Page 37 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

T hat night, my dreams were wild and restless. My mind became like the seawall battered by the swells of a storm. Memories seemed to pour from the locket into me as if some sort of channel had formed to siphon the past.

Witch, a voice from history whispered into my ear. Witch. Witch. Witch. Witch. It sounded like the ticking of a clock, its rhythm matching the oars slicing into the water as they propel forward. Small waves broke against the jagged edges of obsidian. A storm circled over the horizon and the rising tide mirrored the anger that swelled inside my chest. My blonde strands of hair danced across my face as I watched the sails billow in the wind. The cold sand beneath my toes made my feet ache as I watched the fleet enter the Cape. The salt of the sea air stung my eyes.

Witch. Witch. Witch. The waves screamed at me as they broke against the dunes.

My hands fell to my sides, palms facing the swirling water. How dare Sam leave me. Alone. He promised to stay, promised me I was worth more than anything the sea could offer. Still, he left me here, alone. Though, not entirely. My hand lowered below my navel, cupping the place where my womb once held life…The child was born before his father’s return—before our marriage. I was left here, to succumb to the judgment, hatred, and shame on my own. Exiled.

“He left me!” My voice trailed in the wind.

Witch. Witch. Witch.

Lightning cracked and thunder boomed in sync with the phantom whispers’ accusation. The ship fought its way beyond the bay, battling against the growing storm. “He left me”. From within the folds of my skirt, I pulled out the vial of the thick, dark red blood. Undoing its top, I dipped the tip of the black dagger, which I retrieved from my bodice, into the blood. With the crimson-tipped blade I sliced into my hand, feeling the power of my babe mix with my own. I slipped my hand underneath my clothes and slid the wetness across my breast. I raised my shaking, bloodied hand, pointing a finger toward the Whydah and then to the other ships that had arrived with his fleet—most of which were further out in the channel. All of the vessels had been marked.

I call upon the wind and sea

Crack their bones and splinter their boughs

Draw them under to what lies beneath

Arise the tide, let the wind howl

I call upon the wind and sea

Let the storm devour their souls

Let the waters drown out their pleas

Let the horizon still once more

I sang the words of the incantation and turned to face away from the slaughter in the bay. Swells crested as high as evergreens, consuming the sails. I screamed incoherently, wailing louder than the howling storm winds, louder than the waves crashing against the rock, louder than the men fighting for their lives. I screamed his name, both as a promise and a threat.

“He left me.” I lamented to no one as I walked away. My last sight was the mast splintering and collapsing.

Light poured into my apartment, and I was drenched in cold sweat. I woke up clutching the locket in my hand. At the foot of the bed, Ferran sat motionless like a statue, just watching me. The dream felt incredibly real. I was her . And she used Blood Magic.

Stretching the aches out from my tired bones, I felt stiffer than usual. I extended my arms in front of me and flexed my fingers, noticing how tight my skin felt. Still hazy from sleep, I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, which helped clear my blurred vision. Even so, this made my eyes burn. I grabbed my blanket and swiped away at the involuntary tears that welled up. When I looked down at my hands, I blinked, registering them covered in a dusty residue. Awkwardly, I sniffed them, and the scent was pure salt.

“What?” I was so confused, and suddenly, a sharp pain sliced through my head. I swung my legs off my bed and stood up, feeling the ache follow me. Even my feet were sore as I padded to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, my reflection was enough to make me want to scream. My hair was a tangled mess, windblown and chaotic. Dark circles threatened to swallow my hazel eyes. Nothing made any sense, and I desperately tried to remember the details of the dream. My feet hurt so bad that I finally looked down, and gasped at the horrifying sight before me.

Streaks of blood painted the edges of my feet. Shallow cuts in my arches were caked with sand. The dried granules dusted my heels, the tops of my feet, between my toes, and even up the back of my calves.

“What?” I blurted aloud once more. Ferran watched me quietly. My eyes searched his for answers, but he only let out a soft chuff like Martin and Pilot had on Mapleshade.

I sat on the edge of the bathtub as the water warmed up, suddenly feeling much dirtier than what my feet suggested. Flashes of the dream flickered in and out of my mind as I stepped into the near-scalding water. Before I got in, I remembered to remove the locket. Honestly, taking it off felt a lot like taking off a bra; relieving and freeing, yet with a particular feeling of heaviness. I placed the necklace on the teakwood stool nestled beside the tub.

The soothing scents of lavender and eucalyptus filled the air as I added essential oils to the bath. I sank deep into the tub, warming every part of my body. Breathing deeply, I had the nagging sensation that I wasn’t recalling something in particular—something important. I replayed pieces of the dream, digging mentally for something more, a vital meaning hidden within a dream, more important than the witch being present at shipwreck and invoked the island’s curse. The weight of my eyelids pulled them shut as a wave of otherworldly exhaustion overcame me, even though I had just woken up for the day.

Red. That’s all I could see beneath my eyelids, as a fiery, scarlet glow burned through teh thin veil of skin. The faint sound of water lapping against the docks mingled with the creaking wood underfoot, a haunting symphony that set my pulse racing. The bitter chill bit against my vulnerable flesh. A man loomed over me, a lamp dangling from his hand, though my eyes remained shut. I could smell the tobacco on his breath, and the distinct scent of powder from his wig. As I stood sightless in front of his podium, the Collector had stopped me from moving forward down the merchant port’s harbor. It seemed women were not permitted past this point, especially without payment. Or a bribe, more accurately. Rage bubbled within me. Determined, I nudged him out of my way only to feel his grip tighten around my wrist and yanking me back to him. My blonde hair whipped around me. Strands brushed against my lashes, blurring my vision.

