Loch

by Amy Star

  “We can’t allow that,” Susanna said. “Shifters are already forces of pure destruction—”

  “Hey!”

  “—and if they get any worse, we’ll never be able to maintain balance,” Susanna finished as if Johnny had said nothing.

  “You’ll help us, then?” Garret pressed.

  “We don’t make it a habit of dealing with shifters,” Edwina said, “but yes, we’ll help if we can.”

  “Thank you.” Johnny released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Whoever kidnapped her is using some kind of concealment spell. We need a way to counter it.”

  “Do you have anything of the Maiden’s?” Hattie asked. “Some of her blood, perhaps?”

  “Or a bone chip?” Susanna asked. “I can do wonders with even a tooth if you have one.”

  “What kind of people do you think we are?” Johnny shook his head. “I’m not carrying around bones and blood along with my phone and wallet.”

  “I am.” Hattie grinned. “It makes unplanned spells so much easier to pull off.”

  “Whose blood?” Garret looked at Hattie from the corner of his eye.

  “None of your business.”

  “Right.” Johnny pressed his lips together. “Well, none of us have anything of Holly’s right now, never mind bones and blood.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Edwina turned her gleaming gaze on Johnny.

  Up until now, he’d made a point not to look her directly in her lack of eyes.

  “All three of you carry something of hers. Her affections. That will make quite a powerful tracking spell.”

  “Will you do it?”

  Something took hold of Johnny’s heart. The breath fled his lungs. His vision tunneled. As quickly as the sensation started, it stopped.

  Edwina looked rather pleased with herself.

  “Yes. You’ll have her by nightfall so long as your hearts are true.”

  CHAPTER FOUR—Holly

  “You haven’t said a word since you got back.”

  Holly was jolted awake by the sound of Loch’s voice. She’d slept little since she was taken. The sleep she had managed to snag was uncomfortable and ineffective, but it was better than nothing.

  She fixed Loch with a glare.

  “Did it ever occur to you that I wasn’t speaking because I wasn’t awake?”

  “You only fell asleep twenty minutes ago. You’ve been back for hours.”

  “Then why didn’t you make your little comment twenty-one minutes ago?” Holly snapped. A headache was quickly setting in. Was there any water?

  She reached out blindly until her fingertips brushed against the cold tin of her water cup. It was only half full.

  “Loch, did you drink my water?” Holly asked.

  “Not all of it.” He shrugged. “Did Trevor not wine and dine you when he took you away? That’s a poor way to treat his future wife.”

  “Don’t say that,” Holly snarled. “I’m not marrying that prick. He didn’t wine and dine me, either.”

  “Oh. In that case, I’m sorry for taking a sip of your water.”

  “Whatever. Just let me sleep.”

  “Did Trevor tell you anything useful?” he asked.

  “Yes, he told me his entire plan in great detail. He even included whatever shitty background information he thought relevant and wrote everything down so I could reference it later.”

  “There’s no need to be hostile,” Loch bristled.

  “There is every need to be hostile!”

  “Shh!” Loch hissed.

  “Did you just shh me?” Holly’s upper lip curled in a snarl. “Don’t you dare—”

  “Someone’s coming. If you don’t hold your tongue, it’s probably going to be cut out of your mouth. Not once in any of the readings does it say the Maiden has to speak.”

  Holly pressed her lips together and held her breath.

  Footfalls echoed through one of the nearby corridors. It wasn’t the one Holly walked through earlier with Trevor. It was from somewhere behind them. Holly couldn’t bring herself to look.

  “Who the hell is that?” Loch muttered, the fear gone from his voice.

  Holly twisted around to see Elise approaching. She clutched her narrow blade in one gloved hand. Holly scrambled to her feet and moved to the middle of the cell, as far away from the bars as she could physically be.

  Loch didn't ask questions, but he was smart enough to do the same.

  “I haven’t heard the voice of the Maiden, I swear!” Holly cried out.

