It didn’t make any sense, but Holly needed to see the letter.
Trevor knew he should wait for Lucien to return. He still needed to be the big bad leader to a bunch of babies in a diner. Eventually, one of them would find something. As much as he hated it, he needed to be here to hear whatever they’d found.
He walked to the window. Even though it didn’t face Silver Spruce, he imagined it did. He looked up at the moon and imagined Holly sitting near her fireplace, staring at the same moon.
For now, that was enough to keep him from going insane.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO—HOLLY
Holly sat on the windowsill in her grandmother’s old room.
She couldn’t look away from the mountains. According to the map in the study, Golden Oak couldn’t be seen from her window, but she could pretend. Now that she was outside the boundary of her spell, she wasn’t sure if she’d see Golden Oak even if she stood right in front of it.
Would the barrier work both ways? Could she pass through into Golden Oak, or would she run into the wall? If she happened to get back inside Golden Oak, would she need to drink that terrible potion in order to stay there?
With a frustrated groan, she stood up and started pacing.
Here she was, right back at square one.
Clueless, overtired, and alone.
Loch, Johnny, and Garret were still searching for Keller. She assumed Lucien was with them, looking for his wife.
It wasn’t fair! Why did they get to go out and do things all the time? Hadn’t she proved herself capable? This wasn’t just their destiny, it was hers too, yet she couldn’t even take an active role in it.
Knowing she’d never get to sleep, she padded downstairs in her pajamas. Elise sat on the couch with her face turned to the deck windows.
“Can’t sleep, either?” Holly asked.
“I barely sleep anymore.”
“Do you worry about Trevor that much?”
Elise turned to face Holly. “Of course, I do.”
“He’s smart, you know? He can handle himself.”
“I know he’s smart,” Elise said. “I know he can take care of himself.”
“Then why the constant worry?”
“Don’t you have siblings?” Elise said.
“Two sisters. They both live in Louisiana with my parents. I never have to worry about them. They’re smart, kind, and they always do the right thing. They don’t run off to California or fall in love with five men.”
“Five?” Elise arched a brow.
“Trevor’s a pretty good guy,” Holly admitted. “I miss him.”
“And you’re in love with him?”
“Falling in love,” Holly corrected. “I know I’m prewired to love the firstborns, but it’s different with Trevor, somehow. I can’t explain it.”
Elise’s smile vanished.
“What?” Holly asked.
“Nothing.”
“A second ago, you were all bright and smiley at the thought of me loving Trevor. Now you’re doom and gloom.”
“It’s nothing.”
“You’re a bad liar.”
Elise chewed her bottom lip.
“You’re starting to freak me out.” Holly swatted at Elise’s shoulder. “Aren’t we friends? Friends tell each other things. Judging by the look on your face, it’s a pretty big thing that you’re not telling me.”
“I was never supposed to know,” she whispered.
“Know what?”
“Trevor doesn’t even know. If I tell him…I don’t know what it’ll do to him.”
“Elise, you’re scaring me.” Holly placed her hands on her friend’s shoulder. “What is it?”
“I saw my mother,” she blurted.
“That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing,” Holly said. “Hasn’t it been years since you’ve seen her?”
“Yes.” Elise nodded. “She called me out of the blue last week. We had lunch a few days ago. I didn’t mention it because everything got so crazy.”
“That’s all right,” Holly said. “Did she say something that upset you?”
“No.” Elise shook her head. “It was a nice lunch.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“I saw something I shouldn’t have. She brought this huge purse with her. She set it down beside the table, and it fell open.” Tears welled in Elise’s eyes. “I saw what looked like a photo album. When I asked her about it, she said it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing, was it?”
“No,” Elise sniffled. “I grabbed it when she went to the bathroom. It was a family photo album, just as I thought.”
“She hid it?”
“That’s not all she hid.”
Elise didn’t try to stop her tears.
“Elise, what did you find?” Holly draped her arm around Elise’s shoulders and pulled her close.
“I have a brother.”
Holly’s eyes went wide.
“That’s…quite a surprise. And you never knew?”
“It’s not just that he’s my brother. He’s my older brother. Mine and Trevor’s older brother.”
Holly went still.
“Trevor isn’t…a firstborn?”
“No.” Elise shook her head. “He has no idea.”
“He’s not…” Holly trailed off. “The shifters in Golden Oak follow him because they think he will be the King who father’s my child. If they find out he’s not a firstborn at all…”
“They’ll kill him. They’ll tear him to shreds.”
“How will they ever find out?” Holly asked frantically. “You, your mother, and your father are the only ones who know. You won’t tell. Your mother won’t tell, will she?”
“I don’t think so,” Elise said. “It’s not her I’m worried about.”
“Who, then?” Holly asked. “Your father?”
Elise shuddered and nodded.
“I thought he was locked away somewhere,” Holly said. “He’s dangerous, isn’t he?”
“He’s insanely dangerous,” Elise said. “He almost killed me when he realized I had powers. He would’ve if my mother hadn’t convinced him to transfer my powers to Trevor.”
“Then why are you worried?” Holly asked, her voice an octave higher than she wanted it to be. “He’s locked up, isn’t he?”
“At lunch, my mother told me she’s petitioning for his release. He’s made great strides, apparently. She was so excited. She thinks he has a
