Page 54 of Third Offense

I stared at him for a moment. The dark haze over his eyes frightened me. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you drugged?” We’d all been eating the same things. I’d been preparing our meals myself, partially for that purpose.

And the dinners I’d thoroughly analyzed. I hadn’t sensed any sort of toxins.

It didn’t mean there weren’t any.

Novak clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I’m fine,” he said with a good-natured smile that wasn’t him at all. “But maybe I’m drugged on happiness. Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy before, Auric.”

Happy? Novak?

Fine. I could… understand that.

“But the routine,” I insisted aloud. “Every day we have breakfast. Then we go for a flight. Have a swim. Return. Then we spend the afternoon with Layla’s mom. Then we have dinner, where Ketos finally shows up.” Which reminded me… “I mean, where even is he all day? Where does he sleep? Why are we only seeing him at dinner?”

Novak arched a dark brow at me. “You sound fucking paranoid.”

“Every time I walk in the damn kitchen, it’s nine-fucking-o’clock. Something is wrong with this place, Novak.”

Novak eyed me. “Seriously. Have you been sleeping at all?”

His complete and utter ignorance stunned me. “What the hell? You can’t tell me you think this is all normal. I left the bed before sunrise today, yet it was magically nine o’clock again when I entered the kitchen. And Netiri was there.Again.”

Novak gave me a knowing look. “Netiri?”

“The female Noir. She keeps running into me every morning. I’ve told you this.”

Novak considered me for a long moment, then shook his head. “Look. You just need to chill, Auric. It’s been a long time since I could just… breathe. Don’t take this away from me, all right?” He pushed me away from him and wandered off to catch up with Layla, leaving me gaping after him.

Did he just tell me to chill?

Never in my very long time of knowing Novak had I ever heard that male say the wordchillin that manner.

Something is definitely going on here.

Something that I needed to talk through to make sense of it.

Hopefully, Novak’s cousin isn’t as brainwashed as my mates.

I marched out of the room and down the hall, ignoring the guard that followed me as I went in the opposite direction of Layla’s mother and started my search.

I’ll find Zian, Sorin, and Raven. See what they think. And go from there.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

RAVEN

“Novak said what?”Zian asked, blinking at Auric.

“He told me to chill,” Auric replied, his hand acting as a visor to shield his eyes from the glaring sun overhead.

Sorin, Zian, and I had spent the last few days on the beach, at the base of the property’s many cliffs, enjoying the sunshine and ocean. They were both novelties to me that I’d never expected to experience. Now, I refused to leave.

Which was a bit strange because I wasn’t the type to grow attached to certain places, but this one was magnificent. Beautiful. Alluring. I wanted to live here forever, in bliss and harmony, never worrying about another day in my life.

A troubling thought, indeed. Right?

Maybe. Hmm.

I wasn’t sure.