“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“That girl is getting to you.”
“I don’t need you to tell me that.”
Henry laughed. “Sir, I really think you do.”
He glared at his friend, grabbing the milk from the fridge, and poured himself a large glass. Holly was getting under his skin. He should let her go, but the very thought of it went against all that he wanted.
Chapter Five
Holly frowned as she looked up to see Damon advancing toward her the following day. She’d slept in his arms last night and woke up this morning to see that he left. He wasn’t at breakfast, and when she asked Henry, he told her Damon had gone out for the morning on some errands.
Getting to her feet, she stepped toward Damon.
“Come on, get some shoes on.”
“What’s going on?”
“I thought you’d like to see how your pack is doing,” Damon said. “I don’t have all day. Come on. Hurry up.” He turned to leave.
She grabbed his arm. “Wait? My pack?”
“Yes. I’ve got the car waiting. Come on.”
She’d left her shoes on the cold cement floor, opting to go shoeless to feel the grass beneath her feet.
After slipping them on, she turned toward him with a smile. Excitement lit a fire within her stomach. “I’m ready.”
He took her hand, and together, they walked through his home, going straight out the front door, toward the car. Henry sat in the driver’s seat.
“Henry?”
“I’m curious,” Henry said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Damon nodded, and Holly glanced between the two men, not really sure what was going on between them. They seemed to be communicating something with each other. She was so excited just to be in the car.
They left Damon’s house and she glanced behind her to see the gates close, locking out the world.
“You don’t want anyone to get in?”
“I’m not a fool. I know if people were determined to get in, they would. It’s my job to make their life difficult, and I do such a good job at it.” He winked at her.
She smiled.
Damon still hadn’t let go of her hand.
She pushed some hair out of her face. “Where did you go this morning?”
“I went to patrol.”
“Patrol?”
“I wanted to make sure it was safe.”
“But Henry said you were out all morning.”
“I didn’t patrol my grounds, Holly. I went further out.”
“Oh.” She glanced at him. “You … went to check for hunters?”
“Men who come into your homes like that will follow you. I need to talk with your dad and with the men who are capable of hunting,” Damon said.
He gave her hand a squeeze. Her stomach had tightened. “We ran for days,” she said. “They would have no way of finding us.”
“If someone from your pack was captured you’d be amazed what they would be willing to do to end the pain.”
The very thought of one of their own using them to get free made her feel sick. “I would never do that.”
“Don’t ever say never,” Damon said. “You haven’t walked in tortured shoes. We cannot always be responsible for the decisions we make.”
“Have you? I know it’s a question. Forget about it,” she said.
“No. I have never done something like that. I would rather die than risk hurting someone I care about. Whoever helped the hunters was selfish,” Damon said. “I need to talk with your father to completely understand your situation.”
Fear ran down her spine. “You’re not going to … force us to leave?”
“We’ll see what happens when we get to that point,” Damon said. “For now, relax.”
She found it impossible to relax, especially as they got close to town. The scent of the pack and humans mingled together.
Henry parked in the only available space in the town square. Damon got out first, holding out his hand to her.
She took it.
“Your pack is close, but they’re being careful.”
“Holly!” Her name was screamed by a young girl’s voice.
She turned to see Cathy, one of the girls whose parents were killed. She immediately bent down to pick her up.
“Hello, my sweet girl,” she said, kissing her neck. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too. Where did you go? People are saying that you’re with a bad man. You won’t go with a bad man.” Cathy frowned.
Holly chuckled. “No, I’m not with a bad man. I’m staying with a friend. Damon, I’d like you to meet my very special friend, Cathy.”
The young girl tilted her head to look at Damon and giggled. “He’s pretty.”
Holly laughed, and Damon’s cheeks went a bright shade of red.
“Yes, he’s very handsome, but he’s also my very good friend. Nothing bad about him. Promise. Do you know where my daddy is?”
“He’s holding a conference at the hall.” She pointed toward the large building.
“Thank you, darling.”
Holly saw Natalie, a heavily pregnant woman, quickly rushing toward them.
“I am so sorry,” Natalie said. “She just saw you and ran.”
Holly smiled. “It’s fine. Natalie, I’d like you to meet Damon. Damon, this is Natalie.”