Moonlight and Malice: The Ghost Ring Chronicles

By Sierra Storm

A cursed life is a punishment worse than death.

 

When one of Bunny's deceased friends wakes up in the morning very much alive, everything is thrown into chaos. Bunny wants to celebrate the miracle, but the other ghosts can't shake the feeling that there is more to the situation than meets the eye. What powers are at play here? And are those powers good or bad?

 

When Bunny uncovers the source of the resurrection, she is faced with a difficult choice that could alter her relationship with the Twin Oaks campus ghosts forever.

 

This is book 3 in the Ghost Ring series, a fast-paced urban fantasy adventure brimming with unexpected twists and cliffhanger endings. Books are meant to be read in sequential order.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sierra Storm
• Release date: Sep 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223627104

Book preview

Moonlight and Malice

Sierra Storm

Copyright © 2023 by Sierra Storm

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

Contents

1.One

2.Two

3.Three

4.Four

5.Five

6.Six

7.Seven

8.Eight

9.Nine

10.Ten

11.Eleven

12.Twelve

13.Thirteen

14.Fourteen

15.Fifteen

16.Sixteen

17.Seventeen

18.Eighteen

19.Nineteen

20.Twenty

21.Twenty-One

22.Twenty-Two

23.Twenty-Three

24.Twenty-Four

25.Twenty-Five

26.Twenty-Six

27.Twenty-Seven

28.Twenty-Eight

29.Twenty-Nine

30.Thirty

31.Thirty-One

32.Thirty-Two

33.Thirty-Three

34.Dead but Not Forgotten

35.About The Author

One

It was hard to believe that a year had passed since I had started as a freshman here at the haunted Twin Oaks College. It was also hard to believe how much my life had changed in that time, how my perspective had morphed as I had become an unwilling arbiter of life and death. My closest friends were ghosts, and I could hardly round a corner without encroaching on another paranormal secret.

That wasn’t entirely a bad thing. I’d missed the excitement over summer and couldn’t wait to settle in for the fall semester. Now that I was here, my anxiety over the new year had been displaced by an eagerness to jump back into the fray.

My mom dropped me off at the parking lot closest to my new dorm. She helped me unload the car and then hugged me goodbye, leaving me with an unholy amount to carry to my room alone. I couldn’t complain, though. My mom had been busy this summer. Our road trip here had been marked by three separate remote job interviews, with a fourth one that left her only a few minutes to prepare for. Now that I was out of the house, my mom realized that she was free to travel—and decided to find a way to make it happen.

Choosing a dorm was a harder task than I would have guessed, and it made me uncomfortable. No one had asked to room with me last spring, and I hadn’t put the question to anyone else. Last semester, I’d been spoiled by having my room to myself, but this year I was left with no better option than to pick a dorm and let the administration do the rest.

I selected Arachne Hall as my top preference. It was a long shot. Arachne was a more closed community than the other dorms, the closest thing Twin Oaks had to a sorority. Spider Women had private events and often wore matching outfits or used buzzwords that they alone could understand, their connection growing tighter as the school year wore on. It wasn’t my usual gig or culture, but maybe it was time for my usual to change. When my room was confirmed, I couldn’t believe my luck.

According to the current listing on my online account, I was going to have two roommates this year: Andrea and Yolanda. I didn’t know either of them beyond a quick phone check-in with Andrea, but I was open to meeting new friends.

As I turned from the parking lot and marched toward the Arachne building, I realized that the campus looked different this fall. It looked new, with new people in it and a new reputation I’d have to work from scratch to earn. There was a new energy to it as well, a life that infected me as I approached the ivy-coated bricks of Arachne.

Bunny!

I didn’t see Roman at first. When I wasn’t looking for the ghosts, they had a way of blending into the background. But as soon as my eyes fixed on him, a thrill rushed through my veins. School was back in session.

I went back a long way with Roman. Back to his life, until his murder last fall. At the time, I’d harbored a developing crush on him. Our friendship continued to grow when I learned I could still see him and connect with him. Now when I looked at him, I was overcome with emotions I didn’t even know I had. I dropped the suitcases onto the sidewalk and stared while he jogged to me. His eyes were wide with excitement.

Roman, I can’t believe it! I said. How did you even know I was here? I wanted to hug him. Actually, I reached out with my arms and started to wrap them around him before he sidestepped me in a gentle reminder that he was still not physical.

I’ve been watching all the dorms since they reopened for fall, he said. You never told me what your plans were.

I didn’t have plans, I said, shifting the weight of my cello on my back.

How was summer? he asked. Did you get any sleep without the rest of us to keep you up?

It was good to see how laidback Roman was after the disaster that had ended last spring. My ability to speak to the dead and bring people back from the grave was attracting attention from the wrong ghosts. As it turned out, most people didn’t stay behind after they died unless they had unfinished business to attend. If I helped any ghosts at all, they wouldn’t be the good ghosts.

Summer was so boring I hardly realized it happened. I loved it, I said. My mom quit her job and is looking for something new. She’s thinking about going remote so she can travel more. I had a lot of time alone while she was out interviewing.

