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“He’s protecting my father,” Claire said. “He’s not happy about it, but I needed to be able to see he was okay.” She tapped her temple, and Holly and Bethany nodded.
“How is he?” Holly asked gently.
“He’s doing better. He’s awake for longer periods of time now and yesterday we even had a full conversation. It was only a few minutes but he called me Claire and not Winona.”
“That’s great!” Holly squeezed her hand gently.
“I know. And I just needed to have a little patience.” She smiled meaningfully at Holly who nodded.
“Okay. I’m going to check in with Kallan and Kieran,” Holly said.
Bethany split off to help with the captured prisoners. Holly headed to Kallan and Kieran, who stood before her papa while Claire led her sobbing mother away toward the caves.
“Everything okay?” she asked softly, darting a quick glance at her papa.
Kallan nodded. “Everything’s fine.” He pressed a kiss against her forehead as her papa let out a scoff of disgust.
“Such good mates,” he said sarcastically. “Always willing to do their duty for you.”
Something in his words niggled at Holly’s gut, even as Cody, Zack, and a Fae came to transfer him away, slapping Fae Metallicum cuffs on him. Luca landed next to her, distracting her from her thoughts. “Hey,” she greeted softly as he pushed his head in the middle of them.
What’s wrong?Holly’s eyes widened as she realized he’d talked in her mind.
“You talked in my mind!” she said out loud.
“He what?” Synora asked.
“He talked in my mind. In a full sentence.” Holly was excited. It meant that Luca’s mind was healing, but also that their bond was growing stronger.
“Well, what did he say?” Kieran asked with a smile.
“He asked what’s wrong.”
“What does he mean?” Kallan was immediately worried. “Is something wrong?”
Holly bit her cheek. “I don’t know. Did that feel too easy?” She voiced the niggling feeling that had been eating at her.
Kallan looked around while Synora spoke. “I did think it was a little odd he confessed right away. I thought he wouldn’t confess anything.”
Holly nodded. “Right? At first, I thought he wanted me to join him, but what if he always knew I would say no?”
“Okay, but what’s his end game? Did he not expect you to overpower him?” Kieran asked. “Because, from what I see, this ended with him bound and captured.”
Kallan turned back from his scan of the battlefield. “Can you feel anything?” he asked Holly.
“I can try.” Holly closed her eyes and let out her Empath magic, marveling at how easy it was to use now that the walls were down. She reached it out toward her papa, expecting to feel something—anything—but when all she found was sureness, a chill ran down her spine.
“What is it?” Kallan read her face as her eyes flew open and her mind raced. Her papa was sure. He knew his end goal would still be reached. And what was his end goal? It was bloodline purity, right? He couldn’t stand that Vanya and Roland went after Claire’s power. He thought Claire was an abomination. And his last words?
A mate willing to do anything for you.
Holly turned toward where Claire was leading her mother to the caves. She threw her Empath magic out toward her mother as she took off in a run toward Claire. Her mates let out surprised shouts. Her Empath magic came back toward her. Her mama’s hysteria was false. Calculation and calmness were in its place.
She was twenty paces from Claire. Everett was with Desmond fifty paces away but had noticed Holly’s run. She hadn’t ever cast Empath magic this far, but she cast it as hard as she dared with Claire so close as a flash of metal in the sunlight glinted in her mama’s hand a second before she dropped.
Holly closed the distance to Claire and yanked her back into her arms, stumbling to the ground with her. Her mama’s now unconscious body dropped to the ground, a gleaming black blade extended toward Claire still in her grasp.
“Holly? What just happened?” Claire’s voice was thin and trembling, her sightless eyes blinking as her head rested on Holly’s shoulder, both women trembling. Her muscles felt weak, even as she hugged Claire tightly to her, staring in disbelief at her mama. Had she really just tried to kill Claire?
