She rolls her eyes, but as much as she wants to hide her awkwardness, I see it. “I’m not trying to make a pass at you,” she says.
Gods, I wish I didn’t hear the truth in those words.
I also wish I could take off my kurta without struggling with my right arm. Jaya helps me with the last bit and I feel like a wounded animal. Yet I do get to cherish the moment when her gaze lingers on my arms before she sets her hands on my shoulder.
“This will numb the pain,” she mumbles as she wipes the pink goo over the bruising and whispers a spell. While she works she’s fixated on my shoulder, and I’m fixated on her. For once it’s acceptable to stare and I take full advantage. Maybe others wouldn’t find her as gorgeous as I do because they overlook the kindness in her piercing eyes, or the way her mouth twitches when she curses or says something sarcastic. I play with the idea of teasing her about the red in her cheeks, but she might counter with the same claim about me. My whole body is warm except for the coolness surging through my shoulder blade. Finally the pain retreats behind the tingling cold.
Her eyes lock onto mine. We are even closer than before, kissable close. “You are in a lot better shape than I thought,” she says.
I sit up a little taller. I’ve never been the most muscular of men—I’m no Rakesh—but I’ll never need to print on a fake Touch, so there’s that. “IthinkI’ll take that as a compliment.”
Confusion spins in her eyes and then understanding hits her. She laughs. “No, I mean the tear. Your injury is only half as bad as I thought.” She returns to casting pink magic as she shakes her head. Maybe it’s the proximity and the view, but it’s the best healing I’ve ever received. My shoulder relaxes and begins to thank me. Jaya works with steady hands, as though she’s sewing my muscle back together. My pink magic, on the other hand, operates like an overdose, almost as painful as the initial injury.
“Okay. It will be sore for a few days, but how does that feel?” she asks as she wipes her hands on her pants. I contemplate lying so she’ll lean toward me again.
“Perfect.” I rotate my shoulder and it’s only stiff, as if I slept wrong.
“I expect you want me to do your jaw too.”
I angle forward. “If you insist.”
She slides forward until our knees bump and then whispers,“Goghatalaeh.”
I thought her hand on my shoulder was something. But this is almost unbearable. I imagine pulling her onto my lap…and the slap to the face that would surely follow.
As if she can read my thoughts, Jaya’s gaze flits upward and connects with mine. She must feel the tension. I mean, it’s palpable. In the next second we’ve both fallen silent. She’s stopped casting and we are just staring at each other.
“You’re distracting me,” she whispers.
“You’re the one who wanted my shirt off.”
“Goghatalaeh,”Jaya says, and a rush of red smoke dives into my jaw. I wince as the pain compacts, eases, and then releases. Yep, that’s how it feels when I heal myself, and now I remember how much it sucks. I would’ve studied pink magic more if I knew it didn’t always have to hurt like this.
Jaya bites her lip. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.”
I rub my jaw. “Nope, I deserved it.” I shouldn’t be thinking about kissing her. I’m taken, by a girl she works for. And both of our countries depend upon Adraa and me marrying and standing up to my uncle’s potential threat.What’s wrong with me?
Jaya tosses me my kurta and I catch it as she stands.No, don’t leave.I have so much to ask her. I throw my kurta back on. “How did you get mixed up in all this?”
Jaya frowns deeply as she digs through her bag. “You read my reports.”
“No, I mean why you? Why did my…maharaja pick you as his agent?”
“First, he didn’t pick me. I went to him. With Lady Adraa’s blessing, of course.”
“What?”
She turns to face me. “A few months ago the head security guard of Maharaja Belwar was attacked by the Vencrin, and they put him in a coma. I watched a family be torn to pieces—my friend’s family.” She takes a deep breath. “I also work in the royal clinic. For months I’ve been treating wizards and witches, hurt by or addicted to the drugs the Vencrin have been selling. Everything else is spelled out in the reports. And tonight Sims has given me what I need. And that’s partly because of you.” Jaya clasps my arm. “So thanks,” she says while sliding aroundme.
She really is leaving. And Adraa has approved of all this? Just let Jaya come to the Underground alone and then…
“You aren’t done tonight, are you? You’re going somewhere else, going to trail one of the Vencrin.”
She stops in her tracks. “It’s not your concern.”
“Let me help you.”
“You’ve done enough, you’re hurt.”
