Page 31 of Far From Sherwood Forest (Far From #3)

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Robin in days, but that’s not new. He’s been gradually taking up more and more space in my head for weeks. Months.

However, this time, it’s…different.

All those doubts I’ve had about wanting to be with Robin because of who he is?

Gone.

I really wanted to keep hating him, but he’s made that pretty fucking difficult. Somehow, in a way I’ll never be able to explain, he’s become the only person I don’t hate. I don’t know if I’ve forgiven him, but I don’t hate him for it anymore.

But I still meant it when I told him I have a lot of shit to figure out.

One part of that is if I can be with Robin because of who I am. I don’t know how to be with someone in that way. I only keep hurting him. Once upon a time, all I wanted to do was hurt him. Now, I hate myself when I do.

There’s something broken in me.

The more he touches me, the more I crave his touch. I was already unraveling from our kiss, and if I had let him keep touching me, I would’ve shattered.

If I’m not careful, the little thief is going to steal my fucking heart.

Fuck. Maybe he already has.

That day, when I went back inside my cabin, my cock was begging me to give it some relief while the memory of Robin’s touch and him screaming my name was fresh in my mind.

I resisted. It wasn’t a punishment—I’m trying really fucking hard to leave that kind of shit in the past. It was more like an apology.

I wanted to make it up to him for walking away so many times, and giving him pleasure while being selfless was easier than using words.

Not that it was entirely selfless. Drawing my name from his lips never is.

Inhaling deeply, I breathe in the fresh mountain air from my spot on one of the highest points in the park. I’ve been on patrol for the past couple of hours, driving around. Every so often, I choose one of the trails to hike. This is one of my favorites.

The trail winds along a ridge overlooking a wide stretch of forest. The mountain peaks in the distance are still snowcapped and wear streaks of it along their rugged spines, but down here, snowmelt feeds the streams that glint through the trees.

Wildflowers are starting to bloom, dotting the landscape with bursts of yellow and purple.

A breeze warmer than there’s been in months carries the scent of pine and thawed earth.

The sky is clear, and it’s helping to clear my head too. At least a little.

What’s more clear to me than it ever has been is…

I want Robin Hood.

I want him in every fucking way. I’m not willing to let him go, not without me. I want to claim him. I want him to be mine . And, dammit, I want to give myself to him too.

I think I’m… happy when I’m with him—or, at least, something like it. When I’m giving him pleasure, when he’s giving me his smiles. The weight of the world on my shoulders isn’t as heavy when he’s around. Those dreams I used to have might have been trying to tell me something.

I think…I think Robin could save me.

And I think I want to let him.

After taking one last deep breath of crisp air like a hit into my lungs, I turn and start heading back down the trail.

I’m about halfway to the trailhead when something snags my wrist. I look down to see that it’s a branch sticking out from the underbrush, but when I flick my wrist away, it wraps around me like a live rope. I try to yank away, and it tightens.

Fucking witch.

I know I don’t stand a chance against magic, but I try anyway, struggling against the branch that turns into a vine right in front of my eyes.

While I’m distracted with that, a second vine snakes around my other wrist. As they both start dragging me backward, I attempt to dig my heels into the ground, grunting and growling as I fight against their magic.

My back hits a tree, the vines pulling my arms against it on either side, effectively holding me hostage.

“Come out, you fucking witch!”

“I’m a Spirit, actually.”

My head snaps to the left in the direction Ivy’s voice came from.

A moment later, she steps out from behind one of the other trees.

She looks the exact same as she did the last time I saw her and all the times I’ve seen her before that.

But just because she doesn’t look like a witch doesn’t mean she isn’t one.

I glare at her, my nostrils flaring. “I’ll stick with witch.”

She takes a few steps forward, stopping several feet in front of me and crossing her arms. “I’m not your enemy, Henry.”

“You have a funny way of showing it,” I snarl, pulling at the vines holding my arms back.

“They’re only there so you don’t try to kill me,” she says with a faint smirk. “Not that you could . But I’d rather talk than fight.”

My jaw clenches. “I have nothing to say to you.”

“Then you can listen.” Dropping her arms to her sides, she takes one more step closer, and her smirk vanishes, replaced by a sad turn of her mouth that I might believe was sincere if I wasn’t currently blinded by hatred and rage. “I’m so sorry I left you.”

“I don’t want to hear that.”

“I know you don’t. Because you need somebody to hate for it. And that’s okay; you can hate me. But you’re still going to listen to my apology because you’ll have a decision to make afterward.”

Leaning forward as far as I can with the vines still pinning me back, I scowl even harder. “If the decision is if I’m going to crush your windpipe with my bare hands or shoot you with my gun, maybe I’ll do both.”

A grin briefly lifts her lips. “At least I didn’t have any expectations this place would tame those anger issues of yours.”

“Go fuck yourself.”

She sighs and bows her head with what might be hurt. “I really am your friend, Henry. I always have been. I didn’t lie about that. I just…I made a mistake. A really big one.”

“You’re right. You never should have fucking brought me here.”

“No, that wasn’t a mistake. I might have magic, but I’m not perfect.

I brought you all here, stayed long enough to make sure you found the cabin, and then went back to Sherwood Forest. But when I did…

” She pauses, her frown deepening. “I didn’t realize that time worked differently between the two places.

I didn’t realize I was leaving you alone for so long.

For what it’s worth, I’m really fucking glad I came back in time. ”

“Because you didn’t want that on your conscience.”

