Page 62 of Riot of Autumn

“I’m going to leave you guys to it,” Tecia says with a raised eyebrow at the lot of us. I groan when she winks. She probably thinks I mean animal in another way.

“Do I need to go and beat that prick into an unrecognizable pulp?” Ezra looks toward the door, his brow pulled in concern.

I’m feeling the same way. Nervous energy ripples through me, and I realize I’ve been clicking my pen to a rapid beat. Ezra plucks the pen out of my hand and ducks down until he’s at eye level with me.

“Are you okay? Did he do something to you?”

“No. It’s not that. It’s just something he said.”

The door opens and in walks the stupidly good-looking guy with long, silky dark hair. Instead of heading toward a table, he walks straight toward our group. Then we all stare at each other in an awkward circle.

“Do you need a menu? You can sit anywhere you want.” I wave my hand at the nearly empty dining room. This guy has been here at least a dozen times now, so I don’t know why he’s confused all of a sudden.

His gaze moves from me to Ezra, then to Zara and finally Rhys before it comes back to me.

“Actually, I would like to speak with you.”

Ezra growls low and almost too quietly to hear. Zara’s hand reaches out to grab my wrist, but I have no idea why.

“Me?” I point to my chest, making sure I understand what he’s saying. He’s not trying to ask me out on a date or something. Is he?

I step back into Ezra, his hands landing immediately on my hips. I’m not doing it for protection, but because I’m afraid Ezra might try to mark his territory again and I don’t know how that would pan out in the middle of Puck’s Diner.

Silky Hair’s mouth twitches in a partial smile, but it’s not creepy like Colton’s; it’s a normal, amused one.

“I was actually hoping to speak to all of you.”

Zara steps forward then, her shoulder brushing against mine. “I know what you are,” she says on a breathy whisper. She’s holding his gaze, and I know how huge that is for her.

Our new friend inclines his head. I’m not getting evil vibes from him. He doesn’t make me want to run away, but that’s not saying much.

“I have information that may be helpful to you. For both our worlds.”

I knew it! I fucking knew it. This guy is Fae. When he’s been around, I’ve been getting some weird magical tingle, in a totally nonsexual way—even though that’s how it sounds in my head. Honestly, I was intending to ask him point-blank if he was Fae the next time I saw him. Especially after what happened last night. I guess he moved the timeline up a little.

“You’re Fae.” There’s almost no inflection in my voice. It’s a statement of fact.

Before he has a chance to confirm my suspicion, Zara’s head whips toward the door. Her brows are pulled so far down her forehead is creased with lines. Then her face goes blank and her eyes unseeing. A tingle of fear slithers down my spine. She doesn’t look right.

“What is it?” I ask, my gaze moving back and forth between her and the door. Silky Hair is momentarily forgotten.

Zara’s head dips down, her blonde hair covering her face. Her body is tense, her shoulders bunched like she’s in pain. When she speaks, her voice is robotic, sounding nothing like her. “The window tightens. Guard your thoughts and fears. Your weakness can be your greatest strength.”

Fear for her keeps me locked in place. Rhys hovers at her side, all of us frozen. I don’t want to touch her in case it will do something. Like how they say to never wake a sleepwalker. What if it locks her in this trance-like state? What if she never comes out of it?

When she finally blinks, I exhale in relief. The dullness disappears from her eyes, and they widen with an alarm that has me scared shitless.

“Go home, Ruby. Now.”

I don’t hesitate, rushing around the counter without asking Zara why. I don’t need to know the details. Whatever the reason for the sick feeling in my stomach, it has to do with what Zara is sensing.

Ezra is right on my heels, Rhys and Zara not far behind him, with our new Fae buddy at their side. I’ve never run so fast in my entire life. Instinct has me sprinting toward my house even though there’s no rational reason why I need to go there. There’s a churning in my gut, a sick feeling that something is very wrong, and it drives me down the streets of Wild Haven.

Ezra passes me just as the smell of smoke hits my nose. I look up to the sky and black plumes fill the air. No. No!

Ezra makes it to my house moments before me, gaping at the inferno in front of us. I clap a hand over my mouth, but then drop it when my thoughts catch up to my body.

“Axil,” I scream, running past Ezra and straight for the house.

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