Page 110 of Third Offense
I shifted focused to Raven, noting her rounded shoulders and her tightly clenched eyes.
Ketos might survive.
Because of my mate.
Because of everything we’d done.
Because of this insane sequence of events.
I wasn’t sure how any of this had happened, but I’d gathered enough of the pieces to put it together.
Iston and Netiri were the true culprits here. Not Auric.
And everything is an illusion.
Except for the sight before me. Except for my mate and the vibrations pulsing around her.
Layla and Ketos were real, too.
And Sorin, who had gone silent, his focus on our female.
He knelt beside her, his palm on her back, concern etching his brow.
Our mate’s pale skin glimmered with a sheen of sweat, every part of her appearing strained. But she didn’t stop focusing on the Noir Prince.
She just muttered words aboutfog, demanding it tofuck off.
Fog,I repeated to myself, acknowledging the description.Yes, fog.It was an adequate sensation for how I felt now, my mind clouding with a mixture of reality and dream.
Raven had seen through it. She’d tried to tell us at different points.
Fuck, she’d damn near drowned trying to break herself from the spell that had fucked with our versions of reality.
We knew better. We’d been through this before.
And yet… this had somehow been so much worse. Because we’d wanted to believe we were safe.
But we’re never safe. That’s not our lives or our fates.
Raven shuddered, causing Sorin to press himself against her, offering her strength. I stood guard behind them, just in case more of those mind-fucked guards appeared.
Although Layla appeared to be creating some sort of shield. I could feel the energy of it pulsing around us, the warmth a comforting blanket over our skin.
Or is that Ketos?I wondered, having heard about his energy-related power from Raven.
Layla had shared that detail when she’d given my mate the shell necklace—one my mate wore around her neck right now as she continued healing the Noir Prince.
Another wave of energy brushed my mind, clearing the fog just a little more.
It allowed me to see properly, to take in the ash-blood mixture painting the room in death.
“Do you see all this?” I asked, my question for Sorin.
“Yeah,” he confirmed, wincing as Raven began to shake. He drew his palm down her spine, over the silky nightgown she still wore. Normally, I’d want to cover her in something more appropriate. But now wasn’t the time.
Fuck, I had just killed Noir in my damn flannel pants and nothing else.
Same with Sorin.
