Loch

and decorate them with blood.”
“Can you not be an ass for, like, five minutes?”
“Sorry.” Johnny shrugged. “It’s just a habit now.”
He pushed on, deeper into the forest. They found more symbols scratched into trees. They were getting close to the witch’s den.
A raven landed on a low branch, less than a foot from Johnny’s face. It peered at him with too-intelligent eyes.
“Are they in?” Johnny asked the raven. The raven tilted its head to one side in silence. “You’re a terrible doorman.”
“Let’s not antagonize the ravens,” Keller said. “I’d like to keep my eyes in my skull for a while longer.”
“His name is Oglebee, and he’s harmless.” Johnny flicked his wrist dismissively.
“How do you know that?”
“Save your questions for the witches.” Johnny pressed on, leaving the raven and his confused clan brothers behind. Johnny had spent much of his high school years roaming the woods. He had felt lost after the death of his parents, and that loss stayed with him for years. It still lingered about him now, but thanks to Pearl, he could handle it better.
As a wayward youth, he was an easy target for the witches. Though, they were also an easy target for him, too.
The forest fell away, revealing a yawning cave mouth.
“Told you I’d find them.” Johnny smirked.
“I’m not too crazy about going into a dark cave filled with witches who decorate their doorways in blood,” Garret said. “I might have a lighter.”
“No light,” Johnny warned. “You’ll see what I mean in a second. Come on.”
“When we get back to the house, we’re going to have a long talk about all the shit you get into when neither of us is around,” Keller said.
“How much time do you have?” Johnny laughed wryly as he stepped into the darkness of the cave. Cold air whooshed around him, chilling him to his bones. As quickly as the wind rose, it fell. It took the darkness with it.
The trio stood in the center of a room fit to be featured on the cover of a swanky interior decorating magazine, aside from the purple flames crackling in the fireplace. Plenty of candles made up for the lack of windows.
“Did I just walk into a goddamned Hobbit’s house?” Garret grumbled. “Why is it that witches always inject magic where it’s not needed? A cabin and a doorbell were too simple, huh?”
“Too tacky,” a low, feminine voice came from behind them.
Johnny turned around and smiled.
“Susanna. So good to see you.”
“Don’t lie to me.” A witch with a long sheet of black hair, an olive complexion, and violet eyes sneered. “What do you want, Johnny?”
“Let him introduce his handsome friends.” Another witch appeared beside the fireplace. Her pale-blond hair looked lavender against the licking flames. Her voice was high and bright.
“Hattie.” Johnny smiled. “How long has it been?”
“Too long.” She didn’t take her eyes off Keller and Garret. “Who are they? I know they’re shifters. I can smell it on them.”
“Apologies.” Garret offered his hand and a smile. “We’ve been trekking through the woods for days. None of us are smelling like wildflowers right now.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Hattie replied, ignoring Garret’s outstretched hand.
“Do you not recognize them, Hattie?” A third voice appeared from nowhere. A woman lounged on the couch, her hair gleaming like molten copper in the candlelight. “These are the firstborns.”
Slowly, she turned her head. Gold coins gleamed where her eyes should be. Keller and Garret each took a step back, but Johnny wasn’t fazed by the sight.
“Since we’re making introductions…” He gestured to the first witch. “Keller, Garret. This is Susanna the bone witch, Hattie the blood witch, and Edwina the heart witch.”
“Interesting titles,” Keller said. “Thank you for letting us into your home.”
“We didn’t let you,” Edwina said coldly. “Johnny has a habit of walking in whenever he damn well pleases.”
“It’s been at least two years since I’ve been here,” Johnny protested.
“Wrong. You were here in April.”
“That was purely for business.”
“What the hell do you get up to when we aren’t looking?” Keller exclaimed.
“Breaking hearts, mostly,” Susanna hissed.
“Here we go again.” Johnny pressed his fingertips into the bridge of his nose. “Susanna, we went on one date three years ago. I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but it didn’t.”
“You could’ve handled it better,” Susanna scoffed.
“Somehow, I don’t have a hard time believing that,” Garret added.
Johnny turned to face his clan brother. “Whose side are you on?”
“At this point, whatever side gets me out of this cave alive.” Garret shrugged.
From the corner of his eye, Johnny saw Susanna take a step toward him.
“Don’t, sister.” Edwina held up a hand, lazily twiddling her fingers. “You won’t win that battle.”
Johnny whirled to look at Susanna. “Really? You were going to attack me?”
“Worse.” Hattie smirked from her place beside the fire. “She was going to seduce you. Her blood is racing a million miles a minute.”
“Save your breath, sister,” Edwina said to Susanna. “Johnny’s heart is no longer up for grabs.”
She fixed Johnny in her sightless gaze before looking to the other shifters. “None of their hearts are. They’ve all been claimed.”
“Pity.” Hattie folded her arms over her chest with a huff and a pout.
“Who is it?” Susanna hissed. “What poor girl has captured this idiot’s heart?”
“Idiot?” Johnny smirked. “Weren’t you raring to seduce this idiot heart a minute ago?”
“One woman lays claim to all their hearts.” Edwina’s false eyes cast light on whoever she looked at.
“But…” Hattie pushed away from the wall to stand beside Susanna. “They’re firstborn sons.”
“That can only mean…” Susanna’s voice quickly faded into a whisper.
“The Maiden has returned to Silver Spruce.” Edwina dipped her chin and cocked her head toward the three shifters. “They need to find her.”
“That’s why