Page 44 of First Offense

He didn’t repeat himself or elaborate but instead used his free hand to press the tip of his blade to my throat. It was a gesture that said,Release me, so I tightened my grasp.

“I left you with her to guard her, Novak. And you couldn’t even do that right.”

His icy eyes narrowed. “You walked right into a trap. I helped. You’re welcome.”

“Trap?” I repeated, temporarily taken aback.

He used my distraction to twist my wrist away from his neck, then leapt backward to land deftly on his feet. His eyes told me the comment wasn’t worth repeating. Instead, he bent down to throw me one of the collars and arched a brow.

I examined the flimsy thing, frowning. “No wonder this didn’t work.” The voltage on the thing wouldn’t even take down a Nora, let alone a menace from hell.

Novak released a sound of agreement, then walked over to the slain guard. Likely to take another weapon off…

My eyes narrowed. “What in the gods...?” The Nora Guard’s wings were molting, something that sometimes happened in death. Only, the feathers were decaying in a manner unlike any I’d ever seen, and I’d witnessed my fair share of angel deaths.

Novak poked at one of the feathers, frowning as it dissolved into ash. He glanced up at me with an arched brow.

I just shook my head because I had no explanation. The plumes were all shifting to a shade of black, then dissolving into dust.

Novak stroked another, then brought his fingers up to examine the sand-like remains. Then, with a shrug, he stood and headed toward the door.

“Where the hell are you going?” I demanded, trying to follow him. But my damn leg wouldn’t let me move nearly as fast.

Fucking canine-like beast, I hissed to myself.

“Novak,” I called, flinching as my knee nearly gave out on me. The claws had dug in deeper than I’d realized. I’d survive and heal, just slowly.

He paused with his foot over the threshold and glanced back to watch me hobble toward him. A muscle ticked in his jaw, indecision warring in his eyes.

Then he pocketed his blade—or I assumed it was now his, since the guard no longer had a use for it. It was something I should reprimand him for, but he’d used it to save my life. And I was seriously starting to doubt the legitimacy of the other Nora here. Especially considering that the one behind me was still disintegrating into a pile of black soot.

Novak returned to my side to wrap his arm around my lower back. “Where’s Layla?” I asked again, needing more than a “Safe” from him.

Fortunately, he offered me his version of peace. “Yard.”

I nodded.

Then I let him drag me down the corridor, around the corner, past our cell, and to the stairs that led upward toward the yard.

A shower could wait. I needed to ensure she was all right first. Because while Novak might be helping me now, I didn’t trust his word on her safety. Not when the two males best suited to protect her had just spent the last however many minutes fighting a golden beast.

What if there were more?

What if one was let loose in the yard?

Or had that thing been meant for me alone?

Novak seemed to think this was a trap set for me. I considered the play of events, how the guard had found me and isolated me, leaving me in that room to wait. Then the portal appeared. However, the guard had seemed surprised by his location. And he’d died for his inability to properly control that beast.

But those collars were cheap as fuck.

“The thing didn’t come through until you showed up,” I pointed out. “Maybe you’re the target.”

Novak glanced at me with a look that said,Do you honestly believe that?

“You have to admit the timing was interesting,” I muttered.

He rolled his eyes and kept moving.