Page 11 of Ravaging Red (Monsters of the Hollow Realm #1)

Secrets Over Sugar

RED

T he bell above the bakery door chimed softly as I stepped inside, the warm, sweet air wrapping around me like a blanket.

The smell hit me first. It was rich vanilla, cinnamon, and the faint tang of melted butter that still clung to the air from the morning’s first batch.

My stomach grumbled in betrayal. I’d sworn I wasn’t hungry, but Dulce’s place had a way of undoing every ounce of willpower I thought I had.

She was behind the counter, apron dusted in flour, hair pinned up in a messy twist with a pencil stuck through it like a stake. Her cheeks flushed when she saw me, that easy smile I’d always loved lighting up her face.

“Red,” she cried out, running around the counter to engulf me in a big warm hug. “I thought you’d never come see me. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I wanted to come sooner, besides, you know I can’t resist your pastries,” I said, already eyeing the plate of still steaming Conchas beside her.

The soft pink sugar crust crackled when I picked one up, the heat sinking into my fingers.

I took a bite, the dough airy and warm, the sweet and grainy sugar dissolved against my tongue.

“God, Dulce. I swear, if the rest of the world burns down, I’ll still crawl through the ashes to get to these.”

She laughed, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

She poured me coffee, strong and black with a splash of cream, the way I liked it, and then slid it across the counter.

“So,” she said, tucking her hands into her apron pockets.

“You here to tell me what’s going on, or are we playing that game where we dance around the truth? ”

I swallowed another bite, my jaw working slowly as I was buying time. “What makes you think I feel like dancing?”

She arched a brow. “Because I know you, Red. And when you get distant it means you’re hiding something. So, spit it out, I can tell something is weighing on your mind.”

I stared into my coffee, watching the steam curl and fade. “It’s not easy for me to say. Hell, I don’t even think you’d believe it if I told you.”

She leaned closer, elbows on the counter. “Try me. It’s not we haven’t heard worse.”

The corner of my mouth twitched. It was true, we’d told each other everything. From heartbreaks to bad dates to the kind of secrets you took to the grave. But this… this was different. This was a truth that split the world in two.

I hesitated, my fingers tightening around the mug. “There’s… someone. I met someone.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

“He’s not like other men. He’s…” I cut myself off, tongue caught on the word. Monster was too sharp, too final a word. But once I said it, there would be no taking it back.

Her eyes searched mine. “Don’t tell me he’s different than the others. I’ve heard that lie before. I’ve experienced it.”

“No.” I responded quickly, cutting her off. “Not like that. But he’s… dangerous. Shit, I don’t know how to say it.”

“Just tell me, Red. You can trust me.” She insisted.

“You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Aren’t we all?” She smiled.

“He’s not human, Dulce!” I grabbed her hand.

The flour-dusted lines around her mouth deepened as she frowned. “Not human?”

I nodded a few times before continuing. “He’s a… a Wolf.”

She dead eyed me but didn’t laugh. “Did he come from the woods?”

I nodded. “And he’s not the kind you see in fairy tales, Dulce. Not at all how this town describes its monsters. He’s real and he’s powerful. He could tear a man in half without blinking.”

My hands started to shake, and she grabbed them, squeezing them. “It’s okay, honey,” she whispered.

Something in her eyes made me stop, and I searched her face. “What is it?”

When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter. “I think…I think I’m being stalked.”

The mug froze halfway to my mouth. “What?”

Her gaze flicked to the window, like she expected to see someone standing there.

“It started a couple of weeks ago. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, you know, shadows in the alley, the feeling of eyes watching me. But last night… I swear, Red, there was something in the trees by my house. I didn’t see it, but I felt it. Like it wanted to come inside.”

A shiver ran up my spine. “Have you told anyone?”

“No. Who would believe me?” She tried for a laugh, but it cracked. “I mean… maybe you would. You’re the one talking about Wolves.”

I set the coffee down, leaning forward until our foreheads almost touched.

“Dulce, you need to listen to me. Monsters are real. I don’t know what’s following you, but if you feel it, really feel it, you have to trust that gut instinct.

And you have to be careful. Promise me. Promise you won’t go into the woods. ”

She nodded, but her eyes were wide, and I could tell she was searching for more answers than I could give her.

“Promise you won’t go into the woods,” I said, the words heavier than I meant them to be.

Her brows pulled together. “I can’t promise you that, Red.”

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the crumbs on my plate. “This pull, it’s like a magnet to him. It’s not just emotional, Dulce… it’s physical. It’s in my bones, in my blood. It’s like my body craves him even when mentally I know it’s wrong.”

Dulce’s lips parted, and she nodded slowly. “I know what you mean.”

My head snapped up. “You’ve felt it too?”

Her gaze drifted past me, toward the window. “Yeah. And it’s overwhelming. Like something’s wrapped itself around me, breathing down my neck, waiting for the moment I let down my guard.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m scared, Dulce. I don’t think I can fight it.”

“You have to, Red.” Her voice was firm now, her hand curling over mine.

“If what you’re telling me is real, and there are monsters in those woods, then they are hunting us.

You can’t just let yourself give in so easily, you've heard the stories. You’ll lose more than your heart. You’ll lose your life, Red.”

I wanted to tell her it was already too late, that pieces of me had been his from the first time I saw him. But instead, I squeezed her hand, clinging to the fragile thread of normalcy between us.

She smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “We’ve always had each other’s backs, right? That’s not changing now. So, whatever happens… we face it together.”

The bakery was quiet except for the hum of the ovens, but outside, I could swear the air shifted, as if something were listening. Waiting.

I didn’t want to scare her, but something in the woods wanted her. And if I was right… and if it were anything like Rael, it wouldn’t stop until it had her.