“Indeed.” Iannis pressed his lips together, glancing out the window and back at Solantha’s receding shoreline. “I discussed the search for your attacker with Fenris this morning. He is going to inform the staff that everyone will have to submit to a truth spell upon my return, which I will administer personally.”

“That could lead to the traitor making a run for it,” I pointed out.

“Yes, and if that happens, he will have made himself known.” Iannis’s glittering gaze turned to ice. “Fenris is monitoring the employment records very closely. We will find out who it is. They will not escape retribution.”

“And what happens if the guy doesn’t leave, and he somehow manages to evade your truth spell?”

Iannis shrugged. “I suppose in that case, I would have to fire all the human staff.”

“You can’t just put people out of jobs like that,” I argued, horrified at the idea that he’d put dozens of innocent people out of work. “Your servants are incredibly loyal, and to punish them like that will only increase resentment in the human population.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means keeping you safe,” Iannis said firmly, his hands banding around my upper arms. “You are mine, Sunaya Baine, and I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”

I sighed, fighting against the urge to roll my eyes. This macho-ness was getting a little ridiculous…but it was also incredibly sweet, and I didn’t want to discourage Iannis. “That’s fine,” I said gently, placing my hands on his broad shoulders. “But you’re going to have to replace all those humans, and it would be all too easy for the Resistance to slip in even more spies.”

“Then we’ll require that all new employees submit themselves to truth testing. In fact, I may make that a new-hire policy in general, at least until the Resistance has been eradicated.”

“And are you going to apply that same policy to mages?” I demanded, annoyed now. “In fact, shouldn’t you be subjecting all employees to the truth test, and not just the human ones?”

Iannis’s eyebrows winged up. “I doubt it was a mage who did this. No self-respecting mage would use a bomb to assassinate someone, not when there are so many magical means of doing so.”

“Yeah, that’s the obvious reasoning, isn’t it?” I jabbed his chest with my finger again. “If a mage did use a bomb, it would automatically deflect suspicion away. And don’t go around telling me it’s impossible for one of your mages to be in with the Resistance. Not after what happened with Chartis.”

“Hmm. You do make a good point there.” Iannis’s grip on my arms relaxed as a thoughtful look entered his eyes. “I will consider what you’ve said.”