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“Yes,” he answered, glancing at her. The way he held her hand tighter told her he understood she wasn’t just talking about him, but this time there was no lecture about moving on. Instead, they basked in the next silence that followed until they could tuck it back into the dormant part of their memories. “You need sleep. That glass earlier…I felt its energy cling to you. I know it drained you.”
She curled into him, the words washing like a lull. After some hesitation, he raised his arm until she could wriggle her way closer and settle into the warmth he still radiated. The electric tingle that followed had her eyes widening, and she stilled as it continuously seeped into her body. But Maddox was oblivious, not sharing her shock—probably not feeling what she felt.
She frowned, then brushed off her one-sided reaction. She relaxed slowly when she successfully blocked the tingle until it was nothing but a dull pulsation at the back of her senses.
“Thank you. For not reporting me and for letting me stay here. For taking care of Moon, too.”
“You would have done the same.”
Ruby closed her eyes, unable to believe that a man who carried so much grief could still be so accepting. For the nth time, the guilt made its way to the surface, but she continuously held it at bay until she felt it: the relaxing of his muscles and the way his hand fell back, indicating that Maddox had succumbed to sleep.
She waited it out for a few more minutes, gently easing away from him at the pretense of searching for a more comfortable sleeping position. She peeked at his form, registering the vulnerability in his expression.
I’m sorry. But I still have to do this.
She snuck out of the house as quietly as she could, composing herself as she returned to her sisters’ shared cottage. No one was home, so she tiptoed to Sapphire’s room until she found the rows of potion bottles that allowed the witch to read and work through the night. Ruby gulped one in and felt its effects instantly when her body perked up and the sleepiness wore off.
“Hello! Saph, Em, are you here?”
Ruby ducked, then scrambled through the window as Pearl made some noise in the living room, and another voice—a male voice—answered. She kept going until she was out of the cottage’s sight and was well on her way toward a particular destination until she made the mistake of passing the bar as a shortcut, and a figure blocked her way.
“Hey, Ruby. I’m surprised to see you here, but I’m glad.”
She would have hated any kind of conversation at this most precarious time, but Brian Gold was not most people. Whereas most of Broom’s Isle judged and threw stones at the Sutton family after Silver’s attack and subsequent banishment, Brian had been one of the few who stood by their side. After all, he was Silver’s best friend and had been the other half of a rather famous duo: Silver and Gold, out to become two of the most powerful warlocks ever. Now the duo was gone, and Brian mostly kept to himself.
“Hey, Brian. How are you?”
He gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes while his gaze swept over her form. The blond man exuded handsomeness in a face that many women often sighed over. At one time, she had been one of those women, holding a giddiness in her heart whenever he hung out at their cottage with Silver and paid her extra attention. There might have been some tension there, too, before their worlds crumbled and they eventually walked different paths.
“I’m good. I just got back from a sabbatical. It’s good to be back.”
While Ruby had been roaming the seas and helping out the pirates who had saved her, Brian had left for Centro to stay away from prying eyes and careless mouths. His return last month had been a passing thought in her head and she knew he had visited her sisters, but she hadn’t actively sought him out, not when she had her plate full.
“It’s good to see you back,” she finally said.
“Yes. You, too.” The smile widened, crinkling the sides of his deep brown eyes. “You look well. Great, actually. Listen, I was hoping we could hang out sometime. Catch up. Just because he is gone…erm, I want to know what’s happening with you. I want to stay in your life.”
She heard the catch in his voice and saw the sincerity in his eyes. She opened her mouth—and caught a glimpse of Lionel leaving the bar with a different woman in his arm. Ruby ducked, gripping Brian’s hand and dragging him into a dark corner with her. He held her instinctively, searching her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you—”
“I have to go. I forgot to do something, and you know how it is these days.”
“Yeah. Everyone’s watching you. I know.”
Because everyone was watching him, too, she supposed, after he had returned from Centro. When she stepped away, he didn’t protest.
“Yeah. I will see you around. Let’s catch up.”
“I’m holding you to that.”
She left before Brian could see through her attempt at casualness and Lionel could spot her, taking advantage of the break in the conversation to refocus her sights and head to where she had been supposed to go in the first place. This time, the return to James’s office was easier as she went straight to the private file room and carefully put aside glass balls until she could dig to the bottom haul. She grabbed and discarded them one by one, mulling over which ones would help her in the upcoming task. Her eyes widened when she spotted smaller, darker-colored ones at the very bottom.
“Jackpot,” she murmured.
