“You weren’t jealous, were you? I feel like the whole fight was my fault.”
He picked my hand up off the wharf and held it between his. “I wasn’t jealous. Well maybe a little, but that wasn’t what started the fight.” He looked into my eyes. “That fight was inevitable. Evan provoked me for the last time.”
“Promise?”
“I swear it wasn’t because of you and Luke.”
“Good, because there never was a ‘me and Luke.’ We’re just friends.”
With one hand on the back of my head, he pulled my face closer and kissed my forehead.
“Are you ready to remember everything?” His eyes, newly re-kindled, smiled down on me.
“How?”
“By combining my witch blood with your fairy blood.” His eyes searched mine.
“Our binding,” I said, remembering. “I’d read about it in the grimoire, but wasn’t sure what it meant.”
“You can read the grimoire?” he asked, surprised.
I nodded. “Yeah, but I’ll explain later.”
He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a pocket knife. My eyes widened.
“It’s the only way,” he said softly.
He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my palm.
“If we were normal human beings, I wouldn’t do this to you. But the fact is, we’re not normal in any sense. We had planned to share our blood a thousand years ago. I remember now. It was the only way to bind our souls and make our magic stronger, but we were torn apart. As Claire and Christian, we didn’t have a chance after the binding. And now, our third lifetime together might soon be over.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
“What do I have to do?”
He let go of my hand and flicked the small blade open. To my horror, he pressed the knife point into the middle of his palm. I made a face, but didn’t look away.
As if the trickle of blood that leaked around the point of the blade wasn’t enough, he glided the knife along his skin until a thin crimson line appeared down the length of his palm.
My breathing changed, becoming louder. An unpleasant feeling settled in my stomach. His eyes flicked to mine.
“I sterilized the blade before I came,” he said—as if that could take the horror of it away.
My hands were curled into fists in my lap. I didn’t move them.
He held out his bleeding hand to me. The fresh line of blood widened.
“Does it have to be that long?” I asked with my face held in a grimace.
“It’s not as bad as it looks. Trust me.”
Reluctantly, I lifted my hand and uncurled my fingers. I held it, palm side up, between the two of us, not willing to give it to him completely. Marcus took my hand and held it firmly in his. When I felt the tip of the blade touch my skin, I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Just do it, fast.”
I turned my head as far away from the site of operation as my neck would stretch. I bit down on my bottom lip and waited for the pain. In the same instant that the tip of the blade penetrated my skin, several things happened around us.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Without warning, a violent wind reared up off the ocean, swirling around me, lifting my hair, whipping it against my face, taking my breath away. My eyes squinted shut. I heard grunts, Marcus swear loudly, and the knife drop to the planks, but not before the blade accidentally sliced down the length of my hand and into my wrist, making me shriek with the intensity of the sudden pain. Our hands were ripped from each other’s grasps.
“Brooke!” Marcus yelled.
I fought against the wind to speak, but couldn’t find my breath. Strong hands grabbed me and yanked me to my feet. The wind subsided as mysteriously as it had appeared. My eyes flew open. The first thing I saw was Marcus struggling to free himself from Evan’s grip. Evan held one of his arms securely behind his back in a submission hold, same as my captor held mine. I snapped my head around to see Megan standing behind me. Instinct made me struggle, but it was useless. She tightened her grip on my arm, digging her nails through the flannel fabric of Marcus’ shirt and into my flesh.
“Ow!” I screamed.
Pain shot up my arm and into my shoulder. My bleeding hand throbbed. I watched the blood, black in the hour before dawn, trickle down the length of my fingers and drip onto the wharf. As hard as I tried not to let it, an agonizing moan escaped me. Marcus stared in horror. The sudden jerking motion of Evan grabbing Marcus had made the blade cut more deeply into my flesh than I was sure he’d meant for it to.
This was it. We were going to die. We weren’t strong enough to fight them, and I was going to bleed to death anyway.
