Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (41)

And then Onyx cut in.

With a panicked voice, he put an arm around Blythe’s shoulder. “I think all this dust is giving me a headache, how about you?”

The taste of her fear evaporated as Wolf and I stared at our friend in alarm. Blythe giggled. She giggled. “Yeah, the allergens are pretty bad in here. Maybe we should get going. Wow, I’m really craving sugar right now. And I’m suddenly super tired . . . .”

Onyx continued, “Wolfgang, buddy, why don’t you take Blythe back to her car. Ames and I will catch up.”

She giggled again and batted her eyelashes at the dark-haired dragon hybrid. I was going to kill him. “Sure thing,” Wolf growled, hardly concealing his rage. I was right there with him, shooting him a stern look that said I’d handle it from here. He escorted Blythe out, who kept casting little glances back. Onyx smiled like the Devil and gave a short wave as they disappeared behind the swaying door.

In an instant, I had him by the collar. I lifted him off his feet, slamming him into the newspaper wall and holding him steady. Periodicals and dirt fluttered down around us as Onyx’s green eyes stared at me head on. He didn’t attempt to manipulate my emotions; he knew better than to try that right now.

“What the actual fuck, Dragon? Her finding out this way was your idea.”

“I know.”

“So you blow it at the last possible second? Explain before I ram my fist through your face.”

He sucked in a breath, “I don’t want her to know yet. I know I said I did, but being with her . . . Can you blame me if I want to keep . . . this . . . going a little longer? She likes us and I haven’t seen you or Wolf like this in a long time.”

I held his neck tighter, my rage not subsiding. “This isn’t about us. You know that. What about her? Have you forgotten there’s a fucking demon on her scent right now?”

Onyx shoved out of my grip and I let him, taking a frustrated step back and running a hand through my hair.

“I think we’re jumping the gun out of fear. This is one demon and there’s three of us, four if Devil shows up. We haven’t battled a paranormal in a while, granted, but we aren’t weak. Even if your powers are lagging, you’re still the strongest fucking demon I’ve ever seen. You used your disappearing speed shit on your bike with a mortal on the back and she didn’t even notice.”

“You saw that?”

“Yeah, of course I did. Using your demon prowess to impress a girl is a new low, even for you.”

I scoffed, “Oh, and using your vampire touch to make a girl into you for the day wasn’t the scummiest thing you’ve ever done?”

He shrugged. “I won’t lie about liking her. I’m pretty sure Wolf does too. But that isn’t the whole reason I want to keep a lid on us for now. Just for now, Ghost. We’ve barely put in any effort to hunt this fucker. We’re just scared because we actually like his mark. But think about it, he’s been tailing her through several states. He’s finding her address and stalking her with those demon letters of fucking nonsense. I snuck into her place and found the others. Badly water damaged but from what I could make out, they’re all the same. The legible ones all say, “I’m not going to let you. I’m not going to let you.” Over and over again. The demon’s fucking lost it. Why put in that effort? Why not just kill her, or possess her, or whatever the fuck your kind like doing.”

“So you think he’s crazy?”

“All signs point to yes. Maybe he’s just into the hunt, like you are.”

I sighed, exasperated. “I’m into the kill more.”

“Precisely. And he hasn’t killed her. Why? I think we stand a better chance of catching him then you think. Let’s not blow our cover just yet. Maybe we can eradicate him and save the day.”

I leaned on an old table and crossed my arms. “You think you stand a better chance with her by pretending to be a mortal, huh?”

He shrugged. “Don’t tell me you don’t think the same goddamn thing.”

“I told you to leave her alone. Both of you.”

Onyx’s green eyes glowed in the dim light of the library. “And you told us you haven’t claimed her. Is that still true?”

Fuck. He knew I couldn’t claim her. I wouldn't do that to her. “How could I damn her like that? Tie her to a demon. You know what that would mean.”

“Yeah, I get it. But if you haven’t claimed her, it’s not fair to tell us to stay away for no other reason than you have a crush the same as we do. Grow up.”

“I’m almost two hundred years old, dickhead.”

He scoffed, reaching under the cabinet of the newspapers and pulling out a bottle of amber liquid. “A hundred and seventy something, give or take a few years. I, however, am over two hundred.”

I rolled my eyes, taking the bottle when he offered it and downing a hefty gulp of whisky. “Fuck, how long have you had this in here? Since high school?”

He chuckled, inspecting the bottle. “Which year? The first time we graduated or the fiftieth?”

“I’m glad we quit the high school scene. Geometry got old after the first thirty years.”

Onyx took another gulp before hiding the bottle back in its spot. “Practicing law is more engaging than taking sex education for decades, that’s for sure. Luckily humans moved on and accepted our charade of, ironically, being older than our bodies look. Though, the new townspeople do look at us odd when they met us when they were thirty, and they die at ninety while we look the same.”