enough the others wouldn’t notice her. He helped her. She looked back to him, but his gaze was on the man, and as Caius stood, she was reminded of how tall he was. He had to be a good seven or eight inches taller than she was.

His body was powerful as he walked across the floor, and she thought back to her own arrival. It was déjà vu as his footsteps filled the quiet air, and the newcomer trembled on the ground.

When Caius stopped, he held out his hand for the contract, looked it over, and raised his eyes to the man. “Bruce Stewart. Sentenced to one month.” Caius motioned to the paper. “I believe you have the shortest sentence in the history of Vincula.” His eyes returned to the contract, and he chuckled. “For approaching an Aatxe, pointing an unloaded gun at their chest, and demanding they arrest you.”

Bruce wasn’t paying attention to the king. His eyes were darting around the room.

“Mr. Stewart, someone will take you to your apartment, where you will be briefed on the rules of Vincula. You will report to me in the morning for your assigned work. Understood?” Caius’ voice was amused but kind, and Rory clenched her jaw.

He’d shown her no such kindness upon her arrival. Humiliation had been his weapon of choice that day, and because of it, her life in the palace was miserable.

Bruce nodded as he stood. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

An Aatxe in the legion stepped forward and motioned for the new inmate to follow her, and Rory glanced around the room for Samyaza. Did he only escort the worst of the worst, or was he gone? She knew the employees in Vincula could move freely between realms if they wished.

Her eyes went back to the Aatxe. She missed Dume. This was the longest she’d gone without seeing him since meeting him. She missed Kordie and Keith, too.

Those thoughts turned into thoughts of her mother, and hot tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She stood lost in thought, fighting the urge to cry at what her life had become.

“Miss Raven.” Caius’ deep voice brought her back. The room had cleared out, and the shadows protecting her vanished. “Did you need something?”

As he closed the distance between them, she turned her head to discreetly wipe her cheeks before turning back to him. “Just waiting for everyone to scatter, so I’m not lynched as I leave.”

His movements ceased for the briefest moment before his arrogant demeanor returned. She may have imagined it. “Why are you crying?”

She stood taller. “I’m not crying.”

“Don’t lie to me,” he said in a low voice.

“I’m worried about my mother,” she snapped. “My apologies if my emotions have offended you, Your Grace.”

His eyes were not amused or cruel as he regarded her. “She is a Sibyl, yes?”

She nodded. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter now.”

“It does to you.” He motioned to her tear-streaked face. “Is there someone to take care of her in your absence?”

Rory couldn’t stand the pity and answered by walking away. She expected shadows to stop her, but they didn’t. His voice did.

“I will send Samyaza to check on your mother.”

Her eyes watered as she turned to face him. “What?”

He stuck both hands in his pockets and lifted his gaze. “I’ll send my commander to check on her. If she doesn’t have care, we’ll arrange it.”

Rory’s mouth moved wordlessly, and her skin felt clammy. “Why would you do that? Is this a trick?”

Caius’ face darkened. “I am not the heartless man you believe me to be. Your mother should not suffer for your transgressions.”

Involuntarily, her body moved forward, but she stopped herself. The instinct to hug him was strong. “Thank you.” It was all she could manage without making a fool of herself.

She thought everyone except Royals lost their memories after leaving Vincula. Maybe Angels were an exception, or perhaps the king was lying. If it was a ploy to make her suffering worse, she would kill him on the spot and hope someone would put her soul in a jar next to Cora’s.

Rory’s arm threaded through Bellina’s that evening as they made their way across the palace courtyard. It was Rory’s first time “going out” with her new friends, and she hated to admit she was nervous.

Her outfit was simple, consisting of jeans, a black top, and black heeled boots. Despite being able to see the king in color, everything else was still in grey-scale, meaning her wardrobe stayed basic. She braided her hair back in two simple braids in the event someone tried to attack her because loose hair was a weakness when fighting.

Bellina bumped her body into Rory’s as they walked. “There is nothing to be worried about. No one will mess with you.”

Rory side-eyed her. “You don’t know that.”

“No one in our group will mess with you,“ Bellina amended. “If anyone says anything, we’ll leave.” Bellina nodded to the guard at the gate as they left the palace grounds.

One of Rory’s braids fell over her shoulder as she shook her head. “Absolutely not. If I need to leave, I will, but under no circumstances will I allow you to ruin your night.”

