Loch

by Amy Star

  Johnny let out a breath of relief. “Thank you.”

  “Good news.” Keller jogged into the living room. “Everyone who is able is willing to take the fight to the silver mines now. We’re meeting there. Get ready.”

  “Right now?” Holly felt faint.

  “Of course,” Keller replied. “We have no time to waste.”

  “I know, I just…” Holly trailed off as her throat became thick with tears. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Any of you.”

  Keller’s face softened. “Remember, this isn’t a battle. It’s not going to be like it was fifteen years ago.” He gathered her against his chest, resting his chin on the top of her head.

  “It could turn into something like that, though,” Holly murmured. “Why should we expect the Golden Oak shifters to fight fair?”

  “If we do this right, we’ll catch them so off guard they won’t have a chance to fight at all.”

  “I just wish we had a better idea of what you’re walking into,” Holly said.

  “Half of our forces are already on the move,” Garret said as he entered the living room. “We need to meet them so they don’t get overexcited.”

  “Right.” Keller nodded. “We’ll be back before dawn. Stay here. Stay safe.”

  “You stay safe.”

  Keller gave her a soft, sweet kiss before releasing her.

  Holly turned to Johnny, who wrapped her in a warm embrace.

  “I’ll do my job better knowing you’re safe and hidden,” he murmured.

  “Come back in one piece.” She sighed, stretching up to kiss him. “That’s all I ask.”

  “Can do.” With a wink, he released her.

  Garret approached her next.

  “I have no doubt you’ll be the scariest thing those Golden Oak bastards have ever seen.” She forced a laugh.

  “Don’t let them know how much I like tea.” He grinned before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the floor. “I’ll be back soon.”

  “You better.”

  Garret strode off to prepare.

  Holly stood in the center of the living room, fidgeting with her hands.

  “I hope you’re not going to forget me.”

  She looked over her shoulder to find Loch armed to the teeth after raiding the armory. “Wow,” she said. “You look…effective.”

  “Thanks?” He chuckled. “I don’t intend on using any of these, but I’m still pissed at being locked in a cell for a week.”

  “Not unreasonable.” Holly laughed softly. “Don’t let your anger get the better of you.”

  “I won’t,” he said. “I finally have you. I’m not doing a damn thing to risk that.”

  “Good. If you don’t come back, I’m going to be so pissed I’ll bring you back from the dead just to kill you again myself.”

  Loch opened his arms. Holly ran into his embrace without hesitation.

  “I’m not getting killed. I’m not even going to draw a sword if I can help it.”

  “Aren’t the other guys bringing guns?” she asked.

  “Yeah, but I don’t own any. Luckily, Pearl had a thing for antique weaponry.”

  “Luckily,” Holly repeated, pressing her cheek against his chest. “I hate this so much.”

  “It’ll be over before you know it,” he assured her. “Then, we can move on to the next crisis.”

  “There’s always something, isn’t there?”

  “I’m afraid so.” Loch pressed a kiss into the top of her head.

  “Time to go,” Keller barked from the doorway.

  Johnny and Garret filed out the door.

  “I’ll see you soon,” Loch said. “I promise.” He released her and walked out into the night.

  Keller offered Holly one last smile before shutting the door behind him.

  Holly stood in the center of the room, unsure of what she should do.

  “Can I ask you something?” Elise’s voice started her.

  “Sure.” Holly shook her head, clearing away the dark thoughts encroaching on her mind.

  “You love them all, don’t you?”

  With a slow sigh, Holly walked over to the couch and sat down.

  “I do,” she said. “Though, I’ve only told one of them. Stupid, huh? They all have the right to know.”

  “If my brother is brought here, would you love him the way you love them?”

  Holly looked Elise in the eye.

  Elise’s pale gaze shone with hope and fear.

  “I’d try to,” Holly said honestly. “But he has to let me and love me back.”

  “Would you ever pick him to be the father of your child?”

  “I don’t know,” Holly answered honestly. “I have to know each of them in the deepest, truest, most intimate way before I’m able to make that kind of choice.”

  “Is that a preference or a rule?”

  “Both,” Holly admitted.

  “I wish this could all be simpler.”

  “You’re telling me.” Holly laughed dryly. “I suppose I should be glad only firstborn sons are in the running to father my child. I would’ve gone insane if any shifter in the territory could stake a claim to me.”

  Elise gave a shudder.

  “I don’t envy you now, but I really wouldn’t envy you if that was the case.”

  “I don’t even want to think about it.” Holly laughed. “But I guess that’s better than thinking about what’s happening at the mines.”

  “It drives you crazy that you have to stay here, doesn’t it?”

  “Doesn’t it drive you crazy? Trevor’s in there.”

  “Even though you broke my ankle.” Elise cast a look from the corner of her eye. “I believe you’re going to do the right thing. I also believe your pet shifters will follow your orders.”

  “They aren’t pets.” Holly chuckled. “They’re…”

  “Boyfriends.”

  “Weirdly, I never thought of them by that term.”

  “That’s not the only weird thing about this situation.” Elise chuckled. “But, as weird as it is, you’ve made a nice little family for yourself.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Holly leaned back against the couch. “Sometimes family is you, your four bear shifter boyfriends, and a woman whose ankle you broke.”

