“DNA, actually,” Tanin corrected. “If you’re trained to use it anyway.”
“If it can do that, how can it not see if we have a tracker inside us?”
“Because none of us are trained on it. And there are some devices that are built specifically to avoid detection in a mediring. You have to know exactly what you’re looking for or have a specially programmed scanner in order to detect them. It’s not cheap tech, but it is the sort of thing that Gissrn would be able to afford. And the sort of thing he would definitely splurge on in order to ensure the return of his treasures in case they were lost.”
Garnet grimaced, hating that too. Just because of a terrible stroke of fate, he had succeeded in getting his hands on them and now they were going through all this. Being kidnapped was bad enough, but having foreign bodies shoved under her skin without her permission was worse. After all he must have spent just trying to secret them back to Holivair, he would want some assurance that they would definitely get there.
And that they would never truly be able to escape.
If the collars he put around their throats somehow failed, if they somehow managed to get away, it still wouldn’t matter so long as he had a tracking chip that couldn’t be detected forced into their bodies.
A warm hand pressed against her cheek. Tanin. He lifted her face to look at him.
“Don’t be afraid of him,” he said. A simple order. A quiet command.
And there was so much power in it. He didn’t beg her not to be afraid. He didn’t tell her that there was nothing to be afraid of. He didn’t lie and say that the king was never going to get his hands on her or something like that.
Don’t be afraid.
Just that simple. Because regardless of what else might happen, Tanin was going to take care of it. He was going to deal with this problem. Gissrn would come after them, he would send whoever he could hire, but it didn’t matter, because Tanin would deal with it.
Because that’s what he did. Tanin solved problems. He did what he needed to in order to make sure that he and those he claimed were safe.
And that included her.
All at once, the worries and uncertainties that had been plaguing her seemed to vanish. Garnet relaxed as she nodded, leaning into his touch. Trusting him.
He would fix the problem of this Neelai person. Tanin would figure out how he was finding them and deal with it. And if he couldn’t, he’d find Neelai and end his pursuit directly.
Just like he was waiting out Garnet’s uncertainty, and then he’d deal with her.
Because to him, her nervousness over the intimacy she hadn’t expected, over his physical features she hadn’t expected, were just small problems. Simple things. And he was telling her not to be afraid of them because he’d deal with it.
He wouldn’t hurt her. Dick barbs or relationship issues aside, he would never hurt her. And if the intimacy between them didn’t work out, he wasn’t going to take it out on her. Because he’d asked for it. He wanted it. He was risking just as much as her, if not more, because even if they hooked up, got really close, then things turned sour and they broke up, he would still feel responsible for her. Both as her sponsor and as her employer.
He was just that type of guy.
“I’m not scared,” Garnet said, surprised to realize that it was true.
She was sure that this Neelai guy would come after her or her sister again, and she was determined to do whatever it took to stop him.
But she also had Tanin, and what was to fear with him at her side?
Chapter 27
Tanin
“Certification complete. Registering now.”
“I’m still not sure about this,” Goldie said, frowning.
“Oh, it’s fine,” Garnet laughed, nudging her. “What’s the difference between a person and a dog really anyway?”
“A lot, actually.”
“It’s just for legal reasons,” Tanin assured her again. “You won’t be held to any professional standard. And as your employer, I have no complaints about your work. Your only patients will be the crew, and they won’t complain either.”
“I mean, yeah, but still…”
