Loch

by Amy Star

“Better, right?” He grinned.

  “I’m starting to wonder why they have this room in the first place.” Holly winced.

  Johnny sat back down on the bed and pulled her close. “Do yourself a favor, and don’t think about it.”

  “I get the feeling we aren’t the first ones to strike this deal. Why don’t they just charge the crystals themselves?”

  “Yeah! Why would the witches who have no problem holding people at knifepoint have trouble finding men who trust them in bed? What a puzzle!”

  “Point taken.” Holly chuckled. “Help me get my mind off how weird this is, okay?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.”

  Johnny drew Holly closer. He planted a trail of kisses along her shoulder and up her neck.

  “I meant what I said earlier, by the way,” he whispered. “In the truck. I’m not leaving, no matter what.”

  “I believe you.” Holly sighed. “I meant what I said in your studio. I wouldn’t survive losing you.”

  “You’ll never have to worry about that.”

  Johnny moved behind her to rub and kiss her shoulders.

  Holly closed her eyes, willing herself to focus only on how wonderful his touch felt. It didn’t take long for her to forget about everything else.

  Johnny slipped a hand under the hem of her shirt. Holly leaned back against him, allowing herself to relax even more.

  “This isn’t so bad, right?” he whispered in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

  “No, not at all,” she whispered back.

  Johnny’s hand slid around to her front. He trailed his fingers over her belly, moving higher and higher until he reached the base of her bra.

  Deciding to make things easier on him, Holly reached behind her and unclasped her bra from the back. Johnny slid his hand beneath her bra and cupped her breast. He stroked a finger over her nipple. Holly gasped softly.

  “Look at the crystals,” he murmured.

  Holly opened her eyes to see all of the crystals were glowing a soft pink.

  “I wonder how bright they get,” she said.

  “We’re going to find out.”

  Holly closed her eyes and let her head fall back against Johnny’s shoulder. He continued to massage her breasts. After a time, he brought his other hand around and slowly trailed it down her stomach, beneath the waistband of her pants. When his finger brushed against her, she shuddered.

  With both of Johnny’s hands occupied, Holly took it upon herself to push her pants down to her knees.

  “Not so shy anymore, are you?” he teased.

  “Don’t ruin the moment,” she murmured against his neck, eliciting a deep rumbling laugh from him.

  Johnny teased her with his hands until she wanted more. She arched back, pressing her ass into his groin. She felt his hardness through his jeans.

  “You’re in charge,” he told her. “Your wish is my command.”

  “Take off your jeans.”

  “Just my jeans?” She heard the smile in his voice without having to look at him.

  “Everything.”

  While Johnny pulled off his jeans and shirt, Holly removed her top and kicked her pants to the side. When both were completely naked, she returned to her position in front of him.

  Johnny stroked her sensitive core once more. Slowly, he pushed a finger inside of her.

  Holly let out a shuddering gasp. She reached behind her to stroke his hard length.

  The crystals deepened in color to a vibrant magenta.

  When Holly was ready, she rose up on her knees.

  Johnny needed no instruction. He stretched his legs out on either side of her, took her by the hips, and slowly lowered her onto his cock.

  A delicious shudder tore through her body as she took him inside of her. Once she was comfortable, she began to rock her body with his.

  Johnny laid back against the nest of plush pillows as Holly rode him. When he reached for her, urging her to face him, she didn’t resist. When she lowered herself onto him a second time, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes. Even under unusual circumstances, it was so easy for her to lose herself in him.

  Johnny grasped her hips and held her still while he thrust up into her. With every impact, Holly’s pleasure increased, and the color of the crystals deepened. Johnny moved faster, groaning deeply with each thrust. The crystals were crimson now, their color growing more intense with every second.

  When Holly began to tremble as she approached her peak, a crystal shattered. Tiny shards bounced off her skin, but she didn’t care.

  “Johnny!” She threw her head back. The world spun out of control. She couldn’t tell which way was up as her climax crashed over her.

