Raven Ridge (Witches of Sanctuary Book 2) (8 page)

I shoot him a glare. If he would tell everyone his secret, he could perform this spell himself. “Why won’t you let Abby call your mom and let her hypnotize him like she did Julien?”

“I don’t want to merely hear it. I want you to see the truth with your own eyes.” Reid takes my hand, leading me over to Lyric. Reid positions me in front of him. “Both of you think about a common memory. Think about the first time you met. The night Willa walked into your dad’s bar.”

We each nod and Reid takes my hand, placing it on Lyric’s temple. “Once you can see his memory of that night you can take the rest. Once the pathway is open, you make him show you any memory he’s ever had.”

I look over my shoulder at him. “How do you know this?”

He rubs my shoulders. “Your mom taught me three spells before Roux killed her. This was one of them.”

“What are the other spells?”

Lyric groans. “I feel sick.”

“Another time,” he says, nodding toward Lyric. “The potion is working. Do it now. Think about the memory.”

I close my eyes and try to recall that first night with Lyric. It was only a few months ago, but I’ve tried too hard to forget about everything that happened that night. Lyric tended the hole-in-the-wall bar that night while his father threw a big party downtown to celebrate the capture of Julien. It was before Lyric knew his father planned to kill him too.

The memory suddenly reversed. Instead of Lyric, I see myself. The magenta ball gown I wore is large and poofy as I sat down on the stool.

I don’t want to relive the rest of this memory. I don’t want to hear my own voice as I desperately plead with Lyric to save Julien’s life. I know how it ends. I force myself past it, through the shifting scenes and flashes of thought that look all too familiar. Then I find Lyric’s most recent memories.

Lyric sneaks down a dark hallway, peeking into an empty room, only to be overwhelmed with relief. Julien is gone again. That means he can sleep in peace. Lyric wants to escape, the need to leave desperate. He tried that already, though, and Julien threatened to break his neck. Now his brother has guards posted at every exit. They follow him everywhere.

Next is a flash of one of Julien’s tirades. Similar to the scene we witnessed at the abandoned house. Chairs and tables overturned, drapes ripped to shreds. Julien paces back and forth in the room, threatening to pull his hair out at the roots. He rambles about something, but Lyric is too scared. He hunkers down in a corner, hiding, hoping Julien forgets he’s there.

Then finally I see Lyric leave. He shoves clothes into a small bag and slips out the window of his bedroom in the middle of the day. He falls three stories, his ankle turning over upon impact of the hard concrete beneath. It’s a small price for freedom. He spends days running, hiding in the woods, afraid he’d be too easily tracked if someone saw him or he stopped to ask for help. He finally hitches a ride on the side of a train transporting coal and makes his way to Sanctuary.

The vision suddenly disappears and I realize it’s because Reid has removed my hand from Lyric. Lyric falls out of the chair to the floor, grabbing his stomach and groaning. I step back away from him. “What’s wrong? Did I do that to him?”

“Memories don’t like to be taken,” Reid says, whispering over my shoulder, “especially the bad ones.”

I try to go to Lyric, but Reid stops me. His grip is firm on my wrist. “What’s the verdict?”

“He’s telling us the truth. He’s as scared of Julien as I am.”

Reid lets go and I go to him. Lyric continues to roll on the ground and moan. For the first time Reid looks repentant for what he’s done to Lyric. “How long will this last?”

“He only drank a small vial, so just a few more minutes.”

I try to lift Lyric’s head but he pulls away, turning over on his stomach as he tries to choke up the liquid he drank. “I don’t like this spell. I can’t believe my mother taught it to you.”

“Well, she didn’t so much teach me as used it on me.”

I look back at him in disbelief, but he smiles. “I was stubborn back then too. Katherine gave me no choice but to admit the truth about myself.” He glances down at Lyric to make sure he’s too preoccupied to pay attention. “She knew what waited for us. She knew we’d need each other.”

Lyric slowly stops wriggling and yelling. He drifts into a restless sleep. Reid walks over and picks him up off the floor. “He’s fine now. He just needs to sleep it off. He’ll feel like crap tomorrow, but at least now we know we can trust him.”

