Shadows ritual, p.1
Shadow's Ritual, page 1
SHADOW’S RITUAL
SHADOW ISLAND SERIES: BOOK SEVEN
MARY STONE
LORI RHODES
Copyright © 2023 by Mary Stone Publishing
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
This book is dedicated to the legacy of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of cosmic horror. With gratitude, we honor his boundless imagination and enduring influence as his tales forever stir our souls.
CONTENTS
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
What’s Next?
Shadow Island Series
Acknowledgments
About the Author
DESCRIPTION
In a world of shadows, a sinister ritual awakens...
Just as Sheriff Rebecca West starts to relax after a harrowing hostage situation, she’s thrown into another demanding case. This one is even more ominous.
Maybe the curse is real.
Shadow Island lore insists that anyone who steps in the shadow cast onto the old witch’s cottage is cursed. But when two bodies are discovered inside the cottage, their heads arranged in a ghastly tableau, Rebecca is more concerned about the real monsters—the human ones who’d commit such an atrocious murder.
The bizarre staging, the mutilation of the corpses, and the desecration of the cottage point to a ritualistic killing. And the horrific murders occurring upon the arrival of the traveling Lovecraft symposium—an assembly of fervent enthusiasts of the macabre—transcend mere coincidence. However, the city refuses to close the convention and lose revenue.
Murder can draw quite the crowd, after all.
But when a third gory murder occurs twenty-four hours later, one thing is clear. A vicious killer lurks in the shadow. And he’ll find a new victim every night unless Rebecca finds a way to close the book on this horror story.
From its grisly beginning to the chilling conclusion, Shadow’s Ritual—the seventh book in the Shadow Island Series by Mary Stone and Lori Rhodes—is not for the faint-hearted. Because when fiction and reality converge, the line between waking horror and the darkest nightmare disappears.
1
Lily Grayson cupped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle as she slipped through the night, intent on avoiding her fellow Lovecraftian symposium members. Followed by her lover, she headed for a stygian building nestled in layers of shadows, the clattering hum of their group setting up tents, tables, and banners muffling any sound they might’ve made as they left the lighted area.
“Is this the place?” she whispered, wishing she could turn on her phone’s flashlight. She didn’t dare, though. They couldn’t risk drawing attention.
“It should be. I mean, it’s the only cottage close to the venue.”
“The witch’s house! This’ll be fascinating.” Lily’s words came out in a rush, filled with desire as they began feeling their way around the building. “Like the one in the story ‘The Dreams in the Witch House,’ where boarders were housed in the attic rooms then mysteriously die or disappear. And there were reports of people seeing the witch’s familiar, with the face of a man and the body of a rat. It would eat people alive.”
Bryce halted and leaned back slightly. “I don’t think this place has an attic.”
“Don’t be such a downer. It has a peaked roof. The attic doesn’t have to be big.” All the exuberance had left Lily’s voice, leaving it flat and with an irritated undertone.
“Well, the one from the story was big enough to have at least two rooms up there.” Bryce shrugged and continued to pat the wall. “Where the hell is the door?”
“It should be on the lighthouse side of the building. The stories say the town built the lighthouse to cast a shadow that fell on the witch’s doorstep. I guess it was to chase her off by ruining her garden or something. Witches need gardens to make their potions.”
Lily put her tactile searching on pause and looked up, trying to find the tower that hadn’t been lit in a generation. The moon, wane as it was tonight, was further obstructed by thin clouds ambling across the sky.
“I could’ve sworn the others said the house from the book was up in Salem, where the witch trials happened.” He walked around in a methodical circle. “There’s the lighthouse, so the door should be here somewhere.”
“No, it’s supposed to be down here. The cottage, not the door. There were more witch trials than just the ones in Salem. People think she was the one who summoned the Croatoan demon that killed all the people in the Roanoke colony.” Lily froze as her hand swatted open air. “God, I hope we don’t find anything creepy in the attic. Like a human-faced rat.” Shuffling forward, she stopped when her waist brushed against a heavy chain that creaked as it swayed.
At the heavy clanging, Bryce stepped up beside her. “We don’t need to go into the attic.”
“But that was the whole point of us coming here, wasn’t it? We need to peek inside to see if we can find the witch’s room.”
Lily took hold of the chain and stepped over it. A chill ran up her spine as Bryce joined her. They were standing on defiled ground, where decades of unexplained mysteries had occurred. Then, as if it were another sign from the heavens, the clouds parted, and moonlight crept into the ancient abode.
