Page 75 of First Offense

I studied him, noting the sincerity in his expression and hearing the veracity in his tone. He wasn’t lying.

Which meant I’d held the wrong person to blame for over a century.

If King Sefid delivered that edict, then it was becauseheknew what had happened to that rogue Noir and his mate. Why would he allow such a fate?

“We never found him,” Auric added softly. “The rogue Noir, I mean. We never found him.”

“Good.” Otherwise, my Fall would have been in vain. I’d have to let Sorin and Zian know as well. Thinking of them reminded me of Raven and her ties to Sayir. What else had the Reformer told Auric? I voiced the question, wondering if he would tell me.

He responded with a summary of their conversation and also mentioned the portals we’d flown through and the doorway outside.

“Your pet came, too,” he added, pointing to a table. “He’s burrowing over there.”

Clyde telegraphed a quick negative in my head, disliking the termpet. I smirked. Then I cocked my head to the side. “Did Sayir mention Layla being his key?” I asked Auric.

“Key?” he repeated.

Yeah, I didn’t think so. It seemed we were sharing stories tonight, so I added another to the pile. “He told Raven that Layla is the key to his plans.”

“What plans?”

“Some sort of revolution,” I drawled. “Or that’s what we think is happening. He’s creating an army. The cullings are a way to remove the weak and retain the strong. He’s been experimenting for decades, perhaps longer.”

He sat up straighter, no longer lounging against the wall. “And you’re just now telling me this?”

I merely smiled. “Would you have believed me?” I wasn’t entirely sure he did now, something his silence seemed to indicate.

Layla had stopped breathing between us. Yet her eyes remained closed.

“Why did Sayir tell Raven this?” Auric eventually asked, his tone holding a note of disbelief.

So I looked him dead in the eye, wanting him to see the truth of what I was about to say. “Because she’s his daughter.”

21

Layla

“What?”Auric snapped, causing my eyes to fly open.

I’d been pretending to sleep so I could listen to their conversation, but now I was just as startled as Auric.

Raven was Sayir’s daughter?

That made her my cousin.

My. Cousin.

Holy wings!My eyes were wide open now, something Novak seemed to find amusing. His feathers tickled mine, the intimacy of their strokes rivaling Auric’s fingers in my hair.

Well, he’d stopped combing my strands a few minutes ago, his touch now resembling more of a brand than a sensual brush.

“How are you feeling?” Novak asked me, ignoring Auric’s reaction.

“She’s my cousin,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he confirmed.

“How?”