by Amy Star
“Seriously?” She groaned through her laughter. “You’re not making this easy.”
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it easier for you.” Garret rocked his hips against her, letting her feel his hardness.
A gasp tore from Holly’s lips.
“That. I want that. I want you.” She planted a trail of kisses down his muscular neck.
“Say no more.” Garret gripped her sides and flipped her over so she was on her back. He removed his shirt as Holly reached for his belt. While she tugged at his jeans, he yanked down her leggings.
Holly lost track of who removed which pieces of clothing. When the tangle of limbs briefly ceased, she was naked beneath Garret. Her legs fell open as she gazed up at him with pleading eyes.
He said nothing as he lowered himself between her thighs. His eyes never left her face as he pressed the head of his cock against her core.
“Wait,” she whispered.
He froze.
Holly slipped one hand between them, moving lower and lower until she took hold of him. Garret let out a soft groan as Holly caressed him.
“I’m not sure I can…” She trailed off.
“If you want to stop, we’ll stop,” Garret assured her.
“It’s not that!” she said quickly. “It’s just that, um, you’re…massive.”
Garret bit back a chuckle. “We’ll go slow,” he said. “How about that?”
Holly bit her bottom lip and nodded. She guided him to her entrance before retracting her hand. She opened her legs more, making room for his hips as he slowly sunk into her. She let out a shudder as she struggled to adjust to his size.
She shouldn’t have been surprised. Everything about Garret was large. His cock shouldn’t be any different.
If the sensation of him entering her for the first time weren’t incredible enough, when Garret drew his hips back again, Holly trembled. With her hands on his lower back, she guided his pace.
They went slow for a while, but Holly quickly wanted more. She pushed her palms against his back. Each moan that tore from her lips was a silent plea. Garret needed no words of instruction. He listened to her body. Holly lifted her legs until they were wrapped as high up on his back as she could manage. Garret lifted one arm to sling her leg over his shoulder then did the same with the other.
She let out a sharp gasp as she felt him thrust in and out of her in a new way. Eager for more, she rocked into him. She urged him to go faster and faster now that she was accustomed to his girth. She ran her hands up and down his back, marveling at the pull of his muscles as he pleasured her. His strength was awe-inspiring, but what was even more amazing was his ability to be so gentle with her.
Without a word, Holly went still. Garret followed suit, his eyes burning with lust. She smiled up at him and placed her hand on his chest. She pushed him back just enough so that she could roll onto her stomach.
With a devilish smile, Garret got onto his knees as Holly positioned herself on all fours in front of him. She watched him over her shoulder as he took her hips in his hands and pulled her back into his cock.
Holly cried out. Garret must’ve mistaken her cry for pain, rather than pleasure. He released her.
“Don’t stop,” Holly pled, pushing herself against him.
That was all the encouragement he needed. He grabbed her hips again and resumed his thrusting. Holly’s soft moans quickly escalated into cries of ecstasy. Her toes curled. Her arms and legs shook as she struggled to support herself. Garret wrapped his arms around her middle, holding her up so he could continue to push her to her brink.
Stars exploded behind her vision as every nerve in her body homed in on where she and Garret were joined. With a shuddering gasp, she reached her absolute peak of pleasure. After a few more thrusts, Garret was right behind her.
They collapsed against the bed. Garret fell to the side so as not to crush her.
Panting, Holly allowed him to pull her closer. He kissed her shoulders, neck, and anything else his mouth could reach.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured.
Holly wracked her brain for something to say, but she couldn’t think straight. She was lost in the aftershocks.
Garret didn’t seem to mind. Within minutes, his breathing slowed and deepened. He’d fallen asleep. Holly’s eyelids suddenly felt heavy. With the hum of the TV mixing with the pounding of her heart, she fell asleep alongside Garret.
CHAPTER TWELVE—Keller
Keller sat at the dining room table, drumming his fingers. Before him were five open books and several maps that he couldn’t focus on long enough to actually read.
Yesterday, when he received a message from Garret saying he and Holly would be staying at The Blackberry Inn for the night, it put him on edge.
He didn’t resent Garret for being with Holly. Holly had nearly reached her breaking point yesterday. Garret took care of it. As much as Keller wished he’d been the one to step up, he was glad Garret did what he had to do to make sure Holly was okay.
Keller wouldn’t have thought of taking Holly into town for a day. Her kidnapping shook him up in the worst way. He wanted to put blackout shades over all the windows and keep her inside forever if that meant no one would ever try to take her away again.
Obviously, he couldn’t do that without becoming as bad as the bastards who had kidnapped her.
While Holly and Garret were gone, Keller took it upon himself to research everything about the last uprising of the dark shifters. He also pulled up old maps of the silver mines. By his guess, Holly wasn’t sure which silver mine she was held in. Even if she were, he doubted she’d be able to tell him much about the layout. It wouldn’t be much of a kidnapping if she were allowed to freely roam the secret headquarters.
Based on the maps in front of him, the westernmost silver mine would have strategic advantages, but the northernmost mine was closest to Golden Oak. The last time dark shifters rose, they were from Golden Oak. However, the last uprising was fifteen years ago. The shifters who were involved in that uprising might not be the same ones.
