“Maybe.” Trevor shrugged. “But I won’t have to worry about that. You on the other hand…” Trevor pressed the blade tighter against Loch’s neck.
The skin in contact with the blade began to bubble and blister. Loch cried out and tried to squirm away, but Trevor took hold of his hair and held him in place.
“No!” Holly screamed, reaching toward Loch. As she did, a burst of magic flew from her hand. White-gold light lit up the forest until it was as bright as broad daylight.
Holly felt dizzy as she slid from Garret’s back, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t.
“Let him go!” she screamed. More of Elise’s borrowed magic poured from her, splashing pools of light around the forest as if it were water.
Everyone, friend or foe, stopped to watch the scene unfold.
“The Maiden has arrived,” Trevor cackled. “And she’s dressed for a party. Sort of.”
“Let him go,” she repeated through gritted teeth.
“Run, Holly! Get out of here,” Loch pled.
“I’m afraid I can’t let him go, love,” Trevor said. “I’m going to be the father of the child who will unite the bear clans once and for all. To do that, I have to get rid of the other contenders.”
“No, you don’t,” Holly said, her voice eerily calm. “The choice is mine, remember?”
Trevor arched a brow. “What are you suggesting?”
“If you let him go, if you stop this bloodshed, I will go with you.” A single tear slipped down her cheek.
“Holly, no!” Loch pled, thrashing against Trevor’s iron grip.
“It’s all right.” She reached out and pushed his sweat and blood-soaked hair away from his face. “It’s all right.”
“I won’t let you do this.”
“Doesn’t look like you have much of a choice, mate.” Trevor clicked his tongue. “The lady is the one in charge.”
“Will you honor my terms?” Holly said.
Trevor looked her up and down, taking in every inch of her body. “I will.”
Trevor sheathed his sword. The dark shifters who followed him did so as well.
“It’s over!” Trevor shouted. “We have our prize. We will return to Golden Oak immediately. Leave the dead and the dying. They don’t matter to us anymore.”
“Holly,” Loch pled.
“I don’t regret it,” Holly whispered to him. “I still love you. That won’t ever change.”
“I love you, too.”
“How sweet,” Trevor hissed. “Time to go.”
He grabbed Holly by the arm and marched north.
Holly looked over her shoulder to see Garret, still in bear form, standing beside Loch. Johnny, in his human form, stepped out from behind a tree with tears in his eyes. Holly scanned the forest for Keller but didn’t see him.
Tears spilled down her cheeks.
She would’ve liked to see him one last time.
“I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you?” Trevor murmured.
“No.” Holly shook her head. “I just wanted to do the right thing.”
THE FINAL CHAPTER—Loch
Loch stood in the center of Holly’s room as dawn spread its sunny rays over the forest.
The edge of her bedspread was still wrinkled from where they’d made love, not even twenty-four hours ago.
He moved away from the bed and walked into her closet. It didn’t look exactly as it had when he first set foot inside. Clothes were thrown all about, probably by Holly, when she was trying to find the perfect dress. He smiled faintly at the memory of accidentally dosing both of them with paralysis powder.
When he left her room, he closed the door behind him. He’d been in her room since Garret and Johnny dragged him from the battlefield. No one knew where Keller was. He wasn’t among the dead, but he wasn’t among the living, either.
Some of the Silver Spruce shifters were still searching the mines looking for survivors or hostages. Loch held out hope that Keller would be found in there somewhere. Slowly, he made his way downstairs.
Johnny and Garret sat on the couch, staring blankly at the dead fireplace.
“Any word on Keller?” Loch asked.
“Not yet,” Garret mumbled. “I saw him just before I ran into Holly. He looked fine. He wasn’t injured or anything.”
“I saw him just before Trevor took Holly away,” Johnny offered. “He vanished after that.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t want to be here,” Loch offered. “I can’t say I blame him.”
“Where else would he go?” Johnny asked. “Keller isn’t one to run away from problems. If he were here, he’d be planning a way to get Holly back.”
“There’s no reason why we can’t make a plan,” Garret said. “I wouldn’t know where to start, but there has to be something we can do.”
“There is,” Loch snapped. “We gather whatever weapons and men we have at our disposal and march into Golden Oak. Trevor can’t hide forever.”
“You saw their shifters on the battlefield last night.” Johnny sighed. “Their worst fighter is twice as skilled as our best one. Charging into Golden Oak, guns blazing, is a death sentence.”
“So?”
Garret and Johnny fixed him with curious stares.
“You’re worth nothing to Holly dead,” Garret said.
“I’d rather die trying to bring her home than live another second without her here,” Loch declared.
“You think you’re the only one who feels that way?” Johnny snapped. “I’ve lost her twice now. Twice. I didn’t think I’d survive it the second time.”
“All that tells me is that you don’t care enough to keep her safe.”
Johnny was on his feet before Garret could pull him back. “You really, really don’t want to push me right now,” Johnny snarled.
“Or what? You’ll kill me? I already told you, I don’t care. Give it your best shot!”
“Enough!” Garret roared, getting to his feet. “We’re going to get her back. We simply need time to regroup, that’s all. Loch, if we don’t do this the smart way, we will lose her for good.”
“And what if
