Page 48 of The Redd Key (Bone Coven #1)

S unlight shimmered on the water’s surface like a million tiny rubies, as Bridget drove Griffin’s SUV around the bend and up toward Peak Drive—fortunately the idiot kept his car fob in the drink holder. They were reluctant to leave me. We mostly sat in silence, processing the horror we had just lived through.

“You have to admit how bizarre it was that Cole was there and then to vanish suddenly,” Bridget parked in front of my apartment.

“Yeah, like where the fuck did he go?” Sarah shook her head and winced. I unplugged my phone from the car’s charger, which died several days ago before I even woke up when Cole captured me, then got out of the car and stood back with the door open.

“Well, we were just gawking at my leg, for who knows how long, so he probably said goodbye, but none of us heard it because we had just performed an actual miracle.” I lifted my eyebrows and tilted my head, emphasizing the absurdity of it all. “He likely ran off to avoid our endless questioning.” Because I had tens of thousands of them.

Sarah groaned, pressing the side of her head. “I wish we could have tried healing my head, I’m not feeling too good.” She lurched as if to vomit but stopped herself.

“You might have a concussion,” Bridget said to her. She turned her full attention to me and leaned in closer, “Listen to me, Raina. I really don’t like the idea of you being here alone. We know Cole saved you and helped save us all today, but he also kidnapped you and held you captive for over a fucking week. We have no idea what he wants or what his intentions are.” Bridget’s eyes shone like vermilion, the light of concern reflecting in them. “Are you sure you’ll be alright tonight?” She glanced worriedly at Sarah. Who had her head leaned back against the seat with her eyes shut. “I would stay—we both would—but I have to take her to the ER right away.” Bridget gave me a tight smile before shouting at Sarah, “don’t you dare fall asleep.”

“I promise I’ll be fine. I already texted Jeff, so he’s on his way,” I lied, and her shoulders tensed at the mention of my brother’s name, then relaxed after a subtle breath. “He’s like five minutes away,” I checked the time on my phone.

She accepted the story and threw the car into drive. “I’ll call you once Sarah gets seen. Text or call me if you need anything, I mean it.” I nodded, and she drove off.

The crisp dusk air filled my lungs as I inhaled deeply before turning to go up the stairs. Ferran was sitting on the top landing, looking down his whiskered nose at me. The first step creaked under foot when my phone buzzed.

What happened, are you ok? Jeff texted right on cue. I climbed the remaining steps and opened the wooden door. The door frame showed no signs of Cole breaking in. The thought made me shiver, and I scanned the dark room inside. When I flipped the switch, light bathed the cozy space. My chest swelled with emotion. I stepped past the threshold and fought the urge to cry.

Only a few days had passed since the last time I was home, but it felt like a lifetime. Although everything remained just as I left it, the atmosphere had shifted. The sense of security vanished. Safety disappeared. Cole ripped that away from me, and I doubt I’ll be able to forgive him, even if he nearly lost his life attempting to save mine. That was the least he could do for me. Now, I must navigate this world, in this space, always uncertain if someone might try to steal me away from it once more.

Cinnamon still laced the air from a sachet hanging on the mounted hook. I placed my phone on the shelf beside it, but a constant buzzing shimmied it off and onto the floor.

“Sorry, I just got home,” I answered. Jeff immediately started to lecture me.

“I’ve had this feeling for days, what’s been going on? None of my texts were delivered, calls weren’t answered. I heard about that woman who fell and thought it was you. Eamon–,” he finally took a breath as he forced out our stepfather’s name, “he assured me you were fine, that he had already talked to the police. He was told that you and your friends went on a short trip. He spoke directly with the Chief…Chris? The one Bridget is dating.” Although he sputtered, his voice remained calm and steady, controlled.

A couple things tripped me up. He remembered Bridget’s name, Eamon had been looking for me but I didn’t have any messages from him, and Chris outright lied to my stepfather. The last was not in the least bit surprising considering he was at the Forge with the rest of the Blood witches. Every inch of me wanted to continue this lie to placate Jeff and end his worries. But I couldn’t.

