Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (111)

His lips dropped to mine, but before they touched, he whispered, “All because a demon fell in love.”

I gasped a quick breath before his kiss found me. “I love you too,” I replied, honestly, truly.

Wolfgang cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt, but we don’t have a lot of time.”

When I looked, he was holding something that looked so small and floppy in his arms—a bundle of feathers. My heart clenched. “Raven,” I breathed as he walked closer. “He came with me,” I managed. “He came with me to face the . . .”

Wolf nodded. “He did. Raven is just about the best familiar you could hope for. Though, Blythe, he is dead.”

My throat tightened as the tears I’d been holding back threatened to unleash.

“But,” Wolf continued, “all animals . . . We all have our own sort of magic. It’s hard to explain, but when an animal dies that was loved by someone, they don’t leave. They stay, even in death, to look after their person. His soul is still close by. I think you can bring him back.”

My gaze shot to his in shock. Ames rubbed my back gently, and Onyx’s eyes glowed as he leaned on a nearby tombstone.

“I’ll try,” I said with a shaky voice. Removing my gloves, I placed my palms on his cold, silky-soft body. I didn’t know what to do, or where to start, or what I was trying to accomplish exactly . . . but I thought of Raven when he found me at Hallows Fest and I needed a friend. How he made me feel at home and safe. Memories flashed through my mind of the black bird that followed me from the moment I entered Ash Grove. How he made me feel like I had a buddy. I remembered the night I actually got restful sleep for the first time in years . . . and it was as he sat perched on my windowsill, watching after me. Thank you, I said with my mind. But I still need you. Please, come back?

After several silent moments, his wing twitched. Wolfgang smiled broadly, running a hand down Raven’s back. “There we go,” he said proudly. “Nice work, friend.”

My sobs exploded then as Raven straightened, ruffling out his feathers. He hopped onto my shoulder, and I nuzzled my head into his wing.

I had all my boys now. We were dark, and probably evil, and most certainly damned to Hell, though Ghost swore Hell wasn’t so bad, but they were mine. And I was theirs.

My friends.

My family.

My home.





TWO MONTHS LATER


Snow floated out the frosty window, joining the blanket of white on the ground. The smell of evergreen and fire warmed my chest as I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and sat on the floor in front of the stone fireplace.

A boom of laughter erupted in the kitchen, where the smell of meat, so much meat, wafted into the family room. We’d spent the last two months finding every trapped resident of Ash Grove. I’d given each of them peace, allowing them to pass on. It was funny what I’d learned about death since, well, being Death. It wasn’t like the ominous hooded figures in movies or books, though the scythe was definitely a thing, as proven by my earlier vision, it seemed. Death was just another passageway, and I held open the door. Raven cawed from his perch by the window. Wolfgang had built him a long, T-shaped stand. Wolf really spoiled that bird, and Raven didn’t mind at all. A grin broke upon my lips.

“I love that smile.” Ames lowered himself next to me. He passed me a mug swirling with steam. The smell of cinnamon and lemon tingling my nose. “Hot Toddy,” he said, putting an arm around my shoulder as we leaned back on the sofa.

The Devil’s words from months prior played through my mind as I sipped my spicy drink.

“She’s who I’ve been looking for, the missing piece. A Reaper. Death itself. Blythe can break the curse. She can give the residences here peace and death, releasing you all from the hold Ash Grove has on you. You’re no longer bound to the town.”

He spoke with such authority, such finality. And he’d said little else. Though when I looked at him, I knew without a doubt he looked exactly like the fourth man standing around the horned lady’s throne. The lady that was me.

Onyx and Wolfgang filtered in with plates piled high with food and joined us. Out of nowhere, I asked, “Do you think you were all drawn to me just because I’m Death? Like the vampires and witches were? Is that the only reason you like me?”

Wolfgang snorted. “You think we’d put up with your hair all over the shower just because you’re a Reaper?”

Onyx added, “And the makeup all over the place . . . This is a historical farmhouse, not a dressing room.”

“Ha, ha.” I rolled my eyes. Ames grinned, tugging me to his chest. I snuggled in, inhaling his intoxicating scent. I persisted, “Your curse is broken. You can all leave Ash Grove and go as far as you want, for as long as you want. Will . . . any of you be leaving?”

The four of us had been spending time on the outskirts of Ash Grove in Onyx’s farmhouse. It was quaint, and farm life was unexpectedly what I’d needed after the whole Halloween ordeal. Though I wouldn’t lie, goats now freaked me the hell out. We had a chance to breathe here. And immortals, witches, and ghosts weren’t knocking down my door with questions or requests.

“You’re right,” Wolfgang replied thoughtfully. “I can finally recruit new wolves. After so many years . . .”

I didn’t know what that meant, but the awe in his voice seemed answer enough.