“What?” Loch leaned forward. “What did she say?”
“Did she not tell you?” Keller asked. “You were trapped in there with her all this time.”
“No,” Holly said. “I told him I heard a voice, but I never went into specifics. I didn’t think the Maiden would like it.”
“And now you think otherwise?” Loch arched a brow. A slight smirk played on the corner of his mouth.
“The Maiden said I’m right to trust you. Why she waited so long to confirm it, I don’t know.”
I said he was one of yours. Do you not listen? The voice of the Maiden made Holly jump.
“Are you all right?” Johnny murmured.
“Yes.” Holly nodded. “I heard her again. She startled me.”
A picture on a wall isn’t enough to earn my trust, Holly replied to the voice. Trevor’s portrait is on the wall and look how trustworthy he is.
He is lost.
Not my problem.
“Is she speaking with the Maiden now?” Keller asked Loch, who nodded.
“What is she saying?” Johnny asked.
Pain shot through Holly’s temples. She pressed her hands against the side of her head.
“Please,” she whimpered. “It’s too much. I can’t have this many of you talking to me at once.”
I will allow you to rest. But, remember my words. It is me you serve above all others. That is your duty as my vessel.
I hear you. Holly felt the Maiden slip out of her mind. With a sigh of relief, she sunk into Johnny.
“Can we speak now?” Johnny asked in a low voice.
Holly nodded.
“Did the Maiden say anything new?”
Holly paused, turning the Maiden’s words over in her mind once more.
“No,” she said at last. “Just that she is going to allow me time to rest.”
“At least she’s reasonable.” Keller nodded.
Garret appeared with a steaming mug of tea and placed it in front of Holly.
“Speaking of rest,” he said, “I put something in there to help you sleep.”
“I hope it’s strong.” Holly lifted the mug and took a long sip, not caring that the hot drink burned her tongue. “I could sleep for a week.”
“No one would blame you if you did,” Keller said. “Would you like to lie down?”
“I think so.” Holly nodded.
Johnny and Keller helped her stand. She felt drained and utterly exhausted, but she insisted on walking on her own.
“I think we all need some rest,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Of course.” All four offered her kind smiles.
She smiled back before disappearing up the stairs. She stumbled down the hall until she made it to the room that had once belonged to her grandmother. What she wouldn’t give to talk to Pearl right now.
Her grandmother had possessed the gift of foresight. She saw all of this bullshit coming long before her illness got to her. She had arranged everything before her death, but even the best-laid plans can go completely off the fucking rails.
Pearl wanted Holly’s introduction to the world of shifters to go far smoother than it had. She wanted Holly to feel comfortable with Johnny, Keller, and Garret before her destiny as the Maiden was revealed to her. From what Holly could gleam, she was supposed to stay in town for a month before everything was to be revealed to her.
She laughed softly as she crawled into her bed. “I know you tried, Grandmother,” she murmured through a yawn.
There was more she wanted to think about. She needed to analyze everything that had happened to her this week. If she didn’t take the time to process everything, she’d likely end up having another meltdown in the living room.
However, her body had other plans. The moment she rolled over onto her side, she fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER SIX—Holly
Her sleep was not long-lived. Startled awake by dreams of dark corridors and enchanted bars, she climbed out of bed and began pacing the room. When her heart rate refused to settle, she left her room.
She poked her head into the hallway and listened. When she heard no signs of anyone in the lower rooms, she made her way down the stairs and into the study.
Now was as good a time as ever to look into the mystery that was Elise.
Holly stepped over to the eastern wall, where Trevor’s family tree was painted. She found Trevor’s face easily. Just looking at his image sent a shiver down her spine.
Bastard, she muttered inwardly.
I told you. He is simply lost. The unexpected voice of the Maiden sent Holly’s heart racing all over again.
I wasn’t talking to you, she snapped. I thought I was alone.
That was your first mistake. You’re never alone. Not anymore.
That’s not true. I’m only alone when you decide you can’t be bothered to speak to me. You’re not at my beck and call, remember?
Holly traced a finger along one of the black branches of Trevor’s family tree.
You need my help less often than you think. I didn’t tell you to come here, did I?
No, Holly admitted, but you knew I needed you, so why not just tell me?
Then what would you have learned?
Holly’s finger came to the end of the branch. No Elise. She picked another branch and started again.
I’m not learning anything now, so I’m not sure what you mean.
Do you remember a specific complaint you made when we first spoke?
I made a lot of complaints the first time we spoke. Holly would’ve smiled at the memory if everything surrounding it weren’t so bitter.
Yes, the Maiden chuckled, but, in particular, you said that it was your brain doing the work and