Roman glanced at the suitcases. I’d offer to help if I could, he said with a gentle shrug.

I shook my head. No. I don’t think we need any levitation tricks either. How are the others? Is everyone good?

Yeah, he said, but his voice trailed off in the end as if he didn’t mean it. I mean, for the most part. Nothing bad has happened.

How’s Lew? Is he still paranoid about things?

Lew’s Lew, said Roman. He’s been off our backs recently, so I haven’t had to see much of him. I think I needed the break.

I picked up my luggage and walked the remaining distance to the hall. Lew was the oldest of the ghosts here, and he and Marco had a vendetta going back to when they were still alive, students on this same campus in the 1940s. Since I had brought Marco back from the dead and given him an advantage over the other ghosts, Lew had taken on himself the responsibility of finishing him off.

Lew’s mental imbalance threw the rest of us off. I didn’t know if he’d always been that way or if his paranoia was something that happened with being dead for as long as he had. The other ghosts were about a solid generation apart each in age, with Davey, Ben, and Jason filling in the gaps between Lew and Roman.

He’ll come around, I said. The world hasn’t ended yet.

Where are you staying?

Arachne, I said.

He paused and gave me an unexpected grin. You’re a Spider Woman?

I beamed at the sound of my new nickname. Behold, I said, brushing my hair over my shoulder and striking a pose.

I thought they were an exclusive group. Did you have to do anything to get in? he asked. Did they interview you, or haze you, or…?

I didn’t have anyone lining up to be my roommate, I said. I just put it in as a preference and let the administration do the work. I’m in room twelve, though. So I’ll miss most of the action.

If you’re in Arachne, you’ll get action. I heard the concern under his voice, the fear that too much action was a bad thing. Who are your roommates?

I’ve been in touch with Andrea, I said. She’s also a sophomore, and she’s helping out the RA.

Is it just the two of you, then?

No, I said. There’s a third, but I didn’t get to chat with her. I think she’s a transfer student.

We had arrived at the door. I flashed my ID at the checkpoint and held it open while Roman helped me balance the weight from my luggage.

A girl in thick turquoise glasses straightened behind the desk. Whoa, big load there. Do you need help?

I chuckled. No, I should be good. I think. Room twelve.

Right this way, she said, pointing down the hall. I stepped forward, and then her brows pressed down as she got a better look at me.

My name’s Bunny, I said under a compulsory instinct to introduce myself.

Bunny… Rainville? she asked.

I couldn’t answer. I knew it was only a matter of time before my reputation caught up with me. Yeah.

I didn’t know you were in Arachne. Who are you rooming with?

Andrea and Yolanda.

Her eyes glinted. Oh, that’s right. Andrea’s awesome. I asked if she wanted to be roommates with me this year, but she likes working with the unpredictable. You two should get along simpatico.

I tried to weigh whether this girl saw me as a pariah or simply as a familiar name.

By my way, my name is Kara, she continued, taking one of my suitcases in her own hand. We’ll have a hall meeting tonight where you’ll be able to meet the others. Since our whole building is a single hall, things get tight fast. Just like a family.

I’m excited, I said.

Roman kept up beside us. He didn’t say anything either, but he looked at Kara like he recognized her from when he was alive.

When we reached the door, Kara stepped back proudly. Thanks for walking me up here, I said.

Of course. I’m here to help. If you need anything, just throw something at me or shout my name. I’m really good with blunt directions, she said.

I turned to the door. I’d expected to see three names there written up on the black lace decorations that lined our hall. But there was only one. Andrea.

Roman pointed to the floor. It looks like your name fell.

I reached down and picked up the upside-down label I found. My name was written on the other side in white chalk cursive. I looped the ribbon over the hook that held it in place and then glanced at the two of our names next to each other.

I thought there were supposed to be three of us, I said.

Roman brushed his fingers over the letters. It could be a technicality, he said. How about you get settled in? I’ll get the guys together and tell them where you’re at.

I slid the key into the slot as Roman vanished. I’d wanted him to stay with me when I unpacked. I wanted to hear about his summer, about the ghosts’ summer, even if nothing had happened. But the ghosts had their obligations, and Roman was doomed to be always out of my reach. Any hope that we’d had as a couple died when he did, and despite my power over life and death, he refused to let me bring him back.

Then the door across the hall opened and a cluster of women spilled out before I had a chance to open mine.

Wait, Bunny? What are you doing here?

I recognized the speaker as Steph, a girl who had lived next door to me the previous school year. Steph was the socially awkward girl involved in the Ghost Hunting Club and fellow mythology major. I hadn’t expected to see her again after last spring, and now I struggled to hide the shock. Her hair was shorter this fall, this time hanging limply around her shoulders in thick blond strands. She stood with three younger versions of herself, which I assumed to be her sisters, and an older woman who appeared to be their mother.

Steph squeezed her hands together. Guys, I want you all the meet Bunny. We were neighbors last year. Bunny, are you here this year, or just visiting?

Pointed to my name, which I now realized hung at just enough of a slant to annoy me. Oh, I’m living here this year.

