Within These Wicked Walls(80)



“I’ll ask her. You need to get a little sleep for tonight.”

I grinned. “So, you two are talking now?”

“Earlier, when she was taking care of my leg … I…” He shook his head, like he didn’t understand what he was saying. “I don’t think her touch hurt me.”

I gaped. “Really?”

“I’m not sure. It was hard to tell, since I was already in pain.”

“Wait.” I leaped off the bed, suddenly realizing: “Her skin is made of pottery, not actual flesh. That must be why it doesn’t hurt.”

Jember’s brows lowered—the opposite reaction I was expecting. “That’s your optimism talking. You want this to happen. It’s not going to happen.”

“Why not?”

He got up with a groan. “Because I don’t want it to.”

“But you love her, don’t you?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

He shrugged. “It’s been a long time, Andi. I don’t think I know how to love in that way anymore.”

Finally, some honesty, even if it sounded like agony coming out.

He opened my bedroom door, swinging it wide, and left. Ending the conversation just like that. No more plans could be made. No more secrets could be said.

Not without consequences.

When I peeked out into the hall, Jember was out there talking to Saba, and I saw him gesture to his knee. She nodded and hurried to the closet down at the end of the hall. I froze, bracing myself as she opened it, but it had been rearranged to block any proof of what had happened.

“Andromeda!” Magnus called, and I heard pounding on the stairs. When I went to the top I saw him jumping them three by three. “Do you want to play a game with me?”

“Well, Jember wants to observe the house tonight, so I’m actually going to get a couple hours’ sleep before the Waking.”

His expression dropped. “You’ll be up and about during the Waking? Whose idea was that?” But he was leveling a glare at Jember before I could even respond. “Look, there are rules in this house, Jember. And I’m not comfortable having Andromeda out in the halls during the Waking.”

Jember gave Magnus a look that seemed to assess whether or not he had the energy to bother explaining our job. “If you have any more stupid comments, just write them down so I can more easily ignore them.”

“Why, because you can’t read?” Magnus countered, with far more intensity than necessary—but it was Magnus, after all.

I would’ve laughed, but now really wasn’t the time. Jember had been on his feet all day. He needed more painkillers. By this time of day his patience was thin, which is why we normally slept. And I could tell Magnus didn’t like Jember even before he’d entered the house. So, part of me wanted to step in between them in case a fight broke out—though the other part knew better than to step between two people about to fight.

Then again, Magnus would maybe get in a few hits but would ultimately lose horribly—knowing Jember, by way of death. I liked him too much to let that happen.

“The spirits are more active in the evening,” I said quickly. “Remember, Magnus? Besides, there’s nothing out there but wind.”

“You’re a terrible father, you know that?” he growled, and I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back, while Saba shot him a chastising look. “I wish you’d take that amulet off so I could look you in the eye and save her from you.”

“Magnus, stop—”

“Please shut him up,” Jember said, rolling his eyes. “He’s exhausting.” He looked at me. “Be ready to work in two hours.”

“I’ll be ready,” I said, dragging Magnus away. I shoved him into his room, shutting the door behind us. “Jember is here to help. Could you not start fights, please?”

“I hate him like that putrid honey wine,” he said, punching his pillow a few times before sitting on his bed. “He doesn’t deserve you. Or Saba.”

“No one deserves Saba.”

He grinned slightly. “That’s true.”

“Jember has his own set of survival habits. And … he has really bad pain because of his injury.” I probably shouldn’t have revealed Jember’s business, but it was too late now. I sat beside him on the bed. “He doesn’t mean most of what he says.”

“You’re too used to defending him. He doesn’t deserve it, Andromeda.” He huffed and lay back on the bed. “He’s a horrible human.”

“I know he is, but you don’t get to say it.”

Magnus blinked at me curiously, and I realized I had raised my voice.

I stood up quickly. “I should go nap before tonight,” I said, and rushed out of the room.



* * *



“Where is everything?” was the first thing Jember asked after we’d walked through the halls a bit. He only needed to talk slightly louder over the wind as he leaned in close.

“I cleansed it all,” I said. “Well, most of it.”

He chewed on his lip for a moment, then headed to the closest room—the library.

I followed, then shut the door and the wind behind us. “This room isn’t the safest. There’s a ghost who likes to hurl books.”

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