Page 51 of Third Offense

Her presence would keep me from scouting.Again.

Which made no sense because I swore I kept waking up earlier, not at the same time. The sun wasn’t even up when I left the bed this morning.

Yet the clock now read09:01.

Something is seriously fucked up here, I decided, spinning around as the sound of heels clicking over marble met my ears.Great. Just fucking great.

Netiri appeared in the next moment dressed in a pencil skirt and blouse, just like every other fucking day, and flashed me a too-bright smile. “Good morning, Auric.”

I glanced at the clock.Yep. It’s now 09:03 even though I swear only a few seconds have passed.

“And what’s on the menu this morning?” she asked.

None of your fucking business, I wanted to say, tired of whatever game we’d started.

The first two days I thought maybe it was a coincidence.

Yesterday, I started to strongly suspect that it wasn’t.

Today, I was positive that we’d entered some sort of weird time loop where the activities repeated in the same sequence.

Is Netiri even aware?I wondered, scrutinizing her too-perfect outfit.Well, if she is, I sure as fuck don’t trust her.

Particularly as she kept observing me with a gaze that made me feel like food. The only female allowed to look at me in that manner was Layla.

Ignoring the female, I went to the fridge, as I usually did, and started rummaging for supplies. I’d done this the first day here as a ruse because Iston had caught me snooping around the palace, and I’d pretended to be looking for the kitchen. He’d guided me here.Right at 09:00.

So I went a completely different route on my second day. Only the male Noir caught me again and spouted the same directions. Placing me here.

Same thing happened yesterday when I tried a third route.

So, today, I woke up even earlier and came straight here, just to see what would happen.

And sure enough,09:00, followed almost immediately by Netiri.

What. The. Fuck?

“Is something bothering you?” Netiri asked, the female having moved across the kitchen to stand right behind me. She drew her nails up my back in a manner that would have been considered far too intimate had my wings been between us.

“I’m just trying to figure out what to make for my mate,” I said through my teeth, wanting her to back the fuck up. But I didn’t want to be rude and clue her into my discomfort with this entire situation, so I quickly gathered some items into my hands and slipped away to stand on the opposite side of the island counter from her.

She gave me a knowing smile that I very much wanted to wipe off her face.

However, I remained calm and pretended not to be bothered by the ravenous expression in her gaze. She reminded me of a Valkyrie with her too-forward approach and man-eater eyes.

If she didn’t have the distinct scent of a Noir, I would question her origin. She was also missing the sharp teeth and claw-like nails, but those could both be filed down.

“Omelet?” she guessed, glancing down at the ingredients I’d gathered.

I frowned down at them, finally looking at what I’d picked up. A plastic container of vegetables—no idea who left them in the fridge—a carton of eggs, and some cheese. “Uh, yeah.”

No idea how to make an omelet, but sure.

Netiri hopped up on the counter, crossing her legs and leaning back on her palm. “Want some help?” The double-meaning was not lost on me.

“No, I’m good,” I told her, this time making direct eye contact and adding afuck offwith my gaze.

She was either dense or enjoyed a challenge, because she smiled.