“Jeff.” He was in complete silence on his line. “Things here aren’t what they always seem to be. I know you know that—remember—the docks?” I heard him grunt, barely acknowledging that the attack had happened. “It was Griffin. He and others, Chris, Agatha, Tamara…they were all working for someone, trying to–,” but he cut me off.

“Were?” he asked sharply.

“Something happened at Bennett Forge today. Sarah, Bridget, and I were attacked,” and I could feel his rage bubble up through the phone. “I’m ok!” I blurted before he could try to speak. I walked over to the foot of the bed and sat down, running my fingers through my matted hair. I needed a bath. How long had it been? I felt so tired as I continued, “They had us trapped. They tried,” I hesitated before diving into the details, “to use our blood to gain enough strength to initiate a ritual.” I heard him suck in air. “I guess they have to kill or use blood to even wield Aecor or magic.” Silence. “I know it sounds crazy, but we both know we’re different. RJ knows too. You can’t keep ignoring it. I saw you at the docks, and I saw you bend elements to your will to protect us.”

“I’m not denying it, and I’m not arguing. Raina, are you sure? About the blood?” I sat up straighter at his questions.

“Absolutely. I could feel it as they made me bleed.”

“They made you what? ” A low rumble met my ear.

“Jeff, it’s fine.”

“It is not in any way fine. Did they have you all this time? If they hurt you, I will kill them.”

“No, Jeff,” I tried to plead with him, “You can’t. They didn’t survive the fire.” The words felt like the final nail in the coffin. Murder.

“Then I’ll find their bodies and do worse things to them in death.” He hung up.

Staring at the candles, which now burned in the room, I forced myself to blink away his words and proceeded to hastily call him back. He never answered, so after the third attempt, I texted him.

Please, call me back immediately. You don’t have to do anything.

He never gave me the chance to tell him they were…dealt with. There wouldn’t be much left after a fire like that.

Steam hazed my bathroom, limiting visibility almost completely, exactly how I needed it to be. I did not want to see my reflection. Slowly easing into my scalding bath, I felt the intoxicating sensation on my skin as I melted under the water. With every scrub and massage of my scalp, my haunting memories from the cavern came creeping to the forefront. Cole kept me trapped there.

But not really , I reminded myself. The door never had a lock. I kept myself trapped in there. A part of me was too afraid to admit it, but after everything I did under the locket’s influence, I needed to be locked away—for everyone else’s safety. I may not have pushed Lydia, but I didn’t try to save her. And she was trying to save me. The visions had been growing in strength, too. Who knows how much worse things would have gotten if Cole hadn’t stolen the locket?

Cold crept in through the seams of the old apartment windows as I towel-dried my hair. The kettle whistled, and soon after, my favorite calming blend was steeping. Although my skin was clean, my clothes were soft, and I was surrounded by the trinkets that made the apartment feel like home, an iciness settled into my core. I caught myself repeatedly glancing toward the door, waiting for Cole or someone else to shatter all sense of solace once again. The ominous feeling didn’t dissipate as I sipped my tea.

Anticipation immediately dispelled as my phone buzzed.

“Hey, Bridget. How’s Sarah doing?” I swirled the tea.

“She’s alright, minor concussion like we thought. How are you?” She asked directly. Bridget was obviously in a mood, and I was not going to toy with her.

“I am fine, bathed. Jeff and I spoke, and I told him what happened.”

“All of it?”

“Uh—” I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t, but I may have purposely avoided telling him about Cole kidnapping me. And I told her that much.

“I don’t understand,” she enunciated.

“Don’t understand what?” Sarah chirped, clearly a bit distant from the phone.

“You’re on speaker, by the way.”

“I really don’t know why I didn’t tell Jeff about Cole. I guess I don’t know what I’m feeling. He took me to that place, but I was the one who stayed. I chose to stay.” They were both silent. “The door was never locked.” My voice cracked.

