Page 58 of Third Offense

I’d upset the routine by sending Layla to talk to her mother earlier, so they could really be anywhere in this massive place.

Sighing, I headed back down the very long hall, the salty notes of the ocean beckoning me to go outside again.

I ignored the inclination, instead venturing to the upstairs terrace, then down to the palace’s main living area to see if they’d moved there.

It didn’t escape my notice that two of the guards had decided to follow me.

Rather than comment, I continued venturing and wandered into a new hall that I hadn’t been down before. Because why bother hiding my perusal at this point? They had to know I didn’t trust any of this.

It should have surprised me to find Kyril waiting for me around the bend, but for some reason, it didn’t.

This place was like a nightmare that toyed with me.

He paired a smile with a polite nod of his head. “Hello, Auric.” He frowned when I stopped a few feet in front of him, glancing over my shoulder to see if the guards were still there.

They were, but they had put some distance between us once they’d spotted Kyril.

“Is everything all right?” he asked, pulling my attention back to him.

No. Everything is not fucking all right.

Instead of saying how I really felt, I gritted my teeth and managed a more appropriate reply. “It’s fine. Just trying to get used to the schedule around here.”

Kyril’s brow furrowed. “Schedule?”

“It’s all just very new,” I explained with a wave of my hand. “Nothing like the Reformatory.”

“Well, I should hope not.” Kyril considered me for a moment, clearly evaluating me. “Is there something I can help you find?”

“No, I was just on my way to join Layla and Novak.”

He brightened at that. “Oh. They took off a bit ago, heading West, I believe.”

I paused. “West? Like flying? They said they were going to see Layla’s mom.”

Kyril cocked his head to the side as if thinking about that statement, then slowly tapped his lip. “No. I saw them head out for a flight. Queen Gaia is at the market with Iston.”

“Market?”

“She’s picking out something special for dinner.”

“Oh.” I didn’t believe that for a minute. “Well, thanks. I guess I’ll see if I can catch Layla and Novak in the skies.”

Or use this opportunity to snoop around.

I turned around and barely avoided slamming into a male who I hadn’t even heard sneak up behind me.

Ketos.

I glowered at him, immediately suspicious. “What the fuck do you want?”

Ketos huffed a laugh. “Not to be punched in the face again, that’s for damn sure. How about we take a walk instead, hmm?”

It was on the tip of my tongue to retort,And why the fuck would I want to do that?

But it occurred to me then that I was seeing Ketos.During the day. Something that hadn’t happened any of the previous days. He’d only ever appeared for dinner, leaving me to wonder what he did all day.

I considered him for a long moment.