Chapter 62

Ruby

I’ve decided that I can’t leave. There is too much tying me to this castle, too much that makes me want to stay. Despite all of the bad things that have happened since I’ve come here, despite Alice and the Queen and Edith, I care about Atwood too much to leave.

I care about Nancy and my sister, too. I don’t want to make my sister live like a pauper again. I don’t want to leave my best friend behind. No matter what this curse has in store for me, I’m going to fight it. Vivian has given me a head start on understanding what is going to happen; maybe if I visit her room again, I’ll be able to find some more helpful information.

More importantly right now, I have to tell Cayden that I won’t be going with him. I can’t just leave him waiting out there in the woods, not when the Bears could attack soon.

“I have to go tell Cayden,” I say quietly, standing from my crouching position in front of my sister.

Nancy and Tamara look at me with surprised looks on their faces.

“You’re not running away?” Nancy asks.

I shake my head. “No,” I say. “I… I can’t. I don’t want to leave, either.”

“I’ll come with you to find Cayden,” Nancy says.

Taking my friend’s hand and squeezing it, I shake my head again. “No. I’ll go alone. It’ll be quicker this way, and besides, it’ll be less suspicious if you two stay here. If anyone asks, I’ve gone to the bathroom.”

Nancy nods. I head for the door, but Alice stops me as I step out into the corridor.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asks.

“Bathroom,” I reply in a surly tone.

Alice huffs and folds her spindly arms across her chest. “There’s a powder room at the back of the ballroom.”

“I want to use my private bathroom,” I reply. “Please. I really need to go.”

With a disgusted look on her face, Alice groans and shakes her head. “Fine,” she says. “But if you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m going to come looking for you.”

I nod and run toward the stairs as though I’m going to my room, but as soon as Alice goes back inside the ballroom I dart around the stairs toward the back entrance.

“Ah, Miss Ruby!” the guard at the back door says. “Shouldn’t you be at your party?”

“I just need some fresh air,” I say as I start to use my dazing ability on him.

He’s almost in my grasp when a hand touches my shoulder. I jump and turn around, only to see… Edith.

“What are you doing out here, hmm?” she says with a coy smile. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Oh… Edith,” I reply, forcing a smile back. “I was just going to step outside for a minute.”

“You can’t go out there, silly!” she says, still holding my shoulder firmly as she guides me away from the door and toward the stairs. Her sharp, long nails are digging into my shoulder.

“Well, I guess I’ll just go back to the party, then,” I say. But when I try to head back toward the ballroom, her grip only gets stronger. She pushes me up the stairs, nearly making me trip over my long skirt.

“Yes, we’ll go back soon,” Edith snarls. “But first, I just want to show you something.”

She shoves me up the rest of the stairs, then practically drags me to my bedroom now that we’re out of sight of the guards. She opens the door and shoves me in so hard that I fall to my knees, then closes and locks it behind us.

“What is all this for?!” I shout, scrambling to my feet.

With a smirk, Edith goes into my closet.

“Hey, wait!” I chase after her, but she’s too quick. She pulls out my backpack and dumps its contents on the floor to reveal my clothes, granola bars, and my money. Before I can stop her, she snatches up the money and waves it in my face.

“Where are you gonna run off too?” she says with a maniacal grin. “Gonna go on a vacation with your little boyfriend?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I respond with a growl.

“Aw, did your dance with Attie make you feel bad or something?” she says. She crosses over to my bedside table and pulls the drawer open. That’s where I keep my knife. She pulls it out and examines the blade, turning the handle over in her hand.

“Maybe I’ll tell Attie that you kissed your old alpha in the woods,” she says. When I try to approach, she sticks the knife out at me. “I think I’m going to fuck him first, though.”

Edith lowers the knife and shoves the money in her bodice.

“He would never have sex with you,” I growl.

“Oh, but you’re so wrong!” Edith says with a low chuckle. “He’s done nothing but stare at my tits and ass since I got here.”

She walks back toward the door. While her back is turned, I take the opportunity to leap at her. She falls to the floor with a yelp. The knife falls out of her hand and slides across the floor.

We both scramble to get the knife, but admittedly Edith is quicker than I am, so within a moment she’s holding it to my throat again. I back away, raising my hands submissively.

“You’re so ridiculous,” Edith says.

Then, she uses the knife; but not on me. She lowers the blade to her arm and cuts a deep gash, dripping blood onto the carpet.

“Ow!!” she screams at the top of her lungs. “Help me! Ruby is attacking me!”

Before I can stop her, she bolts out of the room and locks the door so that I can’t get out.

“Come back here, Edith!” I scream, pounding on the door. I can hear her fake screams and whimpers as she runs down the hall.

Suddenly, I have a vision.

Edith and Atwood are alone together in his study. He’se sitting in his chair, and she’s… sitting on his lap, straddling him. Her skirt is hiked up and his pants are unzipped. They’re kissing deeply and both moaning as she moves up and down. They’re having sex.

I wake up from my vision on the floor. Somehow, the vision must have made me pass out and fall to the ground. I try my door again, not knowing how long I’ve been out cold, but it’s still locked.

The vision of Edith and Atwood having sex makes me wish that I had just run away after all. Maybe she’s right. Maybe he would prefer her, and I’m just in the way. But now I’m stuck in my room, unable to stop them and unable to run away.

My emotions become too strong, and I start to cry. I pound my fists on the floor angrily, sobbing and cursing out loud.

But then, my door opens.