“Thane,” I said.
“Nice to meet you. Are you new in town?”
“Yeah.” Understatement of the year, considering I didn’t even know where the hell I was.
A secretive smile twisted at Mason’s lips. The sight of it made me uneasy.
“Well, I hope you enjoy your stay,” he said.
“Thanks.” I crammed my hands into the front pockets of the unfamiliar jeans I wore.
How could I enjoy my stay when I didn’t know where I was? Also, where was I supposed to stay? I didn’t have a car that I could remember, which meant I had absolutely nowhere to go.
“Hey, are you okay?” Mason asked. “You kind of look lost.”
I cracked a grin at that. “That would be a valid way to describe me at the moment.”
I thought he would chuckle—I did—but he didn’t. Instead, Mason seemed to look at me as though he were seeing right through me.
“You don’t know how you got here, do you?” He asked.
The way he spoke made it seem as though this wasn’t the first time he’d encountered someone with some form of weird amnesia like me.
I scratched my head. “No, I don’t. I know how crazy that sounds, though.”
“Not crazy at all,” he insisted. “Trust me. It happens around here a lot.”
What did that mean? Was this town like the Bermuda freaking triangle?
“Umm, okay. Where exactly is here, if you don’t mind me asking?” I pressed.
“Willow Harbor, South Carolina.”
The name didn’t ring a bell. I folded my arms over my chest and chewed the inside of my cheek. What happened to me? Why couldn’t I remember anything?
“And from the look on your face, it’s clear you have absolutely no idea where Willow Harbor is or what it is for that matter.”
I arched a brow. “What it is?”
Jesus, did I wake up in some kind of secret cult town? That was the last thing I needed.
“Willow Harbor is a supernatural town. It’s not on any map and GPS won’t get you here. People find it only because they’re supposed to.”
A chill slipped down my spine. “Creepy.”
Mason cracked a grin. “Sometimes, but not always.” He nodded to the shop behind me. It was a bookstore. “Listen, I need to get lunch to my fiancee. You’re welcome to come inside. I know what it’s like to fumble around this town not knowing where you’re going or how you got here. I found it by accident too a few years ago. It takes some getting used to, but it’s a nice place once you do.” He stepped inside the bookstore and I followed. “Are you staying at the inn?”
“Inn?”
“Yeah, it’s the only one in town and run by the Finnygoods.”
Mason walked toward a room in the back of the store. As I followed behind him a woman with dark hair came into view. When she saw Mason a wide smile stretched across her face.
“My hero.” She smirked as she reached for one of the coffees. Her gaze drifted to me over Mason’s shoulder, and her blue eyes narrowed. I immediately picked up on the fact that her body had become tense at the sight of me. People in this town didn’t seem to like strangers much. “Oh. Hi. Can I help you with something?”
“This is Thane,” Mason said, introducing me. “Thane, this is my lovely fiancee, Claire.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
“Thane is new in town. He’s not sure how he got here actually,” Mason said. His tone was serious. He wasn’t making fun of me in the slightest. Instead, I got the impression he knew something I didn’t about my randomly showing up in Willow Harbor.
It had my unease spreading.
Claire’s eyes widened, making it clear she understood the same secret. “Oh!”
“I was thinking about letting him stay in my old apartment for a while, at least until he gets on his feet since I’ve still got keys to it.” Mason surprised me by saying.
This guy didn’t know me. Was he nuts?
“Oh, no. I couldn’t,” I said.
Maybe turning down his offer wasn’t the brightest move—after all, it wasn’t as though I had anything else lined up—but still.
Who in their right mind offered the key to their apartment to a complete stranger? While I could somehow sense he wasn’t human—and neither was his fiancee—still, it just wasn’t something you did.
“We insist,” Claire said. She flashed me a look that I deciphered quickly as her daring me to try and resist their offer again. Something about the way she squared her shoulders told me she wasn’t the type to screw with.