“You’ve been glaring at the same notch in the table for twenty minutes. Should I call someone?”
Keller hadn’t heard Johnny enter the dining room. “I’m going to take a page out of your book and ask an impulsive question.”
Johnny furrowed his brow. “Clearly, you’ve never read my book. If you have to ask a question about being impulsive, then you’re already failing.”
“Would you just listen?”
“Is this about Holly and Garret staying down at the Blackberry? You’re not going down there to steal his thunder, are you?”
“No.” Keller rolled his eyes. “Though, I can’t say I’m not tempted.”
“I’m in agreement with you there.” Johnny took a seat at the dining room table. “Can’t we be normal barbarians and fight to the death for her?”
Keller couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s a lose-lose for me,” he said. “I don’t want Holly to choose me solely because I’ve shredded every other option. Besides, it would suck to kill my best friends.”
Johnny placed a melodramatic hand over his heart. “Best friends? I’m touched. I always considered us acquaintances of circumstance.”
“Oh, shut up. Can I ask my question now?”
“Be my guest.”
“On a scale of one to ten, how bad of an idea is it to check out the silver mines?”
“Ten. Terrible idea. Way too risky. Let’s do it.”
“Thanks.” Keller grinned. “That gave me some clarity.”
“So, are we going?”
“Absolutely fucking not.”
Johnny barked out a laugh.
“Fair, but how else do you expect to get information on the bastards that took Holly? They aren’t going to come to us a second time. They’re stupid, but surely they aren’t that stupid.”
“Wouldn’t it be grand if you could ask someone who was actually there?”
Johnny and Keller l
ooked up from the table to find Loch standing in the doorway.
“Come on,” Loch scoffed. “Don’t tell me that hasn’t occurred to you.”
“I didn’t want to push,” Keller said. “What happened to you was traumatic. Why do you think I haven’t asked Holly about anything?”
“How considerate,” Loch sneered before turning to Johnny. “Are you afraid of upsetting my delicate sensibilities?”
“No.” Johnny shrugged. “I’m trying to talk to you as little as possible.”
“No surprise there. If I had anywhere else to go, I’d go.”
“Don’t you?” Keller frowned. “You have an apartment somewhere, right?”
“You think I’m dumb enough to go back there?” Loch snapped. “I’m not lucky enough to have witches making cloaking spells for me at the drop of a hat.”
“Drop of a hat?” Johnny scoffed. “We tracked those witches for a week. Want to know what else we got from the witches? The spell that helped us find your sorry ass.”
“I didn’t ask for that,” Loch snapped. “Did you help Holly and I get out of the silver mine? No, you didn’t. When it mattered, none of you did jack shit. All you did was show up in time to give Holly a lift home.”
Keller glanced at Johnny, who looked like he was ready to punch Loch right in the jaw.
“Don’t let him bait you,” Keller said. “You know he gets a rise out of this.”
“Is that what you think this is?” Loch laughed. “You think I’m that dedicated to pissing you off that I’d get myself kidnapped on the off chance that I’d end up in the Cub Kids Clubhouse for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of you. Do you hear how ridiculous you sound?”
“What’s going on in here?” Holly appeared at Loch’s side.
Keller hadn’t heard anyone enter the house.
“Didn’t you hear?” Loch turned to Holly. “I’m only here to stir the pot.”
“What?” Holly turned her gaze on Johnny, then Keller. “I don’t understand.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Keller said quickly, trying to diffuse the situation before Holly became more distressed.
“Misunderstanding?” Loch snapped. “Johnny, did I misconstrue your accusations?”
“Nope.” Johnny shook his head. “I think you’re here to cause trouble, just like you’ve always been.”
Loch tensed. He looked ready to lunge at Johnny when Holly placed her hand on his arm. The tension drained from his body.
Keller watched their movements with a critical eye.
“How did this conversation start?” Holly asked.
“These idiots want to go poke around in the silver mines for information,” Loch said.
“We weren’t seriously going to go,” Keller said before Holly got the wrong idea.
“I would have.” Johnny shrugged. “We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with. I can’t think of a more direct way to do that.”
“Sometimes the direct way isn’t the best way,” Holly said, looking at her feet.
Loch shifted, ever so slightly, and glanced at Holly from the corner of his eye.
Both of them knew something the others didn’t. Of that, Keller felt certain.
“What do you mean by that?” He watched Holly’s face intently.
When she looked up, panic glimmered in her eyes. “I mean, charging into a silver mine without backup or even a real plan isn’t the best way to do this,” she said.
“I think there’s more to it than that.”
Keller hated the idea of putting pressure on her, but if she knew something, she needed to say it.
“Leave her alone,” Loch snapped.
Again, Holly’s hand came up to touch his arm. “No.” She sighed. “He’s right. There are some things I haven’t told you guys.”
Garret stepped into the room, his confusion plain on his face. He took a seat at the table across from Johnny.
“Does Loch know?” Johnny asked, eyes narrowed.
“He knows because he was there with me.”
