There was no one on this earth who could answer that question, except for the first Maiden.
Phaedra Glint.
Unfortunately, she died centuries ago.
Lucien’s wife possessed the gift of necromancy. If the dead could be brought back to life, it stood to reason that there were ways to commune with those who’d passed. She made a mental note to ask Lucien about it when he returned from Golden Oak.
Holly pulled out her phone to check the time. It was nearly midnight. Would Lucien even come back tonight?
A sense of uneasiness crept over Holly. It might’ve been her imagination, but when she was with Trevor, she felt like she didn’t ask so many questions. Rather, the questions she asked were quickly answered.
She didn’t feel like she spent so much of her time there wondering about what could happen or why something was happening. She was limited in where she could go, thanks to that damn barrier, but she felt like she’d learned so much more in her short time with him than she had in the three months she’d lived here.
Lucien was right. Whether she wanted to or not, she needed Trevor.
A creaking sound dragged her out of her thoughts.
She looked over her shoulder, expecting to see one of the men or possibly Elise stepping onto the deck. No one was there. From what she could see, no one was in the living room or kitchen.
She heard another creak. This one distinctly came from her left. She turned just in time to see a broad figure dart out of the shadows toward her. Before she could react, massive hands clamped around her throat and began to squeeze.
“You aren’t her!” a familiar voice snarled.
It couldn’t be. It simply couldn’t be…
Holly peered up into Keller’s eyes; only they didn’t look like Keller’s eyes anymore. They were as blue as ever, but it was like he was looking through her. Not at her.
“You aren’t her!”
“Keller!” Holly squeaked. “What are you doing?”
He tightened his grip on her throat. “You’re a liar! You aren’t the Maiden!” Keller screamed.
Holly tried to speak, but each attempt only stole more air from her lungs. She clawed at his hands, tearing through his skin.
Blood dripped off the back of his hands onto her shirt. “You’re the evil in this world!” Keller shouted. “You’re the poison!”
Holly’s lungs felt as if they were on fire.
“Keller!” Johnny’s voice rang out. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“She’s not Holly!” Keller insisted. “She’s an imposter.”
“Loch! Garret!” Johnny shouted.
Holly couldn’t see him, but she heard his footfalls as he ran to her. He threw himself against Keller, but he might as well have thrown himself against a mountain. Keller’s grip only tightened. Stars encroached on her vision. Any moment now, her neck would snap. Her body couldn’t put up with that amount of force for much longer.
A roar rang out above the sounds of struggle.
Holly’s eyes fluttered open just in time to see Garret in his bear form, swipe at Keller. His claws dug into Keller’s back. Keller roared in pain and snarled at Garret. Holly felt his hand begin to change. She forced her eyes open again to see Keller shift. The moment his fingers gave way to paws, he could no longer keep his grip on her throat.
She sank to the ground and hit the deck hard, mere feet from where she and Keller had made love just the other night.
Garret and Keller stood up on their hind legs, roaring and swiping at each other.
“Holly,” Johnny murmured. “You’re all right. I’m going to take you inside.”
Holly opened her mouth, but Johnny shushed her.
“Don’t speak until we can get you checked out. I’ll drive you to the hospital if I have to.”
She tried to nod and instantly regretted it. Her neck muscles were swollen and tender.
An ear-shattering roar pierced her ears just before a huge thump sent vibrations across the entire deck. With great care, Holly turned her neck to see what had happened. Keller, in his golden bear form, laid unmoving on the deck.
“Is he dead?”
“No,” answered Garret, who put modesty aside to shift back into human form. “Just knocked out.”
“Get the chains from the basement,” Johnny instructed.
“What’s happened?” Lucien appeared beside Johnny, his eyes wide as he took in Holly’s state.
“Keller returned. He attacked her. Just look at her neck.”
“Take her inside and lay her on the couch. Be gentle. I’m going to make a call.”
“To whom?” Johnny demanded.
“A friend of mine is a great healer. He will see to her injuries and examine Keller as well.”
“I don’t give a shit about his injuries,” Johnny hissed.
“Be that as it may, my friend heals minds as well as bodies. He may be able to tell us what’s happened to Keller.”
“Fine,” Johnny agreed. “But get him here, fast. Elise!”
Holly felt herself being carried from the deck into the living room. Johnny laid her down on the couch, taking care not to move her neck too much.
“What happened?” Elise burst into the room. “Is it Trevor?”
“Keller attacked Holly.”
Those words made no sense to Holly. She saw Keller clear as day, but her brain refused to accept that he was capable of hurting her so badly. What did he mean when he called her an imposter?
“What the fuck?” Elise exclaimed.
“A little less of the shrieking, please,” Johnny snapped. “What do you know about healing?”
“I fixed my own ankle,” she offered.
“What can you do for Holly? Lucien is calling a healer, but I don’t want to wait that long. She’s in pain now.”
“I’ll try to ease her pain,” Elise said. “I can probably figure out if she has any cracked bones, but necks aren’t good to mess with.
