Page 34 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

Every beat of my wings was a fight. It wasn’t physical exhaustion trying to drag me down, but the invisible pull I felt for the woman I had left in a field far below. That pull was stronger than gravity, but my wings could overcome this, too. They had to.

She would be safe now. Knowing that was the only reason I could fly away.

I almost asked her to stay in that moment when we faced each other before going into the clearing. I had kissed her to stop the words from tumbling out, knowing that I couldn’t be so selfish. Even ignoring the charm her mother needed, there were too many reasons for me not to ask.

Scarlette deserved a life of laughter. She deserved the freedom to explore the world, not be tied to a node in the forest far from civilization. She’d find a man who knew how to smile and build a life full of laughter, adventure, and joy with him.

I had almost decided Grandmother was right and she might not need—or even want—adventure. In which case, perhaps I could be the man who brought her joy, for though smiling and laughing didn’t come naturally to me, with Scarlette I understood happiness. But experience had taught me caution. Better to send her away now than to wait for her to leave on her own later. The pain would only be worse then.

Even as I had teetered on the edge of taking the risk anyway, I had remembered the huntsman. Gideon wouldn’t give up. If Scarlette stayed in the forest, she’d become a target, a weapon to be used against me. I didn’t fear for myself, but I would not put her at risk.

So, I didn’t ask her to stay. I flew her out of the forest and left her to build a life I could never share.

I had a hunter to thwart, villagers to heal, and charms to make. I had a home and a life that had kept me satisfied for years. It didn’t matter that I had left my heart back in that field with Scarlette; I hadn’t been using it before she appeared on my doorstep either.

Sixteen

Scarlette

I watched my mother putter around the kitchen and tried to smile. I didn’t want her to worry about me. She had gone through enough already. She deserved to enjoy the way the ruby charm had made an immediate difference, giving her a level of energy I hadn’t seen for years. I was happy for her, and relieved that she was doing better than she ever had after a healing session, even.

But I couldn’t summon a smile. When I caught a glimpse of the ruby, my thoughts weren’t on how it had saved my mother, but the man who had made it.

“You don’t have to go back to the tavern.” Mama handed me a mug of tea. “That bastard will make you beg for your job back, as if he hasn’t been scrambling to keep everything running while you were gone. You deserve better than putting up with him.”

I blew on the steaming tea, my thoughts scrambling to make sense of my mother’s words. The tavern. Go back. Oh. She thought my mood had to do with the thought of returning to work. I imagined tying an apron around my waist and walking back into the tavern. My face ached at the mere thought of the smiles I’d have to force to get through an evening there. I had never enjoyed my job, but it hadn’t filled me with the same sense of dread before. It simply was, and I made do. “What else am I supposed to do for a job?”

“You don’t need one, not with that purse you brought home.”

I scowled. After dropping me off in a field an hour’s walk north of my village, Ranulf had tossed the purse full of silver at my feet. The purse I had hidden under his pillow before we left the cottage. Then he blew a bit of smoke in my face when I demanded he take it back and took off. I couldn’t bring myself to leave it in the field, but that didn’t mean I wanted to live off those coins.

“It won’t last forever,” I told my mother, who couldn’t understand my reluctance to touch the silver.

“No, but it will last long enough. Or you could use it to make a fresh start. Open your own tavern, maybe.”

“Graenod is barely large enough for one tavern and the inn. A second tavern would never work.”

“Not here.”

I set my mug down. “Where exactly are you expecting me to open this tavern?”

“What about that village in the forest you were telling me about? Didn’t you say the inn served as the tavern, too? So, they could use it.”

My eyes narrowed. “It’s more like the tavern doubles as an inn when needed. They aren’t so crowded that they need another establishment.”

“What about a bakery?” My mother said quickly, her voice suspiciously cheerful. “You always loved to bake.”

The words were enough to make me remember the scent of yeast, the nutty freshness of a loaf just pulled from the fire. The look on Ranulf’s face as he took a bite. The same look, only amplified, as our bodies moved together in bed. My cheeks heated, and I realized I might never be able to bake again—not without stirring up memories best left alone. I had to find a way to distance myself from them if I wanted to live my life as anything but a shadow.

Baking was not an option. Which my mother should have realized even without knowing the thoughts swirling through my mind. The bakery in Graenod was run by a sprawling family that had no need for outside help. Then I realized that she hadn’t meant working in a bakery here.

“Mama.” I cocked my head to the side. “What are you doing? Why are you trying to make me leave?”

Her overly bright expression faded. “You’ve done so much for me, Scarlette. The least I can do is not sentence you to a lifetime of misery in return.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve hardly smiled since your return. Did you know that?”

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