Free Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series) by Christine d'Abo Page A

because she had feelings for Dennison, but because she didn’t want Samuel to think she wasn’t interested in him.
    “At least I understand what a woman wants, Hawkins.”
    Samuel slid between her and Dennison so she couldn’t see his face. “It doesn’t matter if you understand it or not. It’s not for you. We are nothing more than sexless drones to do as we are commanded. You can’t love, fuck, nothing. If you do and are caught, they’ll wipe your mind and toss you aside.”
    Without another look at her, Samuel pushed past and strode down the hall.
    “He’s got a bloody bee up his arse.” Jones stepped closer to her. “He didn’t even wish you well.”
    Piper was surprised when Dennison continued to stare after Samuel. “Leave him be.”
    “But he didn’t even—”
    “Jones, I said leave him be.” Holding out his arm to Piper, Dennison smiled. “We best get you to the common hall before others wonder what you’ve gotten up to.”
    The entire journey, Piper couldn’t get Samuel’s words from her mind. He wasn’t allowed to love her, nor she him. They could never be together.
    Happy birthday.
    Pausing to collect her thoughts, Piper kept her face impassive despite the turmoil swirling inside her. “Sir, attraction is a natural physiological response. I am well aware the temptation of the flesh can disrupt the mind’s capacity to remember. While I admit to being… intrigued by the man Sergeant Hawkins has become, I am not sexually drawn to him. Concerned that I might have inadvertently lead him into harm’s path, certainly. But there is nothing beyond that.”
    Liar, liar, pants on fire.
    If Ryerson sensed even a hint of her deception, Piper would be removed from the case. “Why had you taken him there? The vaults are our most sacred of places.”
    Careful now, Pip.
“I thought it best to keep his presence hidden as much as possible. Only Master Lowe would be in the vaults that time of day and he wouldn’t be curious about the sergeant’s presence as some of the apprentices would be.”
    “There are other rooms on the main floor that would have served as well.”
    “But none with the access to the prostitute’s records we required. They still haven’t been loaded into the Archives central machine yet.” That much was at least true.
    Master Ryerson continued to stare and it took every bit of her control not to look away. His silent, unwavering gaze pierced her, reducing her to the scared five-year-old she’d been upon their first meeting.
    “Very well. We will be keeping an eye on Hawkins. His reaction to the viewer was quite unexpected. It might indicate a greater mental capacity than we’d first given him credit for and might require further investigation.”
    Oh no.
“Sir, I don’t suspect the sergeant would appreciate a return to life here. His very presence would cause too much of a stir amongst the apprentices. It was the reason I’d sought to keep him as removed as I could.”
    Those colorless eyes narrowed at her. “What he wants is of little interest to me. It appears that you are both under the impression that his continued absence from our facility was not with our blessing. Trust me when I say that if we’d wanted him back, his detective inspector guardian wouldn’t have been able to stop us.”
    Piper couldn’t quite believe that, and yet she had no doubt the elders’ reach went far beyond her expectations.
    “Of course, sir.” Piper wanted to step away, move closer to Samuel if she could. “I do believe, though, that the sergeant is no longer a scared child and is more than capable of making his own choices. I would go so far as to say if the Guild Masters tried to pull him back against his will, they would be in for a very rude awakening. It wouldn’t be in the best interests of either the sergeant or the Archives.”
    Whatever Master Ryerson was going to say was swallowed up by shouts from behind them. Piper turned and started toward the door, when Ryerson’s