Keeping his eyes on her but speaking to the room, he explained, “When I knew there would likely be an attack, I toldher to hide in the woods. Instead of listening to me, she came back around, stole the attackers’ SUV, and ran over two of them. Didn’t you, my warrior queen?”
Warrior queen?Alashiya’s ears got hot. “I ran over Monty. I only bumped Sergei. You were too close.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Taevas’s eyes gleamed with a vicious sort of pride. “You ran over Monty, but you got out andshotSergei.”
A murmur went around the room. She squirmed uncomfortably, taken off guard by the sudden shift to admiration. She didn’t feel any pleasure in the violence she’d participated in. There was nothing inherently virtuous about it.
But she was proud that she’d protected her husband, if nothing else. And in a secret, shadowy part of her, she was maybe even a little glad that she’d finally gotten some payback on a bully.
An older dragon to her left cleared his throat. It took a moment for her tired mind to recognize him as Constantin, Taevas’s uncle and the man who’d been in charge of the Draakonriik in his absence.
He offered her a small fanged smile. “I had no idea nymphs were warriors. You could teach our soldiers a thing or two about resourcefulness,vennatütar.”
“Ah, I’m really not,” she protested. “I don’t like violence.”
“And you’ll never be put in a situation like that again,” Taevas assured her.
Lowering her voice, she asked him, “What happens now?”
“You’ll eat and rest a little, then we’ll go home.”
She blinked. Surely he didn’t mean Birchdale. “Home?”
“Our roost,” he clarified.
Constantin made a sound of objection deep in his throat. “You nearly died, Taevas, and your wings need care. You should stay at least another night in the hospital. We can escort her to your roost, or she could stay with us until you’re strong enough to be discharged.”
Taevas shook his head. “No. I can recover just as well in myroost as I can here. I want to go home, and Shiya needs to be somewhere safe where she can decompress.”
The thought of being separated from him made her feel sick all over again, but Alashiya wasn’t about to put her fear over his recovery. “You should stay,” she whispered. “You were so sick, and your wings have caused you so much pain. I don’t want you to rush your recovery because of me.”
She could feel the gazes of everyone in the room bouncing back and forth between her and Taevas. Nothing about their interaction seemed remarkable to her, but she got the sense that it was some great spectacle to the clan.
Taevas stroked her matted curls and clicked his tongue. “This isn’t Birchdale,metsalill.Healers can come to our roost at a moment’s notice. We’ll both be more comfortable there.”
Alashiya wanted to argue more, but she couldn’t shake the discomfort of being observed. She didn’t know how to act in front of his clan. It was one thing to argue with him when they were alone in her home, but here…
In the hospital room, in front of these people, in the Draakonriik — Taevas wasn’t just Taevas. He wasIsand.
Avoiding his gaze, she muttered, “If you’re sure.”
Taevas pressed his lips to the crown of her head. Speaking into her hair, he breathed, “About finally taking you home? Absolutely.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Over the next few hours,Alashiya learned that when the Isand requested something, his people would move heaven and earth to give it to him as quickly as possible — even if they didn’t necessarily think it was the wisest idea.
She was swept along in a tide of activity as the Aždaja clan and a fleet of hospital staff prepared Taevas to go home. At some point she was briefly hustled off to the suite’s bathroom, where she changed into the loose dress Alex brought her. She didn’t feel comfortable using the sparkling shower with an entire clan of strangers just outside the door, so she settled for a sink bath. She still felt grimy and her curls needed some serious help, but a wipe-down and fresh clothing helped enormously.
While healers and various doctors prepared Taevas, she was placed in a soft armchair by his bed and given a tray of food. She didn’t register what it was or who gave it to her. Eating was a purely mechanical function. She’d only managed to get a bit of the food down before her overwrought body protested.
Although everyone smiled and rushed to make her comfortable, no one seemed to know what todowith her, so she was largely left alone. Hushed conversation in a mix of languages hummed around her, occasionally punctuated by her husband’ssoothing baritone. She didn’t remember closing her eyes or feeling when someone draped a blanket over her.
The next thing she knew, she was swaying gently as someone carried her out of the hospital room.
A jolt of unease nearly woke her completely when she realized it wasn’t Taevas’s shoulder under her cheek, but Radek’s. She’d barely stiffened before a familiar touch feathered over her back.
“Easy,metsalill,”her husband murmured. “Close your eyes. We’ll be home soon.”
