He bent over to pick me up but I stopped him with a hand on his chest. Firm muscle hid under the fine fabric of his suit. He was so close that I could see the darker blue ring around the outside of his irises.
“You cannot carry me,” I said, my voice quiet but adamant. “Weakness is a vulnerability. I’d rather not become a target for every moron with a grudge if you don’t mind.”
He paused for a long second then nodded. “I will assist you out,” he said.
Ian stepped out of the transport and then offered me his hand. When I grabbed it, he pulled me out and helped me stand. Vertical, my head rang like a gong. My dress was a little the worse for wear, but it still covered me, so I ignored the damage and pretended all was well. I excelled at pretense.
“Steady?” Ian asked under his breath.
Rather than answering, I inclined my head and dropped his hand. I walked to the door without so much as a wobble, although the effort had cost me. I swiped my arm over the reader and the door unlocked.
Ian pulled the door open for me, and I swept inside. “Contact me as soon as you know anything about Ferdinand,” I tossed over my shoulder.
After the door clicked closed, he caught up to me and pulled me to a stop. “You should see a doctor,” he said.
Over my dead body. And if I had it my way, not even then. I didn’t say it aloud, but some of the sentiment must’ve leaked through in my expression because Ian frowned.
“I am fine,” I said. “I will be better when Ferdinand is safe at home, so I suggest you get to it.” I sank enough dismissive condescension into that sentence to founder a battle cruiser.
Ian stiffened and his face smoothed into a polite mask. He bowed slightly. “As you wish, Lady von Hasenberg,” he said. “Do not leave the House without notifying me.” He turned and stalked down the hallway toward his office.
Once he was out of sight, I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Ian could be damned persistent when he set his mind to it, but I’d found that just the right tone would cause him to storm away in a fury. And like it or not, I’d had plenty of practice being a condescending bitch thanks to my status as daughter of a High House.
I headed for the family wing, unsurprised to see guards posted along the hallway and outside my suite. Thanks to some careful nudging on my part, my suite had turned into the gathering spot for sibling meetings. It worked well because these days I was the only sibling who consistently stayed on Earth. Everyone else was usually off on some errand for the House. When they were home, my brothers and sisters had access to come and go from my suite as they pleased. As a bonus, the additional shielding in my room meant it took longer for my headache to worsen.
Catarina and Benedict were waiting for me. Sitting next to each other, no one would guess they were siblings. Catarina had Mother’s dark hair and golden skin. Only she and Ada had been lucky enough to take after Mother. The rest of us shared Father’s lighter hair and ruddy skin.
Benedict, my twin, jumped to his feet. Even with my heels, Benedict towered over me. I often claimed that he’d stolen all of my height because he was the tallest of all of my brothers and sisters.
“What happened?” he asked. He pulled me into a hug before I could answer.
“Someone shot at me outside House Chan,” I murmured into his chest. The reality sank in as I crashed from the adrenaline high. Someone had shot at me. On Earth.
A rock settled in the pit of my stomach. This was the first time someone had tried to kill me on Earth. The world shifted as my one sanctuary crumbled to dust.
“Was the shooter caught?” Catarina asked.
Benedict pushed me toward the sofa. “Sit, I’ll get you a drink,” he said.
I sat. The adrenaline crash had made me shaky and nauseated. “I don’t know if the shooter was caught,” I said. “Director Bishop ordered RCDF troops to the location, but they were late. Have either of you heard from Ferdinand?”
“No,” they said in unison.
“I pinged his com with an emergency message, but he didn’t respond,”