Raven Ridge (Witches of Sanctuary Book 2) (3 page)

A blinding green light takes me.

I open my eyes to the sound of my own scream. I dart up, but Reid is over me, holding me tight. I grab my neck. The spot flames like a hot coal and I jerk my hand away to keep from burning myself. Reid’s face is sad. He moves my hand away, rubbing his thumb over the pain in my neck. “What is it?” I ask.

“A blue circle. The moon.” He helps me sit up and my hand reflexively goes back to my neck. “The Declaration has been made. You’re the leader of the line of the Moon.” His sigh is deep and rugged. “As if the Haunted needed another reason to want kill you.”

Reid helps me to my feet and I cling onto him, my legs still unsteady. “How are we going to find out who the curse passed on to in Roux’s family?”

Reid bites his lip and helps straighten my shoulders. “I know someone.”

My eyes widen. “What do you mean, you know someone?”

“Look at me, Willa.” His hand clutches my hip. “I haven’t been keeping my powers a secret just to torture you. I have my reasons. Trust me on this, okay? No one needs to know about my powers yet. Not until I figure out who we can trust.”

He pulls me closer, kissing my temple. “Go find my mom and the others. I need to go send a message to someone. I’ll meet you at the party.”

“Party?”

Reid smirks down at me, wiping his unruly hair away from his face. “You didn’t think they had you get all dressed up just for that, did you?”

I sigh and lay my head on his shoulder. “I’m not sure if I’m party material tonight.”

Reid smiles against my cheek. “That’s too bad. I was hoping to dance with my girlfriend tonight.”

I glance up at him, my eyes narrowing slightly. “Really? Did you invite her?”

He rolls his eyes. “Are you always a smartass?”

I shrug. “I didn’t get dressed up like this just for a ceremony.” I shoot him another take-the-hint look.

He grins before his lashes drift shut. A kiss.

A real kiss. A knock my socks, shoes, and common sense off kind of kiss.

His fingers grip my hair, tilting my chin up. My palms clutch in his shirt the same time his tongue parts my lips.

If it were possible for me to melt into a puddle of estrogen, I would.

He slowly pulls away and I lick my lips. I already miss the taste of him. His thumb rakes down my cheek. “I’ll meet you at Rooster’s in an hour. We’ll discuss it.”

When I finally catch my breath and open my eyes, he’s gone. I’m alone. Again.

I sigh and fall back against the nearest tree. I swoon. I didn’t even know swooning was a real thing. I thought it was just something southern belles made up so they had something to do while they fanned their faces and gushed over the latest gentleman caller at their door. It’s real, though.

I have to hold my heart to keep it from beating out of my chest. An hour feels so long away.

Chapter 3

Warning Signs

The tiny deck outlining the side of Rooster’s restaurant offers the prime view of Main Street. Positioned at the busy street’s central point, you can watch the tomfoolery of the Harvest season from a safe distance. An auction in the central square next to the courthouse. A busy farmer’s market in the park. The darkness does little to dim the light from the extra large glass bulbs that string along the banisters and outline the tall, sloping frame of the historic building. Doorbells ring in the distance and the beautiful melody of a nearby piano bar serenades the visible stars above me with an upbeat rendition of “Tiny Dancer.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d think the entire town celebrated with me tonight.

Maybe they did. The residents of Sanctuary know the legend. It’s famous. They all watch me. They whisper when I walk past them. Their kind smiles can’t mask the hint of uncertainty or the flicker of fear just beneath the surface. They know what I can do. The Innocent are to be respected.

I turn away from the banister as Abby and Sadie step up to my side. Sadie’s black hair is down tonight, only accented by a band of white daisies around her forehead. She slips a crystal flute of something red into my hand. “Congrats, O Superior One. May your dear servant request an audience?” She does a very courtly bow in front of me.

I playfully swat at her. “Stop it. That isn’t funny.”

Sadie laughs, and I do too. I twirl the red liquid around in the glass. “What’s this?”

“Something I cooked up just for you,” she says, bouncing on her toes. “I’ve been practicing.”

Sadie shares her mother’s natural talent for potions, but perfecting the craft takes time and training. I examine the bubbles rising out of the top skeptically. “Could you be more specific?”

Sadie nudges my elbow toward my mouth. “Just a little something extra for the pain. The mark still burns, right?”

I absently touch the spot on my neck. The lightning bolt straight to my soul. It’s tender and the sting hasn’t entirely gone away yet. “You knew they would mark me?”

Abby’s eyes round as she squeezes my arm. “We didn’t want to scare you. You were already nervous enough without hearing old witch tales.”

