Page 36 of Unbearable Attraction (Hollow Oak Mates #4)
LUKA
T he train ride back to Hollow Oak should have been a celebration.
Leenah sat beside him, her hand firmly clasped in his, the weight of her family's disapproval finally lifted from her shoulders.
Through their bond, he could feel her relief mixing with residual anger at the confrontation they'd left behind.
"I can't believe I actually did it," she said, watching the familiar mountains come into view through the window. "Told them exactly what I thought of their manipulative bullshit."
"About time." Luka squeezed her fingers. "You were magnificent back there. The way you handled Edmund's compulsion spell..."
"We handled it," she corrected, leaning against his shoulder. "I couldn't have broken free without our bond."
The acknowledgment warmed him more than any declaration of love could have. After years of her fierce independence, hearing her admit they were stronger together felt like a victory worth savoring.
But as the train pulled into Hollow Oak's station, something felt wrong.
The platform buzzed with more activity than usual for a Tuesday afternoon.
Several Council members stood in heated discussion near the ticket booth, their expressions grim.
Maeve Cross paced like a caged lioness, her short black hair disheveled and her guard uniform wrinkled as if she'd been up all night.
"That doesn't look good," Leenah murmured.
Before Luka could respond, Edgar Tansley from the Hollow Mercantile spotted them and hurried over, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by obvious anxiety.
"Thank the spirits you're back," Edgar said, slightly out of breath. "We've got a situation. A fellow arrived this morning with some kind of legal delegation. They're claiming ownership of half the sacred sites in town."
"What?" Leenah's voice came out sharp with disbelief.
"Edmund something is his name. Legal documents, official seals, the whole works. Says his family has hereditary rights to the land dating back to the original settlements." Edgar's hands fluttered nervously. "The Council's been in emergency session since dawn, but no one knows what to do."
Luka felt his bear surge beneath his skin, protective fury igniting at the threat to their territory. "Where is he now?"
"The grove," Edgar replied grimly. "Set up some kind of magical perimeter around the whole area. Won't let anyone through."
The grove where they'd performed their bonding ritual. Where they'd sealed the new pact with the spirits. The most sacred space in all of Hollow Oak, and Edmund was treating it like his personal property.
"We need to get there," Leenah said, already moving toward the station exit.
The walk through town revealed the extent of the crisis.
Hollow Oak's usually vibrant main street felt subdued, residents speaking in hushed voices and casting worried glances toward the eastern woods.
The Griddle & Grind's windows were dark despite the afternoon hour, and even the ever-cheerful Twyla was nowhere to be seen.
But it was the supernatural disturbances that made Luka's blood run cold.
Shadows moved wrong, stretching in directions that defied the sun's position.
The air shimmered with unstable magical energy, making the familiar streets feel alien and threatening.
A flock of ravens circled overhead in patterns that hurt to look at directly, their cries carrying otherworldly echoes.
"The balance is breaking," Leenah whispered, her necromantic abilities responding to the chaos. "Whatever Edmund's doing, it's destabilizing the connection between worlds."
They reached the grove to find it transformed into something from a nightmare.
Ancient trees that had stood for centuries now bore strange symbols carved into their bark, still bleeding sap that glowed with unnatural light.
The stone circle where they'd bonded was surrounded by a barrier of crackling dark energy that made Luka's bear recoil instinctively.
There stood Edmund Blackthorne, looking perfectly composed despite the magical maelstrom swirling around him.
"Ah, the happy couple returns," Edmund called out, his voice carrying through the supernatural wind. "Just in time to witness the restoration of proper order."
"Get away from those stones," Luka growled, his control slipping as territorial fury overwhelmed rational thought.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, this land rightfully belongs to my family.
Has for over two centuries." Edmund gestured to a collection of official-looking documents spread across a makeshift table.
"Hereditary deed, signed and sealed by the original Blackthorne patriarch.
Perfectly legal under both human and supernatural law. "
"Those sites are protected," Leenah said, moving closer despite the magical barrier's obvious danger. "Sacred to the spirits who originally inhabited this land."
"The spirits who made agreements with my ancestor, yes. Agreements that have been woefully neglected by subsequent generations." Edmund's smile held no warmth. "I'm simply reclaiming what was always ours and restoring the proper magical hierarchy."
"Bullshit," Luka snarled. "Your ancestor broke the original pact. We fixed it."
"You performed an unauthorized ritual without proper oversight or legal authority," Edmund corrected smoothly. "Any agreements you think you made are invalid under established supernatural law."
The magical barrier pulsed, sending waves of disruptive energy through the grove. Several of the ancient oaks creaked ominously, their leaves turning black at the edges as Edmund's power corrupted the natural balance.
"You're destroying everything," Leenah said, horror creeping into her voice. "The protections, the wards, the connection to the spirit realm. If you keep this up, you'll tear the Veil apart."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Edmund replied. "Hollow Oak has hidden from the world long enough. It's time for proper authorities to take control of these resources."
Through their bond, Luka felt Leenah's realization hit like ice water. Edmund wasn't just claiming the sacred sites. He was planning to expose Hollow Oak entirely, to strip away the magical protections that had kept their community safe for centuries.
"You son of a bitch," Luka said quietly. "This isn't about property rights. You want to destroy us because we rejected your arrangement."
"I want to restore order to a community that's allowed dangerous magical practices to flourish unchecked.
" Edmund's mask of civility finally slipped, revealing the cold calculation underneath.
"Your little necromancer has proven that independent practitioners pose a threat to established supernatural hierarchies. Time to correct that oversight."
The magical barrier flared brighter, and Luka caught the scent of approaching supernatural reinforcements. More of Edmund's people, moving through the woods with military precision. Whatever he was planning, this was just the beginning.
"We have to get back to town," Leenah said urgently. "Warn the Council, organize some kind of defense."
But as they turned to leave, Edmund's voice followed them through the corrupted grove.
"Run along and tell your little Council that the old ways are ending. By tomorrow, Hollow Oak will operate under proper supervision, or it won't operate at all."
The walk back to town felt like fleeing a battlefield, with Edmund's magical corruption spreading through the woods behind them like a stain.
But worse than the immediate threat was the growing certainty that everything they'd built together, everything they'd fought to protect, was about to be torn apart by forces beyond their control.
"We'll stop him," Luka said, as much to himself as to Leenah.
"How? He's got legal documents, magical authority, and enough power to destabilize our protections." Her voice carried a despair he'd never heard before. "What if we can't win this time?"
The question hung between them as Hollow Oak's familiar streets came into view, now shadowed by the knowledge that their sanctuary might not be safe much longer.