Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 470

Stormhaven.

Maybe it was because she’d finally found Asher, but Ruby slept more soundly than she had in ages. When she woke, the sun was already high, and breakfast had come and gone.

She was still groggy when Fanny came in, balancing a plate of toast and eggs. “Go wash up, then eat something. If we don’t get moving, Landon’s going to barge in here and start yelling.”

Ruby managed a tired smile.

Still half lost in sleep, she caught faint noises from the hallway. Fanny hadn’t bothered to shut the door all the way, so the voices floated in.

“Red, how are you not up yet? Are you trying to—”

“She promised me she would.”

Ruby’s lips twitched.

Who talks this much to themselves? Ruby wondered, shaking her head.

Fanny noticed the pained expression on Ruby’s face and smiled, a gentle curve tinged with just a trace of mischief.

By the time Ruby finished getting ready, she was dressed and mostly awake. She wrapped her eggs inside a piece of toast, ate a few bites with some milk, then grabbed the rest to go. “Let’s head out. If he yells any louder, my head’s going to explode.”

Fanny laughed softly and followed her into the hall.

The moment Landon saw Ruby, his eyes lit up with obvious delight. “Red!”

“Let’s go,” she said, chewing a mouthful of toast as she knocked on Asher’s door. She reminded him to stay inside the hotel and not wander off before striding down the corridor.

Her brisk, purposeful steps left Landon momentarily rooted to the spot, putting some distance between them. He stared after Ruby, his gaze darkening with longing and determination, though neither emotion faded.

“Wait for me!” he called, hurrying to catch up until he was walking right beside her. The clamor in the hallway faded behind them.

A faint click echoed down the corridor—a door opening, almost too softly to hear.

Cassian had cracked his door open, his tall frame leaning against the jamb. One hand gripped the handle, knuckles white, as he watched them disappear down the hall. The coldness of the metal seeped into his palm as his grip tightened.

Downstairs, a taxi sped away with Ruby and her friends inside. Not long after, Cassian appeared and slipped into a waiting black Mercedes, following at just the right distance to go unnoticed.

Before long, the cemetery came into view.

For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, seeing the rows of headstones brought Ruby a strange sense of calm.

“Eleanora Grayson was my grandfather’s first love,” Landon replied calmly, his voice gentle.

Ruby’s eyes widened in shock.

He shrugged, meeting her gaze. “They met as teenagers, but life pulled them apart. My grandfather never forgot her. Letters crossed the ocean, but none ever came back.”

“When he passed away, he asked me to come to Veytura and find her.”

Fanny’s gaze flickered between Ruby and Landon, her face a study in confusion. If Landon’s grandfather had loved Eleanora Grayson, then Landon wasn’t her descendant. And what about Landon’s grandmother? Wasn’t that complicated?

Landon caught Fanny’s look and smiled, unconcerned. “My grandmother played a part in their separation. The whole family suffered for it, but I’m only here to fulfill my grandfather’s last wish.”

Fanny nodded, only half understanding, but decided it wasn’t her place to ask more about someone else’s family.

A hush fell over them, and all eyes turned to the headstone.

Ruby offered a silent prayer, laying a stick of incense at the grave. She set a folded kneeling pad on the ground, bowed three times, then rose and pressed her palms together. “Grandma, I’ll come visit again soon.”

Fanny and Landon followed Ruby as she turned away. The three of them made their way toward the old house by the cemetery.