I take a drink of the liquid. It’s sweet and fruity. Pineapple with a hint of awesomeness thrown in. Sadie really is getting better at potions. “You’re probably right.” I take another long swig of the drink. It numbs every ache in my body. “No one needs to expect that.”

I down the remainder of the liquid and exhale. Sadie smiles triumphantly at me. “It’s good, right?”

I nod. “It’s amazing. You came up with this all on your own?”

“Yep. You should see what I’m working on now. It’s this healing—”

Abby steps in front of her, cutting her off. “There’s no time for that.” Abby’s smile brightens a little as her expression turns expectant. “So?”

I slowly bring my glass down. “So…what?”

She lets out a long exaggerated sigh. “What was going on between you and my brother at the house earlier?”

“Oh. That.” Abby glares impatiently at me, so I try to shrug it off. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” She crosses her arms over her chest, clearly unsatisfied. “You two keep saying that.”

“Well, until I can stop meaning it, that’s going to be my answer.”

“He’s been living in your house for two months.” Abby throws her hands out. “Two months!”

I take another sip of the red liquid. The pain in my neck is nearly gone. “Trust me, Abby. I know.”

She groans loudly. “Why does your relationship have to be so complicated?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you should ask Reid.”

The hinges of the patio door squeak, then clang back shut. “Ask me what?”

Abby twirls around and I lean past her to see Reid standing in the doorway. He changed clothes. His red flannel shirt has been replaced by a simple navy t-shirt, and dark jeans absent of his usual rips and holes. I step past Abby toward him before I know what I’m doing. He meets me halfway.

“Where have you been?” I glance at the black leather watch on his wrist. “It’s been longer than an hour.”

He touches my hair and then the spot of the mark on my neck. “You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find pants that meet my sister’s dress code requirements.”

I glance over my shoulder at Abby. She makes an ugly face at her brother. “I simply asked that you wear something that was purchased within the last decade.”

He brings my chin back around to look at him. “Can we talk? Privately?”

“Of course.” I turn back to the girls, my heart already beating in my throat. “Do you mind?”

Abby smiles, showcasing all her teeth. “Sure. Just remember one thing—” She holds up two fingers and flashes them in front of our faces. “—two months.”

Reid bites his tongue. Everyone’s patience is running out. Reid takes me by the hand and leads me back inside.

The tables that usually take up the floor of the restaurant are absent, and the room bustles with people to fill the space. I know only a few of them by name. The bar at the front is open, and Carolyn, the Innocent who owns our favorite hangout, works diligently behind it. Sera and Jade stand with a few other familiar faces, laughing at something Carolyn’s daughter Julie says. Reid leads me through the crowd, away from them, toward the front of the room. He stops next to the window, holding me close to him. “Before we get into our situation, I want to talk to you about what happened in the circle tonight.”

I let out a breath. “I thought we said no avoiding it.”

He quickly gets my meaning and cups his hand under my chin. “I’m not avoiding it. Discussing the Book of the Moon is part of it. Especially now.”

“How is it a part of it?”

His gaze goes out the window. Anywhere but at me. “The night Julien was abducted by Roux and his father…you two were alone in an abandoned chapel.”

Damn. He hadn’t forgotten about that.

Nothing happened between Julien and me in the chapel. Well…except me kissing him because I felt sorry for him. It didn’t mean anything. Julien was my friend. I was simply trying to ease the loneliness he felt, and at the time, kissing him felt like the right option. “Reid—”

“I’m not jealous, Willa. I just need you to understand something before you make a decision.”

I pull back, leaning against the window behind me. “What are you talking about?”

Reid takes in a breath and holds it before finally letting it out. “We both know how you feel about Julien.”

I grab his arms, pleading with him to believe me. “I chose you.”

“Did you?” His voice is weak. Unsure. “Because I don’t recall you saying the words.”

I jerk him closer. “I choose—”

“Wait.” He holds up his hands. “Not yet. I want you to hear me out first.”

“What could you possibly say to make me change my mind?”

“I wasn’t supposed to read my grandmother’s spell book. The secrets of the Book of the Sun were meant for her eyes only. Only the leader of each line, the one person, knows all the secrets. It’s how we keep them safe.”

“Okay.”

“There is a spell. Half of it is in the Book of the Sun, the other half in the Book of the Moon. This spell, if performed correctly, while following all these stipulations, could save the Haunted from their fate.”

“What do you mean, save them?”

“I mean if you find the Book of the Moon, you and my great aunt Delphine could release the Haunted from the curse.”

My hands slip off the windowsill. I catch Reid’s hand and he steadies me on my feet. “You knew about this spell? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Willa, I thought the Book of the Moon didn’t exist anymore. Like I said tonight, everyone thinks it’s lost. Gone forever. I had no idea the Bessette family had it. Hell, no one even knew the Bessette family existed until a couple months ago.”