“Raina, what the fuck?” Jeff hissed, and my eyes snapped open. My head spun as my sight was flooded with painfully pink morning light. “What the hell are you doing?” I gasped and looked around, frantically searching my surroundings to gain a fraction of my bearings. My bare, bloodied feet stood on the wooden planks of the dock that jutted the farthest out in the north shore’s harbor. I mindlessly clutched the locket which unexpectedly hung around my neck.

“How did I get here?” My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the weathered dock. I barely registered the cold biting through my tank top and joggers; all I felt was the warmth radiating from the locket resting against my chest—a bright ember in the chill of confusion. When did I even put the necklace back on? And where did these clothes come from? What the fuck happened? Did I black out? My mind spun and my eyes darted around the harbor and across the bay, searching for answers as Jeff stared at me like he was seeing a ghost. As a wave of nausea crashed over me, I leaned off the side of the dock, the dark water below reflecting my turmoil as I gave into the queasiness.

“I just found you standing out here. What the fuck is going on?” Jeff’s voice was laced with panic as I heaved. He pulled me up by the shoulders, his fear transparent through the intensity of his set brow. Completely bewildered, words escaped me. I, myself, didn’t have a freaking clue what was happening. Movement over his shoulder caught my eye. I spotted Cole at the boardwalk that connected the docks, and my heart sank heavy with longing and fury. I yearned to rush over and bombard him with the million questions that tormented me since he saved me from drowning. Yet, my tortured half craved to scream at him, watch him suffer, watch him burn. “Raina, are you alright? What the hell?” Jeff’s harsh tone cut through my thoughts as he shook me. My eyes snapped back to Jeff, and I abruptly lurched to the side and got sick all over again. My reaction toward Cole made no sense. Everything inside me was a chaotic whirlpool. Screaming. All I heard was screaming. But I didn’t make a sound.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Can you take me home?” I said quietly to Jeff, and my fingers started tracing the intricate design of the locket. The action placated me, confirming the pendant was still right where it belonged.

“S—sure,” he faltered, his brows knitted together. He held up most of my weight as he led me to his truck. We walked past Cole, whose expressions were completely unreadable from afar, but once I was within arms reach, I saw his crossed arms loosen, as if to reach out, before they locked back together again. And for less than a heartbeat, I read something behind those deep steel eyes.

Looking over my shoulder and through the window, once I was settled in Jeff’s truck, I watched Cole walk down the dock to where Jeff found me. He stood, overlooking the horizon, and ran a hand through his shoulder length hair.

Jeff and I drove in silence. I wasn’t even sure what to say to him, as I could not lace together any sort of coherent thought.

“I don’t like this, Raina. You are not okay.” His voice was a deep mumble. “I let Bridget know I found you.”

“She’s going to freak out.” Without logic nor reason, I was furious. Rage rose like a beacon inside of me and all I could see was red. I could hear my pulse as blood pounded in my ears. Witch, Witch, Witch. Every single beat.

“As she should be.” He wiped his face with both hands as the car came to a red light. “Look, I don’t know what is happening, but like I told you—you won’t be okay, and I don’t think you understand how far you’ve buried yourself in all of this. Maybe coming here was a mistake.”

“None of this has been a mistake. No,” I shook my head, and my eyes widened. It was as if I had a bird’s eye view of our conversation, and I could see myself, trapped inside and out, trying to scream. “All of this has been completely intentional.” Once in front of my apartment, I got out of the truck before he could detect the lie.

Meowing met me as I walked up the stairs to my entrance. The sound was loud and desperate, and as I swung the door open, Ferran shot out and ran down the steps. I shut the door and stood in the silence of my apartment. Something felt extremely off, like someone was just here. I peered under the table, and slowly walked toward the bathroom, hearing nothing. The place was empty. And I was alone. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I grabbed my phone from off the nightstand. It seemed to have died at some point, so I plugged it in and went to make coffee.

As I inhaled the deliciously warm scent of pumpkin and took a sip of the spiced latte, my phone sprung back to life with a fury. Dings and buzzes erupted in rapid succession as a flurry of messages and notifications came through relentlessly. When the chaos hushed, I lifted my phone to see…

“Sixty-seven notifications!” My mouth dropped open. The latest was in the group chat with Bridget and Sarah.

Bridget:

Thank god. The messages were just delivered.

Sarah:

Raina, are you alive?

As I swiped through all the texts, I rapidly glanced through them. Every single one of them was asking where I was, why I wasn’t answering, jokingly asking if I died, seriously asking if I died… One text from Sarah read, I’m going to call the cops. Bridget replied with, Chris did a wellness check and said she wasn’t home even though her car was there.

My chest tightened as I noticed the date—four days. The messages, texts, voice mails, social media pings, were sent and unread for four straight days. But I was just in the bathtub and then… I walked to the bathroom and found the dirty, lukewarm water still in the tub. I don’t know how long I stood on the tile after I unplugged the tub, but my phone continued to go off with notifications.

And then there was that ringtone. The only one that could have made me move my seemingly frozen body.

“Hello, Raina, darling.” Nathan’s annoyingly coy voice came through the phone. “I knew you’d pick up my call eventually.” He breathed deeply before continuing. “Now, tell me. Where have you been?”

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice trembling. Nathan and I might not have had the best or healthiest relationship, but I was his for three years. He knew me better than anyone else in my life, even if he never gave me more than his body. Nonetheless, he wasn’t here, and I needed to find out the answers on my own.

There was someone else I had to see, and she was going to give me what I needed, whether she wanted to or not. Anabel.