Page 78 of Ruby & Onyx

Uneasiness settles into my bones. Not because he’s being so forward. I worry because I want to say yes. Every fiber of my being wants to go with him. What does that say about me?

His attention shifts to something behind my shoulder. Disappointment fills the light that flickered there only a moment ago as he nods to someone or something in the distance. “I’m terribly sorry, but I have to go now.”

He stands before I can respond and swiftly departs down the stairs to the garden. When he reaches the bottom step, he stops. With his body still facing ahead, he looks over his shoulder. “Will you do it? Will you wait for me?”

My heart shatters into a million pieces as I whisper, “No.”

He tenses for a moment as if he’s considering saying something else. But then he carries on, taking some small piece of me with him.

I watch as the dirt kicks up in his wake, leaving only the cloud of midnight dust to replace the space where the stranger named Bas just stood.

Chapter 34

Gemma wakes me in the morning with far less cheeriness than usual. Her eyes are bloodshot and sagging, regret written on her face.

I can’t help but ask, “Long night?”

Her eyes barely lift from the floor as she nods in confirmation. “V and I stayed out until dawn.” Her every movement comes at a glacial pace like each task is an insurmountable challenge.

“Why don’t you take the day off? I can manage to keep myself alive for one day without you,” I tell her. Admittedly, I sometimes wish she wouldn’t serve me at all. But if no job tied her to me, would she still be my friend?

She shakes her head in refusal and continues parting the curtains. Once the sunlight is flooding into the room, she turns to ask, “Did you do what we discussed?”

Careful.

“No.” I was within arm’s reach of finding answers and still failed. “The king required me to stand on the dais until the end of the tripudio. By the time it was over, she was gone. Like she vanished out of thin air.”

“Oh, no, Radya. I’m so sorry.” She grimaces, and I wonder if it’s caused by empathy or the hangover. Maybe both. Moose jumps onto the floor and walks over to her, rubbing his back against the side of her leg. “Thank you, Moose. That’s very sweet.”

“If Viola took the day off and you didn’t, does that mean that you’re in better shape than she is?” That’s really not saying much, seeing as Gemma is barely keeping it together.

“Can you believe it? Viola is usually the more cautious and well-behaved twin.” She laughs as she picks Moose off of the floor. “I’m happy that she finally let loose, but she’ll probably never do it again after paying the price this morning. She’s dead as a doornail.”

“Oh, gods. Poor Viola. Did she at least enjoy herself?”

“I’ve never seen her have so much fun.”

We share a smile as I wonder what made Viola forget herself, but that’s a better question to ask Viola directly. A sadness settles in my chest as I realize that the ball could have been as much fun for me had I not been chasing a ghost. I was too distracted by Guylita to enjoy even a second of the festivities. Well, that’s not quite true. I may have enjoyed one second when Bas came over to speak to me. Not that I’ll ever see him again. Unless…

“Do you know a man named Bas?” I’m not sure why I bother asking. Even if she knows him, it’s not like I can go find him without raising suspicions. Nor can I refuse to marry Olly after meeting this masked stranger only once. That would be crazy… right?

“Does Bas have a last name?” Her eyebrows raise with cheeky suspicion.

“Bas… um, I’m not sure. I don’t think he mentioned it.” I wish more than anything that I could forget meeting him. I don’t even know his last name, and yet I can’t stop thinking about him. His image branded itself onto my brain.

She considers for a moment. “No, I don’t think so. But, hey, what are you going to do about Guylita?”

“Well, I do have one idea.” It hurts me to ask, to put her in this position, but I’m running out of options. “Maybe, if you were willing, you might be able to take me to her? We could go tomorrow before Olly returns.” I have to swallow the bitter taste of guilt rising on my tongue.

“Just getting her to come last night was a risk. If we go out there together, then all three of our lives could be in danger.” Her wings flutter faster than ever before. “Four if you count Viola, who would surely be implicated along with us.”

“Last night Eleanor announced that I will be marrying her son, so all of Somne now sees me as their future queen. They can’t do anything to dissuade me from accepting without making themselves look like fools.” Gods, I hope that’s true. “Let’s go tomorrow.”

“And what about V?”

“You’re right. We have to shield her from this as much as we can.” How can we avoid getting Viola involved? Every secret that Gemma keeps from Viola muddies the water even further. But if we bring her into the fold, then she might try to stop us. “What if we go now? She’s too unwell to notice our departure, right?”

She looks at me wearily and nods her head. “Okay.”

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