Zoya frowns. She'd say what he anticipates—she'd just seen him! Hell, she was standing right next to him—but his question is what dislodges her expected statement right from her.

She blinks stupidly. That's not a question she finds utterly out of character for Nikolai. He cares about people and often shows it—and he hasn't been shy in doing so with her—but it's still an utter surprise.

Is she all right? No.

But what she says is: "Of course." She tugs her shoulders back and lifts her brows slightly. "I've been abducted by a strange force, thrust into a land we never marked on the map, and my hair is a mess."

At least Zoya's still Zoya.