Bellina patted Rory’s arm. “You are not my boss, my mother, or my wife. Therefore, you can’t tell me what to do.”

Rory smiled to herself. “Thanks, B.”

Bellina pointed to a large building down the street. “There’s the bar. Let’s get drunk.”

Stepping into the bar was like stepping into another realm. A band played loud music in the back, people were everywhere, and what must have been hundreds of lanterns hung from the ceiling.

“Could you imagine having to refill the oil and light all of those?” Rory said to Bellina. “I would rather scrub the ovens again.”

“Be careful what you wish for, butcher bitch,” Nina’s voice said from a few feet away. “Or maybe you want to watch again?”

Rory bit the inside of her cheek and rotated her head to look at Nina. “You already give me the shittiest work available. Save your threats for someone else.” She turned to Nina fully and gave her a sardonic grin. “And I’ll have to pass on the free show. I prefer real entertainment instead of watching a bitch beg for cock like a mangy mutt.”

Nina’s face screwed up, and she lunged, but Rory was faster. Her hand was around Nina’s neck in an instant, and she squeezed, reveling at the fear in the maid’s eyes. Her hands clawed at Rory’s face, but Rory held her at arm’s length.

Her voice was low when she looked into Nina’s panicked eyes and said, “Be careful who you attack. You like to remind me I am The Butcher, but maybe you should remind yourself.”

She released Nina with a shove, and the woman sucked down breaths as she wobbled away.

Asher turned to Rory with bug eyes. “Damn, you’re scary. What was that about?”

“Why?” Rory shot back. “Are you fucking her, too? Please don’t ask me to watch.”

Asher looked from Bellina to Rory. “What did I miss?”

Bellina whirled on Rory. “Explain.”

Rory blew out a long breath. “I’m going to need a drink if I have to relive the image of Nina naked with her ass in the air.”

A loud grunt sounded behind them, and Rory turned to see a man with salt and pepper hair and dark eyes who looked to be her father’s age. “You must be Rory,” he said. “I’m Tallent.”

She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

He was standing with two women, one who was at least six feet tall with a medium shade of hair, and another who was short with a mop of dark, curly hair.

“I’m Kit,” the tall one said.

“Cat,” the other woman squeaked. She was adorable, and Rory had to resist ruffling her hair.

“Nina’s still sleeping with the king?” Kit asked as she sidled up next to Rory at the bar.

Rory grabbed her drink and nodded. “I was unfortunate enough to walk in on them.” She took a long drink. Hopefully, it would erase the image from her mind.

“Tell me everything,” Cat said as she grabbed her own drink and motioned for them to follow her. When they found an empty table and sat down, Cat pointed at Rory. “Spill it, butcher girl.”

Rory choked on her drink, and whiskey splashed onto the table.

“Cat!” someone hissed.

The woman looked around. “What? She’s The Butcher isn’t she?”

“Excuse Cat,” Tallent said, shooting the woman a warning glare. “She speaks before she thinks.”

She threw her hands up. “She is The Butcher!“ She turned to Rory. “Did I hurt your feelings?”

Rory was frazzled from the back and forth, and all she could do was shake her head. “We aren’t twelve,” she managed after a beat. “Call me whatever you’d like.”

Cat shot Tallent a triumphant smile and turned back to her. “Okay, now tell us how you ended up in a threesome with the king and Nina.”

“Wait, what?” Asher butted in. “I thought you walked in on them?”

“She did,” Bellina confirmed. The seamstress turned to her and whispered, “Is that all?”

“We did not have a threesome,“ Rory insisted. “I finished my first shift and went in search of Nina. One of the palace staff gave me her room number, and when I knocked, the door flew open.” She shuddered.

They all howled with laughter. “I hate you all,” she grumbled.

Asher sat beside Rory and leaned in. “If you ever decide to have a threesome, I volunteer.”

A piece of ice sailed across the table at him, and when he looked up, Bellina hurled another. “You’re a pig.” He shrugged and looked at Rory with a sly grin.

“You couldn’t handle me,” Rory told him and took a drink of her whiskey. “Good try, though.”

The table erupted with more laughter, and Asher feigned offense. Rory’s shoulders eased a fraction as she fell into easy conversation with the people she hoped would become her new friends.

“What does everyone do?” Rory asked the table.

“I work at the bakery downtown,” Cat said with pride. “I’m damn good at what I do.”

