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The worry in her eyes refused to leave, even as she continued with herbrew.
The water in the pot had boiled, so I left the room to grab a mug from her kitchen out back. Upon my return, I poured the mixture and water into my cup. It steamed in my hand, and I left it to cool. It smelled bitter and disgusting. But if it helped my leg, I’d takeit.
I sat on a stool at the counter, waiting for Scarlet to finish Kaza’s ointment. It felt good to relieve the ache in myankle.
“Can you call your friends?” Scarlet asked some time later, holding a jar full of reddishointment.
“Kaza,” I said. “Your medicine’sready.”
The genies bustled back into theroom.
Don’t ask me why, but Kaza, Mr. Show Off, felt it necessary to strip off his vest for its application, even though his wound was on his leg. I laughed into my hand athim.
“Lie on the sofa there,” Scarlet said. “On youside.”
Kaza groaned as he followed herinstructions.
“Sorry, this might hurt a bit,” Scarlet explained as she patted a soaked gauze along hislesion.
“Nothing hurts me,” said Kaza, blowing me my hundredthkiss.
Gods.If only I could smooch him forreal.
Poor Scarlet looked as if she had trouble concentrating. Her gaze kept flickering across Kaza’s back. She seemed to take her time in applying the ointment, as if she were dragging itout.
Didn’t blame her in the slightest. Taking a sip from my mug, I admired every line of his incredible body. The curve of his rock-hard chest. Rippling muscles across his back. Grooves in his collarbone and shoulders. The perfect specimen. All the genieswere.
“This might leave a scar,” Scarlet warnedKaza.
I didn’t mind if his skin was marked by the tiger’s claws. It gave him character. Like the scar I’d received on my arm from the ruthless orphanage operator who’d flung me into a wall when I had refused to be hisslave.
“I’d get injured a thousand times for my master.” Kaza threw in awink.
I wouldn’t let anyone go through this again. Not for me. I wasn’t worthit.
But secretly, a part of my heart soared at Kaza’s words. Thanks to our imprint connection, I knew he was being serious and speaking thetruth.
Scarlet gave us both an inquisitivelook.
I returned it with anI’ll tell you laterglance and took another gulp of my disgustingtea.
When my friend finished administering the ferret’s leaf mixture, she looked to me and then back to Kaza. “Something’s wrong. The moth’s eye and owl’s claw should have reduced the inflammation and swelling. The tiger lily should have sealed up the wound bynow.”
I jumped to my feet. My mouth turned to sand. Why wasn’t it working? What was wrong? Was he going to die? At that thought, my knees almost collapsed on me. I leaned against the counter behindme.
Golden sparks flew off Kaza’swounds.
Ohcrap.
Scarlet stepped back all of a sudden. The tub of ointment crashed to the floor, some spilling on the leg of her onesie. “Magic,” shesputtered.
Kaza twisted around and pressed his finger to her lips. “Shhhh.”
My heart exploded. Now we were in deepcrap.
Scarlet turned to me. She seized my forearms and squeezed hard. “Tell me what’s really going on, Azar, or I can’t helpyou.”
I pulled Scarlet into my arms to comfort her. Everything poured out of me—the entire story. From Ali’s illness, to the sultan’s cave, to the genie lamp, being imprisoned by the vizier, and how the genies had rescued me from the tigerpit.
