The Ritual Free Book Novels & Stories

"I don't want to do this," I said flatly. "Too bad," replied Rylan. He crouched in front of me bare-chested, sleeves pushed to his elbows and his dark skin softly shimmering in the firelight. Between us was a black stone bowl containing water, mashed leaves of moonvine, and a single drop of my blood. I sat facing them, arms folded. This ritual is illegal in all territories," I told him. "Bond magic is sacred. You interfere with it, you undo it.

Rita muttered, collapsing onto the couch beside Pru, who wordlessly handed her a bowl of oatmeal drizzled with honey. "You look better," Pru observed. "I feel better," Rita admitted, spooning a bite into her mouth. "But I still don’t know what’s wrong with me." Freda snapped her book shut. "Which is why we’re doing the ritual tonight." Rita blinked. "What ritual?" "The coven ritual," Pru said, as if it were obvious. "We’ve been talking about it for weeks." "But—we haven’t known each other that long," Rita said slowly. Freda’s gaze was steady. "Doesn’t matter. You need protection. We all do. And a coven bond will make us stronger than anything Zach—or Derek—can throw at us."

"When the fire takes, the bond breaks. But only if danced in truth. Only under stars that forget." I read it a dozen times before I dared believe it. I’d searched through that ancient book for nights—its leather binding cracked, its words in a blend of Latin, old English, and something else. Something older. Until now, all I’d found were warnings and spells for binding, not freeing. But this… This was different. It was a ritual. A release. A possible end to the chain Ethan and I had been dragged into—a chain forged by Blackwell men and sealed by sacrificed brides.

“A way to undo it.” Elena flipped through another journal. “There might be. Katalin’s notes mention a counter-ritual, but it’s fragmentary. It would require…” She paused, running her finger down a page. “….the willing sacrifice of one of the three. Death breaks the bond for all.” The silence was absolute. “Well, that’s not happening,” I said finally.

"They needed the connection, Raven. They were lonely." "Like us," I said. Merek nodded. He turned toward a large, iron-bound book sitting on a stone pedestal in the center of the room. It was the book he’d been looking at when I walked in. "The ritual I found..." he said, his voice returning to its usual rustle. "It is not a seal for the mine, Raven. It is a seal for the mountain itself." I walked over to the book. The pages were made of thin, silver, etched with runes that seemed to move as I looked at them.

“You’re playing with something you don’t understand.” The voice wasn’t Kael’s this time. It came from the doorwaysoft, tired, and all too knowing. Rory. She looked pale, shadows bruised beneath her eyes. “That book smells like death.” “Most useful things do.” “What are you doing with it?” I paused, then smiled. “Reading.” “Liar.” She stepped closer, her look hard. “You think I don’t know what that is? The Rite of Reclamation. It’s banned even among your kind.”

Freya’s POV I could still see the image of the relic's secret message. Even though it felt like a dream, it wasn't. I had seen it clearly: an old ritual was connected to Sophia's frailty. Nevertheless, I discovered something that stopped my heart as I combed through the ancient books. It was more than just a spell. A sacrifice was necessary. As I read the lines again and again, a cold perspiration appeared on my skin. "The vitality of the one in control..." My heart accelerated and the words appeared to jumble. Was I the subject of that? Was it me who was sacrificed?

Darren said finally, breaking the silence, “you found the book.” My throat was dry, my voice barely a whisper. “What is it?” His lips curved into that faint, cruel smile. “The Rite of Dominion,” he said simply, almost reverently. “A ritual older than the Crescent bloodline itself. One that grants power, true power. But it requires a sacrifice, the blood of a royal Crescent descendant. Your blood.” I shook my head, choking on the words. “You’re lying.” Had fate changed because we were no longer dating? Because I turned him down and now it required my blood and not my child’s blood?

Soon, the air was clear of smoke and Amren immediately collapsed on the cold floor. Rhysand lay on the bed while Amren lay on the floor. The room quiets down after witnessing the forbidden ritual take place under their watch, the book of Resurrection on the table. Cold air blew into the room and flung open the chapters of the book, Witch Resurrection Dose. There the chapter of the book was written. "The Consequences of This Ritual is the exchange of the witch's life....INTERCHANGE OF DEATH AND LIFE....The Doer Dies, The Dead comes back to life"

I kept reading. Then I stopped. My eyes landed on a passage near the middle of the book. The text described a ritual. A way to enter the throne room of a supreme being without being summoned. But it required something. A piece of the person you wanted to reach. A strand of hair. A drop of blood. Something connected to them. I smiled slowly. I had that. I had everything. Aurelian's body, his blood, his face, his memories. It was all mine. I placed the book on the desk and stepped back. I closed my eyes and focused. The air around me began to shift. The temperature dropped. The light in the room dimmed.