Page 20 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

I f you asked me what I wanted to do for my twenty-fifth birthday, I would have never imagined I’d say “sleep”. Though, that’s exactly what I ended up doing. Sarah, Bridget, and I spent the wee hours of the night dancing and laughing in Bailey’s Cove, drunk off the Liquid Fire potion and from the raw power of the Aecor that teemed within the blood in our veins. The energy between us expanded and multiplied into a brilliant force, elevating us to our higher selves. Now, we were bound to one another – each offering strength to the others.

However, all that magic, and alcohol, came with a pounding headache. Squinting my eyes, I rolled over to see the time on my phone, which was nowhere to be found. I rubbed the sleep away from my eyes and realized I was spread out on my apartment floor. A mop of curls was on my butt, and sheets of blonde hair were draped over the side of my bed. We must have made it back home at some point, but the memory of leaving Bailey’s Cove was utterly lost on me.

“ Fuck .” I dragged out the word, my voice a rasp in my throat. I needed water. Sarah groaned but didn’t wake up as I moved out from under her, gently lowering her head to the hard surface. Bridget’s mouth was wide open as she gave a loud snore. I would have laughed if it didn’t feel like my head was about to explode. Leaning my forehead against the refrigerator door, I filled a glass from the water dispenser. After I chugged the first glassful, I refilled it again, and two more glasses for the women strewn across my apartment.

Luckily, preparing the coffee maker woke me up enough to see straight. Two empty bottles of wine were discarded on the floor and every type of snack I owned littered the kitchen counter.

“Oh, shit!” I yelled as I glanced at the clock on the stove. Both girls bolted upright. Startled, Sarah threw her arms out, fighting an imaginary enemy. A gale-force wind swirled through my apartment, throwing me back against the counter.

“What the fuck is going on,” Bridget screamed over the gust.

“I don’t know!” Sarah’s voice was shrill with panic. When she caught sight of my stunned face, the air calmed instantly, and loose papers drifted to the floor.

“Why were you yelling?” Bridget barked at me, but never looked away from Sarah, who sat on my floor, completely disheveled.

“It’s almost three in the afternoon,” I said quietly. “Sarah, what was that? Are you like some Airbender or something?”

“Oh, my goodness, you’re an Avatar fan, too?” Sarah gave a chuckling smile as she stood, removing the curls that fell in her face. On the other hand, Bridget shot the two of us a look that made me shrink back.

“I didn’t mean to scare you guys,” I offered.

Sarah looked unphased. “Anyone else have a cool new superpower?” She stood there as if she hadn’t just magically wielded Air.

“If I refill these with water, do you promise not to do that again?” I held up the now empty glasses. That broke some tension in the room, and the three of us laughed.

“Oh, I shouldn’t do that. Laughing hurts.” Bridget sat back on the bed, holding her head. “That potion was really strong.”

“You sure it was just some mead in there?” Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I promise. Maybe it’s all the Aecor we’ve unlocked. All I know is that I am hungover as hell.” I poured the scalding coffee into my favorite mug and breathed in deeply. Bridget shuffled over and did the same.

“So…” Sarah rocked on her toes. “Anyone else want to try the air-blast thing?”

I scrunched up my nose. “Maybe not inside.” I walked to the sliding door, opened it, and stepped out. Each intake of fresh air helped soothe the ache in my head.

“There you are.” Sarah came out and crouched down, scratching her fox’s ears. He acted more like a dog than any fox I had ever seen. Martin swooped down from a tree and excitedly hopped around on the wooden deck until Bridget joined us.

“ Now we can see if we all have weird new superpowers,” I beamed. Sarah clapped her hands together and rubbed them, readying herself to perform magic again.

“Not a chance,” Bridget interjected, her voice sharp with a subtle threat. Sarah dropped her hands with a frown. “People might see us. As witches, we likely have a big enough target painted on our backs already.” She looked between mine and Sarah’s blank faces. “The curse? The Blood Coven?” Her eyebrows raised higher with each syllable.

“Ok, you’re not wrong,” I sighed. Now that our Aecor has been unlocked, and the three of us were bound together, we could very well be in grave danger. Hopefully, the Binding Ritual strengthened our magic enough to empower us against future threats.

