Page 100 of When the Woods Go Silent

“I’ve never told a human about this before. It’s going better than I thought it would.” I’m teasing her, but she looks at me with raised eyebrows.

“It’s not common, is it? For humans to know?”

“It’s not forbidden, but no. It almost always turns out badly.”

“What is Kier?” A shadow crosses her face as she says his name. I scowl into the trees behind her, hating that Kier and his brothers are exactly what Ruby has been searching for, all this time. Once she meets full-blooded fae princes, she’ll realize how little I have to offer her. Once she knows everything about my world, she won’t want any part of it.

I answer her anyway, grinding out the words. “Kier is fae. And completely full of himself. He will ruin your friend’s life with his selfishness. Use her up and leave her.” There’s just as much danger of me doing the same to Ruby, but selfishly, I keep that from her.

Ruby is silent for a moment too long, and I tip her chin up again.

“What about you? What will you do to me?” she asks, as though reading my mind.

There’s a faint edge of new fear in her eyes that I don’t like at all - it’s nothing like the exhilaration she shows when we run through the woods, or the excitement in her dreams last night when I caught her and forced her beneath me.

She already knows something about the dark side of magic.

“I’ll take care of you, Ruby. I said it before, though - you’re not safe here.”

“Where am I safe?”

My shoulders slump, because it’s a valid question, and I don’t have a good enough answer for her. If Julianna sets her eyes on Ruby, then she’s safest far, far away from me. But the thought of her being somewhere I can’t protect makes my chest constrict.

My hands fall to my sides as I realize I’ve been lying to myself that this thing between us is only a distraction. I fuckingcarefor Ruby. Somewhere in our flirting and teasing, I’ve come to think of her as mine, to please and protect, to savor and save.

I’ve never cared for anyone this way, much less a human. How did this happen?

“I should go,” she whispers, stepping away from me as I realize I never answered her question. That haunted look is back, and I scramble to change her mind.

“Stay a while longer. There’s so much to tell you. Show you.”

“I want to. Tor, I really,reallywant to. But I’m worried about Rose,” she admits. And I can’t argue with that, not if I want to keep my place in this delicate balance.

Kier and his brothers are every bit as dangerous as any gobbelin. They’re just politer about the kill.

“Keep her away from Kier,” I warn, and Ruby laughs hollowly.

“Somehow, I doubt that’s my decision. And it shouldn’t be. Just like I shouldn’t have to listen to her when she warns me to stay away from you.”

“From me?” I echo, trying not to let my anger boil over again. So Kier has been telling stories, has he? I hate the idea that Ruby might learn anything about me from his words.

“I need to go,” Ruby says again, more force to her words this time. “But I want to finish this conversation. And... I want to talk about Arlo.”

I scowl, thinking about how I should have gotten rid of that asshole a dozen times over by now. If Julianna really is pulling the plug early onGoblin Market, that little stunt in the bathroom was Arlo’s last chance. He doesn’t even deserve a place in my army now.

While Ruby deals with her friend, it’s time I deal with the fucker who’s pretending to be mine.

RUBY

How am I supposed to go back to the bookshop now, and pretend like nothing has happened?

How am I supposed to talk to Rose, knowing she hid this from me?

My heart hurts and my brain aches, and I just want to curl up in bed and pretend like this day never happened. Finding out about magic should have been the best moment of my life. Butit isn’t, and it’s all because it’s coming between Rose and me. I trudge through the back door of the book shop, and she’s there instantly, a frightened look on her face.

“Ruby, I-”

I hold up my hand. “I already talked to Torrence. I know about the magic and Kier being a fae.”

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