Page 37 of Tears of Ruin

Richard started to stand, but I gaped at him. “It’s the bathroom.” I gestured around the diner. “This place is dead. If anyone follows, you can come check on me.”

I walked away before he could answer. I loved being with him, loved the time we spent together, but I needed a moment to myself.

The bathroom was empty when I walked in, just as I expected. I turned on the faucet and let the cool water run over my hands for a moment before splashing some on my face. The chill helped clear the lingering fog of sleep from my mind.

As I patted my face dry with a paper towel, I studied my reflection in the mirror. There was color in my cheeks now, a healthy glow that hadn’t been there before. My eyes looked brighter, more alive.

The reason for that change was sitting out in the diner, probably checking his watch and debating whether to come check on me. I smiled at the thought. Richard’s protectiveness should have chafed, but instead, it made me feel cherished. Being with Richard, feeling safe and cared for, was healing parts of me I thought were broken forever.

Last night with Richard had been incredible. The way he touched me, kissed me, made me feel things I’d never experienced before. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I was falling for him, hard and fast, and that scared the heck out of me.

The sound of the bathroom door creaking open jolted me out of my thoughts. I tensed, head whipping around, but relaxed slightly when I saw it was just an older man heading for the urinals. I grabbed a paper towel and quickly dried my face before exiting the bathroom.

As I walked back to our table, I froze mid-step. My heart seized, ice flooding my veins.

Martin was there. Sitting across from Richard in the booth.

His cold eyes flicked to me, and a cruel smile curled his lips. “There you are, Noam. So nice of you to join us.”

I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Panic clawed at my throat. How had he found me here? What was he going to do?

Richard’s face was like stone, his eyes molten gold and furious as they bored into Martin. The air around him crackled with barely restrained violence.

“Walk away. Now.” Richard’s voice was low and deadly calm. “While you still can.”

Martin simply laughed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. He leaned back casually in the chair. “Now, is that any way to speak to your boyfriend’s father? Noam and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“You’re not my father,” I managed to choke out, shocked that I’d finally stood up for myself. “You’re a-a monster.”

Something dark and ugly flashed in Martin’s eyes, Silo’s eyes. “Careful, boy. You forget your place.” He started to rise from the booth, and I stumbled back a step.

Richard was between us in a heartbeat, his honed body shielding me. The few people in the diner turned to look our way. Our waitress stood by the counter, a tray of food resting on one palm, but she hadn’t moved any farther. I saw my blueberry pancakes, but I no longer wanted them.

I just wanted to get out of the diner as quickly as possible.

Peeking around Richard, I watched Martin/Silo take a step toward us, his smile dripping with amusement. He was uncaring we had an audience. He moved closer, his steps drawn out, clearly enjoying every second of this.

I heard Richard say something under his breath, but I couldn’t make out the words. Something brushed against my back, scaring the crap out of me. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw the same ripple in the air I’d seen when we were run off the road, the ripple that had taken us from the car to the castle.

Now that I stood still instead of flying through the thing, it looked like heat coming off of pavement, only vertical.

And in the middle of a diner.

Martin’s eyes narrowed. “You can run, but I will get Noam back.” His features smoothed, turning playful, making me want to vomit. His grin was cold and taunting. “After all, little mouse, we never did finish our game of hide and seek.”

Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.

Just pretend this is a game so you can calm down. Panic is your enemy.

My eyes widened when I saw what looked like a blue glow around Martin’s fingers. It looked like a ball of static that grew. Murmurs erupted around us, but I didn’t dare take my eyes off of Martin’s hands to glance at the customers.

“You want a fight?” Richard said in a calm, even voice. “Then you’ll have to find me, little mouse.”

I had no idea what he was talking about and didn’t have time to wonder. Richard shoved me backward, and I fell through the shimmering ripple, noticing it kind of tickled.

As soon as I passed through, I landed on the hard ground, a shot of pain erupting on the left side of my body. Then I realized we hadn’t returned to the castle.

At least, not Winterhaven. Maybe. I wasn’t sure.

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