I touch Reid’s arm, making him turn around. “In Lyric’s memory, there was a section where Lyric saw Julien missing from his room. He did that every so often. Then when he would return, he’d be in these mad fits of rage. He must be making trips here, and when he fails, it drives him crazy.”

Reid’s face falls a little. “We knew it was Julien. Don’t worry, with Lyric’s help we’ll find that book.”

I nod, allowing Reid to go lay Lyric on my couch.

I knew it was Julien who left that note for me on the door of Rooster’s too, and Julien who loosened the sensor in Reid’s truck on Raven Ridge. I just didn’t want to believe it. Now I do.

Now I’m scared.

Chapter 8

Stolen Time

It’s a miserable fall morning in Sanctuary. Especially for Lyric. Something between ice and rains pelts the window of the bookstore. It’s gray and foggy outside, but Lyric sits huddled in the giant red chair by the window, the hood of his jacket up, wearing a pair of blacked out Ray-Bans.

If you could order emo on a stick, it would come in the form of Lyric Cote. I brought him to work with me because I want to make sure he recovers from the spell I put him under last night, but I’m starting to regret it. Lyric has done nothing but complain about everything since his eyes popped open at dawn.

It’s too cold outside, and the rain is too rainy. The coffee I made him is too strong, and the smiles I give him too nice for someone who ripped his thoughts out of his head like a dying man searching for water in the desert.

His words, not mine.

He isn’t in a good mood and hasn’t been since he ran outside to release the entire contents of his stomach onto my unsuspecting mums. I continue to fill out my stock forms for a supply order as Romeo plays with the small bell on my counter.

Ding. Ding.

It’s Romeo’s favorite toy, and though it’s annoying, I’ve grown accustomed to it. Lyric…not so much. “Could you please make that cat stop ringing that damned bell?”

Lyric clutches his head and groans again. Reid said the aftereffects of the spell felt like a giant hangover, which from the expression on Lyric’s face, sounds about right.

Romeo scratches his paw in the air at Lyric and hisses. When Lyric looks up, Romeo does it again to make sure he gets the point. “That would be cat talk for ‘I’ll ring my bell if I feel like it,’” I say, smiling at him.

Lyric leans his head back and starts to groan again as Romeo continues to play with his bell.

Ding
. “Your cat is trying to kill me.”

Ding.
“Just put me out of my misery. Reid is never going bring that potion to make this go away.”

Without looking up, I send a book on the counter flying across the room toward Lyric’s head. He barely darts out of the way as it flies over the back of his chair and hits a bookshelf on the other side. “Hey.” He shoots me a dirty look. “That almost hit me.”

I shrug. I meant it to hit him.

Lyric grumpily turns around in his chair and stares back out the window. “I’m serious, Wilhelmina. Where is Reid? He promised me a feel better potion two hours ago.”

I throw another book at him, but this time he catches it easily. The Haunted have panther-like reflexes. I sigh and put down my pen. There will be no working with Lyric here. “Reid had a meeting this morning. He said he’d stop by on his lunch break.”

Lyric wrinkles his nose. He doesn’t believe me.

The doorbell rings, and I’m beyond thrilled to see Abby come in with her co-worker, Haley. “Hey, guys.” I quickly round the counter, happy for any kind of distraction.

Abby gives me a quick hug. “Good morning. I brought Haley by to get that recipe book she ordered for her mom.”

“Sure, it’s in the back. Give me a second and I’ll go find it.”

“That’s okay,” Abby says, smiling knowingly at me. “I’ll go grab it and check her out for you. Reid told me you were babysitting this morning.”

Abby trots into the back room without even a glance at Lyric. He huffs behind me. “I’m not a baby. I don’t have
teen
after my age anymore.”

I smile over my shoulder at him.

“Willa, do you care if I read through that catalog of travel books again?” Haley asks, her smile smaller now as she twists her fingers impatiently next to me. “My mom still has this insane notion she needs to go to Spain this summer.”