“Fine,” Sarah groaned. “We need to try out some of those other spells, though. Maybe I can ask Anabel to bring the book back.”

“Do you think she’s alright with us forming the coven circle?” I cautioned.

Sarah bit her lip before a soft smile appeared. “Of course, yes. She and her friends almost did it. Why wouldn’t she support us?”

“Because she’s a wise old crone, and no longer a teenager,” Bridget said in a dry tone. She was mindfully stroking the crow’s crown. “We need to be super careful about when and where we practice. Only in our homes behind closed doors, and the cove. Understood?” She looked between the two of us, brows raised, awaiting our compliance. Sarah and I nodded in unison.

The sound of a car pulling up in front of my apartment had us all stretched out to look. Martin and Pilot vanished in seconds, and Ferran darted back inside the apartment.

“Eamon! RJ!” I called down from the balcony. “What are you guys doing here?” Surprised by the sudden drop-in, Bridget and Sarah quickly disappeared inside my apartment behind Ferran.

“I didn’t realize you would have company.” Eamon’s voice was light with humor. “Rough night?”

“No, we just hung out.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. “Why?” I asked as the two of them climbed the stairs holding colorful packages.

“No reason,” Eamon said with a small laugh.

“Because you look like crap.” RJ blurted. Eamon and I stopped and turned toward the little boy. He shrugged, looking at his father. “What? She does.”

“Thanks, RJ. And don’t say ‘crap’.” I rolled my eyes. “Come on in.” I held the door open so they could enter my tiny apartment. Bridget somehow had gotten herself completely made up in those few seconds, and Sarah sat by a stack of boxes that were pushed into the corner. Just minutes before, those boxes were scattered haphazardly throughout my apartment. I quickly searched the studio room and could not find any traces of the Book of Shadows or anything magical, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Eamon placed a large container on the kitchen counter. “Happy Birthday, Raina.” He lifted the lid off the container to reveal the most failed attempt at a homemade cake I had ever seen. It was pink with green letters.

“We made you the cake!” RJ said, beaming. He held out the wrapped boxes. “And we brought gifts.

Eamon lowered his voice and said, “I hope it’s okay that we just showed up like this. You weren’t answering any texts or calls, so it was also an excuse for a wellness-check.” Where was my phone? I quickly scanned the room. “I hope we didn’t interrupt anything.” He directed the sentiment towards Sarah and Bridget.

“Oh, not at all,” Sarah said politely.

“Actually, I was just about to head out.” Bridget stood up from the edge of the bed, when suddenly there was a knock. I went over to open the door, but RJ got there before me. When he spotted the new guest, he dropped the presents he was holding and yelled with excitement.

“Jeff! You made it!” He jumped at his brother, wrapping his little arms around Jeff’s tree trunk of a waist.

“Never mind…” I overheard Bridget say before she sat back down on the foot of the bed.

“I hope I’m not late.” He grumbled, pushing his way into my home while our little brother tried to smother him in a bear hug. “Happy Birthday, Raina.” He placed two paper bags, near bursting, onto the counter next to the cake. Whatever was in the bags smelled greasy and delicious. “Nice cake,” he said in his usual gruff tone.

“Thanks,” RJ said as he finally released Jeff, who messed his little brother’s hair. “Dad let me bake it by myself this morning before school.”

As gloppy as it looked, the cake was insanely delicious. There was something about boxed funfetti that hit the spot.

“Thank you, all of you.” I took a moment to look around at the five of them. Within minutes, Sarah was trapped listening to RJ list his favorite Pokémon types. She was invested in RJ’s explanation as to why Water Pokémon were stronger than Fire Type, sneaking a quick wink at me. Eamon stood near them, smiling contently. Bridget and Jeff sat on opposite ends of my bed, pretending they weren’t noticing each other. “This really has been the best birthday. I didn’t think I would feel like celebrating.” A lump formed in my throat. It was my first birthday without my mom. RJ reached out and hugged me.

“Birthdays are always something to be celebrated,” he reassured, warmth carried on his voice. I squeezed him tightly and kissed his head.

