Considine laughed—it was Connor’s laugh, which had my heart aching all over again. “Am I really so pathetic that you feel the need to reassure me…” He trailed off, blinking a few times, then turned around in the chair to peer in the direction of the door.
A second later the sensation of fire and spicey food brushed my mind—dragon shifter magic.
“Gisila?” I whispered.
“Probably.” Considine stood up and casually leaned closer to me, so his side pressed into my bed.
“Already? Even if she knew my face, she couldn’t have figured out my name,” I said.
“She likely figured out you came to the hospital—I wasn’t exactly covert in moving you here. From there it would be easy enough to figure out your room. The staff is shocked to be dealing with a supernatural, even a human one,” Considine said.
I mentally chewed on Considine’s offered explanation. For a moment I wondered if maybe he had told her—he’d been standing with her, after all, when I saw them in the alleyway.
No, that’s not feasible. He went through a lot of trouble to get me here. If he was working with Gisila he wouldn’t have bothered.
“Shall we set her up and see what she wants?” Considine asked.
I weighed out the options. Considine had said my team would arrive soon, but I didn’t have a way to contact them in the meantime. Considine would have no problem crushing Gisila, but that didn’t mean he wanted to.
Given his offer, though, I think he’s willing to exert himself.
“Okay,” I agreed.
Considine turned, his eyes scanning the room as he searched for a place to stand out of sight.
I stared at his leather belt, homing in on the daggers strapped to it. “You carry weapons now?”
“Yes,” Considine said. “I decided they were necessary in case you ever feel the need to unleash another giant snake upon me.” He took a step towards the shadows.
“Wait.” I put one hand on his belt and tugged on him. He twisted for me and obligingly raised his arm so I could pull one of the daggers he carried free from its sheath on his belt.
It didn’t occur to me until after I held the blade that despite him having Connor’s face and Ruin’s carefree attitude it was no longer safe to act so familiarly with him.
“Go ahead, help yourself,” Considine said, shattering my concern. “It’s not like I could use a weapon when we’re about to face off with a powerful dragon shifter.”
“You’re fine.” I worked on hiding the blade in my blankets in a way that I could quickly draw it. “You could kill her blindfolded, and I don’t have any of my usual weapons.”
“Ahh yes. Those scruffy Drakes did take your things, but I’m not certain where they stored them.” Considine peered around the room.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway—she was coming.
“It’s fine, just hide.”
“What, don’t you want to strip me of additional weapons?” Considine turned to put the small of his back to me, revealing another dagger.
“Connor!” I snapped as I found the little remote for my bed again. “She’s almost here. Hide!”
It wasn’t until Considine silently approached the wall and mingled with the shadows that I realized I’d used the wrong name.
I grimaced at the reminder—that Considine was Connor and I was an idiot—but turned my attention to the door just in time to see Gisila nudge it open.
Gisila—wearing a trendy black cocktail dress—smiled at me. “Good evening, Jade.”
Ahh yes. She figured out who I am—probably from the staff. She’s telling me that she knows who I am—that she can easily find me again.
“Lady Gisila,” I said, my usual social anxiety entirely gone as my slayer senses flooded my aching body, preparing to fight.
Gisila smiled pleasantly. “I have something of yours.” She held up my slayer mask. “The hospital staff kindly let me in so I could return it to you.”
That explains why they told her who I was. I knew from experience hospitals were usually sticklers about privacy, but supernaturals usually excited even the most rule-abiding humans. Plus, thanks to the Cloisters efforts to paint supernaturals as harmless and loving, they’d have no reason to assume a dragon shifter in possession of my mask might have it for nefarious reasons.
“Thank you,” I said—good manners drilled into me even in current circumstances. “You shouldn’t have bothered. I have extras.”