The room was desolate and unfurnished. It was a large open area with a fireplace on the short side. The white-washed walls were dingy and yellowed but still pale enough to reflect some of the moonlight, so she and Bryce weren’t wholly blind.
“We don’t have to do anything we don’t want to do.” Bryce reached for her, drawing her against his body. She giggled as his hands trailed down to grope her butt and pull her closer.
“Is that so?” Lily rose onto her tiptoes, and her lips stopped a breath away from his. “What would your wife have to say about that?” With a laugh, she twisted out of his hold, crossing the open front room to peer into the fireplace, wishing she’d brought a flashlight with her. A rattle echoed down it, but she wasn’t sure if it came from leaves on the hearth or birds taking flight from the chimney. Either way, she couldn’t see anything moving.
“She’s more than ten hours away. Who cares what she’d say?” He snatched at her again, but she danced away with a laugh and stepped into the shadows congesting the back of the one-room building. “It’s not like she’d ever find out about us. We’ve hidden this from everyone for a long time. She has no idea what I’m really doing this weekend.”
“You mean she has no idea what she’s missing out on.” She bit her lip and twirled in place, showing off her body as she stared in fascination at the legendary building. This probably wasn’t the real witch’s cottage from the Lovecraft story. That much was true. But it had its own story, which was intriguing.
This was a witch’s house. A powerful woman who’d been scorned merely because she’d refused to bow to the demands of the rich men in power and give up her home. “I’ve always loved old places like this.”
Bryce grinned and started untucking his shirt. She’d repeatedly proven to him how thrilled she got in other places just like this. It wasn’t just the age of the building and its history that intrigued her.
The legends and myths attached to them were what made her blood run hot. Every supposedly haunted place they could find was like an aphrodisiac, setting the stage for passion and desire that made her forget the rest of her life.
Bryce undid his belt, ready to drop his pants as soon as she said the word.
A loud thump echoed over their heads, and they both froze. Part of the thrill of being together was doing it behind everyone’s backs. Getting caught would spoil their fun.
Lily stared at the ceiling, unable to make out even the rafters hidden above the reflected moonlight on the walls. “What was that?”
Bryce studied the ceiling but shook his head. He reached into his pocket for his phone, but she stopped him from pulling it out. He sighed. “Probably just a ra…um…raccoon.”
“You were going to say rat, weren’t you?” Her teasing tone belied her excited glances as she moved around, continuing to search for any way to get up onto the rafters. “The witch’s familiar.”
Lily had read all about the demon in the form of a rat that did the old witch’s bidding and attacked anyone who trespasse d in her home. It fed on her milk as well as the blood and flesh of her enemies.
He snorted. “Familiar is such a weird term for an oversized rodent.”
She couldn’t disagree. Lily hoped her own familiar would be something sexier, like a lion or a fox or a peacock. That wasn’t the point, though.
She ran a finger down the wall. “Do you think she really nursed the rat to give it her power and keep it connected to her like the witch hunters believed?”
“Maybe, but it could be a bird too. Or just a regular rat. There’s nothing to keep vermin out.” He pointed at the doorframe with only a single chain to discourage trespassers. “Let’s explore the back of the room, but I don’t think this is the one from the book.”
Lily sighed and rounded on him. “Maybe this isn’t the house from that specific story, but it does have its own history. Can’t you feel it?” She ran her hands up her torso, watching as the movement transfixed his gaze. Despite his boring reasoning, the power of the place still called to her on a carnal level.
“Oh, I’d like to.” Bryce stepped forward and slid his hands into her hair. Grabbing a fistful, he pulled her forward into a fierce kiss.
It calls to him too.
Lily gasped as he bit along her collarbone and shoulder, pushing the strap of her tank top out of the way and making her twitch. But she wasn’t ready yet and stepped back from him. She wanted to bask in the ambiance of the lore. They had all night, and she planned to tease him while they soaked in the atmosphere. “Let’s explore the house a little more before we explore each other.”
He adjusted the crotch of his pants. “Are you sure? We could always look afterward.”
That was what she liked about Bryce. He might not be as into urban exploration and old legends as she was, but he was so desperate for her that he would do whatever she asked. Even exploring old ruins he had no true interest in. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather be home with your sweet little wifey?”
“I’m sure.” Bryce rolled his eyes at her smirk and walked with her deeper into the room. Taboo was what their relationship, if anyone could call it that, was built on. And why she brought up his wife every time.
