"Pretty sure a cop just got into a fight with your man and they put his ass on the ground. I mean, not like he's doing anything smart by trying to tussle with them out here, you know? Anyway, you want us to take care of it? Hudson will throw a fit but he can go fuck himself. Or you wanna come down here?"
If I were being fair, I would ask Iyadre to come and speak with me. If life were being fair, the witch would have never stuck her nose into my life.
"We'll meet them at the station. It's not the first time he's had a brush with the law and I doubt it will be the last. How can you blame him? The human laws are ridiculous," I said, absently stroking the sleeping whelp in my pocket.
Xavion answered with a grunt and hung up on me. Typical. I put my phone down and looked at the ceiling, considering my next move. If we left Eskal, Nariti, and Olivia at the local jail, only two of them would make it out. I assumed Eskal would be barred from bailing a potential accomplice; and it had to be related to the egg break, or lack thereof, last night. What else would they have had on us?
That kept the human out of my life, until Eskal got home and called in a favor with someone else; most likely one of the unicorn studs that kept stomping around. They were all soft, gentle sorts who leapt at the chance to help out anyone in need. Ruthless in business, though. Crossing a unicorn was suicide; they'd haunt you to the ends of the earth and probably follow you into the spectral world if given the chance.
But abandoning my wingmate to a cage, even a very temporary one, bothered me. It set a precedent I wasn't comfortable with and it let the humans see him behind bars. The news probably wouldn't cover it very hard; the business was successful but it wasn't as if he threw himself before the public eye like the Fontaines did or the corvids.
"Iyadre?" I called.
There was a crash in the garage, a muttered curse, and then footsteps headed my way. His hair was mused, a pair of safety goggles pushed up his forehead. I blinked at him. He frowned at me. "Did you need something?"
"What the hell are you doing out there?"
He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Mead. The last stuff was such lousy quality I had to flush it down the sink. The fish in the sewers are probably drunk as fuck, though. What's up?"
"Eskal may have gotten himself into trouble."
After all, I didn't have confirmation that he'd been dragged off to jail but it was enough to assume he probably had. Most humans couldn't get away with decking a cop and not getting in trouble for it. There's only so much that money can buy you out of until you have to go through the same process as everyone else.
"Eskal may have gotten himself into trouble?" he asked.
I looked anywhere but his face. "Probably."
"Only probably."
"He punched a cop, I think. Xavion called and gave me the bad news. Him and Nariti are probably getting dragged into a paddy wagon as we speak."
Iyadre pulled his goggles off and tossed them on the table. "How long does it usually take for humans to process them into the jail, and how long does it take for us to be able to go get them?"
"And you're asking me this, why?" I scowled.
He snorted. "Because you're the one who hangs out with the bottom feeders around town. You're the one who watches people get into trouble at your garage all the time. We run real estate. Come on. How long?"
"You grease the right people and maybe it's a few hours. Without that, it's probably a day or two. Eskal will probably lose his mind in a cell if he's in there for dinner." I slapped the table as I stood. "You have enough in your account to bail them out?"
Iyadre looked like I'd slapped him. "Why would it come from my coffers? He's your wingmate as much as he is mine."
"I'm not paying for him. The old drake's loaded. He can pay for himself. You have access to his account, don't you?"
He nodded, rubbing his chin. "He won't like this. A donation is one thing. Paying for the uncaging of an innocent dragon is another. He'll be ready to take out half the city. Especially once Olivia finds out about this. She must be terrified she's next."
I bit my tongue. Iyadre peered at me. "Is she involved, too?"
"She was at the museum. One would assume-"
"Did Xavion mention her or not?"
I glared at him and Iyadre snorted. "Xavion called me first, idiot. I just wanted to see if you could check your ego long enough to do what's right. Obviously, you can't. You get babysitting duty again. You aren't coming with me."
"The kid's asleep," I snapped. "You stay with him. I'll go get Eskal."
And only Eskal. Nariti could keep Olivia company while I worked myself into Eskal's good graces once again. I didn't know what I'd done for his eye to stray so far, but I must have done something to displease him. What better to fix it than by saving him from human capture?
"Is he in your pocket?" Iyadre asked.
I cupped the tiny bulge in my pocket as if he were going to reach over and snatch him away from me. Then I lowered my hands. It wouldn't do
