The Wolf with the Iron Jaw (Elysium #1)

Chapter Twenty

Even with all the delays and disasters, Booker still managed to finish Alice's foot over the next two days. It was an absolute masterpiece. Now it was just a matter of attaching it to her.

It fell upon Trinket to prepare Alice for the surgery. Booker was so swept up in the excitement that he failed to see how terrified the lady was. Trinket entered the couple's room the afternoon of the procedure to find her nearly hyperventilating as Henry looked on helplessly.

"Alice, you'll pass out if you keep on like that," she said.

Fanning herself with her hand, Alice nodded fervently but was no less frantic. "I just . . . I didn't . . ." She took a deep gulp of air and closed her eyes until she could calmly release the breath. "It didn't seem real before. Like it wasn't really going to happen. And now . . ."

She began to hyperventilate once again. "I know," Trinket said, approaching the bed. "But it's what you want, right?"

Alice hesitated, her eyes traveling to Henry. He clutched her hand and gave a sad smile. "My love, if you don't—"

"No," Alice interrupted him. "I do. I want this. I want you."

Trinket allowed the two of them to share a long, intense gaze before she cleared her throat. "So are you ready?"

Alice let out a sigh and turned to her. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Henry scooped her up, and Trinket followed him out the door. He carried the patient down the stairs and to the hallway where Booker was waiting outside the laboratory.

"I can take it from here, thank you," Booker said, his words clipped and cold as he took Alice from her lover's arms.

"Ah, oh, yes, of course," Henry babbled, watching as Booker stole his sweetheart away from his protective embrace.

Trinket bit her tongue, trying to avoid saying something that would start another fight with Booker. Ignoring her employer's rude behavior, she laid a hand on Henry's shoulder and offered an encouraging smile. "It should only take a few hours."

"You'll watch over her for me?"

She nodded. "Of course. And I'll let you know how things went as soon as it's over."

He attempted a strained smile, but his gaze flickered to the dark staircase down which Alice and Booker had disappeared.

Giving his shoulder a quick squeeze, Trinket hurried after Booker and locked the door behind her.

Alice sat on the operating table, her remaining foot bobbing up and down rapidly as she wrung her hands and glanced about the laboratory. Her eyes darted back and forth, taking in the odd tools and gears. They went comically wide when she noticed the jars filled with body parts. She crossed herself in a rather superstitious manner and muttered something under her breath.

"Trinket?" Booker called from the sink. "Will you get her ready with the ether?"

"Ether?" Alice repeated anxiously.

"It'll put you to sleep so you don't feel anything during the surgery," Trinket explained, gathering up the jar and a fresh rag. "It's what we used before the amputation."

"Oh, right, right. Of course."

The lady's gaze wandered back to the jars on the shelves. Her foot suddenly went still, her face paling as Trinket approached her with the ether-soaked rag.

"I'm just going to put this over your mouth and nose, and—"

Alice grabbed her wrist before she could move any closer. "Miss Trinket, is this safe?" she whispered.