Page 85 of First Offense

My hands curled into fists. “Yes,” I said, even though he hadn’t voiced it as a question but more of a derisive comment.

“That’s not a good reason to disrespect them.”

“They were disrespecting me by demanding another audience when I already rejected them,” I countered, wanting to slap some sense into him. Why was this my fault? Why did I have to be the perfect one? The obedient little princess? Why didn’t I have a right to choose? They were not suitable. I owed them nothing as a result.

“That’s not the point, Layla. They were within their rights to ask you to try again.”

“And I was within my rights to say no,” I tossed back at him.

“You really weren’t. As King Sefid’s daughter, you owed it to them to try again.”

“But it wouldn’t have changed anything,” I argued.

“You couldn’t possibly know that,” he said, his tone underlined in derision.

“But I did.”

“How?” he asked, sounding so condescending that my feathers ruffled at my back. “How could you possibly know that, Layla?”

Ugh, this man!My palm itched to meet his face, so all I could do was growl.

“You know what I think?” he said silkily. “I think you were scared that you’d made a mistake and didn’t want to admit to it.”

Seriously?Did he not know me at all?

“So you hid instead, stating you weren’t interested in any of them. When, in reality, you might have sent away your true mate.”

“I didn’t,” I forced out. “I know I didn’t.”

“And how do you know that? Is it because none of them could make you purr?” he taunted, his tone cruel and cold and so very, very wrong.

This wasn’t my Auric.

This wasn’t the man I once thought I loved.

This was a monster, a tormenter, a crude beast of a Nora sent here to elicit all my truths and force me to drown in the despair of my choices.

“Come on, Layla,” he continued. “Tell me how you knew.”

My palms were going to bleed if I didn’t loosen my hands, but I couldn’t stop digging my nails into my skin.

Auric stood so close now that we shared the same breath. Heat poured off him in waves, his anger nearly suffocating. “Tell me how you were so certain they weren’t meant for you.”

I glared at him.

He smiled. “I didn’t think you could.”

“You know nothing,” I seethed.

“Then tell me, Layla. Tell me how you knew, and I’ll drop it.”

I said nothing, my tongue bleeding from biting it so hard.

Then his lips curled into a patronizing grin as he shook his head in clear disappointment. “You knew better than to behave like that, Layla. They all deserved a chance.”

“I gave them one.”

“But only one.”