Zora nodded, then climbed up the ladder to get a better look into the loft. Oskar wondered what she thought of the beds up there. They weren’t even close to as plush as the beds in Gilt Hollow. Each pine straw mattress was covered with one thin sheet, and one heavy woolen blanket. Zora looked down at Oskar, confusion in her eyes.
“Where are the bathrooms?” she asked.
Whisper laughed out loud, and Oskar gave her a warning glare. She stopped laughing, but shrugged as if to say he had to admit it was a funny question.
“We use an outhouse,” Oskar said. “Shared by two families. There’s no running water in Bear Hollow. We have to bring in buckets of water to cook or to wash our hands in here.”
Zora looked down at him in disbelief for a few moments, but then nodded her head. “I see,” she said. She climbed down the ladder and gave Oskar a bright smile. “It’s quite cozy in here.”
Whisper snorted in laughter again, but Oskar didn’t even bother trying to correct her. He had to admit that it was rather funny to call their home cozy. The place was home, and he would have ten thousand times rather slept here than in any bed in Gilt Hollow. But the mattresses were lumpy and in the winter the loft got freezing cold. Oskar decided to ignore Willow and turn his attention to Zora instead.
“It’s not anything like your home in Gilt Hollow, obviously. But we’ve done the best we could with what we have.”
Zora smiled brightly—too brightly. She was trying to be polite, but he knew she couldn’t believe that people actually lived this way. “Well, I think you’ve done an amazing job of making this place a home.”
Oskar shrugged. “If you want to see something truly cozy, you should come down to Bear Hollow Brews. It’s my best friend’s bar, and it’s pretty much the only restaurant in town. Our economy can’t really support a full restaurant, but the bar does okay. It helps that Axel, the guy who owns it, has some money. His dad was a volunteer. Died in a death match though.”
“Oh,” Zora said, her face twisting up into a horrified expression. “I hate death matches.”
“As do all of us,” Whisper said. “We hate everything about the Games.”
Whisper’s voice held a challenge, as though she thought Zora might disagree, saying that it wasn’t that bad. But Zora only sadly shook her head. “I do, too, Whisper. I promise you I’ll do everything in my power to bring them to an end.”
Whisper looked over at Oskar who nodded. “She will, Whis. I wouldn’t have brought anyone from Gilt Hollow into Bear Hollow if I wasn’t sure she was the real deal.”
“Well, in that case I think we should consider you our friend,” Whisper said. “And I invite all my friends to come have a pint at Bear Hollow Brews, on the house. Interested?”
Zora nodded, tears once again forming in her eyes. Oskar could tell that she was touched by Whisper’s gesture. “I would be honored, Whisper. Truly.”
Whisper smiled at Zora and took her by the arm. “Then let’s go. It’s going to be crowded tonight. People get really happy and want beer when they have full stomachs, and everyone in town tonight has a full stomach thanks to the food from Gilt Hollow.”
Whisper led Zora out of the front door and onto the path that led toward Bear Hollow Brews. Oskar watched with bittersweet happiness as the two women he cared about most in the world walked together. The sight made his heart soar, and yet filled him with grief as well. Whisper and Zora could never get to know each other as sisters, as Oskar would have loved for them to do. Not under the current system.
Everything had to change. It seemed impossible, but Oskar had decided that nothing was impossible. After all, a few days ago it seemed impossible to him that he could actually fall in love with a Gilt Hollow woman, or that a Gilt Hollow woman could fall in love with him. But it had happened, and that love was driving him to move the revolution along faster. He would find a way for them to be together out in the open. In the meantime, he would love her in secret. But one thing he was sure of: in secret or in the open, he did love Zora, and he would never stop loving her. Perhaps it didn’t make sense, but then again, matters of the heart almost never did.
Chapter Fourteen
Zora had never felt as self-conscious in her life as when Whisper led her into the bar in Bear Hollow. As the daughter of a nobleman, Zora was used to being in front of people and having everyone’s eyes on her. But this was different. This was a room full of people who were not her people, and she was terrified to meet their eyes lest she see genuine hatred in their gazes.
