He barely concealed the amused smirk that tugged at his lips. He slid his eyes to me conspiratorially and then gave a tragic sigh, as though I was a hopeless case. “She did throw up a few times on the way here, Doctor.”
What the hell was he doing?
Oblivious to my pointed glaring, Dr. Hobart listened intently as Casimir continued, “I think she should be kept under observation at least until tomorrow morning.”
Well, at least he was looking out for me where classes were concerned, I thought.
“And I don’t think it would hurt to take a few X-rays, either.”
Oh, forfuck’ssake.
Nodding seriously, Dr. Hobart said, “I do believe you’re right Mr.…?”
“Wrayburn,” he said, inclining his head. “Casimir Wrayburn.”
She gave him an appraising look. “It’s lucky you were there to help, Mr. Wrayburn,” she said, nodding at him with the sort of respect she might extend to a colleague.
I stared at him in amazement.
When Dr. Hobart bustled off to retrieve some paperwork from her office, Casimir threw me a crooked grin brimming with satisfaction.
“You look pleased with yourself,” I grumbled.
“What can I say, I’m good with professors,” he said, smirking. “Especially female ones.”
I scowled. “I can’t believe you convinced her to keep me here all night.”
His eyes narrowed. “And you’re going to stay put tonight, Farrow. Doctor’s orders. Do you understand?”
“Excuse me?” I huffed. “You don’t?—”
“Enough.”
My breath caught as Casimir suddenly leaned over me, bracing his arms on either side of my hospital bed. I shot a nervous glance toward Dr. Hobart’s office. His eyes darkened.
“When I return in the morning, you will be right where I left you,” he said. “You’ve already suffered a concussion. We wouldn’t want you to get hurt again, would we?”
I swallowed thickly, thinking again of the twisted candelabra lying on the floor of the Grotto. I was sure he could hear my heart beating wildly in my chest. This close, he was overwhelming. I breathed in the faint scent of smoke on his skin. Traced each dark tendril of hair as they fell across his cheek. My breaths became short and shallow.
“Arden,” he said quietly.
My heart stopped. He hardly ever called me by my first name. It was alwaysFarrow. Always distant, always formal. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe.
He leaned even closer, so that our lips were mere inches apart. His breath ghosted over my cheeks, making me shudder.
In an impossibly seductive tone, he asked, “Are you going to stay in the infirmary tonight so Dr. Hobart can observe you, or do I have to glamour this entire ward to ensure you don’t try and escape?”
Blood rushed in my ears, blocking out the sounds of the infirmary. My tongue melted into a thick, guileless thing incapable of forming words. I couldn’t think around the heat of him, around the way his eyes bored into mine, like he was peeling back the layers of my consciousness and memorizing every inch of my soul.
“I’d know it if you tried,” I whispered, the tremble in my voice betraying me. Theoretically, I could now detect glamours, but of course, Casimir knew all too well that this morning was my first and only successful attempt.
“Hmm.” He huffed a laugh. “Even if you could detect my glamour, you wouldn’t know how to break it.”
Damnhim, he was right. Up close, his eyes were even more hypnotic, threatening to suck me into their dark pools. No matter how hard I tried, I could not tear my gaze from his. Was this a glamour, too?
Casimir smiled and leaned away, breaking the trance.
I released a shaky breath. “You called me Arden,” I said.