Ruby: Uncut and on the Loose (The Veil Book 1)

by Danica Avet

  “You don’t understand, Malachi. Since the minute we met, I’ve been trying to prove to her I’m her only hope of navigating the Veil, and she kept telling me she could do it alone,” he said letting out a bitter laugh. “I was fooling myself, brother. She did it on her own, and I wasn’t there to protect her.”

  “Shit,” Malachi breathed, clicking his teeth together in annoyance. “You can’t be everyone’s protector, Lucian. I know you feel guilty about Bernard. Hell, I feel guilty about Bernard, but nothing we do is going to change what happened. All that should matter now is that your woman managed to fight her own battle and win.”

  Lucian nodded, his face set in tight lines. Malachi had a feeling what he’d said hadn’t made a damn bit of difference. He let out a frustrated sigh. Being a big brother was more of a pain in the ass than he’d thought it would be.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Ruby hauled Bianca’s body through the front doors of Veiled Art and Emporium while Ocean, Bretina, and Sheena grappled with the captured warmages. The giant had gotten away from them while they were hauling the others off. They hadn’t stuck around to look for him, wanting to unload their unhappy prisoners on Council as soon as possible. They’d taken a jet from Baton Rouge to an airstrip in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

  Summer was summer everywhere else, but here it was Heaven on Earth. The humidity was negligible, and it was a balmy seventy-something. It was so completely unlike home that Ruby was stunned. A month ago she’d feared going up her driveway to get her mail, and she’d just flown hundreds of miles to meet with Council, but this time in a position of power.

  They no longer had anything to hold over her head. On the flight up on the plush private plane the Blood Maidens kept ready, Ruby had talked at length with Bretina and Ocean about her options. She didn’t want to move out of south Louisiana and wasn’t even sure she wanted to live in one of Julius’ houses, but on the other hand, she feared staying close to home meant her chances of seeing Lucian again were higher.

  She hadn’t talked about him with the others, but she knew they were aware of her agony of decisions. Ruby was downright nauseated at the thought of running into Lucian with another woman. On the other hand, she couldn’t imagine being away from the Blood Maiden tribe. They’d quickly become her family and, throughout the flight, she’d received numerous texts on the cell Ocean had given her. Women she didn’t even know, hadn’t formally met, shot her texts with felicitations and urgings to return back to camp and regale them all with a blow-by-blow of the fight.

  Their support lifted her spirits. Then had come the text from Kali asking her if she had made her decision, as the tea leaves weren’t giving her a clear answer and she really wanted to meet up for dinner one night. Everyone wanted to know what her next move would be and she had no clue.

  Veiled Art and Emporium was located above an empty storefront on Main Street. Going up the stairs would’ve been easier without having to lug a kicking and snarling witch, but Ruby managed by slinging the woman over her shoulder and bounding up the stairs. Ruby made sure she jostled Bianca frequently. Bretina, Ocean, and Sheena brought up the rear, their voices bouncing off the stairwell excitedly as they fought with their own prisoners.

  The art store was a perfect cover for eccentric people, and Ruby couldn’t deny stepping into the hallowed halls of the Council’s most secret meeting place intimidated her. The ceramic tiled floors were pale grey. The walls were an even lighter grey from which color exploded in the form of paintings. Ruby wasn’t much of an art connoisseur, but the paintings were riveting. Her eyes danced from one frame to the next, and each time the colors were more vibrant and spoke to something deep inside her.

  One painting in particular caught her attention. Dumping Bianca on the floor, she stepped forward to take a closer look. On a field of white, two living flames arched towards each other. One was orange and deepest red, and the other was blue and emerald green. They appeared to gravitate towards each other, caught in a mating dance. Smooth sweeps of the brush had given the red and orange flame a woman’s face while the other had a strong masculine face buried in the tongues of flame.

  “You like it?” a male voice said from somewhere above them.

  Ruby looked up for the first time noticing there was a loft above the gallery. The blue man, Fields, stood at the railing looking down at her. She nodded dumbly.

  “I’ll give you a price later, but first I think you have something that belongs to us?” he asked, his voice laced with amusement and anger.