But I want them to be my people. The thought struck her hard and fast, but with blinding certainty. She saw something different here in Bear Hollow, something that Gilt Hollow lacked. She saw people who had a real community, people who cared about each other, and who didn’t worry about external appearances. And she wanted that.
The more the night went on, the more she realized that, despite having every material possession she could have ever dreamed of, she had never really lived. These people had nothing, and yet, they had laughter. Real, belly-deep laughter that echoed out from deep within their souls.
The beer was good, too. Damn good. Zora had never tried beer before, having been told her whole life that it tasted disgusting and wine was much better. Now, from personal experience, she disagreed. She liked beer. And she liked the music here, too. A group of shifters with beat-up guitars had taken up residence in one corner of the bar, and they were playing song after song. Zora had never heard any of the songs before, and the style of music wasn’t familiar to her, but she loved it. When she asked Oskar, he gave her an incredulous look.
“It’s country music. You don’t even know what country music is?
“No. Should I?”
“Yes, you definitely should. Wow, you’ve missed out on beer and country music your whole life? What’s the point in even being rich?”
Oskar had laughed good-naturedly and many of his friends had joined in. Zora had felt herself blushing, but she’d been happy for the laughter. It meant they were accepting her into their group. Oh, she knew everyone in this bar still felt wary of her. She couldn’t miss the suspicious way they looked at her when they thought she wasn’t watching. But they were letting her stay here and drink their beer and listen to their music. That counted for something, didn’t it?
Oskar stayed close to her, for which she was grateful. She had no clue how to navigate this strange world of his, and even wearing what she had thought were simple clothes, she felt out of place. Her clothes were plain, yes, but they had still been made of expensive fabric. The people here wore clothes that had been made from scratchy-looking, cheap material that had been patched dozens of times.
No one told me how bad things were here. Her father had always said that the Bear Hollow shifters didn’t know how to manage money, so why give them any? Her brother said they were too stupid to know what to do with wealth. But Zora was beginning to suspect that all of that was a lie. She had only been in Bear Hollow a few hours, and she could already tell that the shifters here were clever, resourceful people. They had nothing, and yet they survived. They traded and bartered, living off the land and any bounty the forest had to offer. They used every natural resource available to them. No one in Gilt Hollow knew how to be creative like that. They wasted more resources in a day than these people used in a month. Zora had to admit, she felt awed by this place.
And she felt awed by Oskar. People here respected him. He acted like some sort of official leader, and she knew without asking that they had missed him terribly when he was gone. Zora felt proud to have won over the affections of a man like him, but she also felt sad that he’d been forced to live in Gilt Hollow. Seeing him here, it was so obvious that he belonged here. He belonged with his people, in the open, fresh air of Bear Hollow. She wished she could give him his life back, even if it meant that she herself would never see him again. She’d gladly make that sacrifice, for his sake, because she loved him.
I love him. The feeling cut deep to her soul. She l
ooked over and gave him a sad smile. They could never be a proper couple. Not unless the revolution actually happened and was successful. And decades would pass before the shifters had a realistic chance of overthrowing their oppressors in Gilt Hollow. The resistance was too young and small to have any big impact yet. But Zora had this moment here with Oskar, and she vowed to enjoy it. She would take what small pleasures she could.
Oskar caught her smiling at him, and a broad smile crossed his own face.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked, already standing up from his barstool and reaching for her hand.
Zora looked across the room in a panic, to where several couples had already entered a makeshift dance floor of sorts, and were doing some strange jig she had never seen before. Alarm bells went off in her head. She was going to make a fool of herself if she tried to do…whatever dance it was they were doing. “I couldn’t possibly. I have no idea how to do that.”
But Oskar wasn’t taking no for an answer. “It’s easy. I’ll teach you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor, leaning in to whisper in her ear as he did. “Just do your best. Trust me, this is a good idea. Public opinion on you here is still guarded, and seeing you doing a country music dance with me will endear you to everyone in this bar. If you want them to trust you, this is a good step to take.”
