“Sorry,” I grumbled, rubbing my own forehead. “But you shouldn’t have been hovering over me like that.” I looked around to see that I was back in my room at the palace, sitting up in my green-canopied bed. Heat rose to my cheeks as I realized I wore nothing but a thin tank top and underwear, and that Iannis was alone in the room with me. “Where’s Fenris?”
“Dealing with this disaster, along with Director Chen.” The Chief Mage sat down in a chair that had been pulled up next to my bed, and I wondered just how long he’d been sitting in it, watching me sleep. “He wanted to be here instead, and I don’t blame him. You were quite a mess when we found you.”
The memory of Talcon’s body crushing mine, of his hard-on grinding into me, and of my fangs sunk deep into his neck, made me shudder. “Yeah, I’m not exactly surprised,” I said, quietly.
The Chief Mage’s lips curled downward. “Did he… do anything to you?” he asked, the barest hesitation in his voice.
I arched a brow. “You mean aside from binding my wrists with silver and beating the shit out of me?”
“I...” Iannis’s expression didn’t change, but spots of color appeared high on his cheekbones. “All your clothes were on when we found you, but Captain Galling has reported to me that his Deputy had an interest in you that went beyond professional.”
Yeah, no kidding. I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. “I’m fine,” I said, not wanting to dwell on it. “What happened to Talcon, though? And Yantz?”
The Chief Mage scowled. “Deputy Talcon bled out before I could heal him, and Petros Yantz was already gone. Fenris found a secret passage that allows escape from his mansion, and from the scent could tell that Yantz used it recently. He’s leading a search party to find him now.”
Hearing that Yantz was missing, and the answers to the questions bouncing around in my head gone with him, galvanized me into action. I swung my legs off the bed. “I need to get out there.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Iannis was suddenly right in front of me, his hands braced on either side of my hips. My bare legs brushed against his blue robes, and I sucked in a sharp breath as heat raced through my limbs and lit a fire in my core. Once again, I was acutely aware of how little clothing I wore.
“I just finished healing you again, and I’m not going to let you run out this door so soon.” His voice was rough now, his violet eyes blazing down at me.
I should have been outraged that he was pushing me around, but my pulse was pounding too hard for me to think straight. “And just how the hell do you think you’re going to stop me?”
A sharp knock at the door interrupted us. Iannis straightened as I hastily shoved myself backwards, annoyance flashing across his sharp features.
“Who is it?” he demanded.
“Garen, sir. I’m one of the guards.”
I let out a sigh of relief as Iannis answered the door. Saved by the guard. I had no idea what would have happened if he hadn’t knocked on the door… but I had a feeling it was something we both would have regretted later.
“Well? What is it?” he demanded of the guard as I belted a robe around my waist.
“I’m sorry to bother you, sir.” The guard bowed hastily. “An important visitor is here to see you.”
“At this time of night? Who is it?”
Garen’s eyes slanted towards me as I joined Iannis at the door, and then back to the Chief Mage.
“It’s Thorgana Mills, the owner of Mills Media and Entertainment. She’s here to see you, and Miss Baine.”
I had to admit, for once it was nice to be standing next to the Chief Mage on his side of the desk instead of traveling towards him down the never-ending blue carpet. But as I watched Thorgana Mills walk through the doors, I reminded myself she was hardly in the situation I’d been when I was first dragged in here. For one, the two huge men who flanked her were her personal bodyguards, and for two, she was here of her own accord. She looked pretty damn good too, with her shoulder-length ice blonde hair curled, her makeup perfectly applied, and her white skirt suit wrinkle and smudge free – something I myself would never be able to accomplish, given my knack for attracting dirt. And blood.
Neither of which a woman like her knew anything about.
“Lord Iannis,” she greeted, bowing, and her bodyguards bowed briefly as well. Her silvery voice was as cultured as the rest of her, and she used it to great effect while hosting her many garden parties. Though Thorgana was the owner of one of the largest news and entertainment companies in the country – of which the Herald was a mere branch – she’d inherited the company from her father and left most of the management to CEOs and assistants. I had reason to know she was much more comfortable in her role as a socialite, hosting and attending parties and functions and working with charities – she’d hired me as a bodyguard once or twice. While she’d paid well, it had been one of the most boring jobs I’d ever done.