“You are absolutely right,” Eamon said, hugging the two of us. I couldn’t help but notice Jeff shifting uncomfortably on the bed. Then, I remembered the conversation he and I had about our mom and Eamon…their relationship timeline. My shoulders instantly tensed under Eamon’s arm, and I stepped away while holding a smile on my face.

“Thanks for coming over. I am sorry I made you worry,” I said. “I lost my phone at some point last night.” A low growl made me turn to see Ferran half emerging from the safety of his hiding spot under the bed. “What’s going on, bud?” I asked the cat.

“He wants us to go,” RJ remarked as if it was an obvious fact. I was fairly sure my brother was right.

“Well, make sure you take some leftovers.” I re-packaged the rest of the meal Jeff brought. We had all eaten so much between the cake and the fried food. “Those sliders were amazing,” I said to Jeff, who just nodded. The tiny burgers were perfectly cheesy and greasy, curing my hangover after the first bite. He also brought cheese fries and wings–absolutely heavenly. It was as if he had somehow known I’d need our usual hangover remedy, and to bring enough for Bridget and Sarah. Sometimes he did just know things, so I wasn’t entirely surprised.

“Boathouse has the best food,” Bridget confirmed.

“It’s the best I’ve found here.” Jeff agreed with her directly. Bridget blushed as he held her gaze. Sarah looked as if she was about to burst from holding in a hearty cackle.

“Now, I really have to go.” Bridget stood and moved quickly to the door.

“I should get going, too,” Jeff said in a faint voice and followed her. Bridget bit back a smile, and Sarah couldn’t contain the giggle that escaped. Even Eamon struggled to fight his amusement.

As the two of them stepped out of the door, Sarah turned to me, “I’ll give them a minute, but I'm going, too. Bridget and I were thinking about taking you out tonight.”

“Raina would love that, Eamon chimed in. His approval of my new friends was obvious, and I was glad for it.

As full as my apartment was, the absence of all my guests would be nice. They all did a wonderful job distracting me from my heavier thoughts, but I missed my mom. Exhausted from everything, all I wanted was a warm bath, perhaps a drink to ward off the hangover, and my calming playlist.

Crawling under my bed, I followed the buzz from my phone vibrating. Sliding it out with the tips of my fingers, I then cleared away all the missed calls and texts from Eamon. I also finally took the time to respond to Nathan’s unsolicited dick pic. As much as I loved the things his thing did, I was, honestly, kind of over it.

Thanks for your version of a birthday gift. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m serious. We’re moving on from our ‘arrangement.’

Nathan:

Just wanted to put a smile on your face. Hmu whenever, I’m not going anywhere.

There was no way I would take him at his word, plus I needed him to stay in his lane from now on. It didn’t really bother me—admittedly, I enjoyed his attention, but I really had to focus on clearing my head of all the chaos that had overtaken my life. My phone dinged again, but before my stomach could lurch, the non-Nathan ringtone registered in my head. It was from the group chat.

Bridget:

8pm we meet at the docks.

I thought the last ferry runs at 7pm?

Bridget:

Chris has a boat.

I finally get to meet him?

Sarah:

I’m surprised you remembered you have a boyfriend after the way you eye fucked Jeff today.

Bridget:

Sarah is no longer invited.

Sarah:

??

??

Send me pics of your outfits so I know what to wear. I’ll see you guys there.

Sarah:

??

Bridget:

??

Within minutes, my phone pinged with their photo messages. Bridget wore a black knitted bodycon dress with sheer stockings and black combat boots. Sarah had on a long-sleeved sheer black lace top with black pleather leggings. She paired the outfit with black suede ankle boots spiked with a fierce heel. Panic set in immediately set in as I desperately tried to choreograph an outfit that reached their level of “Baddie.” Pairing a deep burgundy tank top with tight black ripped jeans, I threw on a cropped leather jacket over it and added some black heels to dress up the outfit a bit. I sent the girls a picture of what I was wearing.

Nathan:

Fuck, Raina. I thought you said you didn’t want to play with me anymore.

Shit. Wrong person.