Holly’s mouth fell open.
“Before you get any stupid ideas, remember I can outrun you.”
“Not if I kick you in the balls.” She shrugged.
“True, but I have allies in this town. You don’t.”
“You’ve got me there.” Holly sighed.
Even if she couldn’t escape, she could get a better idea of her location. And, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, spending an afternoon walking around with Trevor sounded way better than sitting in this room alone all day.
“I will take you outside if you promise to behave.”
“Talk to me like that again and you’ll definitely get a kick in the balls.”
“Always a lady, you are.”
“Stuff it. Let’s go.” She pushed past Trevor and hurried down the hall.
Trevor stayed right on her heels.
“A thank you wouldn’t hurt,” he said. “I’m not above putting you on a leash.”
Holly stopped dead in her tracks. “Excuse me?”
“Just a figure of speech,” he said. “I don’t have a literal leash.”
“At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past you.” Holly took the stairs two at a time until she reached the bottom landing. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but she certainly didn’t expect the lower level to look so ordinary.
“You look confused,” Trevor said. “Did you think I lied when I told you I’d rented a room in an inn?”
“I don’t know.” Holly frowned. “I never know whether to believe you or not.”
“That’s fair,” Trevor said. “I promise, things will make sense soon.”
“I definitely don’t believe that,” she snorted.
“Good, because that was most assuredly a lie.” He smirked.
Holly took a step away from him. “Is it too late to go back to my room?”
“Yes.”
A cold chill crawled down Holly’s spine. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d made a terrible mistake.
“Walk normally,” he urged. “Don’t look at anyone. Smile if you can but make it realistic. If you can’t fake a good smile, look bored.”
“Wait. What?” Holly looked up at Trevor.
An unmistakable look of fear glinted in his mismatched eyes. “Do as I say, please,” he whispered.
Something in her gut told her to listen to him.
Any thoughts on this? she asked the Maiden, but she received no answer.
The Maiden had disappeared on her before but not for this long. The empty feeling in her head persisted.
“Take my arm.” Trevor offered his arm, which Holly slowly took.
“I don’t expect you to pretend to be my lover,” he murmured, “but at least pretend to be my friend.”
“I don’t understand.” She wasn’t sure why she whispered, but she felt like she had to.
“You will soon. Kind of. It’s hard to explain. That’s why I’m going to show you. Are you ready?”
Holly nodded and tried to swallow the lump of fear in her throat.
Trever put his hand over hers.
“You’re trembling. Try to keep it under control.”
“I don’t like this,” she confessed.
“You’re safe as long as you’re with me and as long as you play the part.”
Before she could ask any more questions, Trevor moved forward, bringing her with him. He pushed through the door to the inn and stepped onto a picturesque porch. It looked freshly painted.
Holly blinked, no longer used to pure daylight. Who knew a window made so much of a difference? She took a long breath of fresh air. The window in her room didn’t open more than an inch.
“Good?” Trevor asked.
“You’re going to have a hard time getting me back inside,” she said.
“I figured.” He chuckled. “Now, remember what I told you.” He led her down the porch.
It wasn’t difficult for Holly to smile. The longer she spent outside, the better she felt.
“You’re doing great,” Trever murmured, a content smile plastered on his face. The fear remained in his eyes.
“When are you going to start cluing me in?” she asked.
“Soon. Be patient with me.”
They walked down the street at a casual pace, arm in arm. People milled about, chatting with each other, entering and exiting shops. It seemed like a normal town, no different than Silver Spruce.
Holly expected the place to be crawling with dark shifters in their animal forms, ready to tear people limb from limb. While that wasn’t the case, she knew something was up. She’d never seen Trevor look uncertain before. Even when he took lives, he was unshakably calm.
Holly looked at her hand on his arm. She was walking arm in arm with a killer.
“Relax,” he murmured. “I can feel how tense you are.”
“I’m just trying to process…stuff,” she finished lamely.
“As long as you’re processing with a smile on your face, we’re good.”
“No pressure.”
A small group of people like one anyone would see walking around town came their way.
“A picnic?” Trever said suddenly, his eyes lighting up. “What a good idea. I think we can get a basket at the grocery store.”
The group smiled at Trevor and Holly, nodding politely.
They returned the gesture. Holly feared she looked too robotic, but the group passed on without a second glance.
“Do we have to worry about them?” Holly whispered.
“Not sure.”
She bit down on her tongue so she wouldn’t react.
“What do you mean you’re not sure?”
“I don’t know who to trust,” he said.
“I thought you were the ringleader of all this bullshit,” she whispered.
They passed another cluster of people. Holly offered polite smiles and friendly nods, praying her anxiety didn’t shine through in her eyes.
“I will explain when we’re alone.”
Alone.
The last place Holly wanted to be was alone with him. Her smallest comfort was that she knew who she was dealing with. With every word out of Trevor’s mouth, she became less and less sure of everything.
If he was the one in charge of the dark shifters, why was he acting so
