Page 4 of Third Offense

He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. “We won’t hide anything from you, little cherry,” he promised in a voice meant for me alone. “But I have a lot of questions, and I want to give you a moment with your mom.”

Oh.

For Novak, that was the equivalent of a speech. My dark-winged mate rarely spoke, making his words that much more powerful. Glancing at my mother, I realized I had my own questions as well. Questions only a mother could answer. And it would be nice to… to meet her properly.Alone.

“Okay,” I whispered, agreeing to this temporary separation. “But come find me as soon as you’re done.”

Always,Novak promised with a look, his mouth grazing my cheek.

Auric joined us, his hand curling around my nape. “We’ll catch up to you,” he said softly, his lips brushing my jaw in a similar gesture to Novak’s. “You can prepare the bed for us.”

That last part was spoken against my ear, but I sensed him holding Ketos’s gaze. Because the prince smirked in response, as though unaffected by the clear show of possession from my mate.

Novak caught my chin, pulling me in for a kiss that Auric finished with his tongue, their joint claim leaving me dizzy as they stepped away from me.

My father did not look amused.

However, Ketos appeared intrigued.

And yeah, that’s my note to, uh, fly, I decided, clearing my throat. “R-room?” I stammered, looking at my mother.

“Yes,” she agreed, slipping her arm through mine. “And we can do a tour, too.”

I took a few steps, then paused. “What about Raven and her mates?” The three of them were standing around awkwardly on the lawn, clearly unsure of where to go.

“How about I show them around the estate while Iston and Netiri see to their guest room arrangements?” Kyril suggested.

Iston’s expression told me how much he did not want to do that.

But the female Noir—the only one I’d ever seen other than Raven and my mother—appeared to be thrilled with a task to do.

“We’d love to,” she said, joining him on the top stoop and grabbing Iston’s hand.

His lips flattened in response.

However, the glacial edge to his gaze thawed a little, the female clearly having a bit of a pull over him.

I wasn’t sure if that was a result of her rare existence or their potential to mate. They both smelled a little too sweet to me, which I definitely preferred to some of the pungent scents from Noir Reformatory, but neither Noir held a candle to Auric or Novak.

Or Ketos, I thought, glancing at the handsome prince again.

He winked in response, like he could read my mind.

Which resulted in Auric growling behind me.

Ignoring them both, I focused on my mom. “Tour sounds good.”

She grinned knowingly. “I agree.” She glanced at Kyril. “And thank you for offering to give Layla’s friends a tour.”

“Family,” Raven corrected. “We’re herfamily.”

My mother nodded. “Yes, of course.” Her voice held a slight edge to it, but her expression remained kind. “I’ll make sure the cooks are aware of our increased party size for dinner later.”

“I’ll handle that for you, My Queen,” a guard with fiery red hair said, bowing.

“Thank you, Limerick,” she responded. “That would be much appreciated.” She gave my arm a little tug, pulling me toward the steps. “We’ll start inside and work our way out.”

“Okay,” I agreed, glancing back at Novak and Auric. They both had their eyes on Ketos, who had remained beside my father. Apparently, he intended to stay for theirdiscussion.