CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
R UBY
“Are you okay?” I gasp at Rose, although my brain is pulsing with a thousand and one other questions. I can’t stop thinking about all the words I overheard as I came downstairs looking for her.
Magic . Fae .
Some guy I’ve never even seen before was here, asking Rose about a changeling, and I’ve read enough fairy tales to know what that means. He thinks someone in Clearwater is a hidden fae with freaking magic . Even more, he thinks Rose knows something about it. My Rose , who humors me but who has never actually believed in any of it.
And he said something about Kier, so the two men must know each other.
But she’s said nothing to me. The hurt is instant and physical, like someone twisting their fingers around my lungs.
Why hasn’t she told me anything about this, even if it were to joke at my expense? She got so mad the other day, when I suggested her sleepwalking and all the other weird stuff could be evidence of magic. She acted like I was a kid, clinging tightly to some stupid imaginary friends.
Was it all just a cover up for whatever this is? Why would she do that?
How long has she been hiding things from me, and more importantly, why ? Of all the people in the whole world, Rose is the only one I’ve never thought would keep things from me, and it rocks me to my soul that something like that could have changed between us.
“I’m good. Are you good?” Rose asks, ducking down to look directly into my eyes. I can barely hold her gaze, wondering if there are other things she hasn’t told me. It’s probably a trauma response from so many times I haven’t understood the world and the people around me, but I can’t help but imagine a layer of guilt shining in her hazel eyes.
“Yeah. Just wondering what that was all about.” I force out the words, gesturing to the crumpled paper in her fist, then to the front door.
“Did you... what did you hear?” she asks, and her caution about breaks my heart.
Whatever it is, she doesn’t want to tell me. Rose really is keeping secrets from me - secrets about magic. Secrets about the only thing in my life that comes anywhere near being as important as our friendship. I don’t want to believe it.
I never would have believed it before today.
“Nothing,” I lie, using a bright tone even though I feel like freaking crying. “Just you yelling at that dude. What was that all about, anyway?”
Rose glances down at the paper again, and I can tell she’s trying to form a story. “I... I think he was looking for someone else.”
I take a step backward, feeling like a dumb kid whose big sister is hiding her diary, unwilling to share secrets. And I don’t like it. Not one bit. I’d come downstairs eager to tell her all about the super-sexy dream I had, but now? Now, I just want to get away from here. Away from her.
Why would Rose be lying to me? About anything, but especially about this?
“Ru... I’m sorry. Let’s go get some coffee or something.”
“And talk about that?” I point stubbornly to the paper she still won’t show me. She stuffs it in her pocket, and my eyes narrow.
“That’s nothing. Let’s just go grab a latte. We can go over ideas for our opening.”
I watch her a second longer, waiting to see if she admits that there’s more we need to talk about. Instead, she gives me a nervous smile, and something in my heart hardens for the first time in our friendship. Rose has always been the one who helped me figure out the world, and why people do what they do.
Sure, I was hesitant to tell her about Torrence biting me, but it was only to avoid a lecture and my own stupid embarrassment. I have the haunting feeling that Rose is hiding a hell of a lot more from me now, and there’s no fucking excuse. She knows how much that would hurt me. Is hurting me.
“Um, okay. Let me change really quick,” I hedge, turning back toward the stairs and hoping she doesn’t process the fact that I’m already dressed. Because instead of going up the stairs, I slip past them, unlocking the back door as quietly as I can and sneaking out into the woods behind the shop.
I know I’m being petty and overdramatic by leaving like this, but Rose is the one who taught me so diligently all these years to follow my gut. My gut led me here to Clearwater, and now it’s leading me to the only other person I can find right now, who might know some of these secrets.
Torrence.
He’s got secrets of his own, and the fact that both he and Arlo tried to bite one of us makes me wonder if I’ve been looking for the wrong kind of magic. After all, if I believe I saw a fae woman in the woods all those years ago, then why wouldn’t I believe other types of magical creatures exist?
Vampire stories are one of the most common folklore out there, and while I’m not exactly interested in being his lunch, I think Torrence might answer me if I confronted him with everything I just heard. He may not know everything, but he knows something .
His dislike of Kier goes way beyond whatever personal history they might have.
I’d rather hear Rose’s story first, but if she isn’t planning to tell me anything, I’ll turn to Torrence. And if I’m wrong, or he denies everything, at least I won’t have wrecked my friendship with Rose by accusing her of something huge like this. But if I’m right... what has our friendship changed into?
