CHAPTER THIRTY
R OSE
Ugh. I feel like I have a fucking hangover from hell.
My eyes struggle to peel open, my vision blurry until I rub them with my palms. Where’s the water I always leave out? Fucking hell. Did I even drink last night? I don’t think I did...
I sit up in the darkened room, blinking around me at the closed curtains and shadows, trying to remember what happened.
Ruby left to see Torrence. I was going to get dinner, but then there was Kier...
And the way he pinned me against the bookshelf, making me come right through my pants like an inexperienced teenager. My body flushes with heat as the memory fills my brain, and I flop back on the pillows, smiling. Yeah, that was fun. Then my gaze lands on a glossy white flower on my nightstand. It looks a little like a lotus. I reach to touch it, yanking my hand back when a current of electricity snaps through my finger, like when I drag my feet on carpet in the winter.
Something about the flower makes me uneasy, washing away the pleasant memory of Kier’s expert touch.
Water. I need cold water. My mouth feels coated with cotton as I stumble to the bathroom. There’s my cup. I drink down a full glass from the tap, splashing more on my face until I feel a little more human.
Seriously, what did that man do to me?
I don’t even remember coming up here. Did we sleep together? But I’m still wearing my clothing from last night. I peel down my wrinkled dress pants and shimmy into some loose sweatpants, letting my skin breathe a little. I open the curtains an inch at a time, slowly getting used to the early morning light. My phone says it’s barely seven, so at least I haven’t overslept.
I wonder how Ruby is. A wave of guilt washes over me as I remember our brief argument about Torrence, and how she left anyway. But I smell coffee, and the clink of a mug on the counter echoes from the kitchen. She won’t still be mad.
I pad slowly down the short hallway into the kitchen, yawning deeply. Ruby’s sitting with her back to the door, looking out the windows at the woods and the brightening day.
“Hey, you,” I say, pausing to stretch. She doesn’t turn, though, and I frown. “Ruby?”
She still doesn’t react, and I shuffle around to wave at her, guessing she has earbuds in. But even when I snap my fingers in front of her face, she acts like I’m not even there. Is she giving me the silent treatment?
I really didn’t think she’d still be pissed about the things I said about Torrence.
Chewing on my bottom lip, I fix my coffee and head to the chair across from hers. If she’s mad, we need to talk before the day gets going. I pull out the chair and take a scalding gulp of coffee.
“Ruby, I’m-”
“Holy shit!” she yells suddenly, her chair falling over as she stands too quickly, eyes wide as she stares down at me. “Christ on a cracker, Rosey. You scared me. How did you sneak in here, Invisible Woman?”
I frown, clutching the coffee mug to my chest, heart pounding. I’d nearly overturned it in my lap when she yelled. “I... just walked in. You were pretty zoned out.”
She smooths her hair and takes a few deep breaths, working to calm down. “And where were you all night, you sneaky bitch?” she finally asks, taking a deep drink of her coffee. I know she’s shaken up if she’s already cursing this early in the day, but relief surges through me that she isn’t mad.
“Uh, here?” I say, though neither of us misses how my voice goes up at the end. Please, god, no more sleepwalking.
“I checked your room when I got home,” Ruby says, frowning now. “Your bed was empty.”
I shrug, having no idea what to say. I don’t remember leaving.
“Maybe I was in the bathroom.”
She’s silent, and I can tell this answer doesn’t placate her, but I don’t have a better one. She takes another deep breath, and I can almost hear her counting in her head. “So, I just want to say I’m sorry about leaving last night. I totally should have stayed. I don’t need to see Torrence as much, and he was weird anyway. You were right, as usual,” she adds, giving me a sheepish smile.
“I don’t want to be right. I want you to be happy,” I remind her, but inside I’m glowing that she’s finally seeing what I do, even if it’s only a tiny bit. “But how was he weird?”
Ruby hides behind her coffee, and I see her cheeks pinken. I reach my hand across the table, snagging hers and squeezing, and she giggles. “We, um, had a bit of fun. He respected my boundaries without any question. But... well, Arlo interrupted us and Tor made me leave.”
I scowl, thinking of my similar experience. “What is it with those two? Maybe they should date each other.”
Ruby snickers, but when she sets down her mug, I see a familiar glint in her eye.
I groan. “You still like him, don’t you?”
“Goddess help me, I do,” she says, dissolving into laughter. “He’s so freaking hot, Rosey. And I know, I know. I’ll probably get burned.”
