Page 46 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

W ind rushed past my ears, and my head throbbed. My eyes fluttered open, and the dim light felt like a laser, searing my retinas. I couldn’t see straight, and everything in my field of vision blurred. A whine escaped me. My entire body hurt, every nerve lit up with radiating pain. I tried to stretch the muscles, but I found that I couldn’t. Rough rope fibers dug into my hands, binding them behind my back as the hard planks of wood I sat on made my tailbone ache. My head hit something as it lobbed to the side. I turned to receive a face-full of curly hair. Sarah . My throat was raw, making it impossible to speak. Coughing came from my other side, and I turned my head too quickly, wincing at the sudden sting. Bridget choked, gagging as if she was expelling water from her lungs, but no water came. Eventually, she calmed and slowly looked over her shoulder at me.

We were positioned back to back, shoulder to shoulder, on the floor of an ancient-looking building. The stone walls were weathered and the thatched roof was riddled with holes, letting in flurries of snow from above. In front of me stood a massive hearth with tools splayed out on an anvil. We found ourselves in the old blacksmith shop in the Forge ruins. I tried to speak once more, but my voice had deserted me.

Movement from beyond the shop’s door caught my eye. Griffin ducked his head below a half-fallen beam and sauntered inside.

“H—help,” I croaked. The effort set my throat ablaze. Sarah fought against the bindings, her fingernails scraping against the back of my hands.

“You mother fucker,” Bridget spat at him; her voice sounded like she swallowed gravel. He ambled to her and kicked her in the ribs, throwing her hard against me. I yelled in surprise—or tried to, at least— and tears pricked my eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Blood still caked his fingers as he strode into my field of view.

“Hello, my love.” Griffin crouched in front of me, and his bloodied fingers lifted my chin. I jerked my head away, but his grip tightened as his lips curled. “I’m starting to think you have a fetish for this sort of thing.” His tone was thick with degradation. “We could have had so much more fun if I’d known you like being captured.” His laughter echoed ominously, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Why are you doing this?” My throat burned as I inhaled, and I trembled. Sarah continued to claw at the ropes behind our backs.

Griffin’s eyes dimmed under his stark brows as all facade of kindness left him. “Tell me where the locket is, Raina,” he demanded. There was a crazed look behind his stare, and he bared his teeth, waiting. I shook my head slightly, in disbelief at how this was happening, again, and this time I didn’t even have the locket. I tried to say as much.

“It was taken,” I forced out. Every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire. The throbbing in my head was worsening.

“You’re not telling the truth,” he crooned as he walked to the hearth. “Where is it?” he spat harshly.

“I don’t have it, he took it. Cole took it,” and Griffin shot a look over his shoulder to me.

“Now, why would he do such a thing?” His gaze was accusatory. My mouth gaped as I struggled to find a response. “How could you just give something like that away?” His voice sharpened, and he squared his shoulders.

“It was taken ,” I repeated, and the sharp sting of his hand striking my face forced my head to snap to the side, bringing a fresh wave of pain.

“You gave it to him.” He inhaled deeply through his nose. “What else did you give to him, Raina?” He lowered his chin and paced around the three of us.

“Wh—what do you mean?” My eyes widened in panic as he vanished from my line of sight.

“Oh, love, don’t act so innocent.” He chuckled; the sound was menacing. “You were alone with Cole for how long? Don’t tell me you didn’t try to seduce him as you did me?” My jaw dropped—the audacity. Griffin chased me . His accusation was absurd. And my dignity swelled in my chest to a dangerous level.

“You are out of your fucking mind,” I spat, and a sharp backhand struck across my cheek again. Tiny lights popped into my vision.

“Shut up. You are no better than the whore you came from.” He towered over me, but I was fuming now.

“My mother—” Cutting me off, he howled with laughter, making us flinch.

“Not your mother.” He shook his head as he continued walking. “ Her.” His eyes were gleaming. “The whore who threw herself at the pirate, and caused all of this to happen.” Goody? Sam? I couldn’t make the connection between Griffin and any of that.

