The Coven Reborn
Copyright© 2026 by Phillip Marks
Chapter 3: Double, Double Toil and Trouble
Supernatural Sex Story: Chapter 3: Double, Double Toil and Trouble - The Coven of the Moonlit Grove recruits a new member and faces a new supernatural threat as it enters a new era.
Caution: This Supernatural Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Consensual Fiction Magic
Sheila Foster walked up to the reception counter quickly with a smile on her face. It was late in the day – 6PM – and she was in New York City. The forensic specialist from Albany was at the Charles S. Hirsch Center for Forensic Sciences in Manhattan. She was visiting in a strictly civilian capacity. Her college friend Dr. Jacob Yarland worked here.
“I’m here to see Dr. Yarland. My name is Shelia Foster. He’s expecting me,” Shelia said to the bored officer at the desk.
“Please sign in here and have a seat. I’ll let him know that you’re here.”
Shelia dutifully signed in and took a seat. She was wearing jeans and a sweater with a spring jacket. She set her black leather purse in the chair next to her and absently scrolled on her phone. She was mildly curious as to why her friend had asked to meet her here, at his workplace, rather than at a restaurant.
About ten minutes passed and Jacob came into the area. He was tall and fairly well-built for a man approaching middle age. He was wearing a plain white lab coat. “Shelia!” he said. “It is so nice to see you.”
Shelia smiled and got up quickly. The two friends embraced. “Jacob!” she exclaimed.
“How was the trip down from the wild north?” he asked.
“Fine,” said Shelia. “No problems at all. I hadn’t expected to come down to your lab though.”
“Right. I wanted you to see something before we headed out. Normally we don’t allow civilians back in the lab area but in your case...” He glanced at the desk officer.
The uniformed cop just waved his hand. “She’s your responsibility Doc,” he said.
“One of the perks of being the boss,” Jacob said with a smile.
He lead the woman from Albany down a long corridor out of the reception area. “How’s things in Albany?” he asked, making conversation.
“Oh ... interesting as always. It’s not like down here I’m sure.”
Jacob smiled. “You know if you got your doctorate you could come down here and play in the big leagues.”
Shelia smiled as well. Her mind flashed to the digital counter Detective Justin Duke kept on his desk. It was numbered somewhere in the 90s as she recalled and either Duke or his partner, Detective Mark Kronig, dutifully increased the number every day. Nobody except the three of them knew what it indicated: the number of days the city of Albany had been demon free. It was an inside joke for the three of them.
“Oh, I’m fine in Albany,” said Shelia.
“Well, anyway,” began Jacob, “Remember last winter when you had that John Doe killer and you emailed me about urban animal attacks? I have something here I want you to see.”
Shelia’s face scrunched up in puzzlement. “Okay,” she said. “Is this an official investigation?”
“Oh no,” said Jacob, turning the pair into another short hall. “It’s just something a maintenance worker brought in. He was curious about it and it sure ranks about a ten on my weird-o-meter.”
A few moments later the pair was in a shiny though plain examination room. Jacob offered his colleague a pair of latex gloves and a disposable scalpel. Shelia was honestly surprised and a bit curious.
Jacob walked over to the storage area and rolled out a small mobile rack, it’ contents covered with a blue sheet. Shelia could tell there wasn’t a human body underneath; there were three smaller shapes. Jacob moved the sheet aside to reveal the partially dissected bodies of three large rats.
“Oh my,” commented Shelia. “Those are big rats.”
“That’s NYC for you,” said Jacob dryly. “The rats really aren’t a problem but they can get big.” Shelia was already examining the three carcasses with her trained eye.
“So what’s up with them?” Shelia asked.
“The worker brought these in but he said his team has found about ten others, mainly in alleys and parks in upper Manhattan so there are probably a lot more that haven’t been found. Not a one of them has a drop of blood left in it.”
Shelia looked at her old friend for a long moment. “Really?”she finally asked.
Jacob nodded.
Shelia poked one of the dead rats with the scalpel, looking at it’s internal organs and an obvious bite wound. She quickly noticed that the animal’s back had been broken. “Maybe a feral cat or dog got at these animals?” she asked and theorized.
“Unlikely,” said Jacob. “A city rat would kill a housecat, even a feral one, and the damage doesn’t look consistent with a dog attack. If a dog got at these it would eat at least part of them. The broken back doesn’t work with that theory either.”
“True,” said Shelia. “And these bit marks are too small for a dog ... kind of small for a...” She suddenly looked up and stared at her friend for a long moment. Jacob smiled wryly and nodded. “These bite wounds are human, on the small side ... a human female...”
“I told you this was some weird stuff,” commented Jacob.
Though Jacob didn’t know it an icy ball had materialized in Shelia’s stomach. “Have you measured the bite wounds or done any DNA work?” she asked.
“No,” said Jacob. “This isn’t a case, it’s just an oddity. There’s no crime here. Killing rats, even if you’re some kind of weirdo, isn’t against the law. I can’t even call it animal cruelty – they’re rats.”
“It looks like the backs are broken on all three specimens. No animal would do that, not without much more extensive wounds.”
“That was my conclusion as well. I’m thinking someone had to catch these things, no small feat, and then have the strength to physically break their backs using their bare hands,” said Jacob.
“The speed and strength requirement to do either are on the high end of the human range,” said Shelia.
“That’s my thinking also.”
Shelia stepped back. “Are you going to keep these?”
“Well, yeah, I guess while I have the room. I’m sorry Shelia, you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No, no, it’s okay. Just ... you know ... rats...” she snapped off her gloves and fished out her phone. “If you don’t mind I have a friend I can ask about this. She isn’t a forensic person – she’s kind of a chemist, actually. She thinks very scientifically and is very familiar with stuff that is on the weird side of things. Her name is Sabrine. I’ll email her.”
“Sure,” said Jacob. “Now enough about rats and bodies. I figured we could head over to LaVista over on Second and get a pie. I made a reservation.”
Shelia smiled after her email was sent. “That sounds awesome Jacob!” The two friends left shortly.
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.