His leg was hurting, I knew, because he didn’t come after me. Instead he gripped the ruined staff and watched me hate him, without giving me a reason to contradict myself.

Jember was truly heartless. I’d always known it, but now it felt confirmed. An empty shell of a human being. God, the thought of it made me want to weep, but I fought back the urge. He didn’t deserve to see human emotions felt on his behalf … he didn’t deserve to know that I wished—longed—for him to feel something for me in return. Something human, unprompted by necessity.

I winced, but the broken staff didn’t come at me again. Instead he dropped it at my feet.

“Stop acting like a child, Andromeda,” he said, his voice dark. “You chose this. Don’t blame me for your poor survival habits.”

He turned and left me longing for and hating him, the urge to cry building by the second.

I swallowed the tears back before they could cloud my eyes and rushed out of the church, the saints watching me go in concern and disappointment.

CHAPTER 12

As soon as I made it back to my room with my bag of supplies, I heard the quick stomp of feet accompanied by the harsh jangle of bells. I turned just in time to see Magnus shove the door wide and plant himself in the doorway.

His jaw was clamped tight enough that I could see the muscles there flex, his cheeks burning red.

“What am I paying you for?” he demanded. “What good are you to me if I don’t know where you are?”

His hair was a frizzy mess, his green and blue Nehru-collared shirt just long enough to hide that he hadn’t decided on pants yet. I looked away from his bare legs quickly—I didn’t mind Jember pant-less, since I’d grown up with it, but for some reason seeing Magnus made me blush. I put the bag down on my bed and began sorting through it, careful to keep my new underthings out of sight. “I went shopping.”

“You should’ve said something.”

“Don’t tell me you missed me.”

He was still scowling, although he seemed to have calmed down from a moment ago. “You are the only human of substance in this house. I’ve been bored out of my mind for days.”

“You’ve entertained yourself for three years, one extra day should be nothing.”

He leaned his shoulder on the doorjamb. “Did you at least bring me something, for all my pain and suffering?”

“I should’ve brought you pants.”

He looked down at himself quickly and rushed out of the doorway. I took the opportunity to put my underthings away while he was gone, but soon enough his socked feet came storming back.