“It’s, uh…” I shift in my handcuffs, blow a strand of hair out of my face so I can get a better look at her. “It’s an honor to meet you, Madam President.” My words ooze with over-the-top politeness, and I flash her a very fake smile.

“Scorpia,” Momma says, her tone frosty enough to make me wince. “Shut up.”

I oblige.

“I hope you understand that you’ve put me in a difficult position,” Leonis says. It takes me a moment to realize she’s speaking to Momma, because she never looks directly at her. As if merely looking one of us in the face is beneath her. “The city is in an uproar. I was under the impression I was dealing with another Gaian, who understood the value of subtlety.”

Momma’s eyes flash with barely contained fury, but she keeps her voice calm.

“I can assure you, if your people hadn’t pulled me away with so little warning, this never would have happened.” She glances down at me, and I look away. “My children, unfortunately, did not have a proper Gaian upbringing. Though, from what I understand, your daughter was involved in this as well?”

Despite the situation, I have to bite my lip to hide a smile at that. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it does feel good to hear Momma sass the Gaian president. After a moment, Leonis sniffs, turns away from us, and nods to the collection of enforcers standing at attention nearby. The man in charge perks up, so eager for orders that I want to gag. Gaians.

“Uncuff them,” Leonis says.

I’m not sure who’s more confused—me, or the officer receiving the orders.

“What?” we both say, as he looks at the president and I look at my mother.

“Ma’am, these are off-worlder criminals with an incredibly long list of offenses to their names,” the officer says, gesturing in particular to me. “You want them released?”

“Was my order unclear, officer?” the president asks. Her tone and expression are both mild, and yet there’s something steely and frightening in her eyes. I recognize the look from my own mother. This is a woman who’s used to having her orders followed without question.

Still, the officer hesitates. I have to imagine this goes against every word of his training and code. He casts another look at me, the hatred stewing behind his eyes. I grin up at him. But a moment later, he controls his expression, nods, and gestures for the other law-enforcers to assist him in releasing us.

I bounce to my feet as soon as I can. Though my heart is still pounding, and I haven’t a clue where this situation is going, I make a great show of stretching my arms above my head and making contented sounds. The head officer glares at me from nearby, his shoulders stiff.