Blinking owlishly, Alashiya forced her head up just in time to catch the door opening behind him.
The inspector came rushing in, her orange face darkened with outrage. “Radek!” she barked, storming across the short distance to slam a hand down on the table. “You can’t just waltz in here and take my suspect out of custody! She’s the primary?—”
Radek?Alashiya stared at him with renewed interest. Taevas had told her the names of everyone in his Wing. His name sounded very familiar, but she wasn’t in any state to be certain of it.
Radek had been nothing but stoic since he entered the room, but the moment the inspector reached for Alashiya’s wrist, a monster took his place. His face, already harsh, transformed into a visage of pure ferocity as he rounded on the inspector.
“Touch her again and I’ll take your hand,” he snarled.
Alashiya wasn’t sure how the inspector managed it, but she somehow held her ground. Sounding only a little thready, she protested, “This nymph is a criminal held on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted murder of ourIsand.I can’t let you just walk out with her!”
Radek’s fingers, each one as thick as two of hers put together, were exquisitely gentle as he eased her wrists out of the shacklesand guided Alashiya to stand. When she stumbled, he tucked a hand under her elbow and held her weight until a little bit of her balance returned.
Turning his back on the inspector, the terrifying look on his face faded into a dark frown. He took in Alashiya with a long look. “He’s gonna fucking kill us all,” he muttered.
“Radek! I know you’re out of your mind, but you can’t just break the law!”
Alashiya’s gaze darted to the inspector, who looked about two seconds away from pulling her hair out by the roots. Glancing back at Radek, she dared to ask, “What’s going on?”
“You’re safe now,” he gruffly assured her. “I promise.”
She eyed him warily. “I don’t mean to be rude, but there’s only one dragon I feel safe with, Mr. Radek. And you’re not him.”
A soft huff escaped his proud nose. “Good instincts.”
Gently placing a hand on her elbow, Radek half-turned to give the inspector a narrow-eyed look. “Inspector, I’m relieving you of the custody of Alashiya Ardz. She’s officially under the protection of the Isand’s Wing. Any questions you have for her can be forwarded through me. Understood?”
The inspector was stunned into silence for all of a heartbeat before she sputtered, “Protection of theWing?What in— Why?”
Radek’s tail snapped behind him like an angry barn cat, but he didn’t push Alashiya to walk faster as he guided her toward the door. His hand was steady and careful as he patiently matched her much shorter strides.
He only bothered to answer the inspector’s question when they were nearly out of the room. “Because,” he rumbled, giving the inspector a pitying look, “she’s our new Emand.”
Alashiya didn’t know what that meant, and she didn’t get any clues from the inspector. They didn’t stick around to see her reaction.
A small fleet of grim-faced dragons waited outside the interrogation room and formed a tight column around them. Radekstuck close, his hand gently pushing her forward. The only time he spoke was when he snapped a command at one of the group. It was in a language she didn’t know, but she figured out what he’d asked for when the dragon returned with a soft gray blanket.
She had no idea just how cold she was until Radek wrapped it around her shoulders in a tight swaddle before depositing her in the backseat of a bulky black vehicle with darkened windows. Her teeth chattered and a wave of nausea crashed through her as Radek put the car in drive and peeled away from the curb at what felt like breakneck speed.
Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, she croaked, “Where are you taking me?”
Radek didn’t take his eyes off the road, but he did flip open the center console and pull out a water bottle. Passing it back to her, he commanded, “Drink.”
A spark of irritation burst in her at his bossiness, but she didn’t have the energy to complain. Only when she’d taken a long drink from the bottle did Radek answer her question. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”
A shudder of uneasiness ran through her. She’d never been in one of those before. “Why?”
“To see the Isand.”
In an instant, every bit of her exhaustion melted away. The water bottle crunched in her tight grip as she leaned forward. “You’re taking me to— I’m going to see Taevas? Really?”
“Yes,” he muttered, casting her a wary look in the rearview mirror. “And to have you checked out, too. Has anyone even looked at that cut on…”
Whatever the end of the sentence was, Alashiya didn’t hear it. Her ears filled up with white noise as she processed the fact that she’d be seeing Taevas soon.
A part of her had been absolutely certain she’d never see him again, so the joy of knowing that wasn’t true was indescribable.
Alashiya hardly blinked as the minutes passed. She didn’t look out the window. She barely noted the security checkpoint. Shedidn’t feel the fabric of the blanket over her shoulders or the bottle crumpled in her fist.
