Page 231 of Castings & Curses

“Sure. My parents didn’t want me to go into healing. Dad’s a lawyer, Mom too. They have a firm with branches in both the human and supernatural worlds. My brothers are both lawyers, and I’m the black sheep.”

“Yeah, but everyone wants their son to be a doctor,” I replied, totally shocked at this peek into his private life.

“Not my parents. They don’t understand why I would want to deal with all the gruesome gore of medicine, as they put it,” he said with a grin.

“Oh,” I said quietly, wincing as I shrugged.

“Sore?”

“Yeah, feels like it’s pulling a bit when I move.”

“I had to use stitches in some places where the glass went deep. There will be no scarring, though,” he told me.

“Oh. How did you manage that?”

“It’s a specialty of mine, actually. I’ve sort of created a rapid healing salve that minimizes scar tissue,” he mumbled and avoided my eyes as if his accomplishments embarrassed him.

Strange.

I’d thought he was something of a bragger. Most boys were in my experience. Especially when they accomplished something so obviously brag-worthy. But Arlo Glenn was not like most boys.

Mysterious.

Smart.

Sexy wizard.

“Wow, that sounds incredible. What did you use?”

“Um, a mixture of your typical herbal remedies. Eucalyptus, aloe, feverfew, rosemary, garlic, St. John’s Wort, tea, and lavender, to name a few—”

“Sounds delicious,” I whispered, baiting him.

Arlo barked out a quick laugh, then gasped as his shocked eyes held mine. Like the sound surprised him too. Must have been the injury making me bold, but I had to admit I liked the way his cheeks went ruddy under my mild teasing.

He always looked so serious, but I supposed no one wanted a healer who told jokes and took things lightly. I wondered if he smiled enough, and suddenly, I very much wanted to be the one to make him smile.

“Yes, well, it’s not perfect yet. I can’t find a way to stop the pain for longer than a few hours at most without the use of other drugs or potions—”

“That’s still amazing.”

“Thank you, Jade,” he murmured, and his green gaze warmed as he watched me.

“You’re welcome.”

My reply was lame, but I wasn’t exactly operating on a full tank. My body was healing, I could feel it like magic, my skin weaving together under Arlo’s salve. There was pain beneath the numbness, but I felt nothing but his eyes on me.

Why was he watching me so intently?

I had no idea, but I heated under that stare, desperate to break the spell he seemed to be weaving on my body and mind, I cleared my throat again.

“When can I leave?” I asked.

“Anxious to run away again, sweet Jade?”

“What?” I asked, certain I’d misheard him.

But he was already backing away from the bed, reading my chart as if we hadn’t just been chatting like old friends. I understood a moment later when someone in a lab coat walked in.

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