I wave her on. “Sure, you know where it is.”

Haley wanders over to the stack of catalogs I keep on the table in the back and sits down to look through them. Lyric instantly waves me over. I roll my eyes and drag myself to him. “What now?”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ve been here for less than twenty-four hours, but every person I’ve seen today keeps looking at me like that.” He tries to inconspicuously nod toward Haley.

I glance over my shoulder. Haley isn’t reading the catalog. She’s staring at Lyric. She quickly darts her eyes away.

“It’s because you look a lot like your brother.”

“That doesn’t explain the scowl.”

I glance back at Haley, and sure enough, she’s staring at Lyric again, her lips contorting into a grimace.

I turn back to him and sigh. “You know how in Charleston no one really knew about you? Or at least the other you.”

“Yeah.”

I lean over and whisper in his ear. “In Sanctuary…everybody knows.”

Lyric bites his lip, contemplating something. He takes off his glasses, and I see his eyes flash black, the slim rim of red growing around the iris, and his grin suddenly turns wicked. Wickedly sexy. He pulls his hood down and smiles at Haley. “Hey, girl.”

Damn those Cote boys and their mad flirting skills. Haley gasps and turns away. I shove Lyric’s shoulder. “Stop it. You are not allowed to do that here.”

“What? I thought you said everyone knew.”

“It doesn’t mean we want the other you getting any ideas. No using your influence on any unsuspecting civilians,” I say, pointing my finger at him like a scolding mother. I really do feel like a babysitter now.

“Fine. What about your friend? She isn’t a civilian. I remember her,” he says, nodding toward the counter. Abby is back from the stock room and standing at the counter scanning Haley’s new book into the computer. “She caused the whole building to shake that night in Charleston.”

I glare back at him. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Why?” He grins at me now, that love of a good challenge on his face that reminds me way too much of Julien. “She’s badass. I’m sure she could take me, and I like that in a woman.”

I grab his head and force his eyes back out the window. “First of all, Abby has a boyfriend.”

Lyric shrugs. “You mean that big scared guy who ran away from me last night? Minor complication.”

This time I give his head a shove. “Secondly, an Innocent getting too close to the Haunted is one of the reasons we’re in this big mess anyway.”

Lyric leans back in his seat and smiles up at me. “I like how you say that like it wasn’t you who got too close to one of the Haunted.”

I glare back at him, but it does no good to deter his grin.

“My brother loved you.”

I turn away from him, and he sits up in his seat to make me see his face. “Julien loved you so much that he risked my life and his own to save yours.”

“Which is why I didn’t let Reid kill you last night,” I say, spitting the words out through my teeth. “I want to find that book. I want to end this curse for you and him.”

Lyric leans in closer. “And if the Julien we know comes back to us…what then?”

“What do you mean?”

Lyric playfully taps his fingers along the arm of the chair, his voice dripping into a singsong effect. “One knows not the true magnitude of love until it’s been ripped away. It is then, in the deepest part of one’s despair, that you truly know the depth of its power.”

I glance down just in time to watch Lyric’s eyes revert back to normal. His Mr. Hyde is toying with me. I grab hold of his shirt. “This is your last warning. I don’t need you or your know-it-all Monster in there meddling in my business. Julien was my friend, and I admit we blurred the lines, but Julien knew how I felt. He knew it didn’t matter how much I cared about him, I cared about Reid a little more.”

“Sounds to me like you’re still trying to convince yourself.”

I shove Lyric back into his seat as I turn away from him. I’ve had enough of him today.

“What’s going on here?”

I glance over to see Reid coming through the door. I didn’t even register the ring. He’s carrying a giant stack of books. I glare back at Lyric. “Nothing.”

Lyric holds up his hands. “I’ll keep my thoughts to myself.” Then he glances at Abby. Sizing her up. “Everything else…I can’t make any promises.”

The books drop on the small coffee table next to Lyric with a thud. Reid leans over it, jerking Lyric’s chin around. “You look at my sister like that again, Cote…and you’re going to regret the day you stepped foot in Sanctuary.”

