Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (39)

They were right.

I knew Blythe’s stepdad deserved every ounce of punishment I was about to rain down upon him. I knew because I deserved it too. If we were marking our sins like tallies on a wall, mine would outweigh his by miles. But that didn’t change the fact that the moment I found him, he would die slowly, painfully.

My Little Ghost walked outside, her eyes wide as I extended the helmet and revved my engine. I wasn’t a total idiot. I knew girls liked the bike. My ride was a black on black Ducati Multistrada V4. Sharp, powerful, and fast as hell. “Those assholes can drive your car behind us. You and I are taking the scenic route to the library.”

“Playing dirty, dude,” Onyx complained as Blythe fished out her keys and handed them to him.

Wolf shook his head. “Should have known you’d bring her out soon. Man, I haven’t seen you ride in a good many years.”

“Why is that?” Blythe asked, gripping my waist and hitching her leg over the back of the bike. Her perfect, soft thighs pressed around me, and her breasts grazed my back. Fuck me. What was her question again?

“Haven’t felt like riding until today.” I shrugged, though Wolf and I knew better. We both knew it was her. She made me want to ride. Even on that cloudy-ass day where a downpour could have caught us at any moment. It didn’t matter. It was still somehow a beautiful October day. The oranges and reds shone deeper in hue after the morning storm.

She tugged on her helmet, and leaning forward, she whispered in my ear, sending tingles electrocuting straight to my already hard cock. “Go fast, please. I can take it.”

I was about to go fast alright, ditching the boys and taking her home to my bed. But Onyx was right in the plan we hatched last night. I had to trust that if anything, the guy was smart.

She needed to know about us. And the gentlest way to do that would be to lead her to finding the truth by herself. She needed to discover it and piece it all together. If she had all the cards in her hand, maybe she wouldn’t run away screaming. She sure as hell would if we sat her down and just told her—which was what Onyx advocated we do. Wolf thought we’d be keeping her safer by keeping her ignorant.

If Blythe’s stepfather was just your average criminal, I’d agree with Wolf. In that instance, she wouldn’t need to know about us. He’d die, and she’d move on with her life. But being that we highly suspected now that her pursuer was an actual demon . . . Demon hunting required more . . . everything. More tact, more energy, more eyes, and she had to be told what was truly after her. And it also seemed she needed to be told that so we might compel her to accept our help. If she knew what she was up against and what we were . . . If she wasn’t completely horrified and disgusted by the truth about us, then we stood a chance of catching this bastard. But if we somehow failed . . . The consequences of a demon catching Blythe were too ghastly to even think about. And that was coming from me, a demon myself. I knew how dark and depraved my kind were. It certainly explained him enjoying the hunt. The sicko was probably drinking up her fear. So was I, but, you know, I wasn’t trying to actively kill her.

There also seemed to be pieces missing. Like how’d she get mixed up with a demon stepfather? She recognized him on the surveillance and ran, so she knew him, yet he was displaying demonic qualities. Something didn’t add up. We couldn’t keep hiding much longer, and we needed more answers from her. Perhaps a perusal through the archives at the old library would be enough to softly introduce her to our past. As my motorcycle screamed to life, I jutted us onto the road, grinning at her squeal of excitement. Little Ghost wasn’t kidding; she wanted to go fast. I was happy to oblige. Not happy she’d ask someone she assumed was a mortal guy to drive fast. These things were not safe for humans. But me? I’d keep her safe. I could fly us into the night with my eyes closed and she wouldn’t be harmed. To any onlooker, we’d be a phantom wind. A puff of smoke impervious to harm. We could ride through trees or buildings if I wanted us to. That was part of my talents, though. Onyx called them gifts, Judas called them curses, and I landed somewhere in the middle with my assessment of our unique abilities, even if my own capabilities were waning for some reason. Perhaps I truly was reaching ancient status, like I told Blythe. Even the elderly in this town looked like kids to me. I didn’t tell her that, though.

There was a lot she didn’t know and that she’d probably be better off not knowing. I would have been content to leave her in the dark. I’d sure as fuck never disclosed anything about my true nature to any woman I’d been with over the years. Though those encounters began and ended in bed. But Blythe was different in so many ways. Not only did she call to me like a siren and I felt a deep and unending desire to protect her, but she had another demon on her tail. Another demon. Did she call to another like she did me? The question had me digging my nails into my handlebars as we leaned into a curve on the highway. Why was he after her? Out of all the humans in the world, why her? Maybe she held the clue and she didn’t even know it.

I wanted her to know. A part of me was thrilled at the idea. Another part of me wanted to keep her in the dark. I could live in this world where I was her friend who changed the oil in her car from a haunted gasoline station and who she unknowingly danced with later as her ghost. Couldn’t we stay in this purgatory a while longer?

“Is this fast enough for you?” I shouted over the wind. The sound of her giggling as her legs pressed firm around me sent a jolt down my front.