Page 74 of When the Woods Go Silent

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

TORRENCE

“Did you fucking feed on her while she was awake?” Arlo hisses at me in disbelief as soon as the door latches behind Ruby.

I whirl on him, and whatever he sees in my eyes makes him shrink backward for once.

“Mind your own fucking business, Arlo. This is all mine, and I don’t needyouto make it work.” I sweep my arm around the restaurant, but I mean all of it. Everything he knows about, and everything he doesn’t. If he fucks with any of it, I won’t hesitate to get rid of him.

“If she finds out what we do here, she goes to the mines. You know that,” he pushes, and even though I know he’s just repeating my own fucking rules, I have to clamp down on every instinct to keep from slamming him into the ground.

“She doesn’t know anything, and you need to mind your Goddess-damned business,” I growl at him, snatching up the towel that’s smeared with her intoxicating scents. If Arlo hadn’t interrupted us, I would be devouring that sweet pussy right now, and Ruby would be lost in a dream of pleasure so potent she’d never want to wake up.

“You act like this restaurant is so important, man, but we both know it’s a means to an end. Just a cog in the queen’s wheel of plans.” Arlo’s gobbelin form breaks through his glamormagic now that there aren’t any humans around to influence the magic, and as I take in the shift from handsome blond human to fearsome, leather-skinned demon, I remind myself that we’re both the sort of creature nightmares are made of.

What would Ruby think if she ever saw me like this? She would call me a monster. A beast.

I shove the thought deep down as soon as it registers. Ruby and what she thinks of me mean nothing. And even though I’d never admit it, Arlo’s right about one thing. I shouldn’t be wasting time playing games with her, when there’s so much at stake.

“This place could have a purpose beyond war,” I argue instead, and Arlo takes a step back, the demonic slant of his cold eyes narrowing as he takes in my rash words.

“What are you saying, Tor?” We both know what Julianna does to anyone she labels a traitor, and even questioning the true purpose of something likeGoblin Marketwould mark us both in her eyes.

I curse under my breath that I even let the thought free - I’m losing my fucking edge up here in Clearwater. In Haret, and in the blood mines, I know who I’m supposed to be.WhatI’m supposed to be. What my responsibilities are as the gobbelin prince.

Here? Masquerading as a human and playing with one? Hiding my fae blood and my ties to Julianna? Things can get a little hazy.

“Nothing, Arlo. I’m not saying anything. It’s a good supply chain, but once we win the war, we won’t need it. There will be plenty of blood then.” Once we win the war, we’ll have the magic and the means to steal as many humans as we could ever want.

Arlo grins at me, and I know I’ve succeeded in distracting him. “I’ve tried to tell you, man. They just taste so fucking sweet right from the source, don’t they?” He preens at the thought thathe had a part in getting me to break my own rules and drink directly from Ruby, but the glint of his rows of needle-sharp teeth only helps me imagine how satisfying it will feel to finally rip him apart when this masquerade is over.

He continues, oblivious to my thoughts. “Now that you’ve had some good human pussy, it will be all you can think of until you drain her dry. And then? You’ll just want another one, and another.”

A growl vibrates in my throat, and shards of ice begin to form in my palms, sucking moisture from the air. I force the magic back, though, before Arlo can sense it. If he even thinks I care about Ruby as an individual - which I don’t - he’ll try to use it as leverage for something he wants, and I don’t have time for his shit.

I fucked up inviting her here tonight.

I fucking hate this balancing act Julianna makes me do, keeping my status and power secret while I fill her blood mines with human slaves. But this way allows me to be a spy among my own people, keeping constant vigil for anyone who might be trying to play both sides.

Of course, all of the secrecy also makes it that much easier formeto play both sides, and I remind myself this will all be worth it in the end. For Magriel.

I gesture for Arlo to lead the way back to the lodge, swallowing down a grim smile. Julianna has no idea what I’ve been planning with Ronan, and by the time she knows about my betrayal, it will be too late.

The rest of the night is spent at the lodge inspecting the blood slaves Arlo and the others have broken in. There are six ready to be transported to the mines tonight, and our success will only grow as more tourists pour into the town. It takes a couple of weeks to make sure the humans are completely under the spellof our blood magic, and we need to take that time to ensure no other humans are looking for them, too.

“General Idris is here,” Arlo says from the doorway of the lodge basement. I nod, motioning for the guards to get the slaves moving. The six humans shuffle obediently to their feet, eyes blank and calm as they file up the stairs without a sound.

“I’ll miss this one,” Arlo says, pinching the ass of one of the males when he passes. The human doesn’t even react.

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