  “Right,” Ruby muttered, hauling Bianca to her feet.

  She dragged the Oculum to the stairs and led her to the loft. The stairs were more difficult to manage with Bianca on her own feet since the witch kept kicking out with her wicked heels.

  “So help me, Bianca, if you kick me one more time, I’m going to bitch slap you into tomorrow!” Ruby snarled, throwing her the rest of the way up the stairs.

  Her grandmother and aunt made tsking sounds then cracked up laughing. Ruby glared at them before sticking her tongue out. This had been one helluva a day, but she wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

  Once in the loft, Ruby quickly took a step back. Lucian was seated at a long table set in front of the window. It was after dark, so she shouldn’t have been surprised to see him, and she wasn’t. It was the lack of expression on his face as he looked at her that stunned her. He looked completely shut off from her, like he didn’t know who she was.

  Even though she’d decided this might be the best way to handle things, Ruby felt heartsick. He obviously didn’t care for her because as soon as he acknowledged her and her entourage’s presence, he turned away to talk with Nila.

  Lounging against the window was Malachi, and he looked a little happier to see her than Lucian had. He gave her a quick wave before affecting the same bored look Lucian had. No one seemed uneasy to have Malachi in attendance, which made Ruby wonder what had happened while she was fighting for her life.

  Tawny, Bree, and Nila were already seated at the table with Lucian. Fields quickly took his seat at the right of Lucian and they all turned their gazes to Ruby in unison.

  Bianca had fallen to the floor and was blubbering pathetically. Ruby felt a twinge of pity for the witch even though she hardened her heart. The witch would’ve killed her without a second thought, so she shouldn’t feel sorry for her.

  “Chieftain, what grievance do you bring before Council?” Fields asked formally.

  Ruby took a quick look around the room, finally taking note of the guards posted in the corners and a few people seated in the shadows. She suspected they were witnesses to all Council proceedings, and one of them had a scroll and quill in their hands, writing feverishly.

  “While I was a…guest of Council,” Ruby began, hesitating slightly over the circumstances of her incarceration. Ocean let out a strangled chuckle which earned her a glare from Ruby. “When I was with Council last time, the Oculum hinted that I was to be killed. I’ve had frequent visions of Chieftain Julius’ last few years and have heard several conversations he had with Oculum Bianca. He knew she was planning to take over the Council and the Veil. He also knew Lucian Ravenswaay was the rightful Oculum, not Bianca.”

  Bianca had begun to screech behind her gag, her eyes glittering with hatred.

  “I challenged her to a duel with the terms set for my freedom if I won, and returning to Council hands if I lost. During the course of the duel, it was discovered she was planning to kill me and my seconds just like she had the other Chieftains,” Ruby stated boldly, not letting her eyes rest on Lucian for a single second. She could feel Lucian looking at her, though it wasn’t the heat of desire she felt, but cool indifference. She mourned the heat that had burned between them, but this was for the best, she reminded herself. “I don’t know how many of the others she killed, but she stated it before witnesses. We also managed to capture two of her seconds, who acted dishonorably by attacking my seconds during the duel.”

  Stepping back, awa
y from the table and Lucian, Ruby allowed Ocean, Sheena, and Bretina to step forward and give their accounting of the duel. Ruby paid no attention to the rest of the proceedings.

  She watched Lucian from the shadows as he asked questions. He was in his element, she thought wistfully. His intelligence was displayed to its best advantage among the other Councilors. They worked well together, with Lucian and Nila leading the questioning, Tawny and Bree asking for minute details and Fields for clarifications. They were a cohesive unit, all determined to get to the bottom of Bianca’s treachery.

  Malachi watched them as well, his eyes guarded until they lingered on Lucian. His eyes held affection and respect as he looked at his brother. Yes, Ruby thought with an inward sigh, this was where Lucian was meant to be. Not at her side watching her lead a full life as a Chieftain. She really did have to let him go. Her throat closed on the revelation.

