Govam tilted his head to the side as though suddenly noticing a strange, brightly colored, possibly poisonous bug. I turned to Denski, also staring at me with a tilted head.
I lifted my eyebrows and nodded knowingly. “You know what I’m saying.”
A crooked smile worked up his greenish skin, revealing slightly pointed teeth I hadn’t noticed before. A smile from a lighthearted jest was a good sign. It meant they weren’t all monsters—not all the time, at least. I didn’t know if that would help me, but the more information, the better.
“Well, well, well.”
The booming voice filled the space, drawing my attention. A slim demon sauntered down the center aisle, a white silk robe hanging off his bony shoulders.
“What have we here?” His voice was singsong. From the way he was moseying in, moving slowly, it was clear he had some power in this place. The message was clear: he wouldn’t be rushed.
Maybe I should be freaked out, but I couldn’t get over the sight of him. His face was discolored, like someone had tried to tie-dye his skin, fucked up, dabbed at it, and left it in a warm, moist place. I assumed it wasn’t actually mold growing out of the side of his lips and down his neck, but I couldn’t be too sure.
He got within five feet of me, and suddenly his entire body tensed like he’d had a spasm. He put two thin fingers to his nose and backed up a step.
His tone changed immediately. “What is this?” Alarm bled through each syllable.
“We got two, but they need to share a cell,” Ressfu said. “A dragon and a… Some other kind of shifter. No one knows what, but it’s a weaker beast, at any rate. If he cooperates, you need to go easy on him—his highness’s orders. He’ll be a pet in the high court. They both will.”
“I know my role,” the newcomer said tersely. He hadn’t moved his eyes from me. “What is this?” He pointed at me.
“The dra-gon,” Ressfu bit out slowly.
“It’s an alpha’s mate,” Govam said in a bland tone.
“We have alphas, and we have mates, and none of them smell like that,” the newcomer replied.
“You have powerful dragons. You don’t have alphas,” Govam said. “Not alphas like this one.”
“She was claimed by the dragon prince,” Ressfu said quickly, clearly trying to reclaim control of the conversation.
The newcomer blew out a breath, taking me in. This wasn’t sexual. He was sizing me up. Assessing me. His gaze zipped down my body and stuck to the sword.
“I applaud you all for your…bravery, but we are not fools in the dungeon,” the newcomer said, his tone sickly sweet. It made me feel like insects were crawling across my skin. “Remove the sword.”
“Now, now, first officer,” Sonassa said from somewhere behind me. “Is his highness not keeping you in high comfort? You have to steal from prisoners now? Surely that is beneath you.”
“Not from prisoners, from us,” Ressfu said. “If we take it off, we keep it.”
Govam’s voice cut through the muttering of those behind us. “His highness said to leave it on.”
Ressfu waved him away. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” He glared at the first officer. “She keeps it. The king’s orders.”
A crease formed between the first officer’s eyebrows. “Is that so? And I assume he will provide us with the needed protections when she is to be moved to the whipping post?”
The whipping post? my dragon thought softly.
Neither of us liked the sound of that.
Govam’s tone was disinterested. “We don’t answer for his highness. He wants her to keep the sword. That’s all I know.”
“She doesn’t know how to use it,” Ressfu said. “He’s mocking her by allowing her—”
“His highness’s reasons are his own.” Govam didn’t take his eyes off the first officer. “And those reasons have clearly not been passed on to the dungeons. Who is to say what his real intentions are?” That sounded almost like a threat. It was clear the first officer and Govam did not like each other. “She keeps the sword.”
“For now,” the first officer said, matching Govam’s stare.
Govam didn’t comment.
“Fine.” The first officer turned his attention to Jedrek, still out cold and being carried. “What of that thing? Is he also armed?”
“No,” Ressfu said, his gaze darting to Govam and then away. “He’s no trouble.”