Page 86 of When the Woods Go Silent

“So, I still don’t really know why the guys were arguing,” she hedges, and my stomach rolls a little. This is going to be about Torrence. I can feel it.

I sigh, shaking my head. “Me neither, actually. Kier was really vague on all of that.” Except when he told me about the fae and gobbelin war, that is. I give myself a mental slap as I realize exactly what he means by being in security. He’s probably here checking up on the gobbelins, spying on them to report back to some war general or whatever.

“Yeah. But Tor... he...” Just then, the door swings open, and a group of college-age girls walk in, making straight for the romantasy display. Ruby glances at them, her fingers stuttering across her throat again, then whispers hurriedly, “He bit me.”

And before I can process the words, she’s off like the coward she is, turning into a ray of bubbly sunshine as she works the crowd selling books. All I can do is lean hard against the bookshelf, my heart pounding as all of Kier’s warnings whip like a hurricane in my mind. My gut told me not to trust Arlo, and I was fucking right.

Arlo bit me. He bit me, and if Kier is right, he was planning to do much, much worse that night. The only thing that stopped him wasme- leaving.

And Ruby won’t leave. I know she won’t. She likes Torrence, and that girl is like a dog with a bone when she sets her sights onsomeone. She really is in danger, and keeping her out of the loop is the last thing that might keep her safe.

I don’t have time to wait for him after closing - I need to talk to Kier now.

Even as the adrenaline pulses through my body, my brain screaming at me to do something, I realize like a punch to the gut that I have no way to reach him. I have no idea what he does all day or where he goes.Fuck.

No matter how urgent this feels, I’m going to have to wait until he finds me again. I hate this so much, but I have no choice but to put my mask on for Ruby and every customer who walks through the door. The rest of the day, I scan every person like a hawk, hunting for any signs of danger, while my head rings constantly with internal alarm bells.

I’m exhausted when we finally lock up, and Ruby has definitely noticed.

“You’re so stressy today. Is there something else we need to talk about?” she asks as we go from room to room together, straightening displays and turning off lights.

“Just... worried, is all. I want things to be perfect.” I shrug, and Ruby laughs nervously.

“I know. You’re such a perfectionist, and the world will never live up to your expectations. But hey, the thing that’s really perfect? We get to ride this road together.” She bumps her hip into mine, wrapping me in a sideways hug, and my heart aches with all the things I need to tell her but can’t. Soon, but not yet.

“Dinner in?” I suggest, to stop myself from saying anything else. “I can make pasta.”

“Ooh, and wine. Yes, please. Let’s get into our jammies early and put on a movie or something.”

I smile, my heart aching for a different reason now. This is everything we’ve been dreaming of and working for - a sharedbusiness, living in the same house, and all the books we could possibly read.

And if Kier is right, it’s all about to slip through my fingers. I wasn’t imagining that fear at all.

“Come on, Rose. We did good work today. Let’s forget about the rest of the world,” Ruby says, tugging on my arm. She can tell I’m starting to spiral, and even though she has no idea why, she’s right there to catch me.

“Love you, Ru,” I say, letting her pull me upstairs.

“I make it easy, don’t I?” she replies, reaching for a bottle of red wine and winking at me. I roll my eyes, but I’m happy to take the full glass she pours. We clink glasses, and I start making dinner while Ruby flicks through the streaming options for something to watch.

For a few hours, I let myself forget about Kier and Torrence and pretend that this is my life. That I finally got what I’ve always wanted, and nothing will ever threaten the peace we’re building.

When the dishes are put away and the house is dark, though, I slide into bed with the edges of dread and depression blanketing me. Kier hasn’t come back, and I have no idea if he’s even okay, or what to do next. If only it were all a dream...

A tap at my window has me bolting straight up, though. I wait, hoping it was my imagination, but of course, it isn’t.

The tap comes again, quiet but purposeful. Cursing under my breath, I creep to the window and pull back the tiniest corner of the curtains. When I see what’s outside my second-floor window, dizziness washes over me as a thousand emotions and questions collide in my chest.

Kier is floating in the air beyond my window.

No. Floating isn’t the right word. He’s standing on a curved platform of vines that have somehow grown up the side of the house in a matter of minutes, holding him at eye level as heflashes a cheesy grin through the glass. Tendrils of the vine are tapping against the sill, like little feelers looking for a crack wide enough to slip into.

Battling against all the fear swirling in my mind, I take a deep breath and decide to choose information. That’s the only thing that will help me conquer fear. Once I know everything he has to tell me, I’ll be able to make a plan. I’ll come up with some way to keep Ruby safe.

I unlock the window and slide it open.

The vines immediately curl inside, forming a sort of rope bridge for Kier to climb down. But he waits, smiling more hesitantly at me now. “I’m so sorry, Rose. I’ve gone about this all wrong. I’ve made you afraid.”

I cross my arms over my chest, still watching warily as the vines crawl down the wall like snakes. They’re beautiful, but yeah. Scary as hell to watch.

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