Page 80 of First Offense

A mating call. For both men.

Oh gods…

I knew what it meant. My mother had told me about how females reacted around their chosen mates. Theypurred.

I’d never in my life made that sound out loud. But I’d definitely made it in my dreams. Which had rendered Auric and Novak defenseless. And that had led to sex.

So. Much. Sex.

None of it was real. But still very,veryvivid.

Pull yourself together, Lay,I demanded.It’s just a fantasy. It means nothing.

Lies.

But I chose to believe them anyway. Because there was no alternative.

Biting back a groan, I forced my eyes open. Novak and Auric had already left the bed, but their scents lingered, intensifying my need. The lethal mix of evergreen, leather, and smoke curled around me, bathing me in a sinful promise I could never accept.

These males are going to be the death of me,I decided, sitting up. Sayir had probably trapped us in here for a reason, perhaps to test my resolve and readiness for reformation.

If my Fall had anything to do with rejecting my suitors—which the timing of my black feathers seemed to indicate—then this could all be some twisted form of punishment. Maybe he hoped Auric would Fall in the process, too.

Or maybe not.

Perhaps it was all in my head.

But it did make me wonder about Sayir’s ultimate goal. Truth be told, I knew very little about him. His relationship with my father had always been a distant one, something that had never concerned me before. Yet very much did now.

I should ask Auric about it,I thought as I glanced at him and Novak. They were standing by the window, their tones low and quiet, likely in an attempt not to wake me. I hadn’t been sleeping well, mostly because of the fantasy-filled dreams leaving me restless.

Auric’s gaze flashed to mine, his lips curling into a smile I hadn’t seen since my younger days. Warm. Affectionate. Soft.

“Good afternoon, Princess,” he murmured.

I crawled off the giant bed. “Hi,” I said rather weakly. It was hard to infuse a lot of confidence when faced with the two gorgeous displays of masculinity before me. Rather than meet their gazes, I fussed with my blouse and joined them at the window to glance outside at the midday sun.

“We’re trying to figure out what realm we’re in,” Auric said, informing me of their conversation. I’d overheard a few words but hadn’t realized that was the goal.

“Wherever we are, it’s beautiful,” I said, noting the mountains and green fir trees. They likely smelled similar to Auric.

“Yes,” he agreed, then turned to Novak. “It’s not a new territory.” That must have been what they were debating when I’d approached. “Expansion hasn’t been Sefid’s focus lately. He’s become more focused on protection. There’ve been some rogue Noir incidents, and the Fall rate has increased.”

“Rogue Noir?” I repeated.

“Noir not currently under reform,” Auric clarified.

I stared at him. “There are rogue Noir?”

“Several, yes. As I said, the rate has increased.”

Why hasn’t my father mentioned this to me?I wondered.

Novak looked at him. “By how much?”

“By ten percent,” Auric murmured.

“Really?” I asked, my eyebrows lifting. That was quite substantial. “I haven’t heard anything about that.”