As they stepped into the darkness, the hard-packed earth seemed to resist the intrusion, pushing back against each step. Lily slid her hands over the wall she could barely see. The interior walls were wooden but coated in something like shellack. Using her nails, she tapped at the coating before trying to scratch it.
Nothing worked. It must’ve been some kind of preservative the town used to protect the historical site the island was named after. While continuing to move her hands across the glassy surface, she bumped into a form jutting out of the wall.
Confusing. But as she explored the area, she found more 3D objects, and her senses told her they were pegs. Most likely wooden pegs anchored into the wall to hang things from, like dresses or belts. Once upon a time, this might’ve been the witch’s sleeping area.
Now there was no furniture left to define any zone in the room, leaving just an empty shell. That gave her a wickedly wonderful idea and she moved back to Bryce.
“She’s not the adventurous type?”
Their routine was predictable yet exhilarating. Lily pushed all of Bryce’s buttons to get the response she wanted.
“You know Martha’s a frigid prude. That’s why I’m here with you. Because you want to do more than just talk about the neighbors and spread whatever gossip you heard in some mommy group.”
“Poor little wifey poo.” Lily snickered over her shoulder. She didn’t feel in the least bit sorry for Martha, though. What kind of wife would let her husband go all over the country several times a year on his own? She had to know he was cheating on her. If she was indeed a prude, Lily might even be doing the woman a favor by giving her man what he wanted so Bryce would leave her alone.
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” His hands slipped around Lily’s hips, pulling her ass against his crotch.
“Prudish housewife doesn’t like it when it hurts?” She leaned her head to the side, exposing her neck as she wiggled her butt. Bracing her hands on the wall, she arched her back to rub up against him. This would be the perfect place to do it. Where the witch slept in her inner sanctum.
“Not the way you do.” He accepted her invitation by scraping his teeth down her neck.
She moaned and grabbed his arms wrapped tightly around her, pressing her nails into them. Not as good as raking them down his back, but good enough for now.
Another sound came from above—a thunk on the roof by the chimney.
They both froze.
Lily pushed him back and spun around. Her heart hammered with excitement. In all the haunted locations she’d been to, she’d never experienced anything supernatural before. “What was that?”
“The beating of his heart?” Bryce tried to make light of the situation.
“That’s Poe, not Lovecraft.” The tiny window didn’t provide enough illumination to see into the area they’d just come from. Taking a step forward, she noted an acrid stench that hung heavily in the small structure, turning her stomach. Goose bumps rose along her forearm, and Lily couldn’t shake the feeling that someone, or something, lurked in the unnamable darkness. Despite squinting into the abyss of the cottage, no otherworldly creatures appeared.
“Maybe it’s the pounding of my blood.” He pulled her roughly against him, distracting her. “Or maybe it’s something you set up to make this more exciting.”
That did sound like something she might do, but not this time. She wanted to move around him and check out what was in the rest of the cottage’s shadowy recesses, but the way he was moving his hands over her body was too good to ignore. With a smile, she sank down in front of him, tumbling his pants to his ankles as she dragged her nails down his torso to his thighs and knees.
“Maybe it’s someone from the other side watching us. Wouldn’t that be wicked?”
He glanced over his shoulder and ran his fingers into her hair. “The rest of the group is too preoccupied with setting up camp. And no one else would be out here in the middle of the night.”
“You sure about that?” She teased him with her hands, ignoring how he hadn’t understood her implication. “You know, you’re forsaking the vows you made before God and your family.”
Bryce’s fingers fisted in her hair, giving it a twist.
Loving the pain, Lily fell back on the ground and let her legs fall open. She was still fully clothed, but that could be fixed quickly enough.
“That’s what makes this so damn hot.” His eyes were focused on her as she gestured for him to climb on top of her. “The taboo of it. Knowing we shouldn’t be doing this. And knowing how bad things will go if we get caught. It’s so thrilling.”
With a low groan, he stepped out of the pants pooled around his ankles and moved to follow her unspoken command. She pulled her shirt off. He trailed kisses down her body, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of his lips.
He stopped and jerked up as something hot and wet splattered across her belly.
What the hell? I can’t believe he’s done already! I’m going to kill him.
She opened her eyes, ready to tear into him for not lasting long enough.
But her angry words froze in her throat, replaced by gasps of horror as Bryce’s neck stretched backward, eyes wide and filled with terror. Blood pulsed out in miniature geysers from the long gash in his throat that ran from ear to ear. Warm liquid rained down onto Lily’s abdomen as his mouth opened in a death rattle.
