She grinned to herself as she got up. Her hip throbbing where she fell on it.

  Alright, enough games, Em. Time to get going.

  Tucking a romance into her bag, she left the house via the servant stairs. Careful to run into as few people as possible before meeting Todd at the back gate. With a flourish and a bow, her friend opened the already unlocked door. Then, they locked it behind them.

  “Have you heard from your uncle yet?”

  “You know he’s not my real uncle, right?”

  Em shrugged. Skipping to keep up with his long legs. “Have you heard from him?”

  “No.”

  “Has anyone answered your message?”

  He gave her a troubled look and shook his head.

  Em sighed. “Keep trying. I really need to talk to him.”

  “So, who is this special patient?” Todd cushioned his head with his hands as he walked. Casually looking up at the cloudy sky. “Isn’t doing so many surgeries a week dangerous?”

  “Usually,” she said cautiously. Not wanting to go into any more detail because she’d be forced to lie.

  Actually, she was worried about that, too. Sager kept saying it was fine, but…

  “I can’t tell you. Not yet. Probably not until he leaves the surgery.”

  Todd wrinkled his nose at her.

  “But you will tell me?”

  Em hesitated. Would that be wise? Would he find out anyway? She didn’t know. Even if she was suddenly free of all her former responsibilities, that didn’t mean she would be willing to put her friend in danger.

  So she patted his shoulder and hurried ahead.

  They grabbed a cab once they entered the merchant’s district and went straight to Sager’s. Since they didn’t have to stop for Em to change.

  “Doctor Sager will be back shortly,” the secretary informed Em. Voice bored and eyeing Todd coldly. “He said to wait for him in the shed. I suggest you keep your pet outside.”

  Em clenched her jaw as her temper suddenly flared.

  She took a step forward and Todd quickly grabbed her arm.

  “He’s not a pet.”

  The woman harrumphed and went back to reading her newspaper. Ignoring both of them.

  Em called her a not-so-nice name under her breath as she stomped through the house and to the backyard.

  Ignoring Todd’s snorts.

  Once at the shed, Em hesitated. Glancing at Todd and biting her lip.

  “I’ll be fine.” He made shooing motions. “He probably left you instructions. The sooner you read them, the faster we can get out of here and find a street vendor. I’m feeling like shish kabobs today.”

  Em pinched his arm and he frowned at her.

  “Funny. You feel like Todd to me.”

  Todd rolled his eyes and opened the door. Pushing her inside, then closing it behind her.

  For a moment, Em stood still.

  No one standing outside could see Asher. A thin curtain was drawn around half of the narrow bed, which was placed along the side wall. The setup hid him from anyone peeking in.

  But once you stepped inside, you could see his faint silhouette on the other side of the curtain.

  He was sitting up today.

  On her second visit this week, she found he had convinced Sager that he’d be good. So, except for a chain attaching him to his bed by the ankle, all the restraints were gone.

  Em didn’t know if that was better or worse.

  And even though he’d made no move to open the curtain, she could feel him watching her. Could he see her silhouette like she could see his? Probably. The skylights cast plenty of light for it.

  Feeling exposed and nervous, she checked her veil one more time and went to the worktable.

  Sager had indeed left her notes.

  She needed to give Asher the potion marked by the blue ribbon. As for the project of the day… more work on the man’s bum leg.

  They’d been working on it all week. A little at a time.

  The damage was worse than they thought. Not only did they have to cut away much of the bone, but the surrounding muscles had reformed to compensate. Plus, it was close to some major arteries. Sager would cuss under his breath as he struggled to keep his cuts within Em’s ability to heal quickly.

  Usually, he wouldn’t have tried what they were doing. He would have given Asher a cane and some painkillers instead.

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  She heard the curtain rustle and move behind her. His gaze burned her back, sending a shiver down her spine, and goosebumps prickled her skin.

  It made her nervous.

  “We’re almost done with your leg,” she babbled. Not looking at him. “I think Sager wants to take a break after that. Then we’ll work on your lung. It’s the most dangerous of the surgeries, so it will probably be a long break. You know, so you’ll have all your strength by then.”

  Starting with his leg had been one last experiment.

  They needed to know for sure that the theory would hold even when restoring bone.

  “Who’s that boy you keep bringing with you? He smells like a squirrel.”

  Em looked up from the notes and blinked owlishly at him.

  “Why?”

  Asher didn’t answer. Staring at her until she felt like she would soak her dress in sweat. Nervously, she put down the note and picked up the potion.

  “If you must know, he’s my bodyguard. And my best friend.”

  Cautiously, she crossed the room and held out the potion. Suspending it barely within arm’s reach.

  “Do you think I’ll bite you?”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

  Asher rolled his eyes and leaned forward to snatch the potion. He downed it without even asking what it was.

  He’s probably taken quite a few by now.

  Em took a seat. Staying out of reach as she pulled out her book.

  Aware of him watching her. Dang it! Did he have to do that?!

  When she first saw him, she thought he was as handsome as before. Albeit older, so even more attractive.

  Definitely more handsome.

  Especially his eyes.

  But now that he was recovering, she could see that she had made a grave mistake in her assessment.

  Worn out, sick Asher was nothing compared to healthier Asher. Who was even easier to peek at.

  But she didn’t dare ‘peek’ with him watching her so intently.

  It reminded her he was not only a prisoner but considered by most humans as something… less. Which made her an immoral wench for peeking.

