The Umbra King (Vincula Realm, #1)

by Jamie Applegate Hunter

Rory shook herself from the memory and whispered to herself, “For Cora.” Ten years ago Rory watched through a window as her sister was brutally murdered, setting in motion Rory’s path to becoming one of the most prolific serial killers in all of Erdikoa.

Yes queen

The word poison echoed in his mind, and without thinking, he pulled the fridge out of its cubby and placed it in the hallway. This happened sometimes after his nightmares. Something that never bothered him before made him uncomfortable for no reason, and he was unable to be in its presence.

“Listen to me Aurora, do not let him fool you; his darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you.”

Two were one, and one is yours. Do not let him fool you. His darkness is poison. Only the golden child can save you.

Keith’s face leached of color as he turned to her. “Tell them you didn’t do this.” She grabbed her purse and stepped around the bar. Before she allowed them to take her away, she turned to Keith. “I had my reasons, though I’m sure they aren’t good enough to excuse what I’ve done.” Her voice warbled. “I love you, and tell Kordie I love her, too.”

She turned to Dume, who was staring at her with so much pain on his face, it almost brought her to her knees. “And you, please don’t let my mother suffer because of me.”

Adila gave her a small smile. “Your soul is a beautiful shade of grey, Miss Raven. I will see you soon enough.”

He’d never forget the look on Adila’s face as she doled out his punishment. Five-hundred years trapped in Vincula. The longest sentence in all the realms. “This is for your own good, brother.”

He stood out against the rest of the room, not because he was the king, but because he was in vivid color.

his hair was blonde.

Nah thanks though!

While seeing him in color was a shock, it wasn’t what left her speechless. She didn’t know much about the notorious Umbra King, but what she did know was ten years ago she watched him murder her sister.

“Congratulations. You have been given the longest sentence of any mystic in the history of the realms.” “I suppose she thought five-hundred years with you was worse than hell,” Rory deadpanned.

“Then it was not Caius who spoke with her. He has been locked in Vincula for almost five-hundred years. There are only a few months left in his contract.”

Hm

“I saw him with my own eyes,” she insisted. “I’m not blind.” His cold features remained impassive. “Think what you wish.” Something nagged at her to believe him, but she knew what she saw. It was weird the king wasn’t in color all those years ago.

“Do I set the basket in the hall on those days?” He shook his head slowly. “Why would you do that?” “How else will they collect them?” she asked, wondering how he led an entire legion with a brain full of rocks. His brows rose. “They open your door, pick up your basket, close your door, and leave,” he said, as if speaking to a child. She stared at him incredulously. “What if I’m naked?” Sam threw his head back with a booming laugh, and the sound startled her. “You no longer have privacy. Welcome to Vincula.”

Dragging her hands across her face, she nodded, but before she could thank him, he disappeared.

I feel like i know things

After overhearing her conversation with Max, a man convicted of breaking his neighbor’s legs with a shovel for disrespecting his wife, Caius stopped himself from entering the room. The woman wept over her mother, concern and regret lacing her every word, but those were traits black souls did not possess.

Ohhh ok

Dume nodded. “I have to go.” He threw moedas on the bar. “If one of her victims was a suspected murderer, and another was a rapist, there may be more people she saved willing to come forward.” If there was more evidence Rory wasn’t the heartless killer the news made her out to be, he would find it. He had to find it. For his own sanity.

As she stepped into her room and surveyed her clothes, she smiled. Ironic how they refused to feed her dinner, yet they gave her food, anyway.

Sam entered quietly. “Eat,” he commanded and shoved the plate he’d made into her hands.

“And what is it you know?” She shook her arms as the blood returned. “I watched you murder my sister and steal her soul.” Her words held such venom that she barely recognized her own voice. He seemed to contemplate her words before saying, “I killed my own sister, Miss Raven. Why are you surprised?”

“Where are your quarters?” He continued toward the stairs, leading them up. “Are you planning a visit, Miss Raven?” She smiled sweetly when they reached the next floor, ignoring the ache in her calves. “How else will I ravish you, Your Grace?” She yelped when he backed her into a wall, and a shadow squeezed her throat lightly. “You couldn’t handle the way I fuck, Miss Raven.” Her chest was heaving when he stepped back and turned. “Seemed pretty basic to me,” she mumbled,

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 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 executed 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.

Despite the serenity of Vincula, she feared she would die, whether it be at the hand of a fellow inmate, or after she exacted her revenge. One thing was certain, she wouldn’t leave Vincula alive.

Spotting Asher as he entered the room, she slipped out from behind the table and made her way to him. When his eyes landed on her, he scanned her from head to toe and whistled. “Damn, are you sure you don’t want to fuck me? Because I would leave with you right now,” he said with a playful wink.

She was a fool if she thought he didn’t know she was seducing him on purpose, and he assumed it involved her sister’s death.

There was more to Aurora Raven, and he was determined to prove she was not the black soul everyone believed her to be. Sam could tell Caius wanted her, but the king was holding himself back.

