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Callum Holden was scared.
Hopeful released his hands and stood. Serenity and Equinox both bowed to him. He didn’t bow back, and Serenity’s smile slipped for a moment before she launched into a tangent about how their intentions shape their actions and how shared enlightenment could help them realize their true potential.
Ellie barely heard her words. Her attention was focused on Cal, who sat rigidly, his fingers flexing slowly. Hopeful’s grip had left red marks on his hands, and he looked shaken, his usually steady gaze clouded with uncertainty.
At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to hug him.
The workshop continued with more intense eye-gazing and sharing of personal stories.
Ellie was on autopilot. Her responses were generic, her mind elsewhere. All the while, she kept stealing glances at Cal, whose face remained impassive. Occasionally, he would meet her gaze and force a smile that was a fraction of its usual wattage.
When it finally ended, Ellie was the first one up, practically bolting away from the grove. She waited anxiously outside until Cal emerged, his face a blank mask. Without a word, she reached for his hand and led him away from the gathering.
Only when they were far enough away did she turn to him. “You have to leave.”
He scoffed. “I have to leave?”
“Yes. He knows who you are!”
Cal sucked in a sharp breath, then released it slowly before shaking his head. “No, he doesn’t. He only knows what we told him—that Calvin Miller is a lawyer.”
“He threatened you last night and again just now.”
“He’s trying to rattle me, but I think it has more to do with you than me. He’s fascinated by you, Elle. He can’t keep his eyes off you.”
She had noticed that. Every time she turned around, she found him watching, his gaze tracking her every move. “He gives me the creeps.”
“Which is why I have no fucking intention of leaving without you. I promised I’d help you find your sister and niece and I don’t walk away from my promises.”
The wind rustled through the trees around them, causing shadows to dance and flicker. It seemed nature itself held its breath, waiting for what would happen next.
He reached out and cupped her face, drawing her gaze back to his. “I won’t leave you behind, Ellie. Not here. Not ever.”
She looked at him, struck by the intensity in his voice. He was offering her his loyalty, his determination— himself, really. And yet she kept rejecting him, this sweet, protective, intelligent man.
Why did she keep doing it?
And why did he keep putting himself through it?
She stood on tiptoes and kissed him, an unexpected rush of emotion propelling her forward. His grip tightened on her face as he returned the kiss with fervor. It was a deep, lingering kiss that spoke volumes more than words could express.
A footstep crunched nearby, breaking the spell of the kiss, and they pulled apart. Vigil emerged from the trees and waved them over.
“Something you two need to see,” he called, his face grim.
Ellie followed Cal toward him, her heart pounding in her chest. The kiss had been... It had felt so right. She glanced at Cal, catching his eye as they walked together. He gave her a small smile that made her stomach flutter.
Maybe kissing him had been a foolish move, but she couldn’t bring herself to regret it.
Vigil led them deeper into the woods to a small clearing where an old shack stood. The place appeared decrepit and long abandoned, but what stood out front caught Ellie’s attention—a black 1977 Trans Am with California plates.
Her heart leaped into her throat.
“This is where Hope and Hopeful lived when she first came here,” Vigil said. “Back then, the commune was known as The Free People, and it was run by Shepherd—his father.”
“Were you here back then?” Cal asked.
“No. None of us were, except for Remedy and Merit. They’re his aunt and uncle.”
