She nervously bit her nails. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“So do I.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN—KELLER
Everything felt wrong, but he couldn’t stop.
Shifting took nearly all of his remaining energy. He was grateful he didn’t have to carry a passenger like Johnny.
Despite the fact that he was able to fully shift into his bear form, something didn’t feel right. It felt as if every bone and muscle was just a touch out of place. He imagined himself a puzzle that someone else had put together. They got the overall image right, but some of the pieces weren’t quite aligned.
He shook his massive golden head and told himself it was all in his mind. The stress of the battle in combination with Holly relocating to Golden Oak against her will and now the barrier was getting to him.
Once he cleared his head, everything would feel normal again. He’d be able to take charge and find a solution, just as he always did.
A walk in the woods sounded so nice. Johnny and the witch could go ahead. He’d catch up. He slowed his pace and began to sniff around. The earth smelled faintly of river water. Perhaps, that river would have fish. He couldn’t think of anything that sounded better than a fat, juicy fish.
He walked off in the direction a river would likely be. He had only taken a handful of steps before Johnny appeared in front of him. The witch, Hattie, clung to him, looking cold and uncomfortable. Johnny snarled, but Keller couldn’t imagine why Johnny would be so irritated. Aside from the fact that he was, well, Johnny.
As much as he wanted the fish, Keller didn’t want to start an argument. There was enough to deal with as is. Johnny took off again. This time, Keller followed. The house came into view not long after.
Keller saw a figure moving through the living area. Probably Loch. Garret was larger. He slowed his pace again as a headache spread across his skull. Johnny appeared at his side and nudged him. Keller snapped his jaw mere inches from Johnny’s face. Johnny snarled in return and lowered himself to the ground. Hattie slid from his back, looking nervously between the two bears. Johnny jerked his head, signaling Hattie to go to the house.
She went without argument. She left the pouch with their clothing on the ground for them before she walked away. Johnny took the pouch between his teeth and moved off into the trees.
Keller knew Johnny wanted him to wait, but the pressure in his head was quickly reaching an unbearable point. He couldn’t stand to be in his bear form another minute. He didn’t want to talk to anyone. He just wanted to be alone in someplace dark and quiet. Like a cave. A cave sounded nice. Maybe a cave by a river. It’d be so easy to go out for fish.
Johnny returned fully clothed in human form. “Dude, what’s going on with you?” he asked. “Can you shift back?”
Keller nodded and took the pouch from Johnny. Secluded behind some thorny bushes, Keller tried to shift back, but his body worked against him.
It didn’t make sense.
Being in bear form felt wrong. Shifting back into human form felt wrong. What was he supposed to do? He gritted his teeth and pushed through it. A successful shift took only a second or two. This time, it took Keller ten full seconds to return to his human form. That had never happened before. He must be getting sick or something. After dressing, he stepped out from behind the bushes to find Johnny waiting for him. “What’s going on?” Keller asked.
“You tell me. You nearly wandered off on our way back here.”
Keller blinked in surprise. That didn’t sound like him. He wanted to get back to the house because… Actually, he couldn’t remember why he wanted to go back to the house. His skin itched to shift into his bear form once more. He should go for a walk in the woods. That sounded nice. Maybe he’d find a cave.
“Keller!” Johnny snapped. “Are you listening?”
“What?” Keller shot back. “All I know is I was out for a walk and you dragged me back here. Why?”
“You weren’t out for a walk!” Johnny exclaimed. “You were wandering around the Golden Oak barrier. You’re starting to scare me, man. I think something’s really wrong. Hattie and I think—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Keller snapped. “I just need sleep and something to eat. Do we have any fish?”
“You can sleep after you hear what Hattie and I discovered. Come on.” Johnny gestured for Keller to follow and started toward the house.
Keller followed at a much slower pace. Every fiber of his being pulled him in the opposite direction, but he ignored it. As he said, he just needed some food and sleep. He walked around to the front door and pushed into the house.
“There you are!” Garret exclaimed. “Where did you go?”
“I just went for a walk.” Keller shrugged. “Why does everyone keep freaking out?”
“You’ve been gone for hours,” Loch said.
Keller narrowed his eyes. “Since when do you care?”
“Normally, I wouldn’t.” Loch shrugged. “However, everything’s going to shit, so I like knowing where my allies are.”
Keller paced the length of the room. He shouldn’t be here right now. There was somewhere else more important. But, if it was so important, why wasn’t he there now? He closed his eyes and tried to picture where he was supposed to me, but nothing came to him.
“You’re right, Johnny,” Loch said. “Something’s screwy with him.”
“Nothing’s screwy with me!” Keller roared so intensely his bear teeth sprang forward, slicing his lip.
“What the fuck?” Hattie snapped, leaping behind Johnny.
“Take it easy.” Garret appeared