“Why do you care?” Bridget snapped at Griffin.

“B, don’t.” Sarah whimpered.

“You,” he rounded on Bridget, “should listen to your friend.” Turning back to meet my scowl, he smiled. “Not only did you throw yourself at Cole—I’m sure of it, cause I’m not stupid—but you gave him the locket, didn’t you?” Before I could answer, he carried on. “We need that locket. Don’t you understand? We cannot continue without it. The ritual—”

“What ritual?” I demanded. He paused, cocking his head.

“Ah, yes.” He smiled so widely that it bared all of his teeth. The sight was unhinged. “I’m sure you only know the fairytale, my love. But oh, there is so much you don’t know.” He ran his hand through his hair and then clapped his hands together. “To start, you three need to go.”

Sarah began to kick her legs out violently; his words were like a call to the gallows for her. “No,” Bridget growled. I whipped my head toward Griffin as he walked around us, laughing mockingly.

“You three are so dramatic. It’s all for a good cause. If you’re one of us, at least.” He shrugged.

“One of who?” Bridget snarled. I felt her body vibrate with fury.

“Oh, see, I’m not going to tell you that. But I guess since you’ll be dead in a few, I can tell you one thing. We need that locket. Goody’s Aecor. It’s just one piece of the ritual, but it’s a start.” He crouched in front of me, and I could feel the warmth of his breath. “So much power,” his voice was quiet with awe, and he gently swiped a strand of my hair away from my face, “and you just gave it away.” Griffin clenched his teeth, and a muscle in his jaw twitched. He stood so quickly that I flinched again. He walked over to the anvil and tools, picking up an iron hammer. My eyes widened, and my heart raced.

“What happens when the ritual is initiated?” I couldn’t think straight, but I knew we needed time. We needed him to keep talking. Bridget’s fingers intertwined with mine and squeezed gently in agreement, as if she heard my thoughts. I continued to probe. “What has to be done to make it possible?”

Tracing his finger along the head of the tool, Griffin pursed his lips. “Hmm, I don’t think I should tell you, but I think you like the thrill of violence.” You’re a truly violent creature, aren’t you? Cole's words echoed in my mind. Cole . Something inside me cracked at the thought of him. A pull in my chest rooted me to the spot, and even without the binding, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to move. Yes, he kept me in that cavern for days, but I never once felt a consuming fear towards Cole like I did now.

“Please, tell me.” My voice softened. I looked up at Griffin through my lashes, and for a moment, I saw the version of Griffin that I thought was real.

He groaned and squatted back down. Cupping my face in his hands, he kissed me long and hard. I nearly suffocated, desperately needing to breathe when he finally pulled away. “Don’t look at me like that, babe. You know what you do to me.” A growl rumbled low in his chest. His delusion repulsed me.

“What the fuck?” I heard Bridget whisper. Griffin was crazed. Sarah kept randomly thrashing, simpering from overwhelming fear. It poured from her in waves.

“My love, the ritual is a gift. Wielding the locket’s Aecor will help speed this along tremendously. Some of us don’t have the luxury of casting magic whenever we want.” He shot a sharp, menacing look at Bridget and Sarah. “We have to acquire that skill by other means.” He raised a finger to his mouth and licked the tip. The realization hit me.

“The stag,” gasped Bridget as Sarah’s breathing shook.

“You’re a Blood Witch,” I quivered.

“Yes, we have to kill and take power from those who hold it. All creatures possess it, but not everyone wields the Aecor flowing through their own veins.” A chill ran through me as I realized there was no doubt about Griffin’s intentions regarding the three of us. When combined, our magic was something to behold, and I shuddered to think of the destruction our Aecor could unleash if exploited as he suggested.

“What will you do once you have that Aecor?” I asked, using my fingers to try and soothe Sarah. We needed to focus…fast.

