House Of Bears 7 - Samantha Snow Page 0,8
didn’t make sense.
Holly dragged her eyes away from them and cast a hasty glance at Keller. She didn’t feel good talking about these two right in front of them, but what did she have to lose, anyway? “What can you tell me about the Macauley clan? Did they take part in the First War against Silver Spruce?”
Keller shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you which clans did and which didn’t. I don’t know enough about the Golden Oak clans. You’d have to ask the Charmains about that. Then again, maybe Loch and Johnny know. They know a lot more about the First War than I do. Johnny’s right downstairs. You want me to go get him for you?”
Holly brightened. Johnny. That was what she needed right now—Johnny’s insight. He could at least confirm whether these two were liars or just too dim to hang on a Christmas tree. She turned and smiled up at Keller. “Thanks. That would be great.”
He leaned forward and put his hands on his knees to stand up. At that moment, Trevor Charmain and his sister Elise came trooping down the stairs. They didn’t notice anything until they got into the living room.
Trevor froze when he spotted the visitors. His lip trembled, peeling off his teeth, and he narrowed his eyes at them. “What the fuck are they doing here?”
Keller stood up. “This is Rolf and Savannah Macauley from Golden Oak. They’re here to offer…”
“I know perfectly well who they are,” Trevor snarled, “and they definitely are NOT Rolf and Savannah Macauley. This is Luther Braxton, and this is his cousin Audrey Calvin. The Braxtons slaughtered the Macauleys for not participating in the First War against Silver Spruce. The Braxtons went dark long before the rest of Golden Oak. They were instrumental in converting the rest of Golden Oak to the dark cause. Audrey voluntarily gave up her shifter power to make her father invincible against the Silver Spruce shifters so he could be sure to kill as many of them as possible. The Braxtons will never make peace—never. They certainly didn’t come here to offer anything to the maiden. That’s straight bullshit.”
Holly, Keller, and Edwina rotated around to stare at the visitors. Elise sidled closer to the couch to wedge herself between Holly and the strangers. “You should go upstairs, Holly. We’ll handle this.”
For a tense second, the two strangers sat still and alert on the couch. Holly’s instincts about them were correct. She should have listened to herself.
Quicker than lightning, Audrey (or whatever the hell her name was) shot off the couch. Before anyone could do anything, she whipped an automatic pistol out of her leather jacket and swung it around to aim at Holly.
Everything happened at once. Edwina and Elise extended their arms toward the intruders. The air quivered with rising tension and power. It throbbed against Holly’s eardrums, ready to explode. Keller and Trevor charged forward.
What happened next unfolded so fast, Holly never had a chance to think it through. Out of nowhere, that queer, sickening rush of energy fountained from her solar plexus. The next thing she knew, she launched across the coffee table, roaring in murderous fury.
Ancient rage erupted out of her. It burst her skin and cracked her jaws in glistening fangs. She relinquished herself to the bear in her soul and hit Audrey with everything she had.
Her weight toppled her enemy onto the couch. The gun flew out of Audrey’s hand, and the woman splayed under Holly’s bristling form. Holly lunged to rip the bitch’s throat out when Rolf jumped, upshifting in the blink of an eye.
He soared at Holly bellowing low in his chest, but she had had enough of random assholes threatening her and her family. She had enough of that to choke her for the rest of her life. She rounded on him, slashing and tearing for blood.
The baby inside her fed its power into her cells. It made her impossibly strong and ruthless. It encouraged her and spurred her to feats of destruction she had never dreamed of.
She rocketed off Audrey, aiming for Rolf’s throat when a monstrous object sailed across the living room. It struck her shoulder with bone-crunching force and propelled her away. It pitched her hard into the bookshelf.
She cracked her spine against the shelves and landed hard on the floor. She bounded to her feet to find Garret confronting her with his fangs bared. His hair stood up in a ridge along his spine.
Behind his back, Trevor, Elise, Keller, Wyatt Ashlock, Johnny