“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.”
“You are not failing.” Holly tightened her grip on him. “You’ve been the voice of reason in all of this from the beginning. If I didn’t have you, I truly think I would’ve gone insane by now.”
“Do you mean that?” Keller turned his head to look at her. “Or are you just using some maiden magic to make me feel better?” A flicker of humor alighted in his eyes.
“No maiden magic here.” Holly laughed. “I’m telling you things as I see them. You’re our linchpin.”
Keller furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry, what?”
“You’re what keeps all of us from falling apart,” Holly explained. “If I took you out of the equation, nothing would happen. You keep us focused and centered. You remind us of our long-term goal.”
“Wow.” Keller couldn’t help but smile. “You flatter me.”
“It’s not flattery, it’s honesty.” Holly leaned her head on his shoulder. “I just wish I could make it easier for you.”
“It’s my job to make things easier for you, not the other way around.”
“All of you keep telling me different variations of the same thing,” Holly mused. “I’m going to tell you what I told Johnny. As much as it is your job to protect me, it’s my job to protect you, too. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of my future child and for the bear clans as a whole.”
“I keep forgetting about the child,” Keller mumbled. “The thought of bringing a child into our world as it is now is unthinkable.”
“That’s why we’re going to change the world first,” she said. “And you’ll play no small part in that.”
“Something witchy this way comes!” Johnny shouted from the living room, shattering the moment.
“Will you help us?” Holly asked. “I’d feel better having you there.”
“Of course.” Keller placed his hand over Holly’s and kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me so soon.” Holly chuckled. “We might be slaughtered by witches yet.”
Holly and Keller walked hand in hand into the living room.
Somehow, the witches managed to arrange themselves in their usual positions in the house. Hattie perched by the fireplace. Edwina commandeered the couch. Susanna sat in the wooden chair.
“Good evening.” Edwina smiled.
“Thank you for coming,” Holly said.
“I wish he was the one who had shown up last night,” Hattie said, jerking her chin at Keller. “The crystals would’ve loved him.”
“What is she talking about?” Keller murmured to Holly.
“Don’t worry about it,” Holly murmured back.
“Right.” Johnny clapped his hands together. “How do we make a witch trap? Is it a DIY kind of thing? Do we have to light candles and chant?”
“It would be wise not to patronize us.” Edwina sighed.
“Patronizing people is a core pillar of his personality,” Loch said. “Good luck getting him to stop.”
“He speaks the truth.” Johnny shrugged.
“We’ve brought everything we’re going to need,” Hattie said. “Can you clear the coffee table, please?”
Johnny and Garret cleared the table.
“What did you bring?” Loch asked. “None of you came in with anything.”
“You’ll see,” Susanna said with a wink. The way her gaze lingered on Loch made Holly uneasy.
The witches approached the cleared coffee table. Each extended a hand over the table, palm down.
“Videtur,” they murmured in unison.
The air above the table began to shimmer and warp. Candles, crystals, and plant clippings appeared on the surface. White lines drew themselves across the lacquered wood, forming an intricate pattern surrounded by symbols. Each symbol appeared before an object on the table, connecting the objects by a lattice of intricate lines.
“That’s a witch trap?” Holly furrowed her brow.
“What were you expecting?” Edwina asked. “A jaw of iron and steel like one might use to trap a bear?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect.”
“What’s the next step?” Keller asked.
“Sit quietly and stay out of our way,” Edwina said. “We don’t know how powerful this witch is. She might fight us.”
“What if it’s not Elise?” Loch asked. “What if all we’re doing is bringing a pissed-off witch into the house, against her will, who is loyal to Trevor and the dark shifters.”
“Then we kill her,” Edwina said through a snarl.
“No!” Holly snapped. “You will not take