  “Shh!” Elise hissed. “Silence.”

  Holly pressed her lips together and looked at Loch. She prayed he’d be wise enough not to bait Elise.

  Elise came around to the entrance of the cell. Taking the lock in hand, she jammed the tip of her narrow blade into the keyhole. Holly wanted to move closer, but she didn’t dare.

  Within minutes, the lock yielded, and the cell door swung open.

  “Let me see your wrists,” Elise commanded.

  Holly stuck out her bare arms. Elise produced a small pouch from her pocket. She poured a small amount of dark powder into her palm. Holly backed away, recalling the paralyzing powder Loch accidentally dosed her—and himself—with.

  “Stay still.” Elise gripped Holly by the forearm and held her in place. She sprinkled the dark powder over Holly’s wrists. The powder settled on her skin in the shape of wrist bindings. Holly felt a zap against her skin, and then the powder faded away.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  “Invisible irons were enchanted onto you after we removed the fairy-glass bindings,” Elise replied. “This powder is the key.”

  “Will that work on my bindings?” Loch held up his wrists, still bound with rope threaded through with fairy glass.

  “It will,” Elise nodded, “but you won’t need it. You’re not going anywhere.”

  “What?” Holly looked between Loch and Elise.

  “You need to get out. I’ll show you the way, but we have to be quick,” Elise replied.

  “Holly,” Loch called out. “You can’t let her leave me in here.”

  “We have to take him,” Holly protested.

  “Why?” Elise narrowed her eyes. “He can’t be trusted. Even if it’s not his fault you ended up in here, you still can’t take him at his word.”

  “Is it his fault?” Holly asked. “Did he have a part to play in my kidnapping?”

  “According to Trevor, Loch tried to get out of our little operation some time ago but failed. Now he’s here.”

  Holly’s gaze darted to Loch’s. His eyes bore into hers.

  “But even so,” Elise continued, “if he can switch sides easily once, he can do so again. He’s the sort who will play us both until he figures out which side is the winning side.”

  “That’s not true!” Loch pled.

  Something in his voice pulled at Holly’s heart. She should’ve been happy to leave him here. After all, he was the one who had first shown Trevor’s lackeys where she lived. He helped them track her at one point. He even tried to get her out of Silver Spruce. He would’ve succeeded if Johnny, Keller, and Garret hadn’t shown up.

  Despite all of that, Holly didn’t feel right about leaving him behind. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew Loch wasn’t the villain of this story. He wasn’t even the villain’s sidekick. He was someone who had made a bad call and then tried to rectify it. As much of a pain in the ass as he was, he didn’t deserve to be left behind.

  “If he stays, I stay.” Holly nodded stiffly.

  Elise’s brows shot up. She stood silently as if she were waiting for Holly to let her in on the joke. When Holly said nothing, Elise let out a sigh and tossed some powder onto Loch’s bindings.

  She left Holly’s cell and quickly unlocked Loch’s with her blade.

  Once he was freed, Loch stepped around Elise and entered Holly’s cell. He took her by the wrist and checked her arms over.

  “What are you doing?” Holly asked.
>
  “Making sure that powder is what she said it is.” He ran his thumb over the back of her wrist. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m confused, but fine.” She nodded. “Are you okay?”

  “I was a little worried you were going to leave me here, not going to lie.” He laughed uneasily.

  “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”

  “As sweet as…whatever this is…is, we have to go.” Elise stood in the opening of Holly’s cell.

  Loch stepped between Holly and Elise.

  “Why would you help us?” he demanded. “Who are you?”

  “She’s Trevor’s sister,” Holly replied.

  Elise bristled as if the words offended her.

  “What?” Loch looked at Holly, brow furrowed. “Trevor doesn’t have a sister.”

  “He does. She’s right here. She’s losing her patience,” Elise said through gritted teeth. “If you want your freedom, take it now. In a few minutes, the window we have is going to close, and I can’t promise it’ll ever open again.”