I cut quickly through the woods, staying clear of the sidewalk until I reach the blank rear wall of Goblin Market . Obviously, they won’t be open, but it’s a place to start since I still don’t know where Torrence lives. I knock at the side door where they probably get deliveries, but everything is silent.
I pull out my phone and text Torrence.
Where are you? I need to ask you something.
A few seconds go by, and nothing. Pacing the sidewalk next to the building, I send another.
Are you here? I’m at the Market.
I’m getting antsy, wondering if I should just go back and get that coffee with Rose. Maybe I overreacted, leaving like that. Then I hear a noise from inside, like something dropped on the floor. I knock harder, and this time my knuckles press the heavy door open a crack. It’s not locked - not even fastened.
What if Torrence is here, and something happened with that guy who tried to grab Rose? If he’s friends with Kier, he might want to hurt Torrence, too.
Worry shoves me inside before I can think of a better plan. I’m in a back storage room, stacked full of shelves of cookware and boxes. I’ve just entered the empty kitchen when my phone dings.
Rose, not Torrence.
Did you leave?? I can’t find you.
I ignore her text, not willing to try and explain it now. Another noise echoes through the restaurant, like a moan. Oh, crap. What if Torrence is here, hurt? What if Kier and that other guy came to finish the fight?
I track the sound to the bathrooms, hearing a string of angry words coming from the men’s.
But when I push open the door, my jaw drops, and I’m frozen in place.
Because it isn’t Torrence.
And as far as I can tell, these moans definitely aren’t from pain.
Arlo has his back to me, and he’s pressing a naked young man face down against the sink, the pale color of his skin a stark contrast to the black marble. The wet sound of skin against skin echoes in the tiled room, and embarrassment flushes my face. I stumble over my own feet as I back away, a whispered apology on my lips, but then Arlo looks up.
His ice-blue eyes catch mine in the mirror, and he grins wickedly, his hips still snapping into the other man’s. Arlo is fully dressed, but it’s all too obvious what they’re doing. I should definitely not be here.
“Stay, Ruby. He likes to be watched,” Arlo says then, giving me another shock.
My movements pause again, my body obeying the command before I can think better of it. I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head.
“Master?” a hoarse voice asks, uncertainty lacing it.
“Bow to her, filthy slave,” Arlo croons, and my eyes pop open against my will, just in time to see him yanking a handful of the young man’s hair, forcing him around to face me and kneel. I cringe away from his nakedness at first, but then he drops his face to the floor and kisses the dirty scuff of my worn tennis shoe while Arlo goes to one knee and slowly fucks him from behind.
“You could do it so much better,” Arlo says, echoing his words from the previous night as he stares up at me. I refuse to meet his eyes, trying not to look at any part of the bizarre scene in front of me. I should definitely be leaving, but I’m frozen in place, locked in the shock of it all.
“You could be his Master, if you wanted,” Arlo whispers, and the man on his knees makes such a desperate noise of need that I step back, confused as I find myself standing straighter, looking down at the pair of them as a trickle of power drips down my spine. Master? I’ve never dabbled in that side of kink before. Sure, I’ve had men who thought it was cute to spank my ass and call me good girl, and it never did a Goddess-damned thing for my sex drive.
Now, I think I might know why.
But none of this... whatever this is... is what I came here for.
“Um... Torrence?” I manage, gathering my thoughts and focusing my gaze hard on the blank wall. As much as I might be interested in trying a kink like this, I absolutely don’t want to watch Arlo performing it.
Arlo chuckles. “Yes, Torrence would do so well under your control. Think about it, Mistress Ruby .” He hisses the words at me, just as a door bangs from the direction of the kitchen.
“Oh, fuck yes,” Arlo curses, still laughing under his breath, then bears down on the naked man, both of them breathing heavier as my phone pings. I fumble it as I turn away, dropping it to the tile just as Arlo groans dramatically in satisfaction.
My cheeks have got to be tomato red at this point. I bend to scoop up my phone, desperately avoiding looking at the trembling man on his hands and knees. I squeeze my eyes closed as I stand and pivot.
Right into Torrence’s arms.
“Arlo, what the fuck!” he roars, grabbing my elbows so firmly that he lifts me right off the ground and swings me behind him. I hear a faint chuckle right before the sickening sound of fist meeting face. Arlo is being hauled out of the bathroom, his dick bouncing around as Torrence pummels him.