It was because of this that I agreed. Besides, what other choice did I have?
“Okay. Thanks,” I said.
“Not a problem. Oh, and if you’re hungry.” Mason pointed out the front window. “The food truck parked near the willow tree has the best sandwiches in town. If you’re looking for pizza, there’s a great place just down the street. And Urban Grind a couple of shops down has the best coffee.”
I heard him speaking but couldn’t bring myself to acknowledge his words. The only thing I could focus on was the girl with long dark hair I had just noticed standing beneath the willow tree. I could only see her profile, but it was enough for me to know she was stunning.
Also, I knew with certainty whatever reason I was here had everything to do with her.
Four
Lena
My muscles were tense. I gripped my cup from Urban Grind too tightly, but I couldn’t seem to loosen it any. Energy buzzed through me. I was ready to fight or run, whichever my mind deemed necessary. My raven was ready for action too. She wanted free.
The sight of the black harp shifted through my mind again.
It couldn’t be a coincidence. Could it? Was I reading too much into the situation? The Sisters did have a cult-like following. Just because the compass had their symbol etched into the back of it didn’t mean it belonged to them. My raven fluttered in my chest; she wasn’t buying it.
Frankly, neither was I.
I pulled the compass out of my pocket and stared at it. The metal warmed in my hand faster than it should and I knew this small, seemingly meaningless, item was about to change everything and not in a good way. The cold fingers of dread slipped through me.
How had the compass found me? And why now, six years after I’d run away?
Anxiety prickled across my skin as the sensation of someone watching me hit my core. I glanced around, taking notice of those nearby. Town square was crowded but that wasn’t unusual for this time of day. Everyone around me seemed familiar. Willow Harbor was a small town. If one of the Sisters happened to be here watching me I would’ve spotted her already.
So then what was I feeling?
My stomach rolled again. I moved to the bench beneath the willow tree and sat. Something wasn’t right. Ice trickled through my veins. My raven flapped her wings rapidly. She wanted me to get out of there, to hide from whoever was watching me.
I found I couldn’t move though.
The real possibility of the Sisters coming for me had me rooted in place. As childish as it might seem, I closed my eyes and asked that the willow tree send some of its magic my way to help protect me from the Sisters. To hide me if at all possible. I hadn’t known about the tree’s magic when I first came to Willow Harbor but since living here I’d been exposed to it numerous times. Protecting me from the Sisters didn’t seem too far-fetched when thinking of its abilities.
The Sisters were evil. Anyone who went against them got hurt. I wasn’t even sure how I’d managed to get away from them like I did.
Brown eyes with yellow flecks surfaced in my mind. He was how I’d gotten away.
My throat swelled. I wrapped my arms over my chest, careful not to spill the drink Loran made me. I tried to force my mind to go blank. To not think of him. It didn’t work. Thinking of him was like knocking over a line of dominos, the thoughts just continued to fall beyond my control.
His smooth, kissable lips. The way his hand had felt in min
e. The way he could make me laugh. The way he said my name.
Guilt swarmed me as clips of memory from the last time I’d seen him flashed through my mind. We were so young but so in love.
He was gone, and it was because of me.
Run, Lena! Get out of here!
His voice burst through my mind, a memory tattooed on my soul. I closed my eyes, trying to block him out. It was pointless. The compass still gripped tight in my hand warmed even more, and I remembered why I’d thought of him at all—because of the Sisters.
They couldn’t come here. Willow Harbor had already been through enough these last few years. It seemed as though every season there was a new threat trying to destroy someone in town. Knots formed in my stomach as I squeezed my eyes shut tighter. I didn’t want to be the cause for another.
If the Sisters somehow had found me, I knew there was nothing I could do to prevent them from coming. History was about to repeat itself for this tiny town. Again.
Movement at my feet captured my attention. My eyes snapped open to find Mrs. Ackerman before me. Her dog, Pugsley, sniffed my boots. I wiggled my foot, not trying to kick him, but rather in an effort to keep him from peeing on me.
