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“Goodnight.”
Maddox gave her a nod and walked away.
Chapter 10
Ruby felt like she had been slapped when the man she couldn’t stop thinking about in the last few days walked away without a backward glance as if he hadn’t been thinking about her at all. That sucked, and common sense told her to just let it go—to give him the space he obviously wanted, to go back inside the bar, and to entertain the advances of the other man whowasinterested in her and wasn’t hiding it one bit.
Frustration overrode common sense before she could even consider it. It kicked her into gear as she stalked over to shadow Maddox, who eventually noticed her following and turned back around in astonishment.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think?” she shot back.
They stopped near a tool shed just a few meters away from the bar. She placed her hands on her hips when he frowned.
“It’s cold. Where’s your cloak?”
“Forget my cloak.”
“It’s cold,” he repeated, then found his solution when he nudged her toward the shed and blocked the wind with his body. But as he had in their previous encounters, he kept a noticeable distance between them, hands tucked firmly in his pockets.
“It’s not that cold.”
“You should head back to the bar, Ruby.”
“Is this how it felt when I was the one avoiding you?”
His eyes widened, not expecting that. Then he shook his head.
“I'm not avoiding you.”
The way he avoided her gaze had her scoffing.
“You sure have been hard to find for someone not avoiding me.”
“Why would you need to find me?”
Because I can’t keep you out of my mind. Because I need you nearby and celebrating my magic with me. Because I miss you. Because I dream about that kiss.
“To talk to you about Hilda. Now that I have my magic, I can help you with her.”
She swallowed as her courage left her, and she clung on to the one thing she knew he wouldn’t be able to resist. Her chest tightened when he softened at the name, but again, he shook his head.
“It can wait. Focus on your task with your sisters first. You went there for Silver, and you should reserve all your energy.”
“But—”
“Hilda’s dead. Silver might not be. Don’t lose sight of the goal now.”
She recalled how her sisters had welcomed her after her lies, more worried than they had ever been at the thought of her missing again. It solidified that they were harsh on her because they wanted the best for her—and for Silver. It gave her the courage to know she did the right thing and would be honest with them when the time came.
Courage. Be brave.
“That kiss in the water…”
“Didn't mean anything. It was just a spur of the moment while I was trying to save you.”
The next invisible slap was harsher, hurting her soul in a way that hollowed her. Frustration took a backseat as pride put up a wall, understanding rejection when she heard it. She took her chance and that should be enough. But why did she want to cry so badly?
