Page 47 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

“Y ou get to go first,” Griffin whispered in my ear, nipping at the skin. He trailed kisses down my neck and collarbone, and I thrashed away from him. Any residual attraction I had for him turned to dust and threatened to expel itself from my mouth violently. My skin crawled as he traced his fingers up and down my arm. “Your blade.” He reached behind himself, demanding the dagger from Aggy without breaking his gaze with mine. I clenched my eyes shut and braced myself for the sharp pain, but a subtle change in the air made me open them.

Griffin moved to trace a circle into the gritty wood floor around the three of us. Tamara followed a few spaces behind him, prowling like a cat and whispering an incantation. Chris stayed against the door frame, perched and watching. Aggy kept huffing and shifting her weight impatiently, continuously throwing glances between me and Griffin. He came back around to kneel in front of me, resting both his hands and the dagger on his knee. His smirk was languid and cool.

“Are you ready, babe? We will join now, become one, and you will be inside of me.” The implications of his words made my stomach lurch. The dagger was at my throat swiftly, and I inhaled sharply. The edge of the blade pressed against the skin, creating a trickle of blood, and I heard Sarah’s whimpers grow louder. Bridget was now hissing and spitting like a feral cat, screaming profanities and insults at each and every one of them. Griffin’s eyes followed the pearl of blood as it glided down my throat. Groaning, he adjusted himself. The sick fuck was getting off on it. “You are going to feel so good,” he purred.

“Come on, Fin, baby,” Aggy took a step forward but stopped when Griffin shot a threatening look over his shoulder. “Let me do it,” she begged, and her manic eyes gleamed.

“She’s mine,” he barked. He pressed his forehead to mine as the pressure on my throat grew.

Meanwhile, all six of our hands behind us clasped together, gripping so tight my knuckles cracked. In unison, we pushed out with our power, and the roar was deafening. Griffin was thrown against Aggy, and our bindings broke. Bridget jumped to her feet and tackled Tamara. Both women rolled into Chris, knocking him backward out of the shop. He didn’t fall out of sight like I expected but instead slammed into a body that nearly filled the entire doorway.

“Cole,” I breathed; his eyes held a fierce storm as they connected with mine. Sarah dove for the dagger that came loose from Griffin’s hand. Aggy got up and ran at Sarah, pinning her against the wall. They struggled with flailing arms to overcome one another.

Chris crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll, and Cole stepped over his body. Cole’s massive form cast a wide shadow across the room as he strode through the threshold. The firelight from the hearth danced in his eyes like embers falling in a midnight sky. A gust of wind pushed inside past him, and the crisp air made my eyes burn. I had no idea if he was here for me or not, but I didn’t have the luxury of time to sit and figure that out. Whirling around, I grabbed Aggy off of Sarah. She held the knife and sliced me across my arm. The pain seared, and I clenched my teeth. Blood immediately flowed, dripping down my fingers and onto the floor. A hand grasped the wound and jerked me toward them as I screamed.

I could feel Griffin’s hard body against my back. The scent of cedar and spice gave him away at first. His breath felt hot on my cheek, and he snaked an arm around my throat. Sounds of struggle bounced off the stone walls as the fire crackled, wood popping.

“Tell me, Raina,” his voice was husky as his face rested in my hair. I heard his breathing as he inhaled deeply. His other arm was locked around my waist, holding my body against his. He swiped a finger across my throat and then smeared the drop of blood against my lips. “How do you taste?” A growl rumbled through his chest as he licked his finger. My lips were wet, and I felt my Aecor seep through the thin skin.

“You should not have done that.” Cole appeared suddenly at our side; his voice was deep and rich. In one swift move, he grabbed Griffin by the throat. “You do not get to touch her anymore.” Cole’s jaw hardened into a straight line. His words sent electricity through me, and I used the distraction to drive my elbow into Griffin’s ribs and twist out from under his arm. I ran over to Bridget and saw Chris was still laying in a heap in the doorway. He could have been dead for all I knew.