Zora couldn’t argue with that. “Alright. I’ll take one for the team, then.”
But once she was on the dance floor, she realized that Oskar had been right. The dance was fairly easy, once you got the hang of it. She followed Oskar’s lead, and managed to step on his toes at least two dozen times. But slowly, she began to step on his toes less and step where she was supposed to more. She danced through three songs with him, and found herself actually enjoying it. The dances in Gilt Hollow all felt so stiff and formal. This dance was free and fun, the way she had always thought dancing should be. She had a slight layer of sweat on her face, but she didn’t care. She had never felt more beautiful.
And then, the music changed. The fast-paced tunes gave way to a slow ballad, and Zora felt herself blushing. She started to pull away from Oskar and the dance floor as couples all around them slid closer together for the slow dance. But Oskar pulled her back.
“No. Stay,” he said in a low voice, drawing her into his arms. She shivered in delight, but still protested.
“But…what will people think?”
“Who cares?” he whispered in her ear. His breath was warm and yet made her shiver even more. “Let them think whatever they want. No one here is going to kill a shifter and a human for dancing together. You’re not in Gilt Hollow anymore.”
Zora glanced around nervously, expecting to find more of the cool, wary gazes that had been on her all evening. But no one seemed to be looking at her right now. Everyone was absorbed in their own world: couples had paired off, with eyes only for each other, and friends were leaning in to talk with each other, sharing gossip and laughing. Zora realized that she wasn’t important here. Not really. Once people had decided that she wasn’t going to harm them like every other Gilt Hollow citizen they knew, they’d pretty much stopped paying attention to her.
And Zora loved that. She’d never in her life been anywhere that she didn’t feel like everyone was paying attention to her. Back in Gilt Hollow, everyone always wanted a piece of the girl who was daughter and heiress to the great Nobleman Severson. Zora had been constantly suffocated. Here, none of her titles or wealth mattered. Zora smiled shyly up at Oskar.
“Okay. One dance.”
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Together they swayed to the soft guitar chords that filled the air. He rested his chin on top of her head, and the whole world seemed to disappear. Zora could feel his heart beating through his chest, and his warmth washing over her. For a moment, she closed her eyes and pretended that this could last forever. That she didn’t have to go back to being Zora of House Severson tomorrow. That she could just be Zora. Zora, who loved Oskar.
The song ended and another ballad began, but Zora didn’t try to pull away. She snuggled closer against Oskar’s chest and breathed in his woodsy scent. Somehow, he always had that scent about him. Even though he’d been living in Gilt Hollow for weeks, wearing Gilt Hollow clothes, he always still smelled like the forest. It was as though the very essence of the trees had seeped deep into his skin. Zora looked up at him and smiled.
“This might sound crazy, but this is one of the best nights of my life.”
Oskar smiled back at her. “I’m glad. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to seeing all of our poverty here.”
Zora’s smile faded a bit. “I think it’s awful, to be quite honest. You all shouldn’t have to live like this when there’s so much wealth just across the river.”
Oskar shrugged slightly. “But to your people, my people are just animals. We aren’t human at all, so why would we need things like food and shelter?”
Zora shook her head. “I had no idea how little your people actually had over here.”
“We don’t have much, no. But we have happiness. That seems to be more than Gilt Hollow has. I don’t care much about wealth. Fancy clothes and houses and all of that…it’s not important to me, and I’d guess it’s not important to any of the shifters here. But it is important for us to have food in the wintertime, and enough warm clothes and blankets not to freeze.”
Zora sighed. “I think the Emperor is trying to starve you all to near-death this winter. He thinks the shifters have gotten too bold, and he’s afraid of a revolution. So he thinks he’ll crush your people with a little starvation. If some of you die off, then so be it. Those who survive will be weak and defeated, and easier to control.”
Oskar’s eyes burned with anger. “They think they can keep doing this forever. That my people will always just take it lying down. But they’re about to see how wrong they are.”