  Another crystal exploded.

  Her body went slack. Johnny cradled her in his arms before settling her down on the bed beside him. Holly teetered somewhere on the edge between awareness and sleep until the tremors stopped. She opened her eyes to a sea of red so bright she had to shield her gaze.

  “Johnny,” she murmured.

  “I’m here, love.” His lips brushed against her ear. “It’s safe to say we fulfilled our end of the bargain.”

  “Well done!” Edwina strode into the room, clapping. The gold coins of her eyes shone eerily in the red light.

  Johnny threw a blanket over him and Holly, despite the blindness of the witch in the room.

  “Goodness gracious!” Edwina cackled. “We have enough lust in these crystals to last a decade! Can you feel that? How do you two manage to leave the house every day?”

  “Edwina, can you not?” Johnny sighed.

  “Now is not the time to be coy.” She giggled. “Are you clothed?”

  “What do you think?” Holly snapped, hiding her face in the crook of Johnny’s neck. The red light was unbearable, even with her eyes closed. “Can you get those damn things out of here?”

  “I can only imagine how bright they are,” Edwina gushed. “I’ll return for them in a moment. Dress and clean yourselves up. Don’t dally.”

  As much as Holly wanted to bask alongside Johnny, she wanted to get out of the witch’s den more.

  Johnny scooped up her clothes and brought them to her. “Can you dress with your eyes closed?” he asked.

  “I got it covered,” she replied. “I don’t care if my shirt is on inside out or if my pants are on backward. I want to leave.”

  “I’ll get you home right away. We don’t have to go back to the stones if you don’t want to. I’ll shift in front of the cave.”

  “No.” Holly frowned. “I want to get out of here, but I don’t want you to push yourself too hard.”

  “How sweet!” Edwina called from the doorway. “What was that I said about hurrying up?”

  “Careful Edwina, your bitterness is showing,” Johnny snapped.

  “That would be Susanna,” Edwina corrected. “She’s seething in the front room. Be careful on your way out.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Johnny reached for Holly’s hand and led her out of the room.

  Holly blinked rapidly until she stopped seeing red. When they stepped into the front room, Hattie and Susanna were seated in their usual spots.

  Hattie grinned like she’d been given a birthday present early.

  Susanna glowered in a way that brought a new meaning to the phrase if looks could kill.

  “Thank you for your…hospitality,” Johnny said. “We’ll see ourselves out.”

  “Not so fast,” Edwina barked from behind them. “Don’t you want your prize?”

  “The spells,” Holly murmured. She can’t believe she nearly left without them.

  “You didn’t think I was going to let you walk away and make a lair of myself in the process, did you? Or were you hoping I would? I wouldn’t put it past either of you to try to trick me into voiding our contract.”

  “Easy, Edwina.” Johnny sighed. “Holly and I are just a little scatterbrained after being flash bombed by your crystals.”

  “I can’t believe y
ou broke two of them,” Hattie pouted. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to find ones that big?”

  “I’m sure you’ll survive,” Johnny said with a tight smile.

  Holly clung to his arm, still dazed, and more than content to let him do the talking.

  “We’ll begin with the trust spell,” Edwina announced, more to her coven sisters than to either Holly or Johnny.

  “What do I need to do?” Holly asked.

  “Be quiet and don’t fight us,” Susanna snapped.

  Holly tightened her grip on Johnny’s arm.

  “You might want to sit down. We’re going to have to tweak your subconscious a little,” Edwina said.

  “Is that safe?” Holly’s voice came out small and weak.

  “Most of the time.” Hattie shrugged.

  “But accidents can always happen,” Susanna muttered.

  “Do this for the good of the coven,” Edwina urged her sisters. That seemed to end all debate on whether or not an accident would befall Holly during the spell.

  Johnny led her to the couch and sat beside her, keeping her close to his side.