“Let her go,” Marcus yelled sharply, struggling against his captor. “You can have me. As long as one of us dies, the other is no threat to you.”
He was looking to the other end of the wharf as he spoke. I jerked my head in the same direction. Maggie had materialized out of nowhere. Sammy stood beside her. Maggie stepped closer. As always, when she spoke, her ancient voice chilled my insides, and I shivered.
“This game has gone on long enough. She would have been dead by now, if it weren’t for something else I had to take care of.”
“She? What do you mean, she?” Marcus’ tone was on the edge of hysterical.
What did she mean by singling me out as the one who would have been dead by now? Would she let Marcus live? Amid the turmoil, my heart soared at the thought, and I couldn’t hold my tongue.
“Wait! I’ll die. If it ends this curse and one of us can live, let it be me who ends it.” If there was a chance that he could live, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“No! Don’t listen to her.” Marcus looked from me to Maggie.
“I’m bleeding anyway. It’s okay,” I said to Marcus.
A sharp laugh cut through the air. “And wouldn’t that be a twist of fate. If I let Brooke bleed to death, then Marcus would live with the knowledge that he killed his fairy princess.” Maggie didn’t toy with her words, they were sharp and to the point.
Marcus looked utterly shocked and pale.
As Maggie came nearer, she seemed to float instead of walk. The folds of her robe rustling softly in the breeze was the only sound she made. Near the horizon, a cloud swept across the sky, exposing the setting crescent moon, and in that instant, the glow of the moon glinted off something shiny set against the blackness of Maggie’s robe. My amulet hung around her wrinkled neck.
“Where’s Robyn?” I asked, fighting against the pain and the weakness that was quickly overtaking me.
“Safe, for now.” Maggie’s tone had changed to annoyance. “Her witch of a mother thinks she has saved her, but it is only temporary. Eventually, she will be punished for treason.”
So it was Robyn’s mother who had transported her away from here. I was glad for her and held on to the slim chance that she might be able to help us.
Maggie came closer, stopping directly in front of me, her eyes glued to my bloodied hand. From somewhere in a fold of her robe she produced a tiny glass vial. Instinctively, I curled my fingers into a tight fist and pressed it close to my side, but Megan grabbed my wrist and thrust it out in front of me.
“What are you going to do?” Marcus yelled at Maggie. She didn’t answer.
With one arm held tightly behind my back and the other held stiffly out in front of me, I jerked my body, trying to break free, hurting myself further as Megan’s grip tightened.
Maggie was close enough now that I could feel her cold breath on my face. Her icy fingers seized my wrist. My fist tightened. Blood oozed from between my closed fingers and ran up my arm inside Marcus’ shirt sleeve.
Maggie scrapped the glass vial against the inside of my wrist, collecting a drop of blood. The only thing keeping me from fainting was the coolness that radiated from her and the immense terror that prickled every cell in my body.
When her icy fi
ngers let go of my wrist, the pain from her touch lingered. My hand fell limply to my side. I tried to keep conscious, but my head drooped slightly. A substantial crimson puddle formed on the wharf planks below me. Maggie drifted back to Sammy’s side.
Marcus seized the opportunity. Although I could see he was in pain, he twisted himself free of Evan’s grip and lunged for me, grabbing my bleeding hand with his.
In that moment, my world forever changed. Marcus’ energy shot through me, entirely. Every aspect of my two past lives infused into me instantly. I didn’t have to remember anything, I already knew. No longer was I merely, Brooke Alyson Day, I was Claire and Bryn, too. My entire life as a witch came flooding back to me, as well as my life as a fairy.
I was Bryn, flitting across treetops under a starry sky, dancing atop glistening ocean waves bathed in moonlight.
Effortlessly, I glided over the grasslands of the human territory, until I came to the spot in the meadow where the willow wept over the stream. I knew Kalan would be there waiting for me.
Day after glorious day, we frolicked innocently through the tall grasses mixed with wildflowers, under the golden sun. We bathed unclad in the sparkling stream.