Zora nodded. “They’re about as wrong as any humans could be. But your people will be taken care of this winter. We’ll make sure plenty of food gets across the tunnel, and I’ll figure out a way to get them wood for fires, too. I would send blankets, but I think that’s too risky. It’d be too obvious to anyone from Gilt Hollow if they saw blankets here made of Gilt Hollow fabrics that someone has been smuggling stuff over.”
“Whatever you can get us without risk will be appreciated. Hell, just the fact that you care at all is appreciated.”
Zora felt a little rush of pride. It felt good to have Oskar’s support, but she still wasn’t sure the other shifters in Gilt Hollow were ready to fully trust her. “What about Otto? I don’t know how appreciative he is. I think he was hoping I’d take one look at Bear Hollow and go running across the tunnel back to Gilt Hollow.”
Oskar chuckled. “He underestimates you. He’s a good guy, but wildly suspicious of everyone. I think he was even a little bit suspicious of me at the beginning. Give him a chance. He’ll warm up to you. But why are we talking about him right now. Our time together is limited, and I’d much rather talk about us?”
Zora looked up at Oskar, his tanned face covered in stubble and glowing in the soft light of the bar’s many torches. His eyes held an intensity that she’d seen once before—last night, when they’d been alone in his room before Leo had come to collect the food. She shivered with delight, so strongly that he felt it and pulled her closer.
“Are you cold?”
She shook her head. “No…just overwhelmed.”
“By Bear Hollow?”
“No, by you.” She met his eyes when she said this, and if she had been cold, the heat in his gaze would have warmed her up in an instant.
“Have you seen enough of this bar yet?” he asked in a low, husky voice. “Do you want to go somewhere more private?”
She shivered again. “I’d love to. But where? And how much time do we have?”
“We have a few hours. Otto told everyone to meet back at the tunnel two hours before sunrise, but that’s still a couple hours away. We could go t
o my place and actually be alone for once, without worrying that someone is going to walk in and sentence me to death for being with a Gilt Hollow woman.”
Zora hesitated. She wanted nothing more than to be alone with Oskar, but she wasn’t sure how all of these shifters would view her if they saw her heading off into the night with one of their town’s favorite shifters. She definitely didn’t want to step on any toes. Not when their trust in her was so new and shaky. And what about his sister? She’d warmed up to Zora quite a bit, but surely, she’d still be less than keen to have her brother smooching with a Gilt Hollow woman. And what if she walked in on them. The house was hers, too.
“What about Whisper?”
Oskar glanced behind the bar, where his sister was bartending. “She’ll be here until dawn, at least. This bar doesn’t really have a closing time. It closes when everyone decides to go home, and most of these people aren’t going home any time soon. Everyone’s too excited about the food delivery. And the cake.”
Zora grinned. “Do you think they liked it?”
“Are you kidding? They loved it! No one here has ever tried cake before. I think you’re going to have to bring more of that over next time you come. Everyone here is going to get fat and happy.”
Zora smiled, pleased that her peace offering had been so well accepted in the end. “I’ll bring twice as much next time. I’ve always loved baking, and the cooks at House Severson love me. They’ll let me make as many cakes as I want, and they won’t ask questions about where the cakes are going. They know it’s my favorite hobby.”
Oskar stopped dancing for a moment. “Wait a minute. You made those cakes.”
Zora raised an eyebrow at him. “Yes. Is that so shocking?”
“No. I mean, yes. Sort of. I wouldn’t have thought a noblewoman in Gilt Hollow would know how to do anything in the kitchen. Haven’t you been waited on hand and foot since you were born?”
Zora stood to her full height, which still wasn’t very tall when compared with Oskar. “I’ll have you know, mister, that I know how to do quite a few things, in the kitchen and in all sorts of other places. Just because I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth doesn’t mean that I’m a damsel in distress. I haven’t sat back and been lazy like a lot of my peers. I’ve learned everything I can about every subject I possibly can. Baking just happens to be one of my favorite subjects.”
The Misfit and the Bear (The Shifter Games Book 1) Page 12