“Fair warning, it tastes like seawater and earwax.”
“Don’t want to know how you were able to identify that.” Holly chuckled before taking a small sip. She nearly spat it out the moment the liquid hit her tongue.
“Told you.” Johnny shrugged.
“I don’t envy you.” Lucien wrinkled his nose.
Johnny stepped away to undress and shift.
“Are you all right?” Lucien asked quietly.
“Define all right,” Holly replied.
“You don’t want to leave, do you?”
“What?” Holly scoffed. “That’s crazy. Of course, I want to leave. Since the moment I got here, all I’ve wanted to do is go back home. Now, I’m going home. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Naturally,” Lucien said. “It’s just that you don’t look it.”
“I’m not a very expressive person,” Holly sniffed.
“I’ve known you all of two days and I know that’s not true.”
Holly let out a sigh. “Leave it alone, Lucien. Please?”
“All right.” He nodded. “But if you need to talk…”
“Thank you.”
A hulking brown bear stepped out from behind a shrub and approached Holly. As a bear, his massive head came up to her shoulder. Holly reached up and rubbed him between the ears.
Johnny’s eyes closed as he relaxed against her, but only for a moment. He knelt down beside her and allowed her to climb onto his back. She laid flat against him and locked her arms around his neck. Her legs gripped his sides as he moved toward the invisible barrier.
“We should invest in saddles,” she murmured near his ear.
The rumbling in his chest emulated laughter.
He charged across the park. Holly waited for something to happen, but nothing did. She didn’t hit a wall. She didn’t go flying off Johnny’s back end.
The potion worked.
Lucien kept pace easily as the park gave way to forest, the true forest.
They ran alongside the main road for a mile or so before veering off into the woods.
Holly kept an eye on Lucien. He didn’t falter once. She believed he could outpace them if he had the mind to. Maybe she ought to consider becoming a vampire.
The chill of the night seeped through her clothes, past her skin, and deep into her bones. Her fingers ached from the cold. Her teeth chattered.
By the time they approached the house, Holly feared she’d have to be pried off Johnny’s back. When he lowered himself near the porch steps, Lucien had to step in and help Holly dismount. Her legs ached terribly.
“I guess it’s not like riding a bike,” she joked. “I’m going to feel that for a few days.”
Johnny disappeared to shift once more. Before he returned, the front door opened, and Garret stepped out.
“Holly?” He gasped. A huge grin broke out across his face.
Holly couldn’t help but smile back. Ignoring her aching muscles, she charged up the stairs and leaped into his waiting arms.
He crushed her to him, laughing enough for her to feel the vibrations through her whole body. “I didn’t know you were coming back,” he said. “How are you here?” He lifted his head to look over his shoulder. “Holly’s home!” he called into the house.
Within seconds, Keller and Loch appeared. Holly allowed herself to be passed around, hugged, and kissed accordingly. Loch held her just a little longer than the others. She allowed herself to relax against him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” she whispered back and pressed a kiss into his temple.
“Who’s that?” Keller snarled.
Holly pulled away from them to see Lucien standing at the bottom of the steps, looking uncomfortable.
“He’s a friend,” Holly explained.
“Is that a fucking vampire?” Holly couldn’t tell if Loch sounded excited or disgusted.
“Yes, I am a fucking vampire,” Lucien answered smoothly.
Holly bit back a laugh. “He wants to help us, but we’re also going to help him.”
“Shifter blood isn’t that great,” Garret said. “Just a fair warning.”
“Not like that.” Holly sighed. “His wife is missing. We’re going to help him find her.”
“So long as she’s not the puppet master behind all of the crap we’ve dealt with,” Johnny said as he stepped onto the porch.
“What crap? What’s going on?” Loch asked.
Pain threaded between Holly’s temples. “I’m going to fill you in on everything,” she promised. “But right now, I just need a fun night with my guys. Is that possible?”
“Absolutely,” Garret said. “Are you hungry? I can make that Tuscan chicken you like.”
“That actually sounds great.” Holly smiled and allowed herself to be led into the house. Loch prepared the chair by the fireplace while Garret tried to warm Holly’s hands.
Once she was settled in her grandmother’s chair, she looked around.
“Wait, where’s Lucien?” she asked.
“I thought he was right behind us.” Johnny shrugged.
Holly got to her feet, her muscles resisting every move. When she opened the front door, she found Lucien standing right where she’d left him.
“Is everything all right?” she asked.
“Vampires have to be invited in,” he replied.
“Oh!” Holly blushed deeply. “I’m so sorry. Lucien, please come in.”
“Thank you.” He chuckled and stepped onto the porch.
“I feel like such an asshole,” she said as she showed Lucien to the living room.
“Don’t fret. It happens more often than you realize.”
“That just makes me feel like even more of an asshole.” She chuckled. She returned to her chair and allowed Loch to lay three thick blankets over her.
“Where’s Elise?” she asked.
“Upstairs. I’ll get her,” Loch offered. “She’s been a little off these last few days. There’s a fifty percent chance she’s going to kick Johnny’s ass when she sees him.”
“Why?” Holly frowned.
“We were all with him when he broke through the barrier. Whatever he had, he didn’t share.”
Holly took Loch’s hand. “I didn’t realize.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “We’re all back together now. I can’t bring myself to be
