Raven Ridge (Witches of Sanctuary Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

panic.
    Oh crap. They know.
    Who? And what do they know?
    I turn away, afraid Contessa and Elizabeth can somehow hear my thoughts.
    The original Innocents. They know about you. They want you to come in the circle.
    What? No. Willa, I can’t.
    I glance over my shoulder at the women staring at me.
    I don’t think saying no is an option.
    I don’t get an answer. Contessa crosses her arms, and I grimace at her. “He’s being difficult,” I say, trying to look apologetic as possible.
    “Ugh. That boy.” She glances back at Elizabeth. “Stubborn just like everyone else in his family line.”
    Elizabeth rolls her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll fetch him.”
    Elizabeth holds her hand out, directing the lingering fog outside the circle into the woods. Then she quickly clasps her fingers into a fist as if she’s caught something and pulls it back. Reid emerges from the trees, the fog wrapped around his legs like a rope, dragging him into the circle. It drops him on the ground next to me. He quickly scrambles to his feet and I smile at him. “I told you it wasn’t an option.”
    Reid turns toward Contessa and Elizabeth, but the recognition is already there. Elizabeth grins at him. “How nice of you to join us.”
    “You’re—” Reid gulps and tries again. “You’re—”
    Elizabeth takes a step back, allowing Reid some space. “The girls from the legend of the Innocent and the Haunted? Yes. That would be us.”
    Reid looks at me and then back to them. “Why did you bring me here?”
    “Why?” Elizabeth laughs, but she isn’t smiling. “You are her Sun. Wilhelmina is about to be declared head of her line. A position that has not been kind to those who take upon the responsibility as of late. You want to stand here and ask me why I brought you here?”
    Reid shrinks down. I motion my chin toward Contessa. “I like her,” I say.
    Contessa smiles at me. “She is rather motherly when she needs to be.”
    Reid shoots me a glare, but turns his attention back to Elizabeth. “What do you want me to do?”
    “I want you to help her, Reid. You must help Wilhelmina find her family’s book.”
    “What book?” I know I’m somehow missing a very important part to this puzzle.
    Reid sighs. “You remember when I told you that I used to read my grandmother’s spell book?”
    “Yes.”
    “Each line has its own book. The head of each family keeps it. After my grandmother’s death, the Book of the Sun was given to my great aunt Delphine.” Reid turns back to Elizabeth. “The Book of the Moon has been lost for a century, though. No one knows what happened to it.”
    Abigail slowly shakes her head. “Not lost, young Thomas. It was stolen.”
    Contessa touches my shoulder. “Stolen by a family who would resort to murder to keep their name out of the legend.”
    “The Bessette family.” Now it made sense.
    “Yes. Roux Bessette killed your mother to keep their secret safe. He tried to kill you. They knew if we found out that their family line still lived, we would come after them to retrieve the book.”
    I pace around the circle now, trying to iron out all the rough edges of the story in my mind. “Roux died in Charleston, though. Julien’s brother Lyric killed him.”
    Contessa nods along with me. “The curse would have passed on to the next member in Roux’s family.”
    “Who?” Reid throws his hands out in frustration. “How do we figure it out? I know nothing about them.”
    Elizabeth smiles diligently at Reid. “That’s why Wilhelmina needs your help. Help her find the Book of the Moon. It is only with both books that we have the power to finally defeat the Haunted.”
    Reid tries to fight back his frustration, but it gushes out of him anyway. “Look, I’m just trying to keep her alive. Going after that book now will only put her in more danger.”
    Elizabeth steps up into his line of vision, challenging him. “You want to save her life?”
    “Of course.”
    “Then find the book.” Her stare is