Page 105 of When the Woods Go Silent

I whisper my apologies to the woods, resting my palms against their trunks to lend them a bit of my magic so they can heal faster. As I make my way through the woods to the bookshop, I let a sliver of hope return. If I’m careful, maybe I can use today to my advantage. I’ll fix anything we ruined. I can even make it better.

After what Ronan pulled today, she’ll never trust him, either. He thinks he made things harder for me, but if I play things the right way, I can ensure that he’s just eliminated himself from the game.

CHAPTER FORTY

RUBY

I pull slowly onto a winding dirt road, chewing my lip because I still haven’t decided if coming here is a good idea.

What if Arlo is just as pissed at Torrence for fighting him? He could be luring me into some sort of trap. I should have asked Torrence if Arlo had magic. I have no idea what I’m driving into here. None of this changes how badly I want answers.

I decide I’ll just take a look.

I can turn the car and race away if things look dicey.

The woods are thick on both sides, the gnarled tress nearly forming a tunnel for me to drive through. Shadows dance across the packed dirt as I slow the car even more. After a deep turn, the road spreads into a circular driveway and the trees part to form a wide, sunny clearing. The view of an enormous chalet built into the hillside behind it makes my jaw drop. Holy crap. Is this really the bachelor pad Torrence didn’t want me to see?

It’s time to be real with myself - I’m absolutely going to knock on this door and figure some things out.

The house is an older style, but it’s well-maintained. Rocking chairs line a shaded front porch, and there’s a large concrete parking pad on the side, surrounded by banks of flowers and bushes. Two cars and a motorcycle are parked here, none ofwhich I’ve ever seen before. When I glance up at the house, I see a few of the windows are open to the late spring breeze.

It’s stunning, like a photo from a home magazine.

Torrence might not be a vampire, but this place is definitely giving wealthy supernatural family. My mood is perking up a bit, and I’ve conveniently dismissed the fact that Torrence didn’t actually invite me here. Probably, he just didn’t want me asking too many questions. After admitting magic to me this morning, he’ll definitely be over the fear of me figuring out his other secrets.

I park my car in line with the others, stepping out and scanning the house one more time. Which door should I knock on? The front kind of looks like one of those formal-only situations. There’s an open garage, but that’s way too casual. Or I could walk up the spiral stairs to the long, enclosed deck that could be hiding anything.

I’m still debating when something tickles my brain, and I spin in a full circle. A prickle forms at the base of my neck, and I get an overwhelming feeling of being watched. Everything is quiet - silent, actually. No birds sing, and the breeze has died away.

The woods around me have gone silent.

My heart is the only sound that dares to make a sound, and soon it’s all I can hear. What is happening here? Whathashappened here, to make the whole forest hold its breath?

What magic is finally ready to be found - is it dark or light, dangerous or wonderful?

A door bangs open above me like a shotgun blast, and I swallow a yelp. Shouting, two voices on the deck, two people I can’t see at all. The harsh, guttural language that I recognize now but still don’t understand. I’m stuck between the thrill of listening to a magical language, and a shudder at the pure rage that surges through the voices.

One I recognize, no matter the language.

“Torrence,” I whisper, suddenly bursting into motion as I realize he’s up there with someone, and one of them is about to get hurt very badly. Shutting out the possibility of my own danger, I clatter up the spiral iron staircase, around and around until I reach the wooden deck that spans the entire back of the house. I’m walled in now, with the house along one side, high railings on the other, and only the very back open to the wooded hillside beyond.

That’s where I see the two men, far enough away that they haven’t noticed me yet.

But as I catch my breath and inch forward, I see that it’s definitely Torrence, facing away from me. And Arlo, who’s looking right at me now, grinning like a maniac through the thick black liquid that drips down his chin. One eye is swollen shut, and his clothes are covered in even more of the blackness, as though he went face-first into an oil slick.

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