  Holly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

  The witches began to chant in a strange, burbling language that reminded Holly of a stream.

  Holly felt a humming sensation within her mind. It didn’t hurt, it simply felt unnatural. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on tighter to Johnny.

  “Have you ever had anything like this done to you?” she asked.

  “Not voluntarily.”

  Holly’s eyes flew open to stare at him. “Excuse me?”

  “Do you really find it hard to believe I’ve made it through life without getting hexed at least once?”

  “Fair point.” Holly nodded.

  She glanced over the back of the couch at the witches. They stood facing each other, hands clasped. They stared blankly as their mouths moved through the complex language. Edwina’s eyes remained the same, but Hattie’s eyes had gone milky white while Susanna’s turned as black as onyx.

  “That’s supposed to happen, right?” she asked.

  “Don’t look at me. This stuff is above my pay grade.”

  “You don’t have a pay grade.”

  “I know. I’m just trying to keep your mind busy, so you don’t get too freaked out.”

  “I don’t think I can get any more freaked out!”

  The more the witches spoke, the more their words sounded less like a language and more like the voice of nature. They became a thunderstorm, a landslide, and a raging ocean all at once. As chaotic as it was, it was also beautiful.

  Suddenly, Edwina flew backward. Her coven sisters let out twin cries of shock and surprise.

  Edwina landed hard on a small table stacked with glass bottles and stones.

  “Oh, my God!” Hattie cried, rushing to her coven sister’s side.

  “What just happened?” Holly demanded.

  “The spell backfired.” Susanna whirled on Holly. “What did you do?”

  “Nothing! I wasn’t trying to fight your spell, I swear.”

  “It wasn’t her,” Edwina rasped as Hattie helped her to her feet. “It was another witch.”

  “What?” Hattie, Susanna, and Holly blurted in unison.

  “There are no other witches in Silver Spruce,” Susanna said.

  “I sensed her,” Edwina insisted. “I could’ve seen her face if I weren’t caught so off guard.”

  “Where is she?” Hattie said. “We should bring her here! She can join the coven.”

  “She’s in the silver mines,” Edwina replied.

  Holly’s head shot up. “The silver mines?”

  “They’re holding a witch captive?” Johnny clenched his fists.

  “I don’t think so,” Holly said. “There weren’t any other captives that I saw.” She turned to Edwina.

  “You told me shifters can obtain magic, right?”

  “Indeed.”

  “I’m willing to bed the new witch is Elise.”

  Johnny furrowed his brow. “How do you figure?”

  “She was the only woman I ever saw during my captivity,” Holly said. “And when I first met her, I sensed something about her. I knew she wasn’t ordinary. I thought I was just imagining things, but I don’t think that’s the case. What if she found a way to secure magic for herself?”

  “To what end?”

  “As a protective measure, maybe?” Holly suggested. “She’s working against her brother and the other shifters in the mines. If they ever found out she had helped Loch and me escape, she’d need an edge in order to protect herself.”

  “Most non-magic users seek out magic for protection,” Edwina said. “I can’t tell you the number of times we’ve been asked to craft protection spells.”

  “We need to bring Elise here somehow,” Holly said. “I know she’ll help us if we offer her protection.”

  “We can try to sneak back into the silver mine,” Johnny suggested. “It’s risky, but I don’t see another option.”

  Holly’s face fell. “That’s way too risky. I won’t allow it.”

  “Set a witch trap,” Susanna said with a nonchalant shrug.

  “That’s cruel!” Hattie gasped.

  “It’s not a walk in the park, but if it gets her out of a den of dark shifters, isn’t that the kinder option?”

  “What’s a witch trap?” Holly asked.

  “It’s like a super-strong magnet that pulls the target witch in,” Hattie explained. “It sucks being caught in one.”

  “I hate to agree with any of them,” Johnny cast a dark look at the witches, “but a witch trap sounds like the safest way to get Elise to us.”