Strands of black and silver hair flew in all directions as Tamara tried to claw Bridget’s eyes out. Bridget landed a blow on the side of Tamara’s head, and I yanked the horrid woman off of my friend. Bridget stood, her strong stance towering over Tamara’s fallen body. Tamara’s green eyes were lethal as she scowled at Bridget. I felt the Aecor flood around us as Bridget raised her hands and pushed through the air at Tamara. Eyes wide, Tamara scrambled back against the wall as roots broke through the cobblestone floor and slithered through the cracks, wrapping around her ankles, knees, thighs, and the rest of her body. Tamara was bound entirely in the vicious growth; she looked like a grotesque cocoon. Thorns spiked out of the mangle roots, impaling her, and the light left her emerald eyes. A final, rattled breath left her bleeding mouth.

Screams from behind me grabbed my attention. Sarah was stricken with the hammer Griffin held earlier. Aggy picked up a rusted set of forceps and aimed them at Sarah. I swept my hand through the air, from the hearth toward Aggy, and a ribbon of flames followed. The fiery strands intertwined with Aggy’s limbs, locking her in place, and she screamed from the searing burns. He won’t be the only one who burns. RJ’s words echoed in my mind. Heat flooded me, and I enjoyed it. The feeling sent a shiver through me, and I promised myself to revisit what that meant later. Now was not the time to weigh morals. Sarah pressed her palms to the side of her head, blood running down her arm and dripping onto the floor.

Raising her bloody hands, she stared at Aggy and through gritted teeth said, “You pathetic bitch.” A gale force blew at Aggy, fanning the flames and consuming her entirely. Fire spread to the exposed beams and the rafters. The thatched roof caught fire and ignited quickly, and soon embers showered around us, floating in slow motion. Smoke began to swirl above our heads. Sarah and Bridget came to my side, and the three of us turned to face the men fighting across the blacksmith shop.

“Stop.” My voice, though quiet, held a commanding edge that pierced the air. Both Griffin and Cole froze, their gazes locking onto mine. I sensed the Aecor of the two women beside me meld with my own, creating a deadly energy. Inside me, chaos twisted like a violent storm. When I faced Griffin, the Aecor tried to unleash itself from my being as if it was held captive. But when my eyes met Cole’s—thunderously grey and just as tempestuous—the Aecor altered its response. The power instead surged, tingling like static throughout my limbs, right to the tips of my fingers and toes. A giddy sensation rushed over me.

“Wow,” Bridget breathed, she felt it too.

“I think we’re connected and in sync now,” Sarah smiled. Her eyes weren’t joyful, but rather hungry. When I tilted my head toward Bridget, hers were the same.

Chest rising and falling like a predator mid-hunt, Cole ran a hand through his hair and dipped his head slightly. “Fuck,” he rasped, scanning the room to see the damage the three of us caused. A crack from above drew our attention when, in a flash, Griffin kicked out at Cole, jumped over the workbench, and ran straight for the door. Part of the roof came crumbling down in a bundle of embers, wood, and shingles, blocking the doorway before he could reach it and igniting everything around it.

Smoke billowed around us, thick as fog now. Griffin stood with the flames at his back.

“Even a drop of your blood is all I needed for this.” He stretched out his arm in front of him and held up two fingers. A cruel smile twisted across his face as he flicked those fingers dismissively, like if swatting away a pesky gnat. The floor cracked beneath us, extending along the stone wall and up into the remaining rafters. Using every ounce of magical strength I had, I pushed Sarah and Bridget away from me, sending them nearly twenty feet apart in either direction. The floor gave out, and a splintered plank of rotted wood pierced my calf, and I fell hard. Griffin’s laughter rang out as large cobblestones loosened and tumbled down.

In what felt like slow motion, three things happened at once. Sarah, Bridget, and I summoned elements—Air, Earth, and Fire—and propelled our Aecor at Griffin. Engulfed in Fire and stone, he was consumed by the flames, intensified by Sarah’s gusts. Just above me, a massive beam collapsed from the ceiling. Before the solid wood could crush me, Cole appeared, snapping the plank beneath us with his foot, dislodging my leg and pulling me out of harm’s way. The pain in my leg was torturous and I roared as he held my weight.

