Page 93 of Third Offense

She pressed her mouth to mine, making me gag again as I tried to unwind her from my neck. She was like a fucking spider, clinging to me with her sticky essence. I grabbed a fist full of her hair to yank her off of me.

Which was of course the moment Ketos decided to enter.

Fucking great.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ketos demanded.

Netiri yelped and fell off of me, her cheeks flushing as though embarrassed to be caught.

I spat and wiped my mouth, trying to rid myself of the taste of her. “She fucking attacked me.”

“Some attack,” Ketos deadpanned while Netiri readjusted her barely there robe.

“This is so embarrassing,” Netiri began. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Ketos. Auric and I—”

I growled, cutting her off as my vision went red. “Sorry he had to see that?” I repeated. “Sorry he had to see you fucking attacking me, you mean?”

She had the audacity to blush again, her eyes going dreamy. “Well, I wouldn’t say Iattack—”

I cut my hand through the air, silencing her. Because fuck this. “Do you honestly think I’d willingly make out with her after I asked you to come this morning?” I asked Ketos.

I was aware this looked bad, but Ketos had to know that this was a setup.

A flicker of sympathy glinted in Ketos’s gaze, assuring me he shared the knowledge that something really was going on here.

“I think we…” he trailed off on a wince as Iston appeared behind him, making me frown.

“Ketos?”

His eyes rounded, his hand going to his abdomen as a metallic glint cut right through him.

Oh… Fuck!

I leapt forward, but it was too late. He was already going down. And while Ketos was the most powerful Noir I’d ever met, his powers required energy. They required life.

And Iston…

Iston just stabbed him in the fucking back.

“Fuck!” I caught Ketos as he began to fall, my eyes searching the room as his blood warmed the fabric of my shirt.

Cameras? Witnesses? Netiri…

She grinned at me, winked, then fell to her knees and started sobbing.

Gods…

An alarm blared in the next second, leaving me stunned.Did someone see this?But there didn’t appear to be cameras in here.Why hadn’t I noticed that before? Why are there no cameras here?

That would have been the right way to trap Netiri, but I hadn’t even considered it.

How…?

My knees buckled as Ketos’s heavy form gave out, taking us both to the ground. His eyes were no longer open, his body completely limp against me.

I lowered him to the ground, my hands searching as I tried to figure out how to save him.

Was this setup all about Ketos, and I’d just been the bait?