  Elise tipped her head back and laughed. “I’m going to hold that over your head for a while.”

  “I expected nothing less.”

  They sat in a silence somewhere between comfortable and awkward.

  When Elise turned to Holly, she had a serious expression.

  “If you’re really worried, get me another bowl.”

  “What?”

  “They’re within Silver Spruce territory. I can scry without having to go up against that nasty veil. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”

  Holly leaped to her feet. “I’ll grab the whole jar of rosemary while I’m at it.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE—Holly

  Once again, the bowl was filled with water, and the appropriate herbs were crushed and mixed.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Holly asked.

  “No.” Elise laughed. “I’m still feeling off from last time, but I know if I don’t, you’ll worry yourself sick. Besides, I need to make sure Trevor is all right.”

  “Okay.” Holly bobbed her head too quickly as she nodded. “Only if you’re sure.”

  “Will you stop saying that?” Elise rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t want to do this, there is no force on this earth that could make me. Besides, I’d rather do this than sit next to the jittery pile of nerves you’ve become.”

  “When you put it like that…”

  “Exactly. Be quiet and let me concentrate.”

  Holly perched on the edge of the couch beside Elise. She tried not to fidget, but that proved to be difficult.

  Elise lifted her hands above the bowl as she had before. This time, the water rippled peacefully as if being tickled by a gentle breeze. Shapes and images
began to take shape in the water, but Holly couldn’t make them out.

  “What do you see?” she pressed.

  “If you calm down, you’ll be able to see for yourself,” Elise tutted.

  “I can’t calm down. That’s why we’re doing this.”

  “Your nervous energy is disrupting the process. Go into the other room or something. If there’s anything worth seeing, I’ll tell you.”

  “I want to see for myself. That’s non-negotiable.”

  “Do you think I’d lie?”

  “If you thought it would protect your brother? Absolutely.”

  Elise tipped her head to one side. “You got me there.” She nodded. “Seriously, scram. I’ll take a video recording of what I scry and send it to your phone.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Modern magic is a hoot, isn’t it?” Elise said with an overly cheerful smile, which faded as quickly as it arrived. “Now, get out.”

  “I’ll bring you another shot, too,” Holly muttered. “It made you more docile.”

  Holly strode into the kitchen and paced around the island. She picked at her hands until the skin around her nails bled. She chewed the inside of her cheeks until they were tender and raw. The sparkly heels she still wore clacked against the wooden kitchen floor.

  Annoyed, she kicked out of them.

  “What’s taking you so long?” Holly shouted.

  Elise said nothing.

  Worried, Holly walked about into the living room. Elise sat on the couch, her hands still lifted above the water bowl, still as stone.

  “Elise?”

  Holly stepped closer until Elise’s face came into view. It was streaked with tears.

  “What’s happening?” Fear clenched Holly’s throat so violently, she could hardly speak.

  “They’re outnumbered,” Elise whispered.

  “What? Keller gathered at least fifty shifters. How many were in the mines?”

  “More. Twice that. Maybe three times that. I can’t tell.”

  “You couldn’t have given us a heads up?” Holly snapped.

  “There were only fifteen of us when I helped you escape.” Only now did Elise tear her gaze away from the bowl. Her eyes were rimmed in red and frantic. “I swear, I would’ve warned them.”

  “At least you don’t have to worry about Trevor now,” Holly spat.

  “I want him to come here,” Elise blurted. “I’m willing to help you if you’re willing to help me.”

  Holly glanced at the pendant against her chest. The stone returned to its natural blue shade. “Seems like you’re trustworthy only when our needs align,” Holly muttered.

  “Isn’t that how people work?” Elise scowled. “My top priority is saving my brother. So long as that’s your priority, too, you can trust me.”

  “That’s better than nothing.” Holly sighed. “What can we do?”

  “I bet you wish you hadn’t broken my ankle now, hmm?”

  “You can be as smug as you want after we handle this.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Elise cleared the water bowl and pushed it aside. “I’m going to teach you a trick that’s going to blow their little shifter minds.”

  “What is it?” Holly scooted forward on the couch.

  “Magic.”

  Holly’s mouth dropped open. “Are you insane? Humans can’t use magic, can they?”

  Elise wrinkled her nose.

  “Where did you get an idiotic idea like that? You think witches just fall out of the sky?”

  “I…hadn’t really thought about it.”

  “Some are born, but those who aren’t so lucky have to figure out how to get ahold of magic on their own. Pick up a book once in a while, and you’d know this.”

  “Fine! Okay, humans can have magic. How do I get some?”

  “I don’t know.” Elise shrugged. “But I know how to lend it.”

  “Lend magic? That’s a thing?” Elise fixed Holly with a look. “I know, I know. Read a book.”

  “Exactly. Give me your hands.”

  Holly pressed her hands against the bodice of her dress. “What are you going to do?”

  “Just relax.” Elise’s smile was nothing short of feral. “I’m going to lend you some magic.”

  “Can you give me a play by play before you start? If I’m going to go insane from having someone else’s magic, I’d like to know ahead of time.”

