The Umbra King (Vincula Realm, #1)

by Jamie Applegate Hunter

Aurora Raven would be his greatest temptation.

His breath tickled the back of her neck, and she wondered if head-butting the king was a punishable offense.

“Did you lure them to their deaths with the promise of a good fuck?” Rory tried to burn a hole through his face with her eyes. “Why? Interested?”

“You couldn’t handle the way I fuck, Miss Raven.”

The king may hate her, but he was attracted to her, too. Nothing brought down a man’s defenses like sex.

“Why are you here?” “I was looking for you,” she said sweetly. His expression didn’t change. “Most women are.” “Do they want to cut out your heart, too?”

“This is a dangerous game you are playing, Miss Raven.” He leaned forward, and his shadows retreated. “One that will leave you broken if you are not careful.” She leaned down to position herself in front of him. “I’m counting on it.”

He was losing control where she was concerned. The want to touch her more than anything consumed him, but he knew the moment he had her, he would never give her up.

The man with his arm around her pulled her attention away, making her laugh again. Caius both relished and resented the sound, and he hated the man pulling it out of her. They were probably fucking, and he hated that knowledge even more.

If she was jealous, then despite her trying to seduce him on purpose, she wanted him, and if she wanted him, he would take her.

It had only been a week, but the image of Aurora as she lost control consumed him, and it was all he thought about.

His feelings for Rory were hot and cold. He moved between wanting to fuck her and make her jealous and wanting to rid himself of her.

He hung his head, and realized he needed to fuck Rory out of his system, but he knew if he had a taste, she would be his until death.

“Why do you assume this is your dream and not mine?” The look on his face and the sound of his voice made her body sing. “Why would it be yours?” The air was charged with sexual tension, and when he spoke again, she fought for air. “Because here, you are mine.”

“Here, you are mine, and no one can keep me from you, other than yourself.” His voice was pleading, and it filled her stomach with butterflies. “Let me have you, Aurora.”

“I am yours,” she murmured. “Take me.”

“Can I keep you?” he murmured against her lips. She pulled back to look into his eyes. “Forever.”

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.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered, too scared to speak louder. He stepped even closer. “It is the only thing that matters. Tell me who did this to you, or I will raze the entire fucking town to the ground.” His

“The next time someone lays a finger on you, their death belongs to me.” The panic melted from her body, and her mind cleared. “Why?” “Because no one hurts you but me,”

Rory was his eternal mate.

He turned to her and drank her in. She was beautiful, wild, and his.

“Are you jealous of Nina?” Rory set her jaw. “No.” He crouched behind her, and his lips pressed against her ear. “Liar.”

“Jealousy looks good on you, Miss Raven.”

“My name,” he clarified. “Say it again. It will be good practice for when you scream it later.”

He made her mad enough to kill, but horny enough to rip his clothes off all at once. She needed to get laid.

Caius decided making Rory wear skirts was a terrible idea. He wanted nothing more than to spread her out on his desk and ravage what she was hiding under the billowy fabric.

He didn’t love her, not yet, but one day he would. The need to protect her would become so strong, resisting would be futile.

As he walked down the long hallway, he reminded himself that he couldn’t let himself fall into her.

“I would fuck you until the only name you remembered was mine. Do not tease me, Miss Raven.”

Like the names of colors, her soul just knew. Her body wanted him despite the way he treated her, and it made her grit her teeth.

“You are beautiful when you’re mad.” He crossed the room to where she stood. “I knew the ball was important to you, so I made you your own.”

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

She knew she could fall into him as easily as she forgave him. It wasn’t like her, and bit by bit she felt as though she was losing herself and finding herself all at once.

“Do you want this?” he murmured, and she detected a hint of apprehension in his voice. “No,” she whispered, and he tensed in her arms. “And yes.”

“It was inevitable. Your soul calls to mine and mine to yours. We couldn’t fight this if we tried.”

“I’ll go slowly this once,” he said. “But rest assured, the next time I have you naked, I will fuck you like the savage you are.”

Her eyes moved from his chest to his face, and it became clear. He knew who she was, completely, and he wanted her anyway.

Tonight, something would shift more than ever, and they both knew there was no turning back.

“You’re my Aeternum,” he informed her. Her eyes flared. “Is that some kind of sex slave?” He closed his eyes at her ridiculous assumptions. She still thought so little of him, which made this worse. “An Aeternum is a Royal’s eternal mate.”

“You were made for me, and I was made for you, whether you like it or not.”

“I can’t wait for all of Erdikoa to know The Butcher is the new Prison Queen. Fitting.”

“I am happy for you, brother. It is good to see you in love.” Caius shrugged him off. “I don’t love her.” Sam looked bemused. “Are you sure about that?” Not anymore.

“When you realize you love me, I will drop to one knee wherever we are,” he murmured for only her to hear. She shook her head. “It won’t matter if I love you or not. I refuse to marry someone who doesn’t love me back.” His lip tugged to the side. “I will fall first, Miss Raven, and we both know it.”

“You look beautiful,” he said, meaning every word. He couldn’t build a better woman if he tried.

Her fists bunched the fabric of his shirt, and he felt his heart hang over the edge. He was ready to fall, and as he kissed his future wife, he knew it wouldn’t be long.

“Feed me, and maybe you’ll get lucky,” she said as she sauntered to the door. He would buy as many burgers as the shop could make.

“I’ve never loved anyone either.” She looked up. “But if I were going to love anyone, it would be you.”

As she stood facing the king with the sound of Nina’s lifeless body being dragged across the marble floor, she knew she loved him. He had been wrong. She was the first to fall.

“Never lock me out again. I will always make your tears my own. We’re in this together.”