“You, of course.” Lucien smiled. “Are you not the Maiden?”
“You know about that?”
“The Maiden favored the bear shifters, but she doesn’t belong to them. She belongs to all who rely on the balance of the natural world.”
Edwina, one of the Silver Spruce witches, had said something similar to Holly not long ago.
“Why is the Maiden centered around the bear clans if she belongs to everything?” Holly asked.
“Because the bear clans are the only ones who routinely disrupt the natural balance.” Lucien’s narrowed gaze slid to Trevor.
“You defy death,” Trevor pointed out. “You don’t think that disrupts the balance?”
“The vampire families could ban together and turn this earth into a human cattle ranch if we had a mind to,” Lucien said. “You know why we don’t? We know better.”
Trevor clenched his fists. Holly reached for his arm.
“Most of us know better,” Trevor replied.
“It’s my belief that someone took Celeste to use her talents against the Maiden,” Lucien said. “It makes sense for that person to be a bear shifter, but I can’t think of a shifter powerful enough to stand against Celeste and live. That was until you mentioned the barrier.”
“You know of a bear shifter who can do something like that?” Holly perked up.
“I do not.” Lucien sighed. “But it’s possible there is something other than a bear shifter interested in disrupting the balance.” He fixed Holly in his magnetic stare. “The world we live in goes darker and deeper than you can conceive. All manner of beast and monster stands to gain should you fall.”
“Then we won’t let her fall,” Trevor said through gritted teeth.
“I commend you for keeping her alive this long. If the darker creatures of this world knew a new Maiden had been born, they would’ve killed her in her cradle.”
Nausea rolled through Holly. She gripped the arms of her chair to steady herself. “What kind of dark creatures?” she asked. “I thought vampires, werewolves, and all that were the dark creatures of this world.”
“Where did you get an idea like that?”
“Bad horror films.” Her vision began to blur. Her chest constricted with every breath. “Lots and lots of bad horror films.”
Trevor knelt down beside her chair. “Are you all right?”
“I’d feel better if I knew about the kind of dark creatures that might come after me.”
“I’m not certain that’s wise,” Lucien said slowly. “You seem to be in shock.”
“Tell me, or I’ll open every curtain and roast you like a chicken,” Holly snapped.
“She gets really mean when she’s stressed out. Don’t take it personally,” Trevor said.
“I do not!” Holly snapped.
“You told me I was an unlovable, hopeless, lost cause doomed to die alone three days ago.”
“I didn’t say unlovable! I didn’t say you’d die alone.”
“But, you did say lost cause.”
Lucien laughed into his cup. “You two remind me of Celeste and I when we first met.”
“What?” Trevor and Holly barked in unison.
“We bickered like an old married couple far more then than we do as an actual old married couple,” he said.
“He kidnapped me once,” Holly said.
“Can we not air our personal challenges to the vampire, please?” Trevor replied.
“I’m trying to make him feel better after I said I’d roast him like a chicken. You’re right. That was mean. I’m panicking. Can you tell I’m panicking?”
“Not at all,” Trevor said. “But, for good measure, how about you stand up?”
Holly did as she was told without understanding why.
Trevor stepped behind her and took a seat at her chair. He reached up, wrapped his arms around her middle, and pulled her down into his lap. He slipped an arm under her legs and tucked her head under his chin.
“Oh,” Holly said. “I didn’t realize we were doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“The tender caring-for-each-other thing.”
“You need to have a discussion before caring for someone?” Trevor said.
“No, I just—never mind.” Holly shook her head. “Lucien, will you please tell me about all the nightmare creatures I’m going to have to deal with in the foreseeable future?”
Lucien stared at them, teacup halfway to his mouth, and a look of deep perplexion on his face. “Perhaps, I ought to examine the barrier first,” he said. “I’m happy to tell you what you want to know; however, I want to bulk up the list with beings that we won’t have to tangle with.”
“I feel like that was supposed to be a comforting statement,” Holly said. “So, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m not comforted.”
“You’re short-circuiting,” Trevor said. “You do this every time you’re faced with life-threatening uncertainty. It always passes. You always get through it.”
“You’ve known me for, like, two minutes.”
“And I’ve paid attention for those two minutes. Drink your tea. Take a breath. We’ll meet up at sunset and go to the barrier. Deal?”
“That suits me.” Lucien nodded. “Until I’m needed, I’ll be in the basement to avoid…roasting.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN—JOHNNY
“If you ask me again, I’m going to use the remainder of my magic stores to punt you into the sun,” Edwina hissed.
“If you answered my question, I wouldn’t have to keep asking,” Johnny shot back.
He stood in the entry room of the witch’s den. In a few hours, he, Elise, and the other firstborns would set out to Golden Oak and look for another weak spot in the barrier. Determined to go in with more information than they had last time, Johnny sought the wisdom of the witches.
Pulling teeth was easier than getting said wisdom, yet here he was anyway.
“Why are you here alone?” Edwina asked. “Shouldn’t all of your little friends be here if they’re going to the barrier, too?”
“They had things to do,” Johnny lied. They didn’t know he’d come here.
“Tell the truth and I’ll answer your question.” Edwina grinned like a cat who just spotted
