Page 37 of To Hunt a Ruby Remedy

I shrugged, trying not to let on how much I was waiting for her next words. “Well, your sources shouldn’t have worried you. The hunter has set a few traps in the clearings, and he’s roaming the forest with a crossbow ready, but he’s not going to catch me.”

“You are very sanguine about being hunted.”

“Like I said, he won’t catch me. I’m not shifting—just to be safe—and so long as he is hunting me, I know he isn’t going after anyone else.”

“Anyone like Scarlette?”

“I knew it.” Now that Rosalia had spoken first, I gave in. Just saying Scarlette’s name would be enough for me to betray my feelings at this point, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. “She is safe? When did you talk to her?”

“I stopped by her village to check on her mother and make sure she had gotten a node charm. Oh, and then I spoke to her this morning when I left Wulfkin to come out to the cottage.”

Everything stilled as I digested the fact that Scarlette was in the forest. I didn’t breathe. I thought my heart even stopped for a moment. Then the world rushed back into motion and my heart beat twice as fast. “She’s here.”

“Well, not here. She’s still in Wulfkin.”

“Why didn’t she come to the cottage with you?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you made it clear you like your solitude and never gave her a reason to believe she’d be welcomed if she returned?”

“What?” Did she really believe that I wouldn’t welcome her?

“Come on, Ranulf. You sent her away the first time she knocked on your door.”

“Yes, but I made it plenty clear later that I had realized what a mistake that was. She can’t truly believe I wouldn’t welcome her.”

“She knows better than to think a welcome in your bed is the same as a welcome in your life. Here’s a hint, Ranulf: she wants to be a part of more than your sleeping arrangements. So, if you are only interested in sex, walk away now.”

“I’m not talking about this with my sister.”

“Oh yes, you are. She’s my friend. I don’t want to see her get hurt, and I will be on her side, even though you are my twin.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Rosalia wasn’t going to let it go. “I don’t want to see her hurt, either. I’m pretty sure—no, I’m certain—I love her.”

“Then you should probably tell her.”

“I can’t fly to Wulfkin with the hunter around.” I’d take the risk for myself, but I had every intention of bringing Scarlette back to the cottage with me. I would not risk having her on my back now that Gideon once more had a crossbow. “Why did you let her stay in the village?”

Another thought occurred to me. Something I should have realized sooner. “If the huntsman discovers she is in the forest, he’ll go after her. She humiliated him.”

“Calm down. She’s safe in Wulfkin. The villagers will not let the hunter get anywhere near her. She’s a favorite there. I’m pretty sure the Weslets already offered her a job.”

“Rosalia, it is going to take me most of the day to get there walking.”

“Then it is a good thing I borrowed a horse from Thalia. You can return it for me.”

For the first time in over a week, I smiled.

Rosalia flapped her hands at me. “What are you waiting for? Go!”

Even with the horse, it was mid-afternoon by the time I reached Wulfkin. I had only taken the time to shove the pile of charms and enchantments I had made into a bag—pulling out one wooden disc with a crescent moon engraving and slipping it into my pocket first—before leaving the cottage. I rode as quickly as I dared, but the beast couldn’t gallop the entire distance.

Once I entered the village, I handed the reins of my mount off to the first child I saw, instructing him to get the horse back to Thalia. She’d find the bag of talismans and take care of them. I patted the disc in my pocket and went to the inn.

My eyes had to adjust to the relative dimness in the common room, but when they did, I found Scarlette immediately. She wore a white apron over her skirt and had a mug in her hand. She laughed with Aaron at the corner table and handed him the mug. It was too early in the day for him to be here, and I realized Rosalia was right. The villagers wouldn’t let anything happen to Scarlette.

She didn’t see me, but Mistress Weslet did. She waved me over.

“She’s not going to accept my job offer, is she?” The innkeeper complained when I reached her.

---