[Willow Harbor 08.0] Raven's Sight

by Jennifer Snyder

  The breeze had picked up outside. It tugged at my clothes and stung my eyes. I leaned against the iron railing of the balcony, watching the rolling waters below. Waves crashed against the stone sides of the lighthouse, creating a rhythmic beat that put me at ease. I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the noise. My raven fluttered in my chest. She loved this place as much as I did.

  “Wow,” Thane said. “This view is amazing. From up here the ocean looks even more never-ending than when you’re standing on the beach.”

  The sky was murky and gray, but it matched the water perfectly. In fact, it was hard to distinguish where the sky ended and the ocean began.

  “It does,” I said.

  Thane gripped the rail with one hand and then snaked his other around my waist, pulling me into his side. “Thanks for bringing me up here today.”

  “Thanks for coming. Like I said, it’s one of my favorite places. Being up here is as close to flying in my human form as I can get. It gives me and my raven something to bond over.”

  “I guess I can see that, but wouldn’t skydiving, bungee jumping, or parasailing be a better comparison?” There was humor in his voice that had me cracking a smile.

  “I guess so, but this is what’s available to me anytime I want. It’s also free.”

  “Enough said.” He grinned.

  The lantern flickered off behind us. Thane shifted to glance through the door we’d stepped through.

  What was he thinking? Why had he become so rigid yet again? I wanted him to enjoy this place as much as I did not fear it, so I did the one thing I knew would pull him from his thoughts—I kissed him.

  His lips were cold against mine, but it didn’t take long for them to warm. They moved against mine in the gentle and sweet rhythm I’d set until Thane craved more. He took control of the kiss by amping it up a notch with a little tongue. A shiver slipped through me as anticipation of where this kiss would lead next warmed my veins. When he sucked my bottom lip and then nibbled it, I nearly fell to my knees. I melted against him and fisted his shirt while his mouth continued to devour mine.

  I wanted him. Right here. Right now.

  “Come inside with me,” I whispered between kisses. I started toward the entrance of the lantern room, pulling Thane along with me.

  He didn’t put up a fight. He allowed me to pull him inside until we were out of the salty wind and hidden from the view of those on the beach. I gripped the edge of my sweater and started to peel it off, but Thane was quick to stop me. His hands froze mine in place.

  “We shouldn’t do this here,” he muttered. His eyes darted around as though he was expecting to see someone else in the shadows.

  “Why not? Afraid the ghost might see something?” I teased. “I’m sure we’re not the first couple to sneak up here to be alone. Teenagers probably do it all the time.”

  “It’s not that. I just—it doesn’t feel right.”

  I licked my lips, struggling to force the sting of rejection away. I wasn’t sure what was bothering him, but I was certain something was. Maybe it had to do with this place. Maybe it had to do with me. I didn’t know, but I was beginning to think it might not involve the Sisters as much as I thought it did.

  Seventeen

  Thane

  I hated turning Lena down the way I had, but I couldn’t allow myself to give in to her. Not there. Not with the ghost of the lighthouse grimacing at me and watching my every move. He thought I was a threat. I could feel it. He wanted me out of his area because he preferred to be alone. It was why he stayed there.

  This was his territory.

  While others living were free to come and go as they pleased from the lighthouse, other ghosts weren’t. He didn’t want them there. Period.

  He had me on edge, to say the least. I’d felt something when we first stepped into the lighthouse, and that something had intensified once we reached the lantern room. My guess was it was because that was his favorite part of the structure. I didn’t blame him; the view was amazing.

  Besides all of that, the sight of his flickering form blinking in and out had me wondering if that was what would happen to me after Halloween.

  Would I be stuck in Willow Harbor? In Lena’s apartment? Would I find a place to claim as my own like he had?

  We stood on the slick rocks at the base of the lighthouse. Lena had paused once we reached them and shifted to glance at me. Her eyes were bright from the threat of tears, and her cheeks were pink. I felt like a complete asshole for having shut down what she’d started on the balcony the way I had, but what choice did I have? I didn’t want to explain things to her. I couldn’t.

  Hubs had been right, she had enough to worry about right now without me adding my crap to the table.

  “I know something is going on with you. I’m not going to press the issue though because that’s not who I am, but just know I won’t take your hot/cold crap anymore, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  Her eyes narrowed at me. She was waiting for me to explain things but I couldn’t. It wasn’t the time. There would be a time though. I’d make sure of it. Lena would get her answers to my weirdness somehow.

  She started walking again and I followed her.

  Once we reached the beach, I struggled to keep up with her. Fast walking was how she burned off her anger. Always had been.

  When we made our way back into town, Lena paused to show me a few places she frequented and had me falling in love with the quaint town of Willow Harbor through her eyes. This town had it all, and I gained the impression that was exactly what Lena was trying to portray.

  I cast a sideways glance at her, taking in her tight lips and angry eyes. Had she come to the conclusion I wasn’t planning on staying somehow? That wasn’t the case at all. I opened my mouth say so, but my stomach rolled suddenly and the same dizzying sensation I’d felt when I first stepped into Willow Harbor spread through me.

