"They think he's dangerous," repeated Christian gently.
"He's not!" Lissa glared around at the rest of the car's occupants, all of whom were looking somewhere else. "He's not Strigoi anymore."
"Princess," began one of the guardians uneasily, "no one really knows what happened. You can't be sure that--"
"I am sure!" she said, voice too loud for the small space. There was a regal, commanding air to it. "I know. I saved him. I brought him back. I know with every single part of me that he's no longer Strigoi!"
The guardians looked uncomfortable, again not speaking. I think they were just confused, and really, how could they not be? There was no precedent for this.
"Shh," said Christian, putting his hand on hers. "There's nothing you can do until we're back at Court. You're still hurt and exhausted--it's written all over you."
Lissa knew he was right. She was hurt, and she was exhausted. That magic had ripped her apart. At the same time, what she had done for Dimitri had created a bond to him--not a magical one, but a psychological one. She really was like a mother. She felt desperately protective and concerned.
"I need to see him," she said.
She did? What about me?
"You will," said Christian, sounding more certain than I suspected he was. "But just try to rest now."
"I can't," she said, even while stifling a yawn.
That smile flickered back across his lips, and he slipped his arm around her, pulling her as close as the seat belts would allow. "Try," he told her.
She rested her head against his chest, and his closeness was a type of healing in and of itself. Worry and concern for Dimitri still coursed through her, but her body's needs were stronger for the moment. At last, she drifted into sleep in Christian's embrace, just barely hearing him murmur, "Happy birthday."
Twenty minutes later, our convoy arrived back at Court. I thought this meant instant freedom, but my guardians took their time in getting out, waiting for some signal or directions that no one had bothered to tell me about. It turned out they were waiting for Hans.
"No," he said, firmly putting a hand on my shoulder as I shot out of the car and tried to race away to... well, I wasn't sure where. Wherever Dimitri was. "Hold on."
"I have to see him!" I exclaimed, trying to push past. Hans was like a brick wall. Considering he'd actually fought a lot more Strigoi than me tonight, you'd have thought he'd be tired. "You have to tell me where he is."
To my surprise, Hans did. "Locked away. Far, far out of your reach. Or anyone else's. I know he used to be your teacher, but it's better if he's kept away for now."
My brain, weary from the night's activities and overwrought with emotion, took a moment to process this. Christian's words came back to me. "He's not dangerous," I said. "He's not a Strigoi anymore."
"How can you be so certain?"
The same question Lissa had been asked. How could we really answer that? We knew because we'd gone to incredible pains to find out how to transform a Strigoi, and when we'd completed those steps, there'd been an atom bomb of magic. Wasn't that enough proof for anyone? Hadn't Dimitri's appearance been enough?
Instead, my answer was like Lissa's. "I just know."
Hans shook his head, and now I could see he actually was exhausted. "No one knows what's going on with Belikov. Those of us that were there... well, I'm not sure what I saw. All I do know is that he was leading Strigoi a little while ago, and now he's out in the sun. It doesn't make any sense. No one knows what he is."
"He's a dhampir."
"And until we do," he continued, ignoring my comment, "Belikov has to stay locked up while we examine him." Examine? I didn't like the sound of that. It made Dimitri seem like a lab animal. It made my temper flare, and I nearly started yelling at Hans. A moment later, I got myself under control.
"Then I need to see Lissa."
"She's been taken to the medical center for treatment--which she needs very badly. You can't go there," he added, anticipating my next response. "Half the guardians are there. It's chaos, and you'd be in the way."
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Go get some sleep." He gave me a wry look. "I still think you've got a bad attitude, but after what I saw back there... well, I'll say this. You know how to fight. We need you--probably for more than paperwork. Now go take care of yourself."
And that was that. The dismissal in his voice was clear, and as the guardians hurried around, it was like I didn't exist. Whatever trouble I'd been in before seemed long forgotten. No more filing in the wake of this. But what was I supposed to do? Was Hans crazy? How could I sleep? I had to do something. I had to see Dimitri--but I didn't know where they'd taken him. Probably the same jail Victor had been kept in, which was inaccessible to me. I also needed to see Lissa--but she was deep in the medical center. I had no power here. I needed to appeal to someone with influence.
Adrian!
If I went to Adrian, maybe he could pull some strings. He had his royal connections. Hell, the queen loved him, in spite of his slacker ways. As much as it killed me to accept, I was realizing that getting in to see Dimitri right away was going to be nearly impossible. But the medical center? Adrian might be able to get me in to see Lissa, even if it was crowded and chaotic. The bond was still blurry, and talking to her directly would allow me to score faster answers about Dimitri. Plus, I wanted to see for myself that she was all right.
Yet when I reached the housing Adrian stayed in at Court, I was informed by the doorman that Adrian had already left a little while ago to--ironically enough--go to the medical center. I groaned. Of course he'd already be there. With his healing abilities, they would have summoned him out of bed. Weak or not, he could definitely help.
"Were you there?" the doorman asked me as I started to turn away.
"What?" For a minute I thought he was talking about the medical center.
"The battle with the Strigoi! The rescue. We've been hearing all sorts of things."
"Already? What did you hear?"
The guy's eyes were wide and excited. "They say almost every guardian died. But that you captured a Strigoi and brought him back."
"No, no... there were more injuries than deaths. And the other..." For a moment, I couldn't breathe. What had happened? What had really happened with Dimitri? "A Strigoi was changed back to a dhampir."
The doorman stared. "Were you hit on the head?"