That’s such a great surprise. Me too! said Steph. Bunny, this is my mama. And here are my sisters, Marie, Lillian, and Caroline.

We’ve heard so much about you, said Marie. I was really hoping we would run into you here.

I stiffened. I never imagined people talking about me behind my back unless it was something bad. I forced a smile onto my face and shook everyone’s hand in turn. It’s great to meet you guys at last, I said. I had no idea Steph and I would be in the same hall again. It’s quite a coincidence.

Steph’s mouth gaped open like I had just predicted the future. Bunny, we have so much to catch up on. Wait until Marco hears that you and I are together. He’ll get a hoot out of that.

Marco? I asked. My skin rippled at the sound of his name.

When I first met Marco, I had seen him as a villain and nothing more than that. He was the one responsible for the Honor Society’s ritual human sacrifice. He pulled their strings and manipulated them in the hope of harnessing my power for himself. But it turned out that things were a little more complicated than that. Marco and I had a connection. A blood connection. More specifically, Marco was my direct ancestor, and by coming to Twin Oaks, I’d stumbled into the middle of a paranormal revenge plot that had lasted for almost a century.

If that wasn’t bad enough, I had accidentally brought Marco back to life before Christmas break last year. He and Steph had grown inseparable over last spring, and hearing that they were still together as of right now sent a shudder through my spine.

Do you remember Marco? asked Steph. He sat with us back in Intro to Myths last spring. We started hanging out a bit, getting to know each other. He’s such a great guy.

I could hardly believe that she and I knew the same Marco. Unfortunately, I could feel my forced smile beginning to fade as the news sank in. Look, I’d love to talk about it, I said. But I have to get myself unpacked. And I have possibly two roommates that I haven’t even met yet.

Two roommates? That sounds crowded, she said.

Well, maybe there was a glitch, I said, glancing back at where my name hung at that slant under Andrea’s. I fixed the angle. There are only two of us listed. Maybe there was some last-minute shuffling online or some confused records.

Good ol’ technology, said Steph. But I do want to get together later tonight. If you’re free, that is. Does the Sugar Shack sound good?

I tightened my grip on my duffel. Yeah, I’ll meet you there as soon as I get unpacked, I said.

Steph and her family moved down the hall all chattering together, and I realized I’d never seen a family that looked so alike before. Steph and Marco were dating. That meant that Marco was definitely still in the picture, and that he might be spending a lot of time right here.

I twisted the knob over the key and opened the door to my room at last.

Someone was already here, a fellow student who stood at barely four feet tall with long black pigtails, luminescent in the light, and a lacy gray dress. She was standing next to the window, looking out at the alley on the other side of the building. Now she turned and faced me. She laced her fingers together. Are you Bunny? she asked. My name is Yolanda. I’m one of your roommates this year.

Two

The room was so empty I assumed Andrea hadn’t moved in yet. Yolanda stepped toward me, so small and pale she could have played the role of a little girl in an old horror movie. I reached forward to shake her hand, but she didn’t move to take it.

Hi, Yolanda, I said. I didn’t know you were checked in.

Yeah, she said without breaking her hardened expression. The systems were confused, so my name isn’t listed. And my belongings aren’t here, either. But I don’t have much, either. I doubt it makes much of a difference.

She stopped speaking and stared at me as if studying me. I wondered if she might have searched my name online and found some remnants of my high school scandal. I couldn’t blame her if that was the case, but it made introductions more awkward. So what’s your major? I asked.

Yolanda pressed her fingertips together. It took me forever to decide with a place like Twin Oaks. Why, what’s yours?

Mythology, I said.

She smiled. What do you know? That’s mine too. Mythology. Then she swallowed and pressed her hands together.

Maybe we’ll have classes together, I said.

I hope so, she said. I could use a good tutor and someone to show me around. There’s so much here to explore, isn’t there? Old legends. Grave sites. I feel like I’ll never get to do everything.

There’s certainly a lot of mystery, I said.

Now Yolanda turned and pointed to the bunk bed set up in the corner with a third bed nearby. You can take any of the spares if you like. Andrea already has her stuff set up. And the same goes for desk. I prefer to do my work outside.

Something about her tone threw me off, like she was implying something I had no means to comprehend. I glanced around, hoping that Roman would have returned, but I was still alone with Yolanda.

Over the next few hours, I unpacked and stuffed my clothes into the closet all three of us had to share, leaving my cello case on its side next to my bed. Then I rubbed the ring I kept on my right hand, the one that allowed me to see ghosts. I wondered how something that connected me with so many other people could also make me feel so alone. I wondered where Roman was and what was taking them all so long.

After I’d finished unpacking, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and sauntered to the student lounge across campus, and there I ordered a panini at the Sugar Shack. I also ordered a strawberry lime smoothie, but was too exhausted and irritated to crave it right now. As I moved, I watched constantly for people I’d known before, someone I could catch up with. Everyone had a phone out. One girl stood at the desk of the Sugar Shack filling out an application, and a pair of freshmen guys shared details of their room loudly enough that everyone else could