Page 44 of The Secrets of Roan Island

The pain wicks away like drying water in bright sunlight as Hammish spares a disgusted look for Ruby’s ex. “Kill him and get him out of here. No loose ends.” Turning away, he glides back into the crowd, calling to no one in particular, “More wine.”

As soon as he’s out of sight, Jafeth saunters over to us. “Wouldn’t be a new moon party without a bit of drama, huh?” He laughs, and I clench my fists to keep from punching him.

I don’t have time for Jafeth’s humor. I need to get to Ruby. I should feel reassured since I know where my father and brothers are—they’re the real threat to Ruby tonight, them and me—but I don’t feel comforted. I need her close. Need to see she’s alright.

Jafeth grabs my arm. “Where do you think you’re going? You’ve got a mess to clean up.”

I shake him off and keep moving, unable to resist Ruby’s pull, too worried about her. Before I leave the little alcove where we’ve been hidden, Shemaiah steps in front of me.

“She’s safe. Let her be.”

When I ignore him and keep going, he puts a hand to my chest. “She’ll be safer away from all of us.”

“Now you think so! What about when you locked us downstairs? When you kept her from leaving this damned place.”

Shemaiah just crosses his arms. “I did what needed to be done. I stand by it.”

Truthfully, I’m glad she wasn’t able to leave. I hate the thought of being without her. But I hate the thought of her in danger even more. Frustrated with myself, my impulses, the whole damn night, I slam my fist into the wall. The hole goes straight through to the next room.

“Let him go to his girl.” Jafeth laughs and shakes his head at me. “It’s your funeral if you can’t control yourself.”

“Or hers,” Shemaiah adds darkly.

I stare at the hole in the wall, trying to keep my feet planted, needing to move, needing Ruby.

My father’s voice carries from the other side of the curtain. “Now, some entertainment.”

I don’t need to look to know how the night will devolve from here. He’ll crank up the heat and the drugs to distract everyone while we get David out. He’ll also become more and more uncontrolled.

“Please,” I say, looking from one brother to the other.

“Go,” Shemaiah acquiesces, quiet and resolved.

Jafeth looks down at David with a hungry grin. “We’ll take care of the asshole.”

I should tell them to keep David alive. I know that’s what Ruby wants. But it’s not what I want. The temptation to let themdo this my father’s way is so strong it feels like a vise pressing in on me.

I want to fight it for Ruby. But I’m not the man she thinks I am. The sooner she realizes that, the better.

David is a monster, but I’m a bigger, more powerful one. And I want him dead for what he did to my girl. “I don’t care what you do with him, but make sure he never comes near Ruby again.”

22

Noah

The party, the guests, the sounds, the smells, the blood, none of it means anything to me. I leave it behind, my mind and body singularly focused on one goal. Ruby. I don’t know if she really went to her rooms, but I have to hope she did, so I check there first.

I knock on her door. “Ruby?”

No answer.

A quick visit to the mirror and it’s clear she’s not in bed. A cold chill spikes my anxiety.

I return to the hallway, checking to ensure no one is there before sneaking from the hidden passageway. Her scent is in my blood, rushing through me with the surge of the moons’ tides. There’s a trace of it, but it’s old. She hasn’t been here since we went down to the party.

Fuck, where is she? The frustration grips my body, twisting my muscles into bulging knots. I need her.

I return to the party, even though I hope she’s too smart to be there. She’s not among the throng of bodies, mostly naked now. My father and brothers are feeding more openly now that everyone is well into their depravity. The scent of blood makes my mouth water. Hunger stirs in my gut, but the scents here aren’t what I want. Following my innate, most animalistic senses, I let the beast become my guide through the house. The slightest whiff of her perfume, the natural scent beneath it, takes me to the portrait hall. She was here, more recently than when we came up from the Gate House together.

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