The Ghosts of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book 1)
Read The Ghosts of Ravencrest (The Ravencrest Saga Book 1) Online
Authors: Tamara Thorne,Alistair Cross
London: The Frost Fair of 1788
Check out this haunting title by Thorne & Cross
Now Available from Alistair Cross
Darkness Never Dies ...
Ravencrest Manor has always been part of the family. The ancestral home of the Mannings, Ravencrest’s walls have been witness to generations of unimaginable scandal, horror, and depravity. Imported stone by stone from England to northern California in the early 1800s, the manor now houses widower Eric Manning, his children, and his staff. Ravencrest stands alone, holding its memories and ghosts close to its dark heart, casting long, black shadows across its grand lawns, through the surrounding forests, and over the picturesque town of Devilswood, below.
Dare to Cross the Threshold ...
Ravencrest Manor is the most beautiful thing new governess, Belinda Moorland, has ever seen, but as she learns more about its tangled past of romance and terror, she realizes that beauty has a dark side. Ravencrest is built on secrets, and its inhabitants seem to be keeping plenty of their own - from the handsome English butler, Grant Phister, to the power-mad administrator, Mrs. Heller, to Eric Manning himself, who watches her with dark, fathomless eyes. But Belinda soon realizes that the living who dwell in Ravencrest have nothing on the other inhabitants - the ones who walk the darkened halls by night … the ones who enter her dreams … the ones who are watching … and waiting …
Welcome to Ravencrest ...
Who is the man digging in the garden beyond Belinda’s bedroom window? Who - or what - is watching her from the vents? From ghostly screams and the clutching bony fingers of death in the indoor pool, to the trio of gliding nuns in the east wing who come at Belinda with black blazing eyes, to the beckoning little girl in the red dress who died more than two centuries ago, Belinda is thrust into a world of waking nightmares where there is no distinction between the living and the dead, and there are no limits to the horrors that await. Witchcraft is afoot at Ravencrest and as unspeakable terrors begin to unfold, Belinda realizes that her beautiful new home is a keeper of tragedy, a collector of souls. And it wants to add her to its collection …
Books by Thorne & Cross
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Darker Shadows
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Christmas Spirits
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Night Moves
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Dead Girls
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Danse Macabre
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Spellbound
Coming this Winter
Mother
And coming soon
Grandma’s Rack
Books by Alistair Cross
Books by Tamara Thorne
RAVES FOR RAVENCREST
"
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
delivers on every level. Delicate, creepy, detailed, and beautifully crafted, this reinvention of the gothic ghost story into a sexy, sleek modern chiller is a marvel of suspense and atmosphere. A knockout of a horror yarn!"
-Jay Bonansinga, the New York Times bestselling author of
The Walking Dead: Invasion
,
Lucid
, and
Self Storage
.
"Ghostly secrets abound. Tortured spirits wander the hallways. Star-crossed lovers walk the paths of time. Servants connive, and the heroine faces an uncertain future. …Run, do not walk, to get The Ghosts of Ravencrest. Tamara Thorne and Alistair Cross take the reader on a delicious journey of twisted family secrets, troubled dreams, and barely-concealed passions. Wrap yourself in the silken robe of this story and escape to Ravencrest."
-- Sylvia Shults, author of
Hunting Demons: A True Story of the Dark Side of the Supernatural
“
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
is riveting. The characters are wonderful, the subplots are perfect, and the setting is stunning and well-researched. This series is like a roller coaster that goes up and up - the Mannings are literary gold.”
-QL Pearce, bestselling author of
Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
“In this classic-style gothic, young Belinda Moorland takes a job as governess for the children of Eric Manning, whose family mansion, Ravencrest, was reassembled stone by stone after crossing over from England. Now stalked by a bevy of quirky, shady characters … the sinister estate and its naughty nightside hijinks take center stage in this expert tale of multi-generational evil - and love.
The
Ghosts of Ravencrest
will chill you and make you hot and bothered at the same time. There’s nothing like a stay in a California town created by Thorne and Cross!"
-W.D. Gagliani, author of
Wolf’s Blind
(The Nick Lupo Series)
“
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
is a scary, intricate read. The horror is well crafted and the ornate setting descriptions are breathtaking. Most importantly, from page one, readers fall in love with Belinda. We care about what happens to her, and we hope exactly what that is remains deliciously extensive!"
-Michael Aronovitz, author of
Alice Walks
"Scary and scandalous!
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
will leaving you shivering with excitement and terror ..."
-William Malmborg, author of
Jimmy
and
Text Message
The Ravencrest Saga: Book One
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
Tamara Thorne & Alistair Cross
The Ghosts of Ravencrest: Volume one of The Ravencrest Saga
© 2015 Tamara Thorne & Alistair Cross
All Rights Reserved
Glass Apple Press
First e-book edition September, 2015
This eBook is for your personal device only. No part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the authors.
Cover Design by Mike Rivera
The Ghosts of Ravencrest
is dedicated to our better halves,
Mr. Thorne and Ms. Cross.
You are cherished.
Acknowledgements
First of all, we must acknowledge our spouses for their long-suffering patience with us. You guys are the best. We would also like to thank the following folks for help of many flavors: QL Pearce, Libba Campbell, Mark Hein, Bill Gagliani, Mike Rivera, Pam Stack, McKaylie Johnson, Martin Rivero, Natalie Valenzuela, Berlin Malcom, and Douglas Clegg. Finally, thanks to our familiars for being warm, furry, catty, and never letting us take ourselves too seriously.
BOOK ONE: THE NEW GOVERNESS
Prologue
High on the hill overlooking the town of Devilswood, California, Ravencrest Manor grew out of the earth as if it had always been there instead of being brought over, stone by stone, brick by brick, in the early nineteenth century. Its flat, greystone face presided over the forests, and the beyond, and stared down over the lush green grounds, the gleaming white Greek statues, the orchards and gardens. The mullioned windows glittered like disapproving eyes as they looked upon the town below … And indeed, the did disapprove.
Within, the residents of Ravencrest shared their home with all who had lived and died over the centuries before them. A few of the living knew the secrets of the manor, but they would never tell, though sometimes, the dead compelled them.
Rude Awakening
Skin.
Smooth, tight, and tanned, redolent of soap and summer. Belinda’s hand - which just moments ago had been bringing a spoonful of cherry ice cream to her lips - now wandered beyond her control to explore an expanse of silky flesh. The ice cream was gone; it simply wasn’t there anymore. There was nothing but skin now, and even though she didn’t mean to, she stroked it, playing her slender fingers lightly over it, as if whatever forces driving her were afraid of leaving bruises. A familiar fragrance played hide and seek with her senses. She thought she recognized it, but like a reticent ghost, it fled.
A new sensation entered her awareness.
She looked down but she couldn’t see anything. Her back was pressed against something rough and cold that felt like a stone wall. An ache she had been unaware of sharpened in her arms. They were pulled high above her head now, held by something cold and hard.
Handcuffs? Manacles?
She looked up, but could see nothing in the unrelenting darkness.
Cold weight settled on her chest, and fetid breath played over her face. She wanted to scream, but she was helpless against the creature tormenting her. Something cold moved between her thighs, inching upward. Slowly, steadily, it spread her, pushing her legs farther and farther apart, stopping only when she feared she would split in two.