Rory stomped to her bed and grabbed a pillow to hurl across the room, but as she reached across her bed, something caught her eye that made her freeze. Sitting on her bed was a pizza box dented on the sides. Her hands shook as she opened it and found a thick crust cheese pizza. Picking up the box, she sat on the bed in a daze with the pizza on her lap. It was never Bellina leaving her food—it was Caius.

“And her mother?” Caius asked. “Taken care of by the Aatxe.” Caius’ frown deepened. How close was Rory to this Aatxe friend? “The reasons she killed don’t matter,” he said after a beat. Sam stood, unfolding his long legs. “Yes, it does.” He left, and his cryptic comment hung over Caius like a guillotine. This woman would be the end of him.

Caius stumbled, almost hitting the ground in the middle of his office as a hellish scene engulfed him. His heart hammered in his chest as he struggled in the water. Ice encompassed his body as he fought to breathe. A scream tore from his throat as he beat his fists against whatever held him down, but it was no use. He was dying. Until he wasn’t.

“What is that?” he asked so low she almost didn’t hear him. She feigned nonchalance. “What is what?” His eyes were virulent. “What is on your neck, Rory?”

His anger was barely leashed when he said, “Who did this to you?” He visually inspected the bruises on her limbs, touching each one with his golden gaze.

“The next time someone lays a finger on you, their death belongs to me.”

“What do you see when you look at me?” “An asshole,” she replied. Her answer was immediate, and he frowned. “That was rude,” he muttered.

He turned to her and drank her in. She was beautiful, wild, and his. On shaky legs, he ate up the distance between them and reached his hand out. He hesitated before placing his palm against the smooth skin of her face and watched her realm explode.

“She’s my Aeternum,” Caius said as he slammed open Samyaza’s door. “Did you know?” The Angel’s shirt disappeared from his torso and reappeared in his hand. “I suspected.”

Asher smiled, and Rory’s gaze caught on his hair. Her mouth parted in awe as she stepped forward and ran her hands through it. “Auburn,” she whispered. “It’s beautiful.” She would never know Asher’s reply because he was ripped back and slammed to the ground.

“How did you fit a banana in your pants?” “My pants already carry something much larger.” Sam grinned as he peeled the fruit and took a large bite.

“She needs to be moved out of the palace.” Caius sighed and set his pen down. “I know. I’ll have Rory arrange it tomorrow.” Sam released a booming laugh. “Already trying to woo her, I see.” Caius lifted a shoulder and sat back. “She can’t hate me forever.” “If she thinks you murdered her sister, yes, she can.” “I need something tangible to convince her it wasn’t me,” Caius said, twisting one of the rings on his hand. “We both know it was Gedeon,” Sam replied. “The question is why?”

“If it wasn’t you, then who was it?” she demanded. “I saw you, Caius.” His lips parted. “Say it again.” Did he suddenly lose his hearing? “What?” “My name,” he clarified. “Say it again. It will be good practice for when you scream it later.”

“Uh, no, he is—what are you doing?” “I’m getting ready for bed, Miss Raven,” Caius said, bemused. “I’m not sleeping with you.” Her voice held more conviction than she felt. He looked annoyed. “If you’re sleeping in this bed, I assure you, you are.” That signature smirk returned, and she hated that she loved it. “We can fuck too, if that’s what you want.”

“What good does it do to push her away?” Sam’s voice was filled with disappointment. “Because if I had her, truly had her, I wouldn’t let anything separate me from her, including death,” he replied.

She took those stairs every day, and even though her Fey ability was gone, she was a graceful woman. He knew deep in his gut someone did this to her, and Seraphim help them when he found out who. Caius heard yelling from the hallway, and his arms tensed around her.

“I’m glad to see you awake, Miss Raven,” the doctor said. “I need to examine you, if that’s okay?” She nodded, pushed herself up, and immediately wished she were dead. Everything hurt. How was she supposed to beat the shit out of whoever did this to her if she couldn’t move?

“You think so little of me that I would deny you anything right now? You almost died, Rory. I watched you slip away in my arms. You could order Sam to make arrangements if you wanted, and I wouldn’t care.” Her stomach flip-flopped at his words. “You made me clean your office.” “I will destroy it again so you can watch me clean it, but first, I need to know if you saw who pushed you.”

Once undressed, he lowered her into the warm water, grabbed a washcloth, and squirted soap onto the soft fabric. When he tried to clean her arm, she pulled back. “What do you think you’re doing?” He blinked and looked at the cloth in his hands. “This is called bathing.”

“I’ll miss you enough for both of us,” she whispered in his ear, and he nodded into her shoulder. “I may not remember you,” he whispered back. “But when I see your face or hear your name, my soul will know you’re good.”

“Did you fuck him?” Rory’s eyes narrowed. “How is that any of your business?” “Everything involving you is my business,” he replied smoothly. “Answer the question.” “If I said yes, what would you do?” she asked, raising her brows. He fisted the back of her dress and pulled her closer, his lips brushing against her ear as they walked. “I would fuck you until the only name you remembered was mine. Do not tease me, Miss Raven.”

“I would set this entire realm ablaze to keep you safe, and if you think I’m bluffing, you haven’t been paying attention.”