“Do you make donuts with cream cheese in them?” she asked. “I would kill for one. Not literally. Well, maybe.”

Asher’s drink shot through his nose as he laughed.

“Of course I do,” Cat replied. “I’m no amateur.”

“I work at the library,” Kit added. “If you like to read, I can suggest any type of book.”

“I didn’t know there was a library here,” Rory replied thoughtfully. She didn’t like to read, but if there were history books to give her more insight into Caius, that would be helpful.

Kit nodded. “There’s a lot of neat stuff in Vincula. I’m sad I’ll have to leave.”

“What did you do?” Rory asked.

Kit smiled deviously. “I broke into one of the administration buildings for the local grade school and burned it to the ground.” Rory gaped, and the woman shrugged. “They were trying to ban books they deemed unfit. It was bullshit.”

“How did you get in? Aren’t the schools locked down tighter than The Capital?”

Kit turned her head and pointed at her mark. “I’m an Eidolon. The roof of the building didn’t have iron in it.”

Rory almost dropped her glass. What kind of supermystic shit was that?

She turned to Tallent. “And you?”

The man took a long drink. He was quieter than the rest. “I work at the hobby store, and I sold stolen art in the underground market.” He shrugged. “I’m a hawk Shifter.”

“I’m a Sylph, and I shot my brother in the leg,“ Cat added casually.

“What did he do?” Rory asked her.

Cat took a drink and smacked her lips. “He cut off my hair in my sleep.” She motioned to her short, curly hair. “I look like a paintbrush.” The table burst out laughing, but Rory was a little scared of the pint-sized woman. Her short hair was cute, but clearly she hated it. Who shot their brother over a haircut?

After some time, Rory excused herself to the bathroom, and on her way back to their table, someone knocked into her shoulder, hard. She almost lost her balance, and a burly man with a long, black beard sneered at her.

Unease skittered across her skin when he took a step toward her, invading her space. “Excuse you,” she said as she stepped back.

His hand tightened around his beer bottle, and she wondered if it would break from the pressure. The look of pure hatred on his face was one she’d not encountered yet, and it unsettled her.

“You don’t get to speak to me as an equal, little butcher bitch,” he snarled and took another step forward. Was butcher bitch her nickname now? Original. “If I see you disrespect Nina again, I will return the favor tenfold.”

“Is everyone here fucking her?” she said, poking the already enraged bear.

His sheer size had her heart racing, and she cursed her smartass mouth, but before she could figure out an exit plan, the old man from the kitchen grabbed the man’s shirt and pulled him back. “Get out of here, Ronny.”

Ronny spit on Rory’s shirt, and she stared down in shock. The older man had surprising strength as he hauled Ronny toward the door and said, “Go home.”

Ronny shrugged the old man’s hand off his shoulder and stalked out of the bar. Asher and Bellina pushed their way through the crowd, calling Rory’s name, and it was then she realized the bar had gone quiet.

“What happened?” Asher demanded, all jest from earlier gone.

“Ronny,” was all the old man said.

Bellina grabbed napkins from the bar and handed them to Rory. “That asshole. He’s been in love with Nina since she arrived.”

Rory glanced toward the exit and decided to avoid him at all costs.

“What kind of mystic is Nina?” Rory didn’t know, and the maid’s hair always hid her mark.

“Alchemist,“ Asher answered. “Rumor is she would manipulate men and then steal their money.”

“Of course she did,” Rory muttered under her breath.

The old man held his hand out. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Max.”

Rory put her shaky hand in his. “Rory. Thank you for that.”

He tipped his head in acknowledgement and stepped around her to order a drink. “What are you drinking? It’s on me.”

Rory waved him off. “I appreciate it, but I think I’m going back to the palace.”

Bellina motioned for Kit to bring her purse from the table. “I’m going with you.”

“No,” Rory said, motioning for Kit to stay put. “I’m fine.” Kit stood with Bellina’s purse half suspended in the air before plunking back down in her chair.

Bellina’s hand motioned to Kit again, but the woman merely raised her middle finger in return.

“Please let me walk you back,” Bellina tried again.

Rory shook her head. “I murdered thirteen people all by myself. I think I can manage to walk back to the palace alone.”

A silence fell on those around them, and Rory guessed her dark humor wasn’t well received, but before she could apologize, Max’s booming laugh filled the space. “Yeah, you’ll be alright. Come on, Bellina. Leave the girl be.”

Rory shot Max a grateful smile and left.