Page 63 of When the Woods Go Silent

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

ROSE

The rest of the day moves slowly, giving me way too much time to think.

My gut feeling was right about Arlo, and with Kier’s warning about Torrence, I can’t stop wondering if I’ll end up being right about him, too. But I want to support Ruby, and part of that is trusting her gut feelings. If she still thinks Torrence is a good guy for her, then I need to let her act on that.

Right?

Damn it. This is why we never bug into each other’s love lives. It’s so hard to walk the line between support and protection. If this is what it’s like to have kids, maybe I don’t want a big family after all.

Ruby and I slowly empty the sample box from Goblin Marketthroughout the day, and none of the food tastes bad to me this time. But none of it seems to have that addictive burst of flavor it did the first night, either. If it were just me, I probably would forget all aboutGoblin Marketin favor of any other decent local place.

“How much did we make today?” I ask as Ruby closes the door after the final customer leaves.

“Eleven sales! I’d have to do the math, but I think that’s freaking awesome for a first soft opening day. It’s not even season yet.”

She bounces over to give me a big bear hug, and I rest my chin on top of her head, willing the numbers to be enough. She allows it for a second, then squiggles out from under my arms.

“So, I texted Torrence a little bit ago. I’m gonna go see him in a few, so let me know your final picks on the food.”

I purse my lips, holding back the warning that wants to bubble over. There’s no way I can actually take Kier’s word over Torrence’s, or especially Ruby’s. I barely know him.

“I say stick with what we wrote down earlier. You have a good feel for this stuff.” It’s a cop out, but she doesn’t seem to notice. “What are you guys going to do?”

“I’m hoping for another picnic? Actually, a hike would be better. I’m super full. But we met up the other night and had this gorgeous thing under the stars and it was so freaking romantic, Rosey. Here, let me show you the pics.” Ruby pulls out her phone and swipes through a few photos of the dark woods, a blanket spread with tiny white containers of food, and finally a cute selfie of her and Torrence, with the moonlight reflecting off her pale skin. She looks really happy.

But wait.

“What the hell?” I snag the phone from her, tilting it in the light. There’s something about Torrence’s face...

“What?” Ruby asks, peering over my shoulder.

I don’t answer, trying to figure out what is bothering me about the photo. Then I get the angle just right and see it again. Like a holographic image, when I tilt the screen into a certain amount of light... I shudder and nearly drop the phone. His handsome features are the same, but now he looks like a fucking demon. Hollow cheekbones and sunken eyes that burn like fire. Sharp teeth like a row of fangs. A pale blue tint to his skin, like he could be made of ice.

Ruby takes the phone back and frowns at the photo. “I thought I look pretty good here.”

“You look great, Ru,” I choke out, my stomach rolling with nausea. Suddenly, it feels like every one of the snacks I’ve had all day long is going to come right back up, and I bolt for the bathroom in the back.

Dry heaving over the toilet, I try to force myself to calm the fuck down. It was just my imagination. There’s no way the picture could show two faces like that. I’ve been wrapped up in too many fantasy stories lately, and Kier’s warning hit me weird, and...

But a tiny part of my mind knows what I saw.

“Rose?” Ruby stands in the doorway of the bathroom, her brows drawn together in concern.

“I-I’m fine.” I straighten up and splash a little water on my cheeks and neck. The urge to vomit has passed, but the nausea still echoes in my gut. “You know, we could just hang out here tonight. Order pizza. Celebrate our first day together.”

Ruby looks torn, a sad frown pulling her ruby-painted mouth down at the corners. “That sounds good.”

But there’s more to what she wants to say, and I know it. She wants to see Torrence. She feels guilty, but deep down, she wants to choose him tonight. And can I really blame her?

“Never mind. I know you already made plans.” I summon a weak smile. “We have so many nights like this that we’ll be able to celebrate.”

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