Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (63)

A shrill laugh echoed through the room and I stilled. It laughed again as both mine and Mr. Moore’s gaze shot to the table. Ellie May . . . the doll . . . cackled a static automatic giggle that sounded part tiny child and part horror.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Mr. Moore grinned. “This girl hasn’t laughed like that in years. She likes you. Please say you’ll come back for a visit?”

I tripped on a wrinkle in the carpet as I nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you for dinner.”

As my hand reached the doorknob, more laughter sounded. Only this time it wasn’t just the doll at the table. Hundreds of dolls clattered with automatic and echoey laughter. Mr. Moore chuckled again in glee as I turned the knob and stumbled into the yard.

Above me, a crow squawked. I put my hands on my knees, trying to find air. Where was the air?

Something sharp pricked my scalp.

“What the hell?” I looked up in time to dodge another swoop from the bird. “Oh, you’re possessed now too?” I shouted. “Great, just great,” I shrieked, running to my car.

Was my stepdad still here? What if he were nearby just watching, waiting, laughing his ass off, sharpening his blade . . .

The engine cranked and I floored it out of the driveway.

I couldn’t stay here any longer. This was too far. He’d stopped by. This was real. Someone else saw him. Mr. Moore, strange as he was, was lucky to be alive after that encounter. All my things were at Magia. My heart sank as hot tears fell down my cheeks. Benny the Bat was on my bed. My only constant was a stuffed animal. I choked on a sob, knowing I had to leave him behind along with Yesenia and the guys . . . Ames. I rubbed my face, trying to clear my vision enough to drive. I turned onto the highway, but instead of reaching the freeway, the road curved in a direction I didn’t recall. I must have been delirious because the path led me downtown. I stopped, reversed, and went back toward the interstate. Again, the road curved, leading me past the large gray stone sign, “Welcome to Ash Grove.”

“What the actual hell?” I breathed.

Reversing again, I turned toward the highway.

As I stalled, my phone buzzed. With clumsy hands, I checked my message. It was a group text between me, Onyx, Wolfgang, and Ames. Through the week we’d had the chat going, Ames had never chimed in. I didn’t know why the guys added him.

Taco night at Fenrir. You guys coming? I can pick you up, B! Wolf asked.

Tears fell anew as I tossed my phone onto the dash and sped in the opposite direction of the welcome sign. I’d abandoned almost-friends before. But never one like Wolf. He was my friend. My real friend. This time, my sense of direction must have improved slightly because I found myself on a two-lane highway through tall trees and winding roads. I didn’t recognize this route, but at least I was getting somewhere, anywhere but Ash Grove.

I felt worse than I had when I’d left home.

Alabama never had my heart. It was full of only pain and loss. My mom was buried there, and memories of my stepfather’s rage tainted every corner.

But Ash Grove, with its odd residents and traditions, had felt more like home than anywhere I’d ever been. Agony slid down my cheeks as I sped down the narrow road. The sky grew dark, and a heavy fog enveloped my car. I slowed and flicked on my headlights. It looked like a freak storm was appearing.

The