  “That settles it.” Holly nodded. “We’re trapping a witch.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Holly sat ramrod straight on the couch at home. Johnny sat on her left, Garret, on her right. Keller stood in front of them, looking for all the world like a pissed off schoolteacher ready to lecture the bad kids.

  The sun had just set. Streaks of orange still lit up the evening sky. The witches would arrive at any moment.

  After some debate, Holly, Johnny, and the witches agreed that Pearl’s home would be the best place to set the trap. It was far less intimidating than the witch’s lair. Besides, the endgame was not only to prove Elise was the new witch but to offer her protection as well. That would be easier to do if she were summoned to a location already hidden beneath a powerful concealment spell.

  Unfortunately, Keller didn’t react to the news well. At all. “Don’t you think you should’ve run this by us first?”

  “By us, he really just means him,” Loch chimed from his seat on the carved wooden chair.

  When Loch first claimed that seat, Holly expected Johnny to yank him back onto his feet. Johnny had hand-carved the elaborate high-backed chair for Pearl years ago and guarded it like a dragon guarded its horde. Instead, he only tensed a little when Loch took a seat.

  Holly figured this was his way of cutting Loch some slack, as she’d asked. As she sat on the couch, preparing to be lectured, she kept her hand on his knee. His fingers traced the narrow length of bare skin between the hem of her shirt and the top of her pants.

  Keller turned to Loch. “This doesn’t bother you?”

  “I admit, I’m not psyched at hosting three witches in the house for the purpose of unwillingly trapping a fourth witch,” Loch winced, “but I trust Holly’s judgment.”

  “And Johnny’s?”

  “Oh, God, no.” Loch laughed. “But he’s not the one in charge. Holly is. If this is what she wants, I’m going to help her get it done.”

  Realizing Loch wasn’t going to match his outrage, Keller turned to Garret. “Do you agree with this?” he asked.

  “I’m not thrilled,” Garret replied. “Those witches have crazy written all over them, but we can’t dance around the fact that we’re preparing for war. Something like that doesn’t come without compromise.”

  “This compromise
might get us all killed.”

  “A hundred things might get us killed between now and the end of this.” Johnny shrugged. “If we refuse to do anything risky, then we’re basically serving ourselves and Holly to the dark shifters on a platter.”

  “If that’s how you feel, have fun with the witches,” Keller said. “I’m going to keep working on gathering the loyal shifters. Hopefully, I can find a few extras to serve as your replacements after you’re pulverized by batshit witches.”

  “Keller,” Holly called after him, but he didn’t stop.

  “I know that guy is tightly wound, but even that seemed a little extreme,” Loch said.

  “I’m going to talk to him.” Holly got to her feet. “When the witches arrive, get them a drink or something. Don’t start without me.”

  “Do you think witches prefer red or white wine?” Johnny asked as Holly followed after Keller.

  He sat at the dining table, which he’d turned into an unofficial war room. He stared down at his books and maps, but Holly could see he wasn’t taking anything in.

  “Hey,” she said softly as she approached the table. “Are you okay?”

  “You know the answer to that question.”

  Holly slid into the seat beside him. “I know this isn’t ideal.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I sure as hell didn’t leave the house last night, planning on bringing witches back home.”

  “That’s part of the problem. There’s been no planning whatsoever.” He rested his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands.

  Holly rubbed his back in small, slow circles until the tension in his muscles began to ease.

  “You’re right,” she said. “We’ve been disorganized, launching from one issue to the next without any kind of path.”

  “I’m trying to forge a path for us but…” He trailed off.

  “There are too many uncertainties,” Holly finished for him. “Believe me, I know.”

  “You know better than anyone, I expect.” Keller sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to say you’re doing anything wrong. You’re not.”

  “I feel like I am more often than not,” Holly admitted. “It’s not like there’s a book of instructions to follow.”

  “I’m trying to write one for you.” Keller gestured to the materials on the desk. “But the parameters change faster than I can keep up. I’m failing.”