Every moment together was more precious than the last. Kalan’s love seeped through every pore of my body and wrapped itself around my soul, enhancing my senses.
With every touch came a tingle.
With every breath came the fresh scent of Kalan’s skin, mixed with the fragrances of meadow clary and the glistening stream, all warmed to perfection under the sun.
Surely no two beings had ever found this level of love.
Now and then, mortals would visit our stream, but our magic allowed us to blend into our surroundings. None ever laid eyes on us.
For us magical beings, it was easy to tell when humans were in love—their auras shone brilliantly, for only us to see.
Whenever two mortals in love came to our stream, we celebrated our love with them by secretly gifting them with long lives of happiness and prosperity. Occasionally, they would hear the sounds of our giggles, like whispers on the wind, as we danced around them. Sometimes, they heard us splash, as we frolicked invisibly in the stream, but try as they might, they never found the source of the whispered sounds.
The vision shifted, and I was standing in front of the newly built Ravenwyck Inn. Jason was by my side. A dapper Christian was helping the beautiful Julia out of a horse-drawn carriage. The sight of Christian made my heart swell.
With Julia at his side, Christian turned to face Jason and me. Bashful, I blushed and looked down at the gravel. It wasn’t long ago that we’d met, and yet I loved him already. He took a step closer, making my heart skip a beat.
Jason and I greeted Julia and Christian and then went inside the Inn to attend our scheduled coven meeting.
Margaret shot Christian and me looks that made me uncomfortable. Did she know?
As I stood as part of the Coven of Seven, our robes brushing lightly together, my body was very much aware of Christian to my right. I felt a pull and longed to lean into him. I felt nothing from Jason to my left.
Margaret asked us to join hands. Once the circle was formed and we were linked together, we invoked the spirits. We each took turns calling upon the guardians of earth, water, wind, fire, and spirit, always saving darkness and light for last.
And as always, unbeknownst to the others, once darkness and light were called upon, a shimmer of energy passed from Christian into me and from me into Christian, binding our souls further.
Our linked hands, concealed within the bell sleeves of our robes, grew warm. I felt Christian squeeze my hand, gently. I squeezed back, and all the while we had to concentrate on casting the circle.
As I stared into Margaret’s young and beautiful face as she chanted, her image waivered.
Once again, I was on the wharf, struggling to break free of Megan’s incredibly strong grip. Marcus was on his knees now, both his arms secured behind his back. He lifted his head and stared at me with wide, frightened eyes.
Maggie was in front of us. She raised her arms, a spell rolling off her tongue. A bright blue light lit up the end of the wharf and Marcus’ boat materialized.
“Put them on the boat,” Maggie snapped the order.
The tide was high, so the jump from the wharf onto the boat wasn’t far. I couldn’t see Marcus behind me, but I heard the thump and some struggling, as he and Evan hit the deck of the boat together.
Before I had a chance to turn my head to see if Marcus was all right, Megan shoved me into the cabin. I stumbled to the floor. Too scared to move, I knelt on my hands and knees where I’d fallen and watched through the tangles of hair that had spilled over my face as Megan entered the cabin with me, closing the door behind her. She stood in front of the closed door, looking as if she’d just walked out of a beauty salon. Her silken waves, a stark contrast against the blackness of the robe she wore, cascaded down the front of her shoulders. Her French manicure and make-up looked as though they had all been executed professionally. For some reason, I was more terrified of her than any of the others, even Maggie.
When I realized she wasn’t coming after me, I cautiously raised myself up off the floor. In the dim light of dawn seeping through the porthole windows, I stared at Megan’s expressionless face. It was as if she really was a zombie.
I took two steps backwards and fell against the bench seat. A slight sting made me look down at my hand. A thin, pink line had replaced the open gash on my palm. It had healed itself. I smoothed my hand across Marcus’ shirt, wiping away some of the blood. As I stared at the scar, puddles formed on the rims of my eyes. We had been so close. I wondered if I would even see Marcus again before it was all over.