  My feet faltered as the dizziness intensified, and I nearly lost my balance. Dark spots clouded my vision. I blinked and pulled in a deep breath.

  Something was seriously wrong.

  “Are you okay?” Lena asked. Her warm hand gripped my arm, steadying me more than she knew.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  I wanted to tell her not to worry, that I’d be fine, but then I realized what I was feeling and why—dread because the Sisters were coming.

  “Do you need to eat? We could grab something quick from the Dark Horse Diner and take it back to my place.”

  I heard her speaking and could make out her words clearly, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. All I could think about were the Sisters.

  How close were they? Was I feeling this way because they were already here in Willow Harbor?

  “Sit on the bench. I’ll go get us something to eat,” Lena said.

  She left, heading in the direction of the diner before I could stop her. I sat on the bench and rubbed my eyes with the palms of my hands.

  Shit. This wasn’t good.

  Movement in my front pocket startled me. I reached in and pulled out the compass I hadn’t known I’d been carrying. When had I put it in my pocket? Had it appeared there by magic?

  The entire thing vibrated in my hand as the needle spun rapidly.

  I plunged it deep into my pocket and stood. What was I going to do? I had to tell Lena. Things had hit a whole new level. I couldn’t leave her in the dark about this.

  “Feeling any better?” She asked when she came back carrying a take-out bag and a soda.

  “Not really. No.”

  “Well, I got us some cheeseburgers.” She held up the bag and flashed me a weary smile. “We can head to my place and talk about it.”

  Her eyes dug into me like daggers. It was almost as though she was waiting for me to disagree with what she was suggesting. If I did, she would tear into me. I could sense it.

  When I didn’t, we started in the direction of her apartment. The entire walk I co
uld feel the compass in my pocket, vibrating with movement. Words swirled through me head intensifying the dizziness I felt. I didn’t know how to tell her the Sisters were coming. How could I explain it? Should I tell her now or wait until we reached her apartment?

  I glanced around. People were staring at us again. I figured it was because I looked scared shitless.

  Now wasn’t the time to break the news to her. I needed to wait until we were alone, free of prying eyes and others hearing.

  Lena swung the door to her apartment open and stepped inside without looking back at me. She moved to her tiny kitchen and placed the bag of cheeseburgers on the counter before shifting to face me. Her arms folded over her chest as she eyed me.

  “Start talking,” she demanded.

  I pulled the compass from my pocket and held it out to her, thinking it would say more than any words I could string together.

  Lena’s eyes widened. “Does that mean what I think it does?”

  “I think so...I think it means they’re coming.”

  Lena tossed the bag of food in the fridge and bolted to the front door. I wasn’t far behind her.

  “We can’t stay here,” she said. “I won’t let something happen to my neighbors, and I refuse to pull anyone else into this mess.”

  “Where should we go then? I don’t know how long we have before they get here.”

  “How long has it been doing that?”

  “Since you left me to get food.”

  A frown pulled at her lips. “Are you sure?”

  She thought I was lying. Why was she suddenly so damn skeptical of me? Maybe I hadn’t been hiding my fears of learning I was a ghost as well as I’d thought today.

  “Yeah.” The suspicion didn’t leave her eyes. I knew her well enough to know I’d have to give her something else to erase it. If not, she wasn’t going to trust anything else I had to say. “All right, look I’ve been feeling a sense of dread all day. I haven’t said anything because I didn’t want to ruin our perfect day.”

  Part truth, part lie. Still, it seemed to appease her.

  “I figured something was going on, and I’m guilty of thinking the same too,” she admitted. “I didn't want to ruin our day either. Especially if it was our last before the Sisters found us.”

  She grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me out the front door with her. For the first time since I’d been here, she didn’t bother to lock it behind her. Her pace was swift as she jogged down the stairs and out to the sidewalk. I struggled to keep up with her.

  “We need to get to the lighthouse,” she said. “It’s the only place far enough away from everyone. I hope they follow us there. I don’t want anyone else jumping in and getting hurt when they see them attacking.”

  My brows pinched together as I laced my fingers through hers and matched her steps so she wasn’t dragging me through town anymore. It didn’t keep people from staring at us though. Two people practically running toward the beach probably set off warning bells in a lot of the residents’ minds. Willow Harbor couldn’t be peaceful all the time, considering how many supernaturals lived here.

  The compass vibrated faster once we reached the beach. When the glass cracked, I knew we had to be running out of time. A high pitched humming floated through the air from it as the metal became so hot I could barely hold it.

  The mom with her three kids watched us carefully as we made our way past her. A look of worry passed over her face, and she pulled her kids closer to her. I noticed her glance around, searching for what we were running from. I wanted to tell her to get off the beach and take her littles home, but the words died on the tip of my tongue when the compass in my hand grew still.

  Shit. We were almost to the lighthouse. The lantern was shining brightly. I glanced down at the compass gripped tight in my hand and begged the needle to move again.

  It didn’t.

  “What?” Lena asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “It stopped.”

  Lena’s feet faltered. She glanced at the compass.

  “Do you think it means they’re close?” she asked.