“Because I never wanted you dead!”

The forest seems to fall silent as I’m torn between wanting to believe her and feeling that familiar shame.

Ivy takes another step toward me as though by closing the distance between us, she can lessen my disdain.

“I like you.” She shrugs with a sheepish smile like she’s not used to saying that.

That is something I can actually relate to.

“It’s been decades since I’ve let myself get attached to a mortal.

Decades . I know what it’s like to be alone too, Henry.

When I showed up at the cabin that day, it felt like we both needed each other. ”

Again, I want to believe her.

“You were the only friend I ever had,” I admit. It’s hard to because it’s a sad fucking truth, but I know it does what I want when I see a hopeful smile on her face. I lean forward another half inch and glare harder. “But now I know it was all a fucking lie.”

Her smile falls. Her eyes turn wet.

I almost— almost —feel bad.

“It wasn’t,” she said, her voice smaller than before. “Not even a little. I lied to you, yes, but never about that. I did care. I do .”

Straightening, I let my back rest against the tree as I stare at her with indifference this time. “Then tell me the truth now. What the fuck is the point of all this?”

She briefly glances away but eventually accepts the change of subject. “The prince cannot be allowed to take King Richard’s throne.”

“So why haven’t you stopped him?”

“Because I can’t directly interfere.”

“And sending us here isn’t directly interfering?”

There’s another hint of a grin on her lips. “I’m pretty good at finding loopholes.”

“But what’s the point? What does that have anything to do with me or Robin?”

My curiosity is getting the better of me. I’m frustrated, of course. Still angry. But I’m at least distracted enough to not want to immediately rip Ivy’s head off.

“You both are bound by destiny, but neither of you could fulfill it unless you were forced to grow beyond your roles as the outlaw Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. You two, together , will be the catalyst for balance.”

A horrible, gut-wrenching thought consumes me, constricting around my chest, tighter than the vines around my wrists, until I can’t breath. Until I’m sure my heart will be crushed into dust.

It was all a lie.

“You…he…” I can’t think, the inside of my head filled with fog. “What he thinks he feels…”

Fortunately, Ivy is able to translate my panic.

“Is real .” She moves closer, close enough that I could reach out and touch her if I wasn’t bound.

Being a foot shorter than me, she has to crane her neck to meet my gaze.

“I can’t manipulate emotions. What Robin feels for you is real, Henry.

If you choose to only believe one thing I say to you, believe that. ”

“Why should I?” I ask, my voice choked.

“Because you deserve to be loved.”

I didn’t realize how much that train of thought I was on was fucking me up until I feel something wet sliding down my cheek.

Words have never sounded so impossible, but I’ve also never wanted to believe them more.

“And also because I had no idea that that’s where all of this would lead. All I hoped for was that you both could find forgiveness in each other.” She smiles up at me, and I swear I can see the magic in her eyes. “But I’m happy you found more.”

The vines around my wrists loosen and retreat. My arms fall to my sides, weak, like every last ounce of strength has been zapped from me. I don’t think magic has anything to do with it.

Ivy stares up at me, still standing close, clearly not afraid that I might attack her. Even if I had the energy, it’s not like I would stand a chance anyway.

“I truly am so sorry, Henry. Failing you is my biggest regret in a thousand years.”

The strange thing is that I actually believe her.

I keep my back against the tree, leaning my head against it too, needing the support to hold me upright. I close my eyes and breathe in a deep lungful of air. “I’m so tired of being angry.”

“I know, big guy,” she says affectionately. “That’s one reason why Robin is so perfect for you.”

It hits me that maybe she’s right. Lately, I’ve felt different when I’m around him, not as weighed down by rage and resentment. There’s something about him that’s able to make me forget about all of that, that makes me want to give him all my attention instead.

“You need to know that it is your destiny to return to Sherwood Forest with Robin.”

Without lifting my head, I open my eyes to peer down at her.

“But after what I did to you, I won’t force you to go back. I can’t guarantee that Robin and the others will be successful in stopping Prince John. I’m not saying that to guilt you. It’s just the truth.”

“I don’t know what the fuck to do, Ivy,” I whisper.

“You have some time to decide. Not a lot, but a little. Can I give you some advice?”

I should say no. I should be ripping her apart instead for ruining my life.

But…she also saved me.

So maybe that’s not what I want anymore.

“Please.”

“Listen to your heart. Humans have their own brand of magic, and I think you might find some of your own in there.”

“As long as it’s different from your brand of magic.”

The grin that stretches across her face is big. “I missed you. We should have a sleepover tonight.”

I arch a brow. “I wanted to murder you all of five seconds ago, and now you want a sleepover?”

She shrugs, a kind of adorable mischievous glint in her eyes. “We could do each other’s hair and nails and gossip about boys.”

Rolling my eyes, I push off the tree and start to walk away. When Ivy is silent behind me and I don’t hear her following, I peer over my shoulder to see her head down, staring at the ground.

“Well?” I bark at her. “Are you coming?”

She looks back up, her smile returning. “Really?”

“I’m not promising not to kill you in your sleep, but…I could use the company,” I admit.

Skipping forward, she links her arm with mine, and we start heading down the trail toward my truck.

A few months ago, I never would’ve let all of this go so easily. I wouldn’t have let her touch me. I wouldn’t have admitted to not wanting to be alone.

Maybe Robin did save me in a way after all.