“And I’ll be here to do triage if you need me,” I offer, letting her know that I’m not going to fight this thing again. Sometimes a girl just needs a bad boy. “I hope he’s everything you want right now, Ru. And if he’s not, I’ll just kill him for you.”
“Besties before boys,” she murmurs. “Hey, where are the flowers from? Downstairs? I saw them on my way in last night.”
“Aw, shit,” I grumble, just remembering Kier had brought me flowers.
“Ooh, you are a sneaky bitch! Spill,” Ruby commands, slapping her palm on the table.
But before I can decide what to tell her, we hear a distant knock, then the chiming of the bookshop doorbell.
“It’s too freaking early,” Ruby moans, but she gets up anyway, and I follow her downstairs and into the shop. We speed up as shouting echoes past the windows, two angry male voices splitting the early morning quiet down the middle.
“What the hell?” I hiss, as I see a flash of red hair in the window. It has to be Kier.
And it is, which I confirm the second he swings a wicked punch right into Torrence’s nose. Dark blood splatters his knuckles, and Torrence grins through it all, taunting.
Ruby shrieks and rushes to unlock the front door.
“What are you doing ?” she yells, and the guys immediately step apart. The air is crackling with tension, though, and I sense that either one of them will take another swing if they get even the slightest provocation.
“I told your friend this one was bad news,” Torrence says to her, his voice thick as he pulls up the hem of his shirt and blots blood away from his nose. Kier snaps something back that I can’t understand, and Torrence only laughs darkly. The shadows play across his face, making his eyes even brighter in contrast, and for a split second, I try to imagine that creepy demon form again. Sharp teeth and glowing eyes, like in the photo Ruby showed me.
But that’s impossible, and I blink it away.
“Fucking stop it,” I shout at both of them, shoving past Ruby and laying a hand on Kier’s chest. His skin is burning through his thin shirt, and his green eyes are flashing gold with anger, too. “This is our place of business, and I will not be the center of some goddamn town gossip circle because of you two. Ruby, take Torrence in the kitchen or something.”
Ruby glares back at Kier as she yanks on Torrence’s arm, tugging him into the shop and slamming the door behind her.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I turn on Kier. It really is way too early for any of this.
“I apologize. I didn’t expect him to be here, and...” Kier’s words wither to silence under my glare.
“Look, I like you, and last night was fun, but you cannot bring drama to my business. Not cool,” I snap.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just need to talk to you, Rose.”
“About?” I drain my coffee and set the mug on the porch railing, my hand on my hip. I’m getting more annoyed by the second, and an empty coffee mug is not helping.
“Not here. Not... near Torrence. Please, Rose,” Kier adds when I huff.
“What is it between you two?”
But he doesn’t answer, only meets my gaze with an unavoidable vulnerability. I can’t read his mind, but he needs this talk, whatever it is.
“Where, then?” My hands pat my hair, only now realizing how rough I must look. Ugh.
“Come have breakfast with me. I’ll explain, I promise.”
I curse again under my breath. Do I really want to take time for this? “We’re set to open at nine.”
“I’ll have you back by then,” he swears, holding a hand over his heart like a damn boy scout or something. It doesn’t fool me, though. I see the twinkle in his eye. “Please, Rose.”
“Wait here. Do not come inside,” I warn, turning on my heel and stalking back into the shop. I resist locking the door behind me, but it’s hard. I hear Ruby’s soft voice in the office kitchen area, cooing something as she undoubtedly babies Torrence. I roll my eyes and climb the stairs.
Just our luck that we’d like guys who hate each other. That alone is a bad sign.
I pull my unruly curls into a clip, smear on some tinted sunscreen and lip gloss, and throw on a maxi skirt with a fresh tank top. Good enough. Grabbing my bag, I poke my head into the office.
“Okay?” I ask Ruby, and she nods, her expression a mixture of exasperation and flushed excitement. She’s having fun playing nurse, and Torrence doesn’t look mad about it, either. “I’m going for a quick breakfast chat with Kier, but I’ll be back before the shop opens.”
Torrence grumbles something under his breath, and Nurse Ruby smacks her patient’s chest with a decent amount of force. I smirk at him, silently sending him the message that he needs to stay the fuck out of my love life if he wants me to stay out of his.
He snaps his mouth closed, but those eyes flash a warning, and I slam the door behind me to hide the shiver that rocks up my spine. Something about that man is seriously off, and while I promised Ruby to stay out of it, if I find out he’s keeping dangerous secrets, I really will kill him.
“What’s open?” I ask Kier as we head down the porch steps.
“I had something else in mind, actually,” he answers, taking my hand and leading me across the street.
