Half of Ruby

Chapter 36

The sprig of jasmine glowed in its new glass vase, petals softly illuminating the moonlight. 

Ember stared at it, struggling to cross the intangible line between consciousness and unconsciousness, pushing against whatever held her back from slumber but failing to reach its depths. 

As of tonight, I am no longer a witch. 

The church bell tolled, two forlorn strikes echoing into the air. Her eyes flickered to the illuminated clock face, the ornate black hands swiveling round and round. 

Who am I? What's going on? 

As expected, her mind drifted towards Ronan, and she forced it away from him. If there was anybody she needed to think about, it was him. And if there was anybody she didn't want to think about, it was him. 

But at the same time...a sigh escaped her lips. Ronan. The name had always been important to her. After all, wasn't he the one who overlooked her status as a witch? And now...now he loved her. The thought burned the edges of her mind, searing away at head like a flame at the corners of a paper. 

Do you love me? 

Her breaths came in painful jerks as her fingers clenched around the sheets. 

Do you love me? 

His hazel eyes swam before her, glimmering with amusement. His one eyebrow raised the way it always was when she became flustered. 

But now, more recently, he'd begun displaying a more vulnerable side. A side which blushed instead of making her blush. 

Don't think about him. 

But lying up until two in the morning...what had she done but think about him? She'd evaded his name, his face, his voice, every type it'd poked the edges of her mind. She shook her head, closing her eyes, though her mind pulsed with action. 

Don't. Think. About—

A creaking downstairs startled her from her thoughts. 

Ember shot upright, heart hammering as blood roared in her ears. 

Who in their right minds would be up at this time of the night? 

Immediately, her covers came off, hurled to the side as her feet struck the floor. Her fingers closed around a hair ribbon on her desk, and, without knowing why, the fragile sprig of jasmine. 

The coldness of the floor crept into the soles of her feet as she stole down the hallway. The moon painted unearthly shadows over the walls, silver burning against the floors. 

Ember took a deep breath, shivering as she tiptoed towards the stairs. Her eyes flickered to the room on her left—Ronan's room. 

No sound came from it. Slowly, she padded towards the door. 

What are you going to do, open it? Watch him sleep? 

She slapped herself mentally, eyes rolling in annoyance, and stepped away from the door. 

And then another creak cut through the night, this time accompanied with the sound of...wind chimes. 

Coldness shot through her. 

Someone opened the door. 

Ember's breath seized in her throat as she stepped back from the banisters, ducking into the shadows as she stared at the door. 

Moonlight thundered in over the threshold, a torrent of silver glittering over the floorboards. A single figure stood in the doorway, slender shape curving against the shadows.