He gains his footing and dances sideways, sneering. “Little pet has you by the balls, man. The crown is slipping.”
Torrence yells something I can’t understand, and Arlo laughs again, ducking a punch. “You have to train them to be slaves, Tor.”
He moves to hit back, but Torrence lunges and shoves him hard into the wall. His skull cracks against the drywall.
I make the mistake of looking back at him, and he catches my eye, still grinning like we now share a freaking secret.
“-liked the show-” he manages, just before Torrence lands a knockout blow to his temple. Arlo crumples to his knees, and I’m frozen again when I should be running, just trying not to freak the hell out. What is wrong with the world today?
My stomach churns as Torrence half shoves and half kicks Arlo back into the bathroom where the other guy is cowering on the tile in the corner, obviously terrified. Torrence yells something else in that language I don’t know before slamming the door shut on the whole insane scene. I think if he could lock the room from the outside, he would.
When Torrence turns back to me, I forget all about Master games, and the brief taste of power turns sour in my mouth as I take in his fury. I’ve seen men get angry and physical before, but never ferocity like this. I take a slow, careful step back as my twisted mind finally registers danger from him.
His eyes spark like golden fire, and his beautiful face twists with rage, his knuckles shining with dark blood. He’s fucking terrifying, and my body skitters back from him, raw adrenaline giving me the push I need to run away as fast as I can.
“Ruby-” he yells, but I’m already gone, clattering through the kitchen and out the back door. That isn’t the Torrence I know.
I should have just gone with Rose. I shouldn’t have come here. I really shouldn’t have watched Arlo do anything, much less that . What the hell was I thinking?
“Ruby!” His voice echoes off the trees, and I risk a glance over my shoulder. He’s chasing me. He’s too fast. “Wait a fucking second! Please .”
My feet stumble against each other, and it’s all he needs to catch me, large hands grasping both my shoulders as he halts my run fast enough that my teeth clack together. I swallow a scream as he pivots me to face him, my eyes wide and locked on the inferno in his.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to see him,” I blurt, and Torrence growls something under his breath.
“Arlo is a fucking idiot, and I’ll deal with him later,” he says, his hands suddenly softening around my body. He draws me to his chest, which is what makes me realize I’m shaking.
“I don’t blame you for that. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
They’re the right words, but I’m still processing what Arlo said to Torrence. Something about teaching them to be slaves. Does Arlo think Torrence should be my master? I feel sick to my stomach, and I don’t know whether to push Torrence away or let him comfort me.
I liked feeling protected, but I’m nobody’s pet. Nobody’s freaking slave. My phone pings again, and I take a steadying breath as I glance down at it, thankful for the distraction. It’s Rose, again. Two texts now.
Ruby, what the hell??
Please come back. I’m sorry.
I fire off one of my own: Then tell me what that paper said
THE PHONE STAYS SILENT . Rose doesn’t reply, doesn’t offer to tell me anything, and my heart hardens a little more.
“What’s wrong?” Torrence asks, his thumb sliding under my chin and gently tilting my face up to his. He still looks flustered and angry, but there’s something else in his eyes now. Concern. He’s actually worried about me, and that changes everything.
My disgust with Arlo and my fear over their fighting dissolve, and I bury my face in the soft fabric covering his strong chest. My body melts into his in relief as his arms fold around me like a shield, not a trap.
I didn’t come here to talk about Torrence and me, anyway. I came to ask about magic. I breathe in his scent deeply, memorizing the snow and wood smoke and iron of it as I work to find the right words.
Then they all just tumble out as I wrap my arms around him, using him like an anchor to keep me from drifting away. “It’s Rose. She was with some guy today, and he asked about magic. And fae. He’s looking for a changeling. And I know she knows something, but she won’t tell me, Tor! She always tells me everything, and now she won’t tell me if magic is real.” I gulp back a sob on the final words, ducking my head even farther down on Torrence’s chest.
I feel ridiculous. He’s going to think I’m crazy.
Until...
“It is,” Torrence murmurs. I lift my face, and he wipes my tears, his calloused palms rough on my skin. His beautiful amber fire eyes spark down at me, a beacon of hope in such an ugly day.
“Magic is real, Ruby. You’re right. You’ve always been right. And I’ve been trying like hell to keep you out of it, because you’re not safe here, little kitten.”