Lyric’s eyes widen. “Sister?”

“Twins, actually,” I say, smirking at him.

Lyric’s surprise slowly turns into a smile. “Not to play devil’s advocate, but exactly what can you do about it?”

A spark of lightning flashes in Reid’s eyes. It turns them completely white. I’ve never seen them do that before. “I can do a lot about it. So just try me, smart ass.”

Lyric jumps back. “You’re—”

This time Reid smiles. “And I suggest you keep your mouth shut about it.”

“There’s no way,” Lyric says, gasping. “The legend. The legend says only females…”

“Like I said,” Reid gives him the death stare, “look at my sister like that again, and that little hangover you’ve got will feel like a day at the spa.”

Lyric slowly looks around the room. “Do the others know?”

“No,” I say, stepping closer.

“And it’s going to stay that way.” The lightning flashes in Reid’s eyes again. He’s powerful. I had no idea he had that much skill. Is he still getting stronger? “You understand me?”

Lyric nods. Then he glances at the books, gesturing toward them with his chin. “What are those for?”

The mood lightens, and Reid sits on the stool next to Lyric’s chair, pulling the other stool out for me to join him. “We’ll get to those. First, I need you to tell me everything you know about Roux’s brothers. We need to figure out who the curse passed to in his family.”

Lyric sighs and relaxes back in his seat. “Where is my hangover cure?”

Reid pulls a brown glass bottle out of his pocket and sits it on the table. “Talk first.”

Lyric sneers at him. “Roux has two brothers. He always mentioned a Talbot Bessette. He said Talbot lives down in the Bayou in some swamp.”

“You think the curse went to him?”

Lyric shakes his head. “No. I specifically remember Roux calling him the baby of the group. The curse definitely went to his other brother. Roux didn’t like to talk about him, though. He’d never mention his name.”

I sigh and slump down on my stool. “That sounds familiar.”

“Yeah, that’s why I stopped at the library and got these.” Reid pats the stack of books he set on the table. “Catalogs of family trees in Sanctuary. If Roux and his brothers are named after the same brothers who stole the Book of the Moon, then we need to find the other name.”

Lyric smirks across the table at him. “You’re not going to find any family history of the Haunted in there.”

“How do you know?”

“Because every Haunted knows our family history is kept in the Raven’s Tower.”

Reid glances at me and then back to Lyric. This is news to us. “What Raven’s Tower?”

Lyric laughs. “You’re part of the Innocent and you haven’t heard of it?”

Reid shakes his head like it should be obvious by now. Lyric leans closer to him, lowering his voice so Abby and her friend chatting at the counter can’t hear. “I always heard Roux rave on, angry about how my father left Raven Ridge and everything in the tower unprotected. He said everything you ever wanted to know about the Haunted is in there.”

“Where is this Raven’s Tower? We hiked up the entire Ridge last week and didn’t see any tower.”

“Only one of the Haunted can open the door,” he says smugly. “That means you need me. It’s going to take some convincing or some highly skilled trespassing to get you guys there, though.”

“Who do we need to convince?”

“The person who lives in that house at the bottom of the Ridge. That Raven she has sees everything. I came across the mountain on my way into town, and it followed me. Any time I got too close to that long wall of ridge, it would swoop down and practically peck my eyes out.”

Reid looks at me. “Svetta. That’s her Raven.”

“We will just have to convince her to let us pass through.”

Lyric shrugs. “Works for me.” He glances back at the counter again and then to Reid. “Be sure to invite your sister to tag along.”

Reid’s eyes flash white again and Lyric laughs. He grabs the bottle of potion off the table. “I think I’ll go enjoy my drink over here.”

He trots off in the direction of the counter and Abby. Reid turns to me. “I’m going to hurt him before he gets to be any use to us.”

I smile and point at the counter. Lyric says something to Abby, and I can only assume it’s wildly inappropriate by the way she gasps. The glass bottle in Lyric’s hand suddenly turns a scarlet red. Lyric drops it like a hot potato, shattering across the counter. The contents leak off the corner onto the floor. Lyric clutches his palm against his chest.