Time restarted, its pace even faster than normal, and the blacksmith shop was now disintegrating all around us.

“Leave her,” Bridget yelled at Sarah as she tried to move to Aggy’s charred body. With a pained look, Sarah released the burnt woman. The two of them shattered a window and threw themselves out of it.

“I can’t walk,” I said to Cole, who had me pinned against his chest as the flames rose around us. His face was so close to mine, and whether it was from the smoke or his proximity, I could no longer breathe.

“Look at me.” The grey in his eyes was flecked with gold like the blaze of the rising sun, “I will not let you go.”

Black smoke rose into the overcast sky as the red sun sank lower. The four of us stood in silence as the blacksmith ruins burned. Crows cawed beyond the cliff overlooking Bennet Forge Park.

“I saw what you did,” Cole finally spoke, turning his gaze to each of us. “How long have you had those abilities?” Bridget jutted her chin in defiance.

“Just because you got her out of there, it doesn’t mean we like you,” she retorted. Soot streaked her hair.

“You took her from us. You kidnapped her.” Sarah’s head had stopped bleeding, but she was still clearly in pain as she let out a groan.

“I do not expect you to understand.” His voice was not condescending but perhaps laced with despair. “It has been a long time since I felt power like that.” His hands gripped me, still holding me against him. “Can you stand?” he softly asked me, and I shook my head. The pain was overwhelming. He continued to cradle me as if I weighed nothing.

“How do you know about Aecor?” I questioned him, feeling his presence sharpen my focus. It wasn’t until I found myself pressed against him that I recognized how much I had longed to be near him. We were just as close now as we had been in the trove when he reached for the journal.

“Redd Hills has a history of secrets; not all of its lore is just bedtime stories. I have experienced the difference between fantasy and reality.” He spoke as if he had lived many lifetimes. “After years of exposure, I could identify what resides in me and in others. You three have an exceptional wealth of Aecor. And together…” he gestured to the building that now lay in ashes, smoldering, “you three are a force beyond anything I have seen.

“Yes, we are. Now, can we please go?” Sarah was shivering, and blood matted her hair.

“Heal her leg first,” Cole directed Sarah and Bridget, as if that were possible.

“Did you hit your head?” I laughed but doing so hurt every part of my body. Cole’s thumb smoothed against my arm in response, and the small gesture felt too intimate. My eyes slid up to his, and he looked absolutely tormented. I felt bad for the quip. “I—” My mouth opened, but no words followed— should I apologize?

“You are in pain and do not deserve to be.” His syllables held more weight than the simple statement did. “Both of you come here.” He jutted his chin, and Bridget and Sarah before me. “You each have an affinity?” Bridget nodded in response. “Call upon them, and I will do my best to help.”

“Wait.” Sarah leaned forward. “You can do what we can do? Does that mean you’re a wi—”

“I am not, nor have I ever been, a witch.” His jaw was a hard line. “Water,” is all that he said before closing his eyes. I felt the Aecor well up inside of him, and it covered me like a blanket. Then I sensed Sarah call upon Air, and a faltering push of Earth from Bridget. Focusing on the energy around me, I steadied my breath and willed the burning embers of the blacksmith shop to unite its power with the other elements.

Soil, salt air, dew, and warmth encircled my leg. The splinters from the wood fell from the exposed flesh, and the wound mended together in a blur. The healed injury appeared pink and tender, yet the pain was a fraction of what it had been just a moment before. Had I not witnessed it happening, I would have never believed something like this was possible. I wasn’t even sure if seeing it was enough to make me believe.

We all turned to look at one another, and Cole carefully placed me on the cold ground. I attempted to stand, and my leg didn’t give out. The area where the wound once was just moments ago was aching, but manageable. Bridget and Sarah bent low to examine the new flesh, faces stunned in pure awe.

“That—that’s wild,” Bridget whispered, gawking at the new flesh. A laugh escaped Sarah , but was quickly replaced with a groan. I rubbed the tender area on my leg and looked up to thank Cole, but he was gone.