  “Very well,” Fields said suddenly, drawing Ruby’s attention. He motioned to a couple of the guards who came forward to lift Bianca to her feet. “You’ll understand if we don’t remove your gag, Bianca. We wouldn’t want any of your spells getting away from you before you’ve had a chance to think about the ramifications.” He stood as did the other Councilors. “You are hereby sentenced to banishment from the Veil. You will be confined to the Halls of Silence until the end of your days. Councilors, do you agree?”

  “Aye,” they all said in unison. A shimmering oval appeared in the room, swirling with color. The guards ushered a squirming Bianca through the oval which snapped shut just as soon as they were through.

  Ruby blinked. So that was what a portal looked like, she thought hazily.

  “Well, that was exciting,” Bree said with a wry smile to Ruby, releasing the tense silence that had fallen over the room.

  Everyone milled around, several of the shadowy witnesses stepping forward to meet the newest addition to the Veil and the person who’d managed to thwart Bianca’s plan. Ruby was beset by vampires, werewolves, demons, and fairies. One being, a tall man with the most melodious and seductive voice she’d ever heard, identified himself as a male siren, or crooner, and asked her to dinner.

  Lucian came nowhere near her and, within minutes of Bianca’s imprisonment, he was gone without a single word. So that was it, she thought despondently.

  She smiled at the well-wishers, turned down the crooner, pleading a headache so she could make an early escape.

  Fields stopped her at the door. “You were interested in the painting?” he asked, motioning her over to the frame.

  Ruby felt the same sense of rightness upon looking at it. For some reason, she hurt less viewing the painting, and she decided right then and there she had to buy it.

  “How much?” she asked wondering if she had enough money in her many accounts to cover the cost.

  He shook his head, his hair blowing in the otherworldly wind that followed him around. “No cost for you. You’ve done us all a service, Chieftain. One we’ll never be able to repay, especially after the way we went after you. I hope you’ll look upon us more favorably in the future.”

  Ruby smiled slightly, liking the blue man regardless of his part in her troubles. “You were doing your job, right? It isn’t like you had a personal grudge against me. I mean, Bianca’s been herding the Chieftains towards extinction for centuries, and you guys did what you thought was best for me. I can’t blame you.”

  “Do you blame Lucian?” he asked softly, his eyes intent on her face.

  Ruby felt her face pale. “No. I know he was just doing his duty.”

  “It won’t be an easy road for him,” Fields continued turning to study the painting that had enthralled her upon entering the building. “He has to prove to the entire Veil that he isn’t like Bianca even though most won’t think he is. It’s going to be tough in the next few months.”

  Ruby just nodded, not sure what Fields wanted her to say. That she was sorry for Lucian? She couldn’t be sorry for him. He finally had the Council seat he’d been working towards for years. If Veilerians did believe he was like Bianca, she knew he was strong enough to withstand it.

  “I have a feeling things are going to change in the Veil, Chieftain,” he said, turning towards her with a gentle smile. “I hope for the best.”

  Ruby managed a tight smile. “So do I, Councilor, so do I.”

  They spoke for a few more minutes, arranging for Ruby’s painting to be forwarded to Julius’ house on the outskirts of Opelousas, Louisiana. Once she got away from Fields, she had to maneuver her way through the rest of the overexcited crowd. She made vague promises to attend gatherings and dinners, though she barely paid attention to what was asked of her, simply nodding and smiling as she fought her way to the door.

  Once outside in the cool twilight air, Ruby slumped against the building, one hand braced over the ache in her chest. Lucian was gone for good this time, she knew. No matter the sweetness of their last coupling, he’d just walked away acting like nothing had happened between them. The rip in her heart might never heal, but it would lessen over time. She hoped.

  “Hey, babe, you okay?” a voice said, startling Ruby so badly, she yelped. Some big, bad Amazon she was, she thought in disgust.

  Malachi grinned impishly, and Ruby couldn’t help but think back to the first time she’d seen him. “You always manage to startle me, Cromwell.”

  He buffed his nails on his shirt. “It’s a talent. So, are you okay?” he asked again, more intently this time, his eyes searching hers for something.