With my new knowledge, I now knew that any powers we would be gifted within this lifetime would come to us on the eve of the equinox—this evening. And that our powers would only last until midnight, but we had to be together for it to work. That seemed impossible now.
A light brush of air made me look up from my hand. I cringed against the back of the seat. Megan stood directly in front of me. Her pupils that had been flat and dull a moment ago were now black and depthless. They drew me all the way in until I felt weightless.
Megan captured my spirit and dangled it above a scene I did not want to see. Julia and Christian lay on a bed together, naked, their bodies intertwined, engaged in shameless activities. Sounds of passion floated up to me. I tried frantically to close my eyes, but in my spirit form, I had no eyes to close. I watched for hours as the two young lovers satisfied each other. Only when it was over, did Megan release my spirit. She smiled down on me wickedly.
She spoke to me as Julia. “Once Margaret is finished with Christian, he will be mine again.”
I gasped, appalled at the thought. My mind went through a dozen scenarios. Although weak, I found my voice. “What is Maggie going to do with him?”
She let out a quick, dark laugh and bent low enough so her bewitchingly beautiful face was level with mine and whispered seductively, “She wants his baby.”
If I could have pushed myself through the bow of the boat, I would have. “That’s impossible,” I whimpered. “She’s too old. It’s just sick.”
“Now that she has what she needs from you, she will be young and beautiful again very soon. Christian won’t be able to resist her.” It was clear that Megan was amused with the whole idea. “And then, when she’s finished with him, he will be mine forever. I have already fashioned a potion that will make him fall desperately in love with me. He won’t remember you even existed.”
With a manicured finger nail, she lightly traced the line of my cheek down to my chin, leaving behind the sensation of being scraped with the tip of a razor blade dipped in ice.
I shivered.
The door to the cabin burst open. Megan straightened.
“We’re here,” Sammy said flatly.
Megan grabbed my arm and forced me to my feet. Feeling heavy, I trudged out th
e door and into the early dawn. Marcus was nowhere in sight.
“Where is he?” I asked sharply.
“He’s not your concern anymore,” Sammy answered.
It was just Sammy, Megan and me now.
Chapter Thirty-Six
We were docked at a wharf, which looked as if it belonged to nothing. Beyond the aged wharf, a vast cemetery began at the shoreline and spread over a hill, looking long forgotten. The dismal scene held no houses or buildings.
Flanked on either side by the two witches, I walked through the pathless cemetery—a place I knew I’d walked many times before. A patchy mist covered the ground. How fitting. The seaside gravestones were so old; their etchings had eroded over time. As we neared the top of the hill, a low throaty rattle made me look up. Perched atop a cracked obelisk, sat the raven, eyeing us as we walked by.
On the other side of the hill the trees thickened; their twisted roots crawled along the uneven ground. This part of the graveyard was a sea of green. Protected by the shade, a dense covering of moss blanketed the gravestones, the ground, and the tree trunks.
Anxiety about my imminent death began to settle in. I began to wonder which tree I would be tied to and burned at, but I continued on in silence as if I were dead already.
Sammy and Megan stopped abruptly in front of a large, unembellished tomb. The structure was sealed shut with a stone slab. Wordless, Sammy raised an arm, and with a finger, traced the rune for ‘open’ into the air. With a grinding noise, the cement slab slid to the side. Sammy stepped into the darkness. My heart thrummed loudly against the wall of my chest. I took one last look around, convinced it would be the last time I saw the daylight. Beyond the trees, a large green building with many dormers came into view.
The Ravenwyck.
I knew exactly where I was now. The old graveyard I’d once walked through with Sammy on a dare when we were kids. The graveyard in which, as Claire, I had been burned to death for treason.
The legend had been wrong all those years. It wasn’t on Skull Island that two young lovers had been murdered. It was here. The murderers had just taken our remains to Skull Island and thrown them into the well. Until a few minutes ago, I’d forgotten this place was through a thicket of spruce trees, behind the Inn.