“I am not dressed for a hike,” I warn, looking down at my flimsy sandals and long skirt.
“It’s only a few minutes’ walk. Trust me.”
“I absolutely do not.”
He grins at me anyway, and I follow him into the damn woods, because no matter what level of annoyed I am right now, I do want to hear his explanation.
True to his word, we stay on a path and arrive in a tiny clearing in less than five minutes. Sunlight dapples the flower-spotted grass, and a pretty white blanket is spread on the soft ground. A picnic basket waits for us, and I shake my head.
“Wow. You’re really trying hard today.”
“For you, always,” he murmurs, settling on the blanket and opening the basket. A white bakery box - not from Goblin Market , I note - holds croissants and jam, and there’s a couple of chopped cold salads and a container of berries and cubed melon. I give in and join him when he produces a thermos of hot coffee.
“I hardly ever even eat breakfast,” I admit, popping a raspberry in my mouth.
“And I hardly ever get in fistfights,” Kier says, grinning. “Yet here we are.”
“What do you want to talk about? And what happened last night - did we drink or something, because I have some gaps in my memory.” Suddenly I look down at the plate he’s handed me, wondering if it’s possible he drugged me last night. I barely know him, after all. I set the plate in my lap and wait, gauging the energy in the air.
“We didn’t drink. You seemed... tired. Woozy. I’m not sure you ate well yesterday.”
I nod, thinking of all the bites of rich sample food Ruby and I tried. He’s right. I never even had a proper dinner. Kier takes a bite of his croissant, and as he chews, I decide I’m being ridiculous. And I’m starving.
“I helped you into bed and left. But I... I want to get to know you better, Rose. I want the chance to make this more than something physical.”
“Awfully dramatic way to go about it. You could have just asked for my number.”
He looks down at the blanket, where his fingers are twisted in the fabric. He’s nervous, I realize, and it makes me sit a little straighter. He likes me.
“Tell me about yourself,” he requests, looking up at me from under his pale lashes. A lock of his wavy ginger hair falls across his cheekbone, and I have to really work not to reach over and brush it away. No man has a right to be this pretty and still have so much dominating energy.
“Um, like what?”
“Where did you grow up? I know you’re not from Clearwater.”
I tell him a little bit about the trailer park where my dad still lives, downplaying the death of my mom so it doesn’t sound like I have too much trauma.
“No siblings? Aunts and cousins? No wonder you dream of a big family.”
“Just my dad and me. The only child of two only children. And my grandparents are all dead now.” I keep my voice light - I barely knew any of them. The only sadness comes from wondering how life could have been different, not from something I had once and miss now.
“What about you?” I ask, pouring some of the steaming coffee.
Kier laughs a little, the sound strained. “I have three brothers. We all have different fathers, but none of them are really in the picture anymore. My mom’s dead, too, but only a couple of years ago.”
“Wow. We’re a bundle of fun.” I offer him a wry grin. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
He snorts and shakes his head. “Honestly, she was kind of a nightmare. She pitted my brothers and me against each other, so much that it even drove Killian away for good. He hasn’t been back home since she died.”
“Kier and Killian. Irish?”
“More or less. We have a muddled family tree. Ronan and Brigance are my other brothers.” He hesitates as though he has more to say, but stays silent.
“So, what kind of flowers were those?” I ask, to fill the quiet. “I don’t even remember if I thanked-”
“What do you remember from last night?” he asks, the words spilling out quickly enough that I realize that this question must be the real reason why he asked me here.
“What happened, Kier?” I set down my plate again and lock eyes with him. “Why are you so worried about last night?”
He waits, and I can almost sense his warring thoughts. There’s something he wants to tell me, but something else is stopping him. Then he reaches into the picnic basket and pulls out a crushed rose, the petals bruised and bent.
I stare at the ruined flower, my mind spinning as I suddenly remember exactly what happened last night.
Or, at least, what seemed to happen, against all logical or rational thought.
I scoot backward on the blanket, halfway to standing before he reaches for my hand. “Don’t be afraid, Rose. I’ll tell you everything, but you have to listen.”
And my world cracks wide open as he turns my palm to the sky, holding it between his hands as a miniature tree forms there, an evergreen with tiny red roses - impossible in so, so many ways. My skin tingles as the bonsai twists and grows and the minuscule buds unfurl, and my heart sings even though my mind is screaming.
My lips pop open, and nothing comes out as I try to remember how to breathe properly.
Kier ducks his face down to look into my eyes. “It’s magic, Rose. Magic is real.”