“There’s something strange in the air today, an energy,” Mrs. Ackerman said. She inhaled a deep breath. As she exhaled she sighed. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
Goose bumps prickled across my skin.
“I’m not sure. What kind of energy?” I asked.
While the older woman was batshit crazy, I still wanted to know what she thought was going on.
“I felt it when I woke this morning,” she said.
She squeezed into the small space on the bench beside me without giving me the chance to scoot over first. Her oversized hat hit me in the face in the process. Why did she always wear those big, ugly things anyway? I moved over, allowing her more room. She didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she adjusted her hat as though she hadn’t nearly poked my eye out with it a second ago and cleared her throat.
“However, nothing about the strange energy in the air today really set in until I touched the young man on the sidewalk a few moments ago. I felt the Devil’s icy finger slip along my spine then.” She fluffed her poofy red hair with her fingertips. “It makes me want to head home and not leave until whatever this is blows over. Which I might just do. After I finish Pugsley’s afternoon walk, of course.” She petted him while making kissing noises in his ear.
A gust of wind kicked up and dark clouds gathered in the distance. They appeared to be heading our way. I couldn’t help wondering if it was the town’s way of agreeing with Mrs. Ackerman.
“Oh, yes. There’s definitely a storm brewing. As a matter of fact, Pugsley, I think your walk has been long enough this afternoon,” she said. She stood, whacking me in the side of the head again with her hat, and walked away as gracefully as a three-year-old in a pair of heels. The poor woman was as blind as a bat—or in her case, a mole.
I opened my mouth to say goodbye, but a crack of thunder had my lips clamping shut. My heart leapt to my throat. Thunderstorms freaked me out. Another loud rumble of thunder burst through the sky, causing children to scream and people to scurry inside. Large raindrops fell and everyone moved faster. The sudden hustle of people became too much for the anxiety pumping through me. My fight or flight senses kicked in, and my raven grew uneasy.
A bolt of lightning flashing through the sky had me rushing to get back to The Dragon’s Hoard. Fat raindrops pelted me as I ran. I held tight to the tea Loran had given me instead of my usual coffee and made my way to the shop. The instant my boots hit the sidewalk though I remembered Mrs. Ackerman mentioning someone who’d made the Devil’s icy finger slip up her spine.
Who had she been talking about?
My feet rooted in place as fat raindrops continued to pelt me. I glanced around, searching for who she’d been talking about. Was it one of the Sisters? No. Couldn’t be. She’d said it was a guy.
Still, I continued to search. There didn’t seem to be anyone I didn’t know. Who had she been talking about? And where was he now?
The fine hairs along the back of my neck stood on end as the sensation of someone watching me pulsed through me again. This time it was stronger than before.
Did it mean they were closer?
I didn’t see anyone but I had a feeling if they were here for me I’d be finding out soon enough.
Five
Thane
I watched the girl with the dark hair dart through the rain until she was no longer in view. An intense urge to step outside and see where she was going pulled at me.
“So, what do you say?” Mason asked, bringing me back to our conversation. “Interested?”
“Uh, yeah. Sounds great. Thanks.”
“Good,” Claire said. “You staying there will give Mason a reason to clear out the rest of his personal stuff. I’ve been on him for months now to return the keys to the landlord. We don’t need to keep paying double.”
“I know but like I’ve said, I kind of like having my own space to work.” Mason scratched his neck while refusing to look at Claire. I got the impression they’d had this conversation before and it hadn’t ended well. “You know I worry I’m keeping you up with the clacking of my keyboard or clicking of my mouse while you’re trying to sleep.”
He was a night owl. I understood. However, I wasn’t sure how when I seemed to know very little about myself at the moment. It was more of a feeling of understanding than anything else.
Claire glanced at me. Something flashed through her eyes that reminded me of a predator staring at their prey.
“Besides, keeping the place came in handy,” Mason said as he motioned to me.