I pace back and forth in front of the window. “I can’t believe it.”

“If we do this, you’ll get
your
Julien back.” Reid’s eyes dart down to the floor. “The one from the chapel.”

I hold my hand over my eyes, trying to hold my thoughts in my head.

Reid touches my hip, only briefly. “I promised I wouldn’t keep any secrets from you. I thought you should know before we discussed
us
.”

That look. I hate that look. I hate the doubt he feels because of me.

“Reid…”

The door behind him opens and we both flinch at the brisk night air that slips inside with the couple coming through. As the door begins to whip shut, I notice something. A flash of white against the mahogany wood. I reach past Reid and grab the door before it shuts. “What is that?”

Reid helps me open it, and I gasp when I see what caught my eye. A piece of paper stamped to the door by a knife. Reid grabs the guy’s shoulder who pushed by us. “Hey, did you do this?”

The guy looks back at the door. “No. I thought it was some kind of Halloween decoration.”

Reid lets him go and we move outside. Reid jerks the knife out of the door and slips the paper off the sharp blade. I scoot closer to him, leaning over his shoulder to see. “What does it say?”

Reid can’t speak. His hand trembles as he passes the note to me. I fold the rough edges back to see the small words in the dim light.

I’m coming for you.

I jerk around, scared, as if Julien might be standing behind me. The memory of his icy breath prickles my neck. “He’s here. Julien is in Sanctuary.”

Reid pushes the door to Rooster’s open and pulls me inside. “Julien won’t make a public appearance. There are too many of us here. He knows that.”

The wound in my chest aches as if Julien’s blade twists inside my gut. I hold onto Reid as he guides us through the heavy crowd. I’m not ready to face him again. That night in Charleston broke me. Physically. Mentally. Completely. I want to stay locked in this daydream a little longer. When I finally look up again, we’re standing with Sera and Jade. Sera reads the panic on my face. “What’s wrong?”

Reid motions to Abby and Sadie who make their way over to join us. “The celebration is over. We need to get Wilhelmina back to Frog Hollow right now.”

He hands his mother the piece of paper. Sera reads it and hands it to Jade. “Are you sure it’s him?”

“Who else would it be?” Reid pulls me tighter to his side. “It was attached to the door with this.” He holds up the gleaming blade for her to see. “He must have seen us through the window. He knew we would find it.”

Abby leans over Jade’s shoulder to see the paper. Sadie takes the note, her teeth grinding together. “You’ve only been here a couple minutes. Whoever put it there has to still be in the area.”

“I’ll go find Grady,” Abby says, handing her drink to Sadie. “We will interrogate every person on the block. Find out if anyone saw anything.”

“No one would see him.” My heart thuds in my chest, the thrumming ringing in my ears. “Julien has a way of appearing or disappearing out of thin air. He wouldn’t make the mistake of letting anyone see him.”

Abby touches my arm. “There is always a chance. I’ll meet you back in Frog Hollow as soon as we’re finished.”

She leaves us, and immediately my attention goes to Sadie. She’s staring at the ground, fighting back whatever emotion that threatens to take her. “Sadie?”

“I’m fine.”

She isn’t fine. There is no way she could be. Julien killed Ezekiel. It doesn’t matter that Zeke begged me to let him sacrifice himself so I could escape. Sadie still lost the man she loved. Now Julien is back for more. I reach over and take her hand.

When she looks up, her eyes are glossy. “I won’t let Julien hurt you, Willa. The Haunted have taken too much from us already. I won’t let them take you too.”

“They won’t,” Reid says for me. “Wilhelmina and I have a plan.”

Sera folds her arms over her chest. “What kind of plan?”

She is always accusing Reid of jumping the gun with his plans.

“One that would better be discussed in the safety of Frog Hollow,” he says, glancing over his shoulder.

Sera follows his gaze around the room. We don’t know who might be watching, or worse, listening. “All right. I’m going to inform Carolyn. Jade and Sadie will accompany you back to the house.”

Jade takes a long look at me. “Actually, I’m going to stop by my shop for another dose of cider for Wilhelmina. I’m afraid she might need it if we expect her to get any sleep tonight.”

There would be no sleep for me. Ever.

How can I close my eyes when I know I will be met with the coal black depths of Julien’s hatred staring back me?

I stay close to Reid and Sadie as we make our way down Main Street to Reid’s truck. Every eye on the street watches us. They might not turn and stare, but their gazes follow us. Conversations abruptly halt. Crying babies suddenly calm. They give us a wide berth on the sidewalk.