Page 36 of Third Offense

A table for ten.

Yet there were still several other Noir in the room, including Iston and Netiri, but they remained silently standing near the walls.Like guards.

What did they think would happen? That I’d release my wings again and slice through the dinner party?

If it was a table full of Ketos look-a-likes, then maybe.

But the others weren’t on my kill list.

Just the asshole looking at my mate like she already belonged to him.

I suppressed a growl of warning, not wishing to be introduced to the marble floor of the room. No, Ketos would take more strategic thought and planning.

Auric seemed to agree because he remained quiet beside me, allowing the dinner festivities to begin. Which included the Noir guards leaving the room and returning with trays of food.

My lips threatened to curl down as I realized they weren’t warriors at all, but servants.

Except for Iston and Netiri, who remained silently at their posts.

What are you waiting for?I wondered, distracted by them again.What do you think is going to happen?Their focus appeared to be on Auric, something he clearly noticed but was striving not to react to. He caught my gaze more than once, his blue-green orbs filled with irritation.

They were watching him like some sort of animal.

Which I supposed was how he used to view the Noir, making it oddly fitting to have the roles reversed.

However, I didn’t particularly appreciate it either. Auric hadn’t known the truth. None of us had.

I glanced around him at Layla, wondering if she’d noticed the scrutiny as well, but her focus was on her father as he spoke about living among the humans. I narrowed my gaze and glanced at Kyril, wondering if he’d told Vasilios about Layla’s fascination with mortal life.

Or perhaps Gaia had shared Layla’s interest in learning more about Ketos growing up in the human realm.

Maybe this was her father’s way of reminding Layla to ask Ketos about it, start a relationship,learn things.

My eyes narrowed. Layla had volunteered to include Auric and I in that discussion. Which I’d known was a way to provide us all with more knowledge of our situation, but fuck if I wanted to be taught anything by that royal asshole.

He met my gaze from across the table and gave me another of those benign smiles before bringing a soup spoon to his lips.

Minestrone, one of the Noir servers had called it.

My jaw clenched as I tried to decide whether or not to start eating. My cousin and his mates had already dug in, their gazes clouding over in obvious approval.

Considering what we’d lived off of for the last century, it wasn’t surprising that they were easily swayed by food.

However, I couldn’t ignore the sensation that something about this place was very wrong.Noir servants. Opulence. It reminds me of the Nora royal court..

There were even similar fixtures and gold accents, just like Sefid preferred in his home.

Did the Noir model this home after the Nora Palace? Or did Sefid borrow from this old culture?I wondered, smoothing my hand down my tie—an item that felt like a damn noose around my neck.

That only added to my discomfort.

When Iston had arrived with twin suits for Auric and I to wear, I’d immediately refused. But then Layla had put on a silky gold dress that flirted with her knees, and I realized that I wanted to dress the part as her mate.

Because we already knew Ketos would.

And I couldn’t allow him to be the only one that matched.

So I’d put on the all-black suit, as had Auric, and here we were having this marvelous dinner in a palace with a bunch of servant Noir.