  Because wasn’t she treating him exactly the same way?

  Her cheeks flushed.

  “Are you actually reading that page?”

  “Yes.” She paused and glanced up. Eyes narrowed. “Why? Do you think I’m not?”

  “You’ve been staring at one page for a long time. I was just wondering if you're a slow reader or if your mind is elsewhere.”

  She flushed and closed the book.

  “Slow reader,” she mumbled.

  He snorted. Unconvinced. Then he held out a hand.

  “May I see it?”

  Her flush deepened and she hid it behind her back.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve had nothing to do for days. I’m bored.”

  She hesitated. Ugh.

  Reluctantly, she passed it over to him. Careful to make sure she stayed well out of reach. He flipped to the title page, raised an eyebrow, and opened it in the middle.

  Both eyebrows shot up this time and he chuckled.

  “What?”

  “Is this how human women pass their time? These details are very… pornographic.”

  Em’s face blanked. Then, without thinking about what she was doing, she stood up and snatched the book from him. Reading only two paragraphs before she caught onto what he was talking about.

  Her blush had been going away. But now it returned so hard that she felt like her face, neck, and throat were sunburnt.

  She choked and snapped the book shut.

  “I didn’t know that was in there!”

  “Really?”

  He raised an unconvinced eyebrow. Crossing his arms and leaning back, he gave her a cheeky smile.

  “Really!” she insisted. She held the book in front of her like a shield. “My friend just said it was good! In fact, she said it was a lovely little romance!”

  I’m going to strangle you, Kalenna! Just watch if I don’t!

  “Sounds like you trusted the wrong person.”

  This time, Em used the book to smack herself on the forehead. She groaned.

  “Is your friend usually so underhanded?”

  Em glared over the book’s edge. “She probably meant what she said, so no.”

  “You seem to have a lot of friends. The one out there, the doctor, and the one who gives you indecent reading material.”

  Em groaned again and sagged against the bed.

  “You can sit. I won’t bite.”

  Em’s eyes snapped open. Suddenly, she remembered she was trying to keep her distance.

  Hesitantly, she took a step to the side.

  Away from Asher.

  She would have retreated to her chair if his expression had been as hostile as the first couple of days. Today, he looked torn between amusement and… exhaustion.

  Poor guy.

  He was probably so bored and lonely that he didn’t care who he talked to.

  Despite herself, she felt her heart soften.

  Slowly, staying on the other end of the bed, she sat down. Hugging the book.

  Asher quirked a smile. “Thank you.”

  “I have another book with me. It’s not… you know, one of these. You can borrow it if you want.”

  “May I see what it is?”

  She studied him.

  If this were eight years ago, when she used to dream about him, he wouldn’t have managed such a polite expression. He could be blank or angry but not polite.

  At least not with other people.

  He'd been open with Angel, a person he couldn’t see or communicate with. Vulnerable.

  Even kind.

  She missed that.

  Her heart ached as she went to her bag and pulled out the other book. She was studying it before the Thiago fiasco but hadn’t opened it since then. Even though she carried it around with her still.

  She handed it to Asher. Who performed the same examination he had just done on the romance. First, he looked at the title page, then opened it in the middle.

  “The History of Merchant Guilds and Their Practices. Are you trying to be a merchant?”

  “I’m trying to understand economics and trade,” she corrected. Still hugging the damning romance to her chest. “I’m not very good at it. Whenever I think I’ve got it, it goes whoosh out of my head.”

  “Sounds like you need practical experience.”

  She gave him a bitter look. “Believe me, I know. I’ve been trying for over eight years to get it.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  She held out two fingers, one at a time. “One, I’m female. Two, my family’s been blacklisted.” That was true enough.

  “Blacklisted? For what?”

  Em huffed and scooted back so she could lean against the wall. Pouting. “Honestly, I have no idea. Just a bunch of stupid people, that’s all.”

  “There has to be a reason.”

  Em shrugged. “My family has an honorable past. Well, honorable for our class anyway. Apparently, my father was part of a lot of scandals, but my mother reeled him in.”

  “And the rest of your family?”

  Em looked down at the book in her arms. “Socially acceptable behavior mostly. Nothing to blacklist us. So, I don’t know what it is.”

  I can’t say it’s because the Emperor is jealous of my brother. And I’m not lying. I don’t understand what he’s so jealous about.

  “I see.”

  “It’s alright, though. I don’t like business much, anyway. It’s so boring!”

  Asher snorted a laugh.

  “You prefer cutting people up? Is that it?”

  She gave him a grimace. “I like…”

  She paused. What did she like? She thought about it for a moment, looking back on instances where she had felt the most satisfaction. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, hidden by the veil.

  “I like making people happy.”

  “You find many people who are happy to be operated on?”

  “No.” She thought of all the knights at the March. “But they like waking up and knowing their jobs are secure and their families will be ok. Because they’re ok. They also like knowing they’ll walk again or won’t die from something stupid.”

  She looked at him, eyes smiling as broadly as her mouth.

  “They don’t come in happy, but they walk away happy. I like that.”

  Asher studied her. His expression was still polite, but… it was also…

  Before she could identify the look, there was a knock on the door.

  “Sager’s coming,” Todd called from outside.

  “Thanks!”

  She hopped off the bed and stuffed the romance into her bag. Then she barely had time to open a cupboard when Sager burst in.

  “What the hell did you do?!”