Page 9 of First Offense

Novak grunted from down the hall, his expression amused. But rather than try my patience, he just slipped back into his room to shut the door behind him.

Normally, I’d call his action cowardly.

Except I knew him.

He wasn’t walking away from a fight. He was dismissing it—and me—before we could begin. The closing of that door served as a proverbialFuck you, you’re not even worth the effort. And damn if that didn’t make me want to charge down the corridor to wring his damn neck.

But the tapping of a foot behind me forced my attention to the impatientprincess,who apparently wanted some food.

All right.

I’d findHer Highnesssomething to eat.

Watching her forcibly swallow the shit they fed inmates here would be a beautiful punishment. Cathartic, even.

“One prison meal, coming right up,Princess,” I said, unable to hide my cruel grin. “I’m going to thoroughly enjoy watching you choke on it.”

4

Novak

“I hearthat Layla convinced Auric to allow her outside today,” my cousin said with a sense of amusement. He nudged me, as to ensure I heard him.

Zian was my flesh and blood. Of course I fucking heard him. Ialwaysfucking heard him. Just because I chose not to speak didn’t mean I was deaf.

“What do you say, Novak?” he pressed. “Curious to meet the princess?”

I yawned. Even if I were curious, I wouldn’t admit that out loud.

“Poor Auric,” Sorin said with a laugh. “I hear she’s been giving him a hard time. You’d think he could handle such a little thing.”

I nearly grunted. It’d been the highlight of my week seeing the famous Nora Warrior downgraded to a royal lapdog. The princess sent him out to fetch meals frequently, something I suspected he only agreed to because he wanted to avoid her delicious scent.

Cherry blossoms.

Fuck, she smelled so sweet. I wanted to sink my teeth into her flesh just to see if her blood rivaled her perfume.

“You have a penchant for underestimating females,” the angel beside me mused, her voice low and sultry and oozing sex. Probably because she’d just spent the morning fucking Sorin and Zian.

Imagine my surprise when I’d returned from my stint in solitary to find out my cousin had taken a little raven-haired mate. I’d damn near killed the poor thing, as I’d scented Zian all over her and thought the worst. Then he’d charged into the cell with Sorin at his side and had nearly taken my head off.

“The last bitch Sayir sent here tried to kill me. I learned my lesson the first time,” Raven added, her black eyes glinting in the sunlight. She was a feisty little thing. Then again, she would need to be to handle two former Nora Warriors.

Zian and Sorin enjoyed fucking.Hard. And fortunately for them, their little minx didn’t mind being in the center of all that male aggression.

I closed my eyes as they lost themselves to frivolous conversation of the princess. Something about jealousy. Then Raven added, “I’m pissed that the Reformer thinks he can just do whatever he wants. He brought his own niece to this hellhole, and she’s spent the last week pretending like she doesn’t belong here.”

I nearly pointed out that they were cousins, since Raven was the Reformer’s daughter, but I didn’t feel like stating the obvious.

“And you think it’s all for show?” Sorin asked. “She’s the Princess of the Nora. I don’t see what she could gain by intentionally Falling and getting herself locked up.”

I’d spent the last century bouncing around prisons with Sorin and Zian, so it stood to reason that they often spoke my thoughts for me. Which was why I continued to remain quiet, as I mostly agreed with Sorin’s commentary.

“Maybe. But she still did something bad enough to Fall, so if you want to underestimate her, fine. However, I’m not going to be fooled by a pretty face.”

Neither are they, sweetheart, I thought at her, aware that my warrior brothers never judged anyone by their looks. We all knew that sometimes the deadliest of beings hid in the smallest of packages.

Sorin and Zian fell silent, putting me at ease. I thrived in the quiet, where I could listen to everyone and everything around me and monitor my surroundings with my instincts more than my senses.