Little butterflies flickered inside her, but they weren’t as strong as before.
“Where is that bastard?” Elise shrieked as she pounded down the stairs with Loch close on her tail.
“Elise—”
“Don’t,” she snapped. “Someone needs to kick his ass, and it’s going to be me.”
“Elise,” Holly called.
She paused. “I didn’t realize you were here,” she stammered. “Is…is Trevor?”
“He’s still in Golden Oak, but he’s okay.”
“You didn’t bring him here?” Elise asked, wide-eyed.
“He and I agreed it would be smarter if he stayed. I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow. I just need a little break from everything.”
“Oh, you need a break? You’re not the only one. I need a break from worrying about my brother. I need a break from being kept in the dark.”
Holly’s headache deepened into a full-blown migraine. She’d forgotten how abrasive Elise could be when she was on the warpath. “Loch, make sure she doesn’t hurt Johnny, okay?”
“I will do everything in my physical power.”
“Don’t act like I won’t hurt you just because you’re my best friend,” Elise snapped.
“Wait. What?” Holly asked.
“Yeah, we agreed to be besties when we realized we didn’t have any other friends. We’re getting T-shirts. Johnny’s getting one too. You want one?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Holly said slowly.
“Is it always like this?” Lucien asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Johnny!” Elise shouted. “Get your ass in here right now!”
“What?” Johnny shouted as he walked from the kitchen into the living room. “I don’t remember scheduling a bitch-out appointment.”
“What kind of selfish bastard pulls the kind of crap you pulled at the barrier?” she demanded. “You had a way through. How could you not tell us?”
“I’m curious to know the reason for that as well.” Keller stood beside Elise with his arms folded over his chest.
“I didn’t know how safe it was, I didn’t know if it would work, I didn’t want all of us potentially rushing into danger, and I did it to get Holly back as soon as possible. Do I need to keep going? I have plenty more reasons,” Johnny listed off.
“You didn’t think to even tell us,” Elise snapped. “What kind of a selfish asshole—”
“For goodness sake!” Holly shouted above the din.
Everyone fell silent.
“I asked for one night of peace before we go charging into the next debacle in the never-ending shit-storm that is our lives,” she snapped. “One damn night!”
“But Johnny—” Elise started.
“No!” Holly cut her off. “I told you Trevor is safe. I told you Trevor stayed in Golden Oak by choice. I told you I’d fill you in tomorrow. Why isn’t that good enough?”
“You don’t understand,” Elise started.
“Oh, I understand. I’ve been cooped up in the world’s crappiest town for over a week with nothing to do but run into invisible walls and drink magic spring juice. Before that, I had to charge into battle. Before that, I had to come to terms with being part of an ancient and mysterious prophecy no one knows anything about. Do I need to keep going? I can keep going.”
“No.” Elise sighed.
“I’m not here to put your lives back together,” Holly said. “I can’t be responsible for everything. I need more than Tuscan chicken, matching shirts, and a couple of blankets to get me through this!” Holly shoved the blankets off of her legs and got to her feet.
“Holly, you need to take it easy for a minute,” Loch said, reaching for her.
She pushed his hand away. “I know that!” she snapped. “I told you as much. Then the yelling and the coddling and the cooking started.”
“You don’t like the coddling or the cooking?” Garret stood at the kitchen island, brow furrowed.
“I like the cooking and the coddling. I didn’t mean that. I don’t know what I mean.” Holly pressed her hands into the sides of her head. Every little tiny noise made her want to scream. “I’m going to bed. I need to sleep.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” Loch asked.
“I said I need sleep,” she snapped as she hurried up the stairs. She ran down the hall and slammed the door once she got to her room.
Her legs trembled. Every breath hurt her ribs. She looked around the room that had once belonged to her grandmother. It used to make her feel safe and comfortable. Tonight, it felt like a prison. Her chest grew tight. Before she realized what she was doing, she stepped back into the hall and stormed down the stairs.
“What’s happening?” Keller asked.
“Holly?” Garret held a plate of perfect chicken covered in sauce that smelled like wine, cheese, and every other good thing.
Holly moved around both of them, grabbed the whiskey from the cupboard, and grabbed a glass. She poured herself a generous amount and knocked it back in one swift motion. It burned her throat and tasted like a cleaning product, but she didn’t care.
She poured herself another glass. “Pass me some chicken. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
Garret plated a chicken breast and passed it to her. “It’s hot,” he warned, but that didn’t stop her from picking it up with her bare hands and taking a massive bite. It burned the roof of her mouth, but that didn’t stop her.
“Good chicken,” she said with her mouth full.
Her headache subsided. Whether or not it was the whiskey or the chicken, she didn’t know, nor did she care.
“Thank you,” Garret said slowly.
When Holly looked up, everyone was in the kitchen staring at her. “What?” she snapped.
“Nothing,” Johnny said quickly. “We’re just in here to have a nice evening. That’s all.” He gave everyone else a pointed look.
“Definitely.” Elise nodded. “No drama or ass-kickings to be had here.”
“And we’re definitely not incredibly