  Before I could answer the air around us grew electrically charged. It was all the answer either of us needed.

  “We need to get everyone out of here, get them off the beach.” She was frantic with her words but I understood her desire to not have anyone else hurt by the Sisters. They were powerful. “And then we need to get to—”

  “What’s going on?” Violet asked, cutting off Lena’s sentence. “We saw you running. Is everything okay?”

  Lena deflated beside me. The last thing she wanted was for them to be close when the Sisters came. They would be used as leverage. We both knew it.

  “We’re fine,” I said. “I forgot my cell in the lighthouse. Just rushing back to get it.”

  Neither of them bought it. I could tell from the look in their eyes. Before Lena could agree with me, the Sisters materialized behind them.

  They hovered above the sand like ghostly apparitions in full banshee form. Their dark hair was twisted into loose dreadlocks, and their eyes were solid white. Thick black smoke swirled around their ankles, waiting for them to give word to suffocate us like they used to when we disobeyed.

  “Hello, my dearests,” one of the Sisters said. Her voice echoed through the air in an unnatural way. “It’s been forever. Did you miss us?”

  The other Sister tipped her head back and laughed. Once she contained herself, her gaze drifted to Violet and Hubs.

  “They made new friends,” she said. “How nice.”

  Her white eyes zeroed in on Hubs because he was closest.

  “Dragons? They might be useful.” The Sister glanced toward the town. “We might find a lot of useful people here.”

  Lena took a step back, bumping into me. It was clear from the fear rippling off her that she wanted to run. I gripped her arm and fought the urge to pull her behind me. It was her power that would save us not my strength or words.

  “It looks as though your compass trick finally paid off, Sister,” the other Sister said.

  “I knew it would. Eventually. Smartly planned revenge always takes time.”

  The smoke around her ankles began to move faster. Was she about to send it our way? I could feel it clogging my throat already even though it was nowhere near me.

  Clicking met with my ears. It took me all of two seconds to realize it was Hubs lighting a fireball deep in his chest.

  “You’re not wanted here,” Violet insisted. She spun around to face the Sisters, and I was sure was giving them her best go-to-hell look. “You best get out of town while you can.”

  “How about we get on with punishment for what these two did to our beloved sister?” The Sister asked, ignoring Violet’s threat.

  The fireball Hubs had been building left him to be blocked mid-air by the thick smoke the Sisters controlled. It didn’t stop there. It floated its way through the salty air heading straight for the old man.

  “Watch out!” I shouted, knowing what would happen to him once the smoke reached him. It would enter his lungs and make him feel as though he were drowning without being in water. “Hubs, get away from them!”

  Hubs didn’t listen to me. He continued to peg fireballs at the Sisters only to be blocked by the thick, black smoke each time as it grew closer to him. I waited for Lena to put a shield out to protect him but she didn’t move. Maybe she couldn't. Maybe her fear was too powerful.

  “Lena,” I called out to her, jerking her wrist around so she’d snap out of it, but it was as though she couldn’t hear me. She was locked inside her head. “Lena!”

  A noise I couldn’t explain made its way to my ears. When I snapped my gaze from Lena to see what it was, I noticed a dragon stood in the space Violet used to occupy.

  She’d shifted.

  Turquoise scales covered her body, and her wings were silver tipped. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. When she opened her mouth a giant fireball soared from it headed straight for the
Sisters. They cackled as they dodged it. Together, Hubs and Violet pelted the Sisters with fireballs. It lit the beach up but did nothing else besides amuse the Sisters.

  I knew their amusement would soon wear thin though and worried about what might happen next.

  “Lena. Snap out of it,” I pleaded. She needed to be ready to use her shield. “Come on.”

  She blinked but other than that she seemed to be in shock still.

  I tossed the compass in the sand and pulled her behind me. I’d have to protect her as best I could until she snapped out of it. Suddenly, I was seventeen again knowing I’d do anything for her—even die. Twice.

  “Well, this has been fun,” one of the Sisters said. “But I’m growing bored now. Let’s get on with it.”

  She flicked her wrist, and the thick smoke she wielded descended upon Violet and Hubs with fury. It resembled a tornado swallowing them up, removing them both from my line of sight.

  “Oh look, Sister, he still thinks he can save her from us.”

  The other clucked her tongue. “Some people never learn.”

  “You’re not going to hurt her,” I insisted.

  The Sisters’ irritating cackle pressed against me from all sides, scratching against my skin like sandpaper.

  “Has being in the compass so long made you braver, little owl? Or is it being around the raven again that’s done the trick?”

  Smoke broke away from the black tornado Hubs and Violet had been swallowed by to come toward me. I steeled myself, knowing there was nothing I could do to fight against it. I’d tried many times in the past and failed.

  Just before the tendrils touched me, one of the Sisters directed her attention to the tornado again. Violet was breaking free. Her dragon’s wings were no match for the cyclone the smoke was making.

  “Enough of you,” one of the Sisters said as she made her way toward the dragon. She opened her mouth and released a scream that nearly burst my eardrums where I stood. Violet went down in an instant, landing on the sand near the water with a thud that shook the ground.