  “We’ll take it,” Holly said before Loch could say anything else.

  Loch tightened his grip on her arm.

  “Trust me, okay?” Holly pleaded.

  Loch’s eyes searched her face. He sighed and shook his head.

  “Fine. I trust you. If this gets me killed, I’m going to haunt you forever.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  “Come on!” Elise took off down a corridor. The darkness quickly swallowed her.

  Holly and Loch ran to catch up. As soon as they entered the dark corridor, Loch reached for Holly’s hand.

  “They might try something,” he warned her. “At the very least, we’ll know where the other is.”

  “Right.” Holly squeezed his hand and pressed on. As they walked, she felt the ground curve upward. Pale light seeped into the corridor from up ahead. Holly quickly realized it was moonlight.

  Elise stood at the opening of the mine, looking nervous.

  “Will you hurry up?” she called in a hushed tone. “By the look of it, you two don’t even want to escape.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Holly asked when she and Loch reached the mouth of the mine. “Why betray Trevor?”

  “I’m not betraying him.” Elise’s pale eyes glowed in the moonlight. “I’m trying to save him.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t have to. All you have to do is go.”

  “Holly, now is not the time to linger.” Loch pulled Holly toward the woods.

  “Thank you!” Holly called back to Elise, but the other woman had already returned to the mine.

  She and Loch ran, hand in hand, until Holly’s legs ached and her lungs burned. She tugged on Loch’s arm until he slowed his pace.

  “We can’t stop,” he said. “We have to get somewhere safe.”

  “I can’t breathe.” Holly doubled over, straining to get air into her lungs. She felt Loch’s large hands on her back, guiding her to an overgrown stump.

  “Catch your breath,” he urged. “I’m sorry. It’s easy to forget that human bodies can’t take as much as shifters.”

  Holly leaned on him to stop herself from sliding off the edge of the stump.

  “Why not shift now?” she rasped. “We could get back to the house so much quicker.”

  “It’s much easier to track a bear shifter barreling through the woods than it is to track two human forms on foot.”

  Holly nodded. The burning in her lungs finally began to subside. She felt as though she’d be able to run for another stretch without passing out. She tugged on Lock’s sleeve to tell him, but his focus was elsewhere.

  She looked up at his face. His eyes blazed. His whole body was rigid as he listened to their surroundings.

  “There are shifters in the woods,” he whispered. “Nearby.”

  Fear sized Holly’s chest. They were still so close to the silver mines. It was probably some of Trevor’s followers patrolling the area. They were going to get recaptured before they even had a real chance to escape.

  Loch pulled Holly to her feet.

  “Stay close to me,” he whispered. “If they attack, run. Don’t look back. I’ll buy you time.”

  “What?” Fear twisted in her gut.

  “You’re the one who needs to survive all of this. Not me.”

  “Loch…”

  He put a finger to his lips and turned his attention back to the woods.

  Holly heard rustling punctuated by short growls and snuffles. There were at least two bears, but beyond that, Holly couldn’t say. She gripped Loch’s arm, ready to pull him away with her if she had to. There was no way she was leaving him behind.

  One of the bears let out a sharp roar. They charged through the woods, heading right for Holly and Loch.

  “Run,” Loch urged.

  “I’m not leaving.” Holly stood fast as a bush was obliterated by three charging bears.

  Loch lunged forward, preparing to shift, but Holly held him back. She knew those bears.

  “Wait!” She darted in front of Loch. “It’s Johnny, Keller, and Garret.”

  The trio of bears came to a crashing halt. Holly ran toward them, flinging her arms around the neck of the nearest one. She buried her face in Keller’s golden fur. A warm, wet nose pushed against her arm as Garret’s gigantic bear form tried to come in for a cuddle. Holly stretched her arms as wide as she could so that she could hug them both.

  “You came,” she sobbed into a blanket of thick bear fur. “You came.”

  “Of course, we did.” Johnny’s voice caught her off guard.