“Yeah. I guess so,” Claire said. Her gaze remained on me. “Where did you say you were from?”
There was something intense about her stare. It instantly made me nervous.
“He didn’t,” Mason said. I noticed him give her a look, one that seemed to say not to press the issue. Then, he moved for the door, nodding for me to follow. I did. “Don’t worry about her. She has a crazy imagination, and once it gets going it’s hard for her to rein it in. Let me show you the apartment, then you can decide for sure if you’re interested.”
I didn’t know why I wouldn’t be. After all, it was a free place to stay, and it wasn’t as though I had any other options lined up. “Okay, thanks.”
I followed Mason outside into the pouring rain. He headed down the sidewalk a few steps until we reached a glass door. I could make out a set of steps behind it. I craned my neck to glance at the signs above the shops further down. The dark haired girl had disappeared into one of them. Next to me was Ida’s Bakery. Then there was The Dragon’s Hoard and the coffee place, Urban Grind, Mason had mentioned. She’d already had a cup in her hand so I didn’t think that was where she’d gone. The Dragon’s Hoard had to be it. Unless she’d cut down an alley which also seemed likely.
“It’s just up these stairs. Apartment number two,” Mason said. “If you like the place, I can always let you stay for a couple weeks until you can find a job and get on your feet. That is, if you decide to stay in Willow Harbor.”
He cast a quick glance at me over his shoulder, and I noticed a wry smile twist at his lips. What was the deal with this town? Once you entered you couldn’t leave?
“The apartments up here are nice. Of course mine would come furnished if you wanted the stuff. I moved in with Claire recently, and we have no need for double everything. There are five apartments up here, but only four are occupied. Gwen moved into apartment three a few months ago. Her grandma is Ida, she owns the bakery. And then there’s a quiet girl named Lena in apartment four.”
Lena? Why did that name sound familiar?
Mason glanced at me once we reached the top of the stairs. Was he waiting for me to say something?
“Cool,” I said.
A smirk twisted his lips. “A guy of few words. I think you’ll fit right in here.”
After he showed me around his old apartment, he handed me the key and jotted down his number on a sticky note that he left on the counter. I watched as he grabbed a few of his personal belongings and then left. Everything he took seemed normal, except for the bags of blood from in the fridge. I should’ve been freaked out by the sight of them but for some reason I wasn’t.
I’d known he wasn’t human since meeting him.
Once Mason left, I got myself a glass of water and sat on his sofa. I needed to put the puzzle pieces of my mind together to form a big picture as best I could. Something strange was going on with me, and I needed to figure it out.
In my mind, I listed the things I remembered from before Willow Harbor—being seventeen, a girl with long dark hair who I felt might be the same girl I saw today, and something about magic. Dark magic. Evil.
Next, I thought of the things I knew to be true right now—I was obviously older than seventeen, somehow I’d ended up in a strange beachside town, and there was a girl who resembled the one I remembered.
The same sensation that I was here for a reason and that the reason had everything to do with her rippled through me again.
How was I connected to her? Was I meant to save her from something? Was she meant to save me?
A strong desire to protect her bubbled to the surface of my mind. I didn’t understand it, but it was so strong it would be impossible to ignore.
When the rain stopped I left Mason’s apartment and headed to the bench beneath the willow tree. It was wet but I didn’t care, it was where I’d first saw her. I needed to see her again. I had to talk to her. She might know why I was here and what it was I was supposed to do.
She might very well be the key to everything.
I sat on the bench and people watched, hoping to see her. Mason had been right when he said this town was filled with supernaturals. The more I stared at people, the easier it became to figure out what they were. It was as though focusing on them allowed me to see their truest self.
I had no clue how I was able to do it, but it led me to believe I myself must be something supernatural as well. The more I dwelled on the idea, the more something nudged at the back of my mind in regards to it.
[Willow Harbor 08.0] Raven's Sight Page 3