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“I’ve got you.” Strong arms caught her, and Holly allowed Kallan to cradle her against his chest.
“Here, let me.” Desmond pressed his cool hand to her forehead, pouring soothing healing magic into her bones.
“Thanks,” she said tiredly, looking up at him. “Did we get it all?”
“Yes,” Desmond said.
“That’s not the only thing you all did.” Kieran’s voice had Holly looking up to where he was pointing. She gasped. The magic she had been funneling into the forest around the hoard had caused the trees to shoot up, forming almost an archway overhead and blocking out the sun. It was like she had created a shadowed, hidden oasis.
“I didn’t do anything,” Desmond said. “That was all Holly.”
“No.” Holly shook her head, still in Kallan’s arms. “That was the earth magic that was tying him here. It was powerful.” She let out a soft shudder. There was also something else about it…
Desmond was watching her face. “You felt it too?”
Holly nodded. “I don’t know what it was though. Maybe it was just the Fortis we felt?”
“Maybe.” Desmond didn’t sound convinced. “Anyway, let me write down that list of names for you really quick, and if you’re good, I need to get back to Claire. And likely explain myself, as I left a bit in a rush.”
“Sorry about that,” Holly said with a wince.
“Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry, I’ll fill Claire in on everything.” He waggled his eyebrows at Holly, who rolled her eyes again. She was sure Claire would appreciate the update, even if it was Desmond’s highly dramatized version of events.
CHAPTER17
“So how do we get to the witches?” Kieran asked, looking at Luca, “’cause he’s not fitting through a portal. Not unless he shifts back. Can he even shift back?” He looked at Holly, who was still in Kallan’s arms. She tapped his forearm to let her down, ignoring the way he pressed her against his body as he did so.
“I can see.” Holly walked a few steps to Luca’s side and placed a hand on his snout. “Can you shift back?” Feelings of pain flashed through his bond, and Holly’s knees buckled before she caught herself. They had tortured him when he tried to shift. Her dragon was well and truly stuck. Getting rid of the foreign magic seemed to clear some of the memories of torture away from his psyche, but they were replaced with consuming thoughts of devotion to her—his mate.
Holly shook her head. “He’s a long way from shifting back.” If he ever does, she thought sadly. She hadn’t been looking for another mate, but after meeting Luca—well, his dragon, at least—her brain had quickly accepted him. She wondered what he looked like as a human. She might never know.
She turned to see Synora looking at Luca with a thoughtful expression and her hands on her hips. “What is it?” Holly asked.
“I might have an idea,” Synora said, still looking at Luca.
Holly approached her and looped an arm through her elbow. Synora smiled down at her, and Holly gave her a shy smile back. In some ways, Synora was even more intimidating than Kallan was. Holly had grown up watching her mentors Andy and Helene be deeply in love with each other. But she had also grown up with her papa and his extreme distaste for same-sex relationships. Powerful witches had a duty to carry on their lines, he’d always said. A duty that Andy threw away, according to him.
But Holly had always envied that about Andy. She had chosen love over duty. She had left her original coven to be with Helene, giving up her own standing and prestige. If Holly’s Uncle Frederick hadn’t taken Andy in, she would have been a covenless witch, a fate her papa said was worse than death.
Looking at Synora now, though, Holly understood why Andy did what she did. Synora was brave and fearless and strong—everything Holly wished she could be. If she had even a small percentage of Synora’s fearlessness, she would have called her parents right away. But, unfortunately, that was going to have to wait. They had a dragon to transport. Holly realized she had been lost in thought.
“What’s your idea?”
“It might not work,” Synora warned, “but my mother was a healer training under Greta before she… died. She was studying how to help shifters control their shifts and prevent feralness from happening. It’s possible she left something in her notes that could help us.”
Holly’s heart ached at the grief that flashed over Synora’s face. Holly lowered her voice to a whisper. “Have you been back since?”
Synora shook her head minutely, and Holly squeezed her arm. “It’ll be okay,” Synora said, “and it’ll be worth it if there’s something there that will help Luca.”
“Thank you,” Holly whispered, pressing a quick kiss to Synora’s jawline.
The Elf’s eyes darkened, and she pulled Holly tighter to her for a moment, pressing a kiss to Holly’s hair that she felt all the way to her toes before releasing her. “We’ll have to head to the Elven Forest, then. Through the main portal, as that will get us closest to the Capital without having to journey very far.”
“How are we getting there?” Kieran asked suspiciously.
“I think we are going to have to fly,” Holly said, biting her cheek and looking at Luca.Ifshe could convince the dragon to take all of them.
* * *
