June Summerfield

Chapter 6

They all followed Zoran closely, having no clue where he was leading them. They were going deeper into the woods than June’s ever been. They walked until the sun started to set.

“Um. How far away is this place? I thought you said it wasn’t that far.” Rufus chimed up. “It’s starting to get dark. We need to set up camp real soon.”

“Oh shut your yapper, we’re almost there,” Zoran said. Something in his voice changed and June noticed it. No one else seemed to though, so she brushed it off as no big deal. She wrote a note of it in her brain and tucked it away for later. Maybe Montana noticed it. She glanced over at him but noticed no change, so he either didn’t or was good at hiding it.

They kept walking and eventually, they came across a large metal gate. It seemed out of place, coming up out of nowhere, but it was a sturdy-looking gate. It’d be good to keep the dead out. The whole place seemed.. untouched, despite the state of everything else.

“How do we-” June started to ask as Zoran opened the gate and let them all in. June couldn’t help but notice that he somehow had a key to the gate. June noted that he clicked it back once everyone was through.

June felt her heart rate spike. Something was off about this place, she knew that much.

Relax. He probably just found the key before we met him. And of course, he’d lock it. It has to keep the dead out. June told herself as she caught up with the others.

They all slowly walked inside. It was a nice place, June had to admit. It was bright and open, but most importantly, it seemed untouched by the cruel state of the current world. The only sign was the blanket of dust that lay over everything.

“There are bedrooms upstairs,” Zoran explained as everyone split off to do a sweep and check out the layout. June ran up the magnificent stairs to check out the bedrooms. Zoran walked up behind her.

June threw open one of the doors. It led to the master bed and bath. She gasped in awe. There was a king-sized bed that was made by whoever lived there previously. It had large windows to let in plenty of natural light and there was a nice soft rug under the bed. There was a nice large dresser with a mirror and a walk-in closet. She walked in, thinking of what strings she’d have to pull to get this room. Maybe if she just claimed it and kept the door shut she’d get lucky.

She turned around and saw Zoran standing in the doorway, smirking at her. She jumped back and gasped but quickly gathered her composure. She didn’t want him to think he could scare her that easily.

“What do you want?” She asked defensively.

“What do I want? Well, I’d love to have this room.” He strolled in with his hands waving in the air as he mentioned the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

“Well too bad. I already claimed it.” June crossed her arms. She wasn’t going to back down that easily. Especially for him.

“You can’t take a room of this size all to yourself. It’s not fair for the others.”

“Yeah... Well, what says I have to share it with you? Maybe I want to share it with Daisy and Alexis.” She put her hands on her hips, ready to argue.

“Well... I guess you don’t have to share it with me. Although, I will admit. I would be very appreciative if you did.” He raised his eyebrows at her in questioning. “Come on... It’ll be fine. You won’t even know I’m here.” He promised, walking towards her.

“And if I don’t?”

He leaned in close to her ear. “Then it’ll be the worst mistake you’ve ever made, darling.” He whispered, sending chills down her back.

June pushed him away from her, her heart jumping in her chest.

“I gotta get out of here.” She said mostly to herself as she rushed to grab the door knob.

“I know who you are, June. The next few days are going to be confusing. But trust me, eventually, you will be much happier than you would ever be here.” Zoran made his way to the bed and sat down.

“What are you talking about?” June stopped and looked over her shoulder.

“You’ll figure it out. You’re smart.” Zoran laid back on the bed, placing his hands behind his head.

June continued out of the room, confused but feeling rage in her chest. She made her way down the stairs to find Montana. There were plenty of bedrooms for them to split up into groups of two, so that’s what they did.

She found him looking through one of the bookshelves in the living room. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself and walked over.

“Hey Monty,” she gave him a warm smile and tried to figure out what he was looking for.

“Hey there, what’s up? How do the rooms look?”

“Nice and cozy.” she paused. This was it. “I was wondering if you wanted to share a room with me.” she cut her eyes up to the ceiling, trying to act like she didn’t really care, but her hopes were rising and she felt like she might faint.

Ignoring the books now, Montana stood up straight and grinned down at June. There was about a foot difference, so she had to look up at him to make direct eye contact, which just made her more nervous.

“Yeah, sure. We can share a room.” he shrugged a shoulder and held his grin as her face flushed red with excitement that she tried her best to hide.

Unknown POV

My King,

I have found the one you search for. She is just as stubborn as you warned me about, but even more beautiful in person.

I regret to inform you that she has taken a strong liking toward one of her friends. They seem close and I fear that if I break them apart, she will not cooperate. I am writing to ask for your advice.

The others have been called and will be here in a matter of days. I think we should also bring her mate, but that is completely your call. I am only looking out for everyone involved.

It will be hard to pull her away from her friends, but it has to be done. I expect to have returned with her in less than a week.

Your faithful servant

I carefully fold the piece of wrinkled paper up and with a simple toss in the air and a wave of my hand, it disappears into a short wave of smoke. It won’t be long before the King receives it and then the plan can move forward.