I screamed again beneath the hand that held me, and I tried to struggle. I caught the smell of leather in my nose. It was a worn glove, but the fingers it covered were anything but gentle.
Then, to my surprise, I heard Nika’s voice in my ear:
“If you don’t calm down, I won’t let you go,” she told me in a low but fierce whisper.
The relief that flooded me was immediate. My heart pounded painfully in my ears and temples, and her furious murmur caused another buzzing in my head. I was still sensitive from the explosion; the wound on my forehead began to hurt, hidden beneath my hair. I nodded silently and, at last, the woman released me. I turned to face her. Nika looked at me with a hardness that intimidated me. Impatience and annoyance were written all over her face. And the dried marks o
