Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1) by Nellie Steele (read aloud .txt) 📗

the eternal hellfire where you are banished to live for all eternity and join our circle so that you may punish your unworthy servant. Come, Bazios, come.”

As she called to him, a pattern snaked through the sand. Then the sand began to swirl in front of them. It twisted and danced upward until it formed a writhing serpentine figure with the head of a man and the horns of a goat. “You called to me?” it hissed.

“Yes, Bazios, we did.”

“Who calls to me?” he demanded.

“Celine Buckley calls to you.”

“I know of no Celine Buckley.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Celine countered, “but I was intended to be one of yours, brought to you by your servant Marcus Northcott. Marcus failed to deliver not only my soul but the souls of many others. See, here, how the book you and he signed in spilled blood has no new entries. For centuries you have allowed him to walk this earth and for centuries he has played you for a fool.”

“Why do you call upon me to tell me these things?”

“Because I want you to reclaim him and take him to the depths of hell with you.”

“Why should I do your bidding?”

“Because your book demands it. Or are you too weak to make him pay for his lack of obedience?”

The sand snake quivered in anger. “Must I do your job for you, Bazios? What will your Dark Lord say?” Celine continued to needle at him.

He growled with rage. “Bring him to me and I shall deal with him.”

“You’re in luck, Bazios. For he approaches us now, he is close. Watch and observe how your so-called servant displays his arrogance, throwing your pact to the wind as he pursues the only thing he has for epochs, his own gratification by making me his.”

Without a word, the sand serpent slithered his way to a nearby rock. Hidden in the shadows he waited. Celine saw Celeste approaching the circle. Celeste nodded her head discreetly. “He’s coming,” Celine said in a low voice.

As Duke Northcott approached the group, confusion plain on his face at seeing Celeste alive along with the other members of the group, Teddy shoved his hand forward, jolting him with a shock. He stumbled to the side, not expecting an attack. Following Teddy’s lead, Gray launched his attack, jolting him from the other side. He reeled as Alexander launched a frontal attack.

With the element of surprise gone, Marcus was quick to recover from the latest attack. He threw his arms out, blowing the three men down with one strike. “What is the meaning of this, Celine?” he demanded.

“It is your end, Marcus.”

He threw his head back laughing. “Your minions can’t harm me,” he said, deflecting an attack from Alexander and firing one back at the same time. “See? Not even Celeste, whom I notice you have managed to bring back from the dead. Impressive, my dear, but then you always were an impressive specimen.”

“Hence your interest.”

“Indeed,” he said, “but not even you, impressive as you are, can defeat me, Celine. Which is why you should join me.” He pointed his palm toward Gray, a lightning bolt shooting from it, pinning Gray down. He kept his hand there, continuing his assault on Gray. Celine blasted him with a fireball, stopping the assault. Gray still lay in pain on the beach. “How pathetic. You had to save him again, Celine. Because he is weak, he pales in comparison to your power, he might as well be human. And, of course, you even tried to escape him yourself by becoming human again. Celine, you deserve better.”

“By better, you indubitably mean yourself.”

“Without a doubt, Celine. My power combined with yours would make us an unstoppable force. Join me.”

“I didn’t fall for this centuries ago, Marcus. I will not fall for it now. You have wasted centuries chasing no one but me.”

“Not wasted, my love, toiled and labored after you. You are the only thing that matters.”

“Aww, that’s sweet, Marcus, but you know, it’s not the reason that you have been permitted to live for centuries.”

Duke Northcott looked at her, puzzled by her words. Celine continued, “And now it’s time that you paid for that by being dragged back to the depths of Hell by the Hellbeast you made that unhallowed pact with.”

Marcus’ face turned stone serious, realization dawning on him. “No, Celine, don’t do this.”

“Too late,” she said.

“But you couldn’t have the…”

“The book?” she finished.

“Yes,” he said.

“This book?” she asked, holding it up. His face was a mask of shock. Celine jolted him with another fireball, dropping him to his knees. “Bazios, you heard him yourself. Now come and do your job and drag him back to the underworld where he belongs.”

“No, no, Celine, no!” he shouted. The sand snake slithered toward him. “Bazios, I can explain,” he began.

“SILENCE!” the snake shouted. “Your soul belongs to me and I have come to collect it.” The snake reared back and lunged forward, mouth opening, devouring him in a cyclone of sand. The shrieks were deafening. As the mouth of the serpent reached the beach, the shrieking ended, and the sand settled back to the ground. The wind stopped howling, and the beach became quiet. Silence surrounded them, only broken by the pounding of the waves against the rocks.

Chapter 33

Celine rushed through the doors of Alexander’s house. “Well?” Michael asked as he and Damien rushed to the door.

“It’s done, how are the children?” she asked.

Avery was making her way down the stairs. “His fever has broken!” she shouted.

Charlotte followed Avery down the stairs. “Did you say Max’s fever broke? Maddy’s did, too!”

Celine closed her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. Gray and Alexander clapped each other’s backs. Celeste and Teddy threw their arms around each other. “It’s done,” Celine said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “It’s finally over.”

Celine sat on the swing under the gazebo, rocking gently as she watched the scenery. Damien approached her. “Figured I might find you here,” he said. “Can I join you?”

“Sure,” she