Page 13 of Riot of Autumn

“You’re so damn talented, Ruby. You shouldn’t hide this away.”

“And you aren’t listening to a word I’m saying.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “Why would you? You never really gave a shit about my feelings when we were young. Why would you care about what I want now?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I take a step closer, but Ruby holds up her hand, stepping back.

“Do you remember how often Timothy Boston and Johnny Halsey used to make shit out of me? For my clothes, my nonexistent tits.”

I frown at her, not sure why there’s a sudden change in topic. A sick feeling grows in my stomach, a heavy weight that I’m not sure where it’s coming from.

“That was years ago, Cube, what does that have to do with any of this?”

Ruby shuts down fully then. I’m not going to get anything else out of her.

“You’re right. It’s not important. You need to leave. I’m going to close up and go home. I want to shower this entire day off me.”

“Ruby.” I sigh, wishing we didn’t always have to fight.

“I’ll be fine. Just…I’ll talk to you later.” Her shoulders are slouched as she finishes cleaning her brushes. It’s painful not to cross the distance and pull her into my arms, but I know that would result in a screeching, thrashing Ruby.

“Okay. Get home safe.” I take a step back and then let go of the hold on my magic, shifting back into the crow.

“You were the damn bird, too?” Ruby’s voice chases me through the woods as I fly away. Except I don’t go far. I find a spot in a towering spruce tree and wait. I’ll stay here as long as Ruby does and make sure she gets home. Even if she doesn’t want my protection, she’ll have it.

6

RUBY

“Table five wants more ketchup,” Tecia Barns, owner of Puck’s Diner, calls out to me as she spins past, delivering a plate of food to a table.

The dinner rush is finally slowing down for the night. After I deliver another bottle of ketchup to my table, I head behind the counter. I grab my water and guzzle down half of it before I come up for air. It’s another sweltering night, and even though the AC is cranking, there have been too many bodies coming in and out of the diner for it to be cool. Plus, I’ve been running around nonstop for the past two hours.

My hair is up in two buns on the top of my head. The tank top and black shorts with little skulls on them are about as skimpy as I can get away with at work. I don’t need any body parts falling out while I’m serving someone their burger.

“Drink, please. Coke.” Tecia hops on an empty stool on the other side of the counter. I grab a glass, loading it to nearly overflowing with ice, just like she likes it, and push it against the arm of the soda machine to fill it up.

Tecia is the same age as my grandma Birdie. That’s how I got the job here. Nepotism is alive and well. She’s in her sixties, but looks a lot younger. Her brown skin only has a few lines and her dark brown eyes sparkle with mischief, which is probably why we get along so well. She’s a known shit stirrer.

I started working at Puck’s when I was still in high school. My mom was already gone, and I was living with Birdie at the time. Birdie never made me feel like I was a burden, or that I had to pay for my own stuff. I hated relying on someone else for money if I wanted new clothes or wanted to go out to eat with my friends.

I love Tecia and I don’t mind working at the diner, but it’s not how I want to spend the rest of my life. It hurts me to even think it, but Ezra was right. This can’t be it for me. Working long hours, coming home smelling of greasy food, with aching feet. I don’t think anyone dreams of that. But most of us don’t really get a chance to chase our dreams, do we?

“You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet tonight. Are you plotting someone’s murder?”

“Well, obviously. That’s always happening.” I chew on the end of my straw and then take another drink of water.

“Everything else okay, kiddo?”

“Just ready for this damn heat to break.” I grin at her, hoping it’s enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Tecia hums, sounding unconvinced. “Oh look. Here’s your boy.”

My boy. Pfft. Tecia is such a troublemaker. That doesn’t stop my stupid heart from speeding up and ping-ponging all over the place. I don’t even need to turn to the door to know who’s here. Ezra comes to visit me at work at least three times a week. I gave up trying to get him to stop a long time ago. He always comes after the rush and sits at the counter. He doesn’t even have to order because I know what he wants. He gets the same thing every damn time.

Tecia hops off her stool and squeezes Ezra’s arm in greeting as she walks past him.

“I’ll do a pass on your tables.” She tosses over her shoulder at me with a wink, and I give her a wave of thanks.

Ezra walking toward me is a sight I will never get tired of seeing. Now that I know he shifts into a wolf–a fucking wolf–the way he moves makes so much sense. He prowls, moving through a room like he’s the most lethal thing in existence. Not to mention he’s mouth-wateringly hot.

---