“Pretty much.” Johnny shrugged.
Keller threw him a dirty look.
“Great.” Holly’s throat felt tight. Her voice came out in a pathetic squeak. “Um, I think I need a moment.”
“If you want, we can—”
Holly didn’t find out what Keller was trying to say. She turned away and ran headlong into the forest before he had a chance to finish speaking.
CHAPTER 14 – Johnny
Johnny watched Holly run off. He understood that need to get away. He felt it all the time. Unfortunately, he was just as stuck in Silver Spruce as she was. He could kill Loch for bringing it to her attention that Johnny had only just recently come back to town. No wonder she didn’t trust him anymore. He fucked up.
No matter how hard he tried to make all of the right choices this time, he still fucked up. He had to find Holly and tell her the rest of the truth, but it would have to wait. She’d already taken in too much information today. She was overwhelmed and freaked out. Johnny didn’t blame her one bit. He had deserved everything she said to him, even though it hurt like a bitch.
“She doesn’t know the woods,” Garret muttered more to himself than to either Johnny or Keller.
“She might need a moment,” Keller advised, though no one had asked. “Give her space.”
“I’m not giving her space to trip and break her ankle. Or worse.” Garret pushed up from the ground and followed after Holly.
“I expect you’re going to rush after her, too?” Keller looked at Johnny from the corner of his eye.
“I’ve tracked Holly down twice now. It’s someone else’s turn to chase after her.”
“That attitude isn’t going to get you far. Aren’t you desperate to convince her you’re the king?”
“No,” Johnny snapped. The very idea made his skin shudder.
Yes, he was called to Holly. She was the maiden. Of course, he was called to her. And yes, he genuinely liked her. She was beautiful, funny, and sharp as a tack. The longer he knew her, the more he knew about her, and the more he liked her. He liked her a dangerous amount. He couldn’t get their kiss in the study out of his mind since it happened. He wanted it to happen again, but that didn’t seem likely now.
That didn’t mean he wanted to be the king. That was the last thing he wanted. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t have it both ways. Not truly. Only the king could truly belong to the maiden and vice versa. Everyone else simply stole borrowed time with her. He didn’t want to steal time. He wanted her. He knew that much.
“If you’re the king, it’ll happen whether you want it to or not,” Keller said.
“I can see you’re real broken up about that concept,” Johnny scoffed.
“I’d love to be the king,” Keller said. “There’s a lot of good to be done. The king and the maiden are the only ones who can do it right.”
“You can do good without the title,” Johnny pointed out.
“That’s true,” Keller agreed. “But with that title comes power. Power is what really makes changes happen.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Johnny shrugged.
“But I’m sure you want to.”
“You know me too well.”
They stood in silence for a moment, the mist swirling around them. They looked into the woods where Holly had disappeared.
“You think Garret will try anything?” Johnny asked. The very thought made his skin itch. He was never one for sharing.
“Nah,” Keller said with a dismissive wave. “He’s not that kind of guy.”
“Every guy is that kind of guy.”
“Some of us have class,” Keller said, narrowing his eyes.
“Oh, please.” Johnny laughed. “Class stopped mattering after the last war. Class wasn’t even supposed to be part of the bear clans, except for the king. Even then, the king might not be rich.”
“True.” Keller nodded.
Johnny couldn’t help but notice the intense way Keller stared at nothing. Something was definitely going on in that head of his.
“What’s that look for?” he asked.
“I’m thinking about Loch. He’s up to something.”
“No shit.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Keller muttered. “I'm serious. Why would he try to take Holly into Golden Oak, knowing that it might put her in danger?”
“Maybe he doesn’t know,” Johnny said, but he knew that wasn’t the case before the words completely left his mouth.
“He knows. We all felt the pull the moment she got close enough to town.”
Johnny felt it days before she had arrived. In a way, he believed he was always being pulled to her. Whenever he left town, he went south toward California. That was where Holly was. She’d called to him for years. Whether or not he was drawn to Holly or the maiden was up for debate, but the pull was irresistible. Now, every other bear shifter with a chance at being the king felt it too. He’d never have her. Not really.
He had to accept that. But could he?
CHAPTER 15 – Holly
Holly couldn’t run any farther. Tears blurred her vision. With every step, she tripped over a root, a rock, or some other object that seemed explicitly designed to keep her from getting too far away from the stone circle.
Through her tears, she spied a slab of rock. If she couldn’t run away, she could at least sit and catch her breath. The logical parts of her brain vehemently rejected everything she’d seen and heard today. But her eyes couldn’t lie. Her heart couldn’t lie. Deep in her heart, she knew everything Keller, Garret, and Johnny had told her was true.
Shifters were real. Her grandmother was an integral part of the Silver Spruce shifter community. Did she truly have the gift of foresight? Holly couldn’t say for sure. There was no way to test that.