“How were you supposed to know that? It could have been a trap to trick you. What if he’s a psycho who wanted you to try to escape so that he could chase you down and cut you into pieces?” Sarah screeched.

“Calm down, you’re not supposed to get all worked up. And lay– back– down–,” Bridget said, sounding threatening. “Anyways, I’m staying with her tonight to make sure she’s alright. Doctor confirmed she definitely got a concussion, but it doesn’t seem like any more damage than that.”

I sighed with relief. “But how are you, B? Chris—”

“I’m fine,” she said sharply, and that was that. “Why are you so strung out about Cole?” Bridget shifted the conversation.

“The room I was in was breathtaking. Not in a luxurious way or anything like that. But all that history. Cole has clearly spent painstaking hours making sure each piece is completely protected. The care, the compassion, and the patience that it must take him to maintain a collection like that. I know I sound so nerdy, but I was actually very taken aback by it all. He truly cares about each of those items’ stories.” And then I remembered how he looked at me, like I was just as priceless as the treasure he beheld. “There were moments when he told me about himself. His words were brief and cryptic. I don’t really understand anything he said, but I feel like I saw him—like I could really see him… his soul. It felt like returning to someone I had lost so long ago.” My eyes stung, and a hot tear slid down my cheek. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but when Cole left after the fire at the Forge, and even now, it…it physically hurts. Like, there’s a pull or tugging in the cavity of my chest that’s begging for me to find him.”

“Well, then get up, bitch. And go get your man,” Sarah yelled into the phone and burst into giggles.

“ Lay down! ” Bridget hissed. “Raina, that doesn’t sound natural,” she said logically.

“It’s not natural, B. It’s fated.” Sarah’s smile was so pronounced that I could hear it through the phone.

“I’m not sure what this feeling is, but it makes me feel so helpless. Like I’m not in control, and I think that’s why I never left that room. I didn’t trust myself, not really sure what I would do if I left. Whether I’d run away to find help or desperately search those tunnels looking for Cole.” The words slipped from my lips, and I conceded to their truth as I uttered them.

“It’s the—” Sarah started.

“You better not say the lore. Don’t you dare, Sarah,” Bridget huffed. “Raina, please be careful. We don’t know Cole’s role in all of this. We have to look at the facts. We have been attacked multiple times. I know Griffin implied it was them, but he also said they work for Him . Cole could be the leader, for all we know, trying to lure us into trusting him. He could want our Aecor all for himself.” She stated valid points. Though her concerns made my blood simmer, and it didn’t feel right. I felt physically defensive at the implication—my hackles rising, so to speak. “I’m not saying that is definitely the case,” she added quickly, as if she felt the shift inside me. “This entire thing just seems way bigger than any of us. We started exploring our Aecor throwing, caution to the wind,” and I could tell she was speaking to Sarah as well. “Maybe Anabel was right in ignoring our abilities and minimizing them our entire lives. Maybe we should have listened to her and left well enough alone.”

“And what? Just be helpless victims? Of course, we could have been more careful. I didn’t need to find that locket, but we did. We chose to open Pandora’s box, and there’s no going back.” The shadow of regret threatened to consume me as I thought about Lydia, how maybe her death could have been avoided. “Whether or not we stepped into our power, our Aecor, the attacks on the island would have happened anyway. And if we hadn’t stepped in, more people would have died. We’ve ended that.” Punctuating the claim, my phone beeped as a call tried to come in. Jeff. “I have to take this, it’s Jeff.”

“Tell him Bridget says hi! I hear she’s suddenly single,” Sarah laughed out. Oof! I cringed. A bit morbid and perhaps a bit too soon.

“Be safe, Raina.” I could almost hear Bridget’s eye roll.

“Love you, guys. I’ll talk to you soon.” I switched the call over to Jeff. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything dumb.”

“I’m at the blacksmith ruins, Raina. Or what’s left of it.” His voice sounded as thick and ominous as the depths of a cold cellar. “Their bodies are not here. No one is here.”

I paused. “What do you mean?” Dread pooled in my chest, heavy and suffocating.

“They’re gone.”