Page 108 of Third Offense

Layla glanced up at me, her glorious features now covered in blood, making me want to kiss her.

But this wasn’t over yet.

“I’m going after Auric,” I told her. “He didn’t do this.”

“I know,” Layla agreed, her voice wavering, but her eyes were clear. “Hurry. There’s a portal outside full of Nora Warriors.”

My eyebrows rose.

Then the palace rumbled again as a new set of boots trampled down the hallway. My feathers spiked in anticipation.

“Go!” Layla shouted.

I hesitated, only because I couldn’t possibly leave her here.

It was my job to protect my mate.

But Auric needed me, too.

My Commander.

My best friend.

I… I had to choose. And I hated this choice.

But a glare from Layla told me tomove.

The only choice wasus. And right now, she needed me to find Auric.

“Now, Novak!” she shouted, confirming I’d read her correctly.

With a nod, I ran through the door.

And slashed my way down the hall, massacring every guard I came across.

Bullets sounded and pinged off of my wings.

Fucking guns.

I hated guns. So archaic andcheap.

The walls shook again, showering me in dirt and debris as I sliced my way through, shielding myself until I was close enough to behead every guard who was stupid enough to face me.

Iston wasn’t chanting anymore. Because he longer had a tongue to chant with.

But these guards still came at me, mindless in the last order he’d given them to stop me.

Good fucking luck with that.

I had to protect Layla.

I had to find Auric.

Which meant I couldn’t leave anyone in my path alive.

Sheer numbers threatened to overwhelm me after I sliced my way through the next row of guards. They’d closed in on one another, using each other as shields, and that allowed one Noir to cut through.

A roar ripped out of my throat when pain shot through my hip.