Page 2 of Third Offense

Silence fell, as though my touch had been felt by everyone around us.

“Auric is mine,” I said slowly,sternly, and with a power that was all my own.

Then I repeated the action with my other mate, my arms heavy with the energy being used to hold me in a kneeling position, but I fought through it to claim my mates, to show Ichosethem.

Novak’s shoulder quivered beneath my palm, his rage barely contained by whatever enchantment my father had woven over us all.

I suspected that if Novak could, he’d break through the invisible energy and force his wings to shatter the elixir.

But one squeeze of my hand seemed to calm him, his head turning toward mine as though my touch allowed him to move.

I met his icy gaze and nodded. “Novak is mine, too.”

Then I found the will to stand, dismantling whatever spell had forced me to my knees, and turned to face my father. Pride gleamed in his obsidian irises, his lips curling at the corners as though impressed that I managed to fight through his hold.

My mother wore a similar expression, only her blue eyes were a touch sadder, as though she worried for me despite my show of strength.

And Prince Ketos was the only other who remained standing, his hands tucked behind his back as he remained regal with his shoulders squared. He appeared oddly contrite, like he hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. But I wasn’t sure I believed that. He’d walked out here like some sort of sex god, overwhelming me with his ambrosia-like scent.

Definitely a compatible mate, I thought, still stunned by the revelation.And a really good-looking one, too.

Long dark hair to his shoulders. Violet irises that bordered on black. Tall. Athletically lean. Obsidian wings edged in gold tips. Perfect bone structure.

Lickable.

I fought the urge to inhale too sharply, aware that Ketos would smell just as good as before. And the combination of his scent with my mates would probably send me back down to my knees.

A hint of concern touched his expression now, like he was worried about what I would say. Or perhaps concerned about whatever emotion showed on my face.

Disgust? Anger? Annoyance? Confusion? I really couldn’t say. I felt a whole mixture of things inside me.

These are my real parents.

And my dad already hates Auric.

I almost laughed. I’d expected my father—King Sefid, not King Vasilios—to hate Novak, not Auric. Now the roles had reversed.

I cleared my throat, the urge to giggle continuing to tickle my nerves. Because this was all so insane.

I’d gone from being a Princess of the Nora to a Princess of the Noir in what felt like a breath of time.

And I have a betrothed.

Who my mate just punched in the face.

Well, that was one way to indulge in a family reunion. “Do you think we could start over?” I asked out loud, striving for some sort of normalcy here. “It’s been a really long… few… months?” I trailed off on a question because I had no idea how long I’d been incarcerated. Weeks? Months? Years? It was all a whirlwind of death and violence andblood.

With some really hot sex sprinkled on top.

And a whole hell of a lot of politics I didn’t understand.

Kyril had claimed the Noir were a race, not the fallen class of Nora I’d been taught to fear all my life.

My parents were living proof of that truth.

But I still had no idea what it all meant. Did they plan to go back to their realm and take over the kingdom from…?

I blinked, sighing as I tried to force myself to callhimKing Sefid, but I’d spent twenty-one years referring to him as my father.