“Well,” I said, a strange sense of guilt stealing over me. This was Cobalt, I reminded myself. The rogue who had stolen Ember away and turned her against me. He was getting exactly what he deserved for all the trouble he’d caused Talon and myself. “We’ll leave you to it, Mr. Luther. Miss Anderson, if you would come with me, please.”

She followed me out of the room, down several hallways where guards and humans in white coats nodded to us respectfully, until we stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind us.

“I suppose you are going to inform me why you pulled me away from my job, Mr. Hill?” Mist asked as the box began to ascend.

“I am.”

“And I suppose the reason could not wait until after I had completed my interrogation of Cobalt and the soldier?”

“No.” I gave her a hard look. Mist had never openly challenged me. Though I had often caught hints of skepticism or disapproval whenever we spoke, she had always been coolly professional. Now she seemed almost irritated that I had stopped her from questioning the rogue and the soldier. I remembered that Cobalt had bested her before, in a very similar situation. Mist had tried to get information out of him and had not only failed to do so but had let him escape in the process. I knew she had returned to the organization and had been reassigned; I didn’t know if she had been disgraced by her failure, or if Talon had blamed the rogue.

Maybe her attitude was about revenge, I mused. Or, perhaps, her wish to redeem herself for that past failure. In any case, it didn’t matter. I needed her for something else.

“I’m leaving today,” I told her. “By order of the Elder Wyrm. My car is on its way now. But, before I go, I need you to do something for me, Mist.”

She raised an elegant silver eyebrow. “And what is that, Mr. Hill?” she asked coolly.

“I want you to keep an eye on Ember,” I said, making her blink. “Make sure nothing happens to her, and that she doesn’t try to escape.” I paused, then shook my head. “Actually, I’m sure she’ll try. But make sure she doesn’t succeed. I need to know she’ll be safe, and there’s no one else I trust to do this. You don’t need to guard her door 24/7, just know where she is and what she’s doing. I’ll feel a lot better about leaving if I know you are looking out for her.”

“I see.” Mist’s voice was flat. “And if Ms. Hill does get into some kind of trouble, what am I supposed to do?”