“First, we need the locket. Aren’t you listening?” His voice boomed, and he prowled back around to stand in front of me. “It will be easy to kill Cole, and now that we’ve taken you three…”

“You keep saying we. Who’s we ?” Bridget yelled in annoyance.

“Hey, girls.” A sweet, shrill voice sent shivers up my spine.

“Aggy?” Sarah stilled. “I–I don’t understand.” Aggy cackled as she walked into the blacksmith shop and stood beside Griffin. She draped an arm over his shoulder.

“Sorry I’m late, babe,” she tilted her head up. The meaning behind her action didn’t register until he bent down to kiss her just as he did with me. I inhaled sharply. My ego took a bigger hit than I cared to admit. “Oh, Raina, sweet thing, you really thought he was into you? Oh no, honey—he was playing you,” she smirked. Griffin’s brows knit together, and he gave me a strange look. His hand slid up her spine and held the back of her neck as he massaged the area with his bloody fingers.

“Not everyone on this island has the same lineage, Bridget.” He spoke, not ripping his eyes away from mine.

“Chris should be coming soon, Tamara, too,” Aggy said to Griffin. She ran a finger down his jaw. “We have to be completely prepared for when He arrives.” She said the last with reverence.

“I wasn’t aware He was coming for this.” Griffin looked alarmed, but after a moment, his features smoothed once again. Aggy walked around Griffin, allowing her fingers to trail down his neck, arm, and into his hand before she approached me.

“Aren’t you such a lucky bitch? Not only did you get captured by Cole,” she mocked swooning, “but you got to have an entire make-believe relationship with Griffin.” Her adoring look at him was not feigned. “However, it seems like your luck is up.” She pulled a dagger, carved from obsidian, from a strap on her thigh. My pulse sky-rocketed.

“Not yet,” Griffin spoke sternly. “Not until the others have arrived.”

“Fine,” Aggy pouted. Her boots created little puffs of dust as she slinked toward the hearth. Once there, she sliced her palm open and dripped blood into the grate. After a few moments, a roaring fire came to life. “I want to see the light leave their eyes. I’ve been waiting so long for this.” She hummed as she took her place at Griffin’s side once more. He kissed her palm, where the cut was made. Crimson smudged the corner of his lips.

Crunching footsteps from outside the building sent my racing heart into overdrive. The muscle pounded as if it would burst out of my chest.

With her inky black hair and matching outfit, Tamara walked inside in such high contrast next to Chris, who followed, with his pale skin and fiery hair. He was still in his police uniform.

“The fire at Town Hall.” It clicked. “The pier, the library…” I trailed off. The memories were an enlightening chaos. “There were dead animals at all of those sites.”

Griffin smiled. “You have gotten to experience only a taste of our abilities when we tap into Aecor.” He tilted his head as he looked down at me, and Aggy bounced in front of him. His expression flashed with annoyance.

“We’re all here now,” she purred. “Can I please do it? Can I please cut her?” She whined the requests like a child, and bile rose in my throat. He pushed her aside and stepped toward me. My heart pounded harder. Aggy cursed and crossed her arms. Her anger was palpable. Tamara moved around them and bent down in front of Bridget, gripping her chin and turning her head side to side.

“God, this is going to feel so good,” Tamara said with a throaty voice. Bridget hissed through her teeth at her.

Chris leaned casually against the doorframe looking entirely bored.

“You know what,” Bridget hurled at Chris, “I’m not even fucking surprised.” He didn’t even spare her a glance. “Fuck, I should’ve just broken up with you. What the fuck is a ‘break’ anyway?” She growled in frustration. For a moment, I wondered if she regretted not having all that time with Jeff instead. Seemed like such a waste.

Griffin stood over me.

“Raina, darling…"

I looked up to him. His face was soft, a perfect illusion of what I had believed and fallen for, all this time. His hand reached down, and he caressed my cheek with his thumb. His tender eyes glistened. “I am going to bathe in your blood.”