  She shrugged. “As well as can be expected considering I fought a duel today, caught a bad guy, and just got the brush-off from the man I thought was my mate.” She bared her teeth in a grimacing grin. “All in a day’s work for the Chieftain.”

  “Give him time, Rube. He’ll come around. You just took him by surprise. You took us all by surprise, if you want to know the truth. I’ve never seen so many quaking knees since the time I raided an Angel Sanctuary when I first joined the Eturi.” He chuckled darkly, and Ruby couldn’t help but join in. He really was a charming man in a dark and sort of evil way. “So, what’s doin’ now?”

  She shrugged, rubbing her forehead at the onset of a headache. “Guess I’ll find somewhere to live and open shop. I also need to find an apprentice or ten, I guess.” She really wasn’t sure what she was going to do, but it at least sounded like a plan. Maybe she could forget Lucian and concentrate on training.

  “Well, you just give me a call if you want a shoulder to cry on,” he said with a wink. He handed her a business card and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Don’t be a stranger, Chieftain. I have a feeling you’ll need a shoulder more often than you think.”

  With that cryptic remark, he disappeared into the night. Shortly after, her entourage finally caught up with her. There were excited hugs all around as they celebrated Ruby’s official release from Council.

  “Let’s go back and celebrate with the tribe, Ruby,” Bretina said gently her hand cupping Ruby’s cheek. “We’ll help you decide where to go from here in the morning.”

  Ruby just nodded and gave a tired smile. “That sounds like a plan.”

  The four women piled into an expensive sedan and sped into the night without seeing the vampire who stood in the deepest shadows watching the woman he loved and cursing his own cowardice in not approaching her. She didn’t appear to be mourning him too much, he thought acridly. Maybe this aching hole in his chest was just vanity raising its ugly head because a woman could actually walk away from him. Rubbing the spot with a shaking hand, Lucian knew he was lying to himself.

  * * * *

  In the Blood Maiden camp, bonfires lit the night sky as hundreds of Amazons celebrated the ascension of their own to the exalted office of Lineage Chieftain. Toasts were made in her honor, and more than one infatuated male recited poems to her beauty and bravery.

  Ruby just laughed at the ridiculousness of such virile men trying to impress her. She didn’t drink because her stomach wasn’t feeling
up to it, but she did eat more than usual. Depression was a bitch, she thought with a false smile at Izzy. Even surrounded by the excitement and ribaldry of the party thrown in her honor, she was lonely and despondent.

  She wanted Lucian to compose bad poetry about the color of her hair. She wanted him to be the one to jump up to refill her glass of water and offer her the choicest pieces of roasted pig. Ruby sighed and finally sat back, her stomach full and her heart laden. She just wanted her mate.

  “Hey, little one,” Albreda said coming to sit next to her. “Having fun?”

  Ruby forced another smile making Albreda laugh, hugging her niece to her fiercely. “You’re missing your man.”

  Not even bothering to protest, Ruby sighed deeply, her face drawn with sadness. This really sucked, she thought as she watched a Centaur male arm wrestling Saga.

  Studying her for several long minutes, Albreda finally whispered, “Why don’t you go to him, Ruby? You obviously love him. You’ll work something out.”

  Hope, which had become a damned annoying emotion, once again sparked in her soul. Why hadn’t she just said to hell with it all and gone after him? She loved him, and even though he hadn’t shown much emotion at the Council meeting, she was a fighter. She could fight for his love. She would fight for his love.

  “Find out where he is,” Ruby ordered the queen, who just laughed and pulled out her cell phone.

  “Pagan? Hey, girl, do you know where Lucian is?”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “You’re an idiot,” Pagan muttered, glaring at Lucian over her mug of beer. Sometimes a man needed a severe kick in the ass to get him to realize anything. She’d learned from Tawny and Bree that Lucian had not only refused to talk to Ruby when she appeared before Council, but had also made no attempt to assure her of his affections. She wanted to kick his fanged ass from one end of Bourbon Street to the other.

  “Shut up, Pagan. I don’t want to hear it,” he snapped back at her, his fangs springing forth in a snarl.