Page 49 of Third Offense

It was ironic that I’d always had a little treat like this back home, never realizing that one day a Noir with gold-dusted wings would flip my world upside down.

Maybe it had been a subtle nod from my father—King Sefid. A mockery of sorts.

If so, the joke was on him now.

I popped the treat into my mouth as Novak disappeared to the bathroom. He returned a moment later with the antidote that my mother had mentioned regarding the elixir. While the antidote wasn’t necessary, it was nice to know that one existed.

“I think it’s time for a flight,” he told us.

Auric smiled. “Hmm, I wouldn’t mind stretching my wings.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It feels strange to have them missing for so long.”

Novak offered me the vial, but Auric snatched it up before I could accept it. “Better let me test it out first. We don’t know what it does.”

“It gives you your wings back,” Novak grumbled, but he crossed his arms and waited.

Auric shot him a look and slid off the bed. After putting the trays back on the cart, he knocked back a shot of the antidote.

The air behind him rippled as his wings instantly manifested.

He wore clothes that my mother had supplied, but she’d informed me that the fabric was infused with the elixir that made our wings disappear. It was fascinating technology, but I was more interested in the emergence of Auric’s pleasing aroma.

Glorious white plumes fanned around him, strengthening the heady scent of evergreen already permeating the room.

No more rotten eggs.

Because our scents came from our feathers.

The fact that I could still smell my mates even without their wings further assured me that the elixir only hid them; it didn’t do anything more permanent.

Auric sighed, all the tension leaving him as if the antidote possessed a rejuvenating effect.

“Everything okay?” I asked him when he didn’t give me the vial.

He focused those vibrant eyes on me and smiled. “Well, it’s not poison. It doesn’t taste too bad, and it feels amazing.” With a wink, he handed me the bottle as Novak set a dress on the bed for me to wear.

I pulled on the gown, but set the antidote to the side, causing Auric to arch a brow.

My lips curled, my stomach fluttering with excitement. “Catch me if you can!” I shrieked as I ran toward the sheer curtains and flung myself into the wind.

“Layla!” Auric shouted as Novak’s growl rippled in my wake.

The incredible sensation of freefall without wings made me both terrified and giddy at the same time, but this was how I’d broken the effects of the elixir once before.

I didn’t need the antidote, and neither did Novak. That was the purpose of this little stunt—to remind my mates that we didn’t need to rely on anyone else.

Not when we had each other.

The first time I broke the elixir was because my mates were in danger.

This time, I knew they would catch me if I failed.

But I didn’t fail. Their presence lingered at my back as my love for them filled my chest.

A love so full that it overflowed my heart in waves, bringing my wings to life.

Dark, shimmering feathers spanned wide, and I caught the low drafts that hugged the ocean, sending myself soaring over the surface of the glittering waves.

I openly laughed as salt sprayed against my face.