  “Insane from someone else’s magic?” Elise furrowed her brow. “It’s not an STD! Calm down. Do you want to help your four boyfriends or not?”

  “Fine!” Holly held out her hands for Elise to grab.

  Elise closed her eyes and began muttering under her breath. Holly recognized a few of the syllables. It was the same language spoken by the coven sisters. The language of magic.

  Pale, gold light shone from where their hands intertwined.

  Holly felt a sensation unlike anything she’d ever felt before. It was like water was being poured directly into her but not. It was something thicker, slower, and richer than water. It rushed through her veins, carrying light throughout her body.

  Elise slumped forward, gasping for breath.

  Fearing that she was killing her, Holly yanked her hands back.

  The light disappeared.

  “I wasn’t done,” Elise rasped.

  “You look like shit,” Holly pointed out. “I’m grateful for any help I can get, but I’m not about to kill you over it.”

  “It’s fine.” She sighed heavily. “Just get me some chocolate or something. Juice, maybe?”

  Holly scurried to the kitchen and ripped open the cupboards. Her gaze landed on a half-eaten package of store-bought cookies. She grabbed them and ran back to the couch.

  “Will this work?”

  “Yeah, thanks.”

  Elise nibbled on a cookie. The color returned to her face.

  “Sugar helps magic?”

  “It’s a weird quirk,” Elise said. “You probably won’t find that one in a book. It’s better to let magic replenish naturally, but we don’t have a lot of time.”

  “What do you mean, we? You’re not going anywhere with that ankle.”

  Elise tore through her bandage and began unraveling it.

  “That’s why I’m going to heal myself.”

  “Is that safe?”

  “Not really.” Elise shrugged. “But if you’re going to get down to the silver mines, you need a ride. There aren’t any roads up there anymore. If you were to walk, even run, it would take you hours. You need a shifter.”

  Holly shook her head in confusion.

  “But you lost your powers.”

  “Not lost,” Elise snapped. “They were stolen from me.”

  “I know,” Holly said. “I’m sorry. But how are you going to shift without your powers?”

  “I need you to go into the basement and get something of mine.”

  “You’ve been keeping things in Johnny’s studio? Does he know?”

  “Of course, he knows,” Elise snapped. “You’ll know what’s mine the moment you see it. Bring it to me.”

  “Or you could just tell me exactly what it is, and we can save ourselves the headache.”

  “Just go!” Elise rolled her eyes as she shoved another cookie into her mouth.

  Holly quickly made her way down to the basement. She took the stairs two at a time. When she was nearly to the bottom, she heard the distinct sound of tearing fabric. She looked down at her dress to find that she’s torn it right down the leg. “Shit,” she muttered. When she continued down the stairs, she found movement was far easier.

  Once in the basement, she looked around Johnny’s studio for anything that screamed Elise. It wasn’t hard.

  In the corner of the room, propped up on old packing crates, was a black iron cauldron.

  “Are you kidding me?” Holly muttered. “Can this be any more cliché?”

  She approached the cauldron. It was filled halfway with an electric blue bubbling liquid. Holly grabbed th
e handles of the cauldron and lifted, but the damn thing didn’t budge. “Fuck!”

  The tear in her dress worsened as she struggled.

  She was about to give up when she noticed a crystal vial placed next to the cauldron. She grabbed it, dipped it into the liquid, and hoped it was enough for whatever the hell Elise was planning.

  Careful not to spill a single drop, she made her way back up the stairs.

  “A cauldron?” Holly asked. “Seriously?”

  “Don’t look at me! I found it in your grandmother’s attic. It’s not like I have a lot of resources being trapped up here.”

  “What does it do?”

  “If it works, it’ll grant me the temporary ability to shift into my bear form.”

  “What do you mean, if? That’s a pretty big if!”

  “Unless you want to start walking, it’s the only option we have,” Elise insisted. “Grab me more sweet things to eat. I still have to heal my ankle.”

  Holly carefully set the crystal vial down on the coffee table and went back into the kitchen. She grabbed anything and everything a sugar-crazy toddler would go mad for. When she returned to the living room, Elise was hunched over her ankle.

  The same pale light that shone from their joined hands now shone from her ankle. Her face was stuck in a permanent wince as she traced intricate patterns over her skin.

  This time, Elise pushed herself so hard she lost all color in her face.

  Holly feared she was going to faint. She pushed a bag of kisses toward Elise, who removed one hand from her ankle to take one.

  It did little good.

  Holly wondered how Elise was going to pull off a raw shift in this state.

  When the light subsided, Elise’s ankle looked perfectly fine. No bruising. No swelling. “Help me up,” she commanded.

  Holly offered her arm. Elise put so much weight on her, Holly feared she wouldn’t be able to stand.

  “By the Gods, you’re weak. I thought you’ve been training this whole time.”

  “It’s only been a few weeks,” Holly said defensively. “You’re being quite rude for someone who’s dependent on my goodwill.”

  “Sorry,” Elise muttered. “I get kind of mean when I’m stressed.”

  “Kind of?”

  “I’ve had a hard life, okay? Now is not the time to work on my personality flaws and poor coping mechanisms.”