“So, both of you have kept things from us?” Garret asked slowly.
“I hated every minute of it,” Holly said. “But I hope you’ll give me the chance to explain once I tell you what I know.”
Johnny folded his arms across his chest. He stared at the same notch in the table Keller couldn’t look away from earlier.
Holly sucked in a breath. “First, Loch and I didn’t break out of our cells and make a run for it,” she said. “Someone helped us escape.”
Keller’s brows shot up. “Who?” he demanded.
Was someone else looking for Holly while they were tracking the witches?
“Her name is Elise,” Holly said. “She was in the silver mines with us.”
“Another prisoner?” Garret straightened in his seat. “Did she get away? Why wasn’t she in the woods with you?”
“She wasn’t a prisoner.” Holly shook her head. “She’s with the shifters who want to return to the dark ways.”
“I don’t understand. Why would she help you?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out. She’s not on the mural in the study even though she should be and—”
“Wait.” Keller raised a hand to stop her. “Why would she be on the mural? Is she from a Silver Spruce founding family?”
“Yes.” Holly nodded. “She’s a Charmain.”
“A Charmain?” Keller furrowed his brow. “I don’t recall ever meeting a Charmain.”
“I can’t find her in any books. I can’t find her anywhere,” Holly said. “I want one thing made clear, right now, before we go any further. If we ever come across her again, she will be offered protection in this house.”
“If she helped you escape, it’s the least we can do.” Keller nodded. “I wouldn’t put it past the dark shifters to kill someone who betrayed them.”
“I agree,” Garret echoed.
Johnny nodded as well.
“Good.” Holly clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Now, here’s the tricky part. I know who leads the dark shifters in the silver mine.”
“What?” Johnny blurted. “Why wouldn’t you tell us something like that? We could’ve ended this right then and there.”
“No, you couldn’t have,” Holly said. “You can’t harm the leader. He’s under protection.”
“Whose?”
“Mine.”
“Excuse me?” Johnny sputtered. “You’re protecting the man who ordered your kidnapping? Why would you do that?”
“Because he’s a firstborn. Trevor Charmain. Elise, the woman who helped us escape, is his sister.”
“What the fuck,” Johnny muttered. “How could you have kept this from us?”
“For this exact reason.” Holly pressed her fingertips to the bridge of her nose.
Keller didn’t know what to say. How could a firstborn son of Silver Spruce even think about supporting the return to the dark ways, let alone leave the faction? Try as he might, he couldn’t conjure any memories of Trevor.
“I didn’t want you three to go charging after him before I had a chance to figure everything out,” Holly continued.
“What’s to figure out?” Johnny asked. “Firstborn son or not, he’s the one we’re fighting against.”
“The Maiden spoke of him to me,” Holly said. “She told me he’s lost. I think it’s my responsibility to find him.”
“Find him?” Johnny sneered. “We know exactly where that bastard is, and we know exactly what needs to be done with him.”
“Johnny.” Holly bit down on her bottom lip.
Keller had never seen her look so pained before. He couldn’t imagine how this must’ve weighed on her all week. No wonder she was getting ready to lose it before Garret took her to town. Disappointment seeped into the forefront of Keller’s mind. He should’ve known better. He should’ve paid more attention.
“I think the Maiden wants me to help him,” she said. “He’s a firstborn son. He shouldn’t be on the
path he’s on now. I think it’s my job to get him back on the right path.”
“If you’re right,” Keller spoke up before Johnny had the chance, “then how can we ever trust him? We’d be inviting your kidnapper, someone who supports shifters holding dominion over humans, into this house.”
“I don’t know,” Holly whispered. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I just know that I have to follow my gut. My gut is telling me that we can’t charge into the silver mines to kill Trevor.”
“Let’s not kill him then.” Keller’s mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution, any solution, that would ease Holly’s mind. “There is one thing that we can all agree on. There are shifters who would return to the dark ways, and those shifters must be stopped. Right?”
Everyone either nodded or voiced their agreement.
A slight sense of relief washed over Keller. This was what he was good at. He could plan. He could be the voice of reason. He was in his element now. “Okay.” He nodded. “I see a way we can kill two birds, maybe even three, with one stone.”
“How?” Holly asked.
“We assemble an army.”
What little hope that glimmered in Holly’s eyes disappeared. “An army?”
“We gather the shifters loyal to Silver Spruce and maintaining the balance of our world,” Keller said. “We storm the silver mines. We take Trevor hostage and bring him here. With luck, the shifters who follow him will lose their focus without their leader and disperse. We might have a shot to end this without bloodshed.”
“You don’t think shifters who would return to the dark ways deserve to have their blood spilled?” Johnny asked with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t believe that doing harm negates the harm that’s already been done,” Keller said. “What the dark shifters did fifteen years ago to Silver Spruce and its families was unforgivable. Slaughtering them won’t undo the damage that’s been done.”
“No, it won’t,” Johnny said with a deep scowl. “But it will sure as hell make me feel better.” He pushed away from the table and stormed off.
For a moment, Holly looked like she was going to call after him but thought better of it.