  When she was busy hugging the other two, he shifted back. Holly released Keller and Garret before turning to face Johnny.

  When shifters changed into their beast forms, their clothing did not shift with them. His nakedness didn’t bother Holly in the slightest. She ran to him, leaping into his open arms.

  “We’d never abandon you,” he murmured in her ear. “We’ve been searching for over a week.”

  “Is that how long I’ve been gone?” Somehow, putting a time frame on everything made her feel so much worse.

  “We need to take her home,” Keller said, now in his human form. Garret was the only one still a bear.

  Holly left Johnny’s arms and ran to Keller. He held her close and pressed a kiss into her temple.

  “Can you guys please stop shifting?” Loch groaned. “I’ve had a hard week. I’m not in the mood to see a bunch of dicks and their dicks.”

  “I missed the part where I’m supposed to care what you want,” Johnny said. “What are you doing here, anyway? Were you about to drag Holly back to your boss?”

  “No,” Holly spoke up before Loch could. “We escaped together.” She deliberately left out all mention of Elise. She’d tell the guys about her, eventually. First, she wanted to do some research of her own.

  “How long ago?”

  “Fifteen minutes, if that,” Loch supplied. “If we’re lucky, no one in the mines has noticed yet. If we move, we might be able to get far enough away to throw them off our trail.”

  “No need.” Johnny shook his head. “I have a plan.”

  “Then we’re all going to die.”

  “We?” Johnny cocked his head. “There is no we. There is us and you. You better start making a plan.”

  “He’s coming with us,” Holly said. “He’s in as much danger as I am, if not more. I’m not leaving him to fend for himself.”

  “Just so we’re clear,” Loch cut in, “I could fend for myself if need be. I’d just prefer not to.”

  “Seriously?” Holly gave Loch a blank stare. “Can you not?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Keller ran his hands up and down Holly’s shoulders. “How do we know we can trust him?”

  Before anyone could answer, an earth-shattering roar erupted from the north.

  “Our time is up. We need to move now. Loch, come with us until I can figure out what to do with you.” Jo
hnny shifted back into bear form between one step and the next. Keller followed suit.

  Holly reached for Garret and swung up onto his massive back. When she looked at Loch, he was still in human form.

  “What are you waiting for?” she asked. “Shift!”

  “And do what with my clothes? Knowing them,” he cast a dark look at the other three shifters, “they’ll leave me without a stitch and lock me out.”

  Holly couldn’t help but laugh even though her fear increased with every passing second.

  “I won’t let that happen. Just shift!”

  Garret took off at a gallop, closely following the other two. Holly looked over her shoulder just in time to see Loch shift. His bear form was so dark he almost completely blended into the forest. As they ran, she hoped he wouldn’t disappear into the night.

  She didn’t regret telling Elise to let him escape as well. However, the most important question still hung in the air. Could she trust him?

  You’ve done well. The voice in her head made her jump.

  You’ve got to be kidding me? Now you speak? I’ve been trying to reach you all week.

  I am not at your beck and call, came the otherworldly voice of the being who called herself the Maiden.

  Then why speak now?

  I needed to make sure you’re worthy of bearing my title. You are. Congratulations.

  CHAPTER FIVE—Holly

  Holly flattened herself against Garret’s back to avoid being knocked by low branches. She clenched her legs around his middle and gripped his fur with both fists. She hoped she wasn’t hurting him. She couldn’t wait to see him in human form. His warm eyes and kind smile so big it shone right through his bushy beard was precisely what she needed.

  They ran for over an hour before the house came into view. Holly never thought she’d be so happy to see her grandmother’s old home. To think, she first came here with the intention of selling it. That was never going to happen now.

  Johnny shifted back into his human form first.

  “Get her inside. I’m going to place the gift from the witches.”

  “Witches?” Holly blinked.

  Keller shifted and grinned at Holly. “Apparently, Johnny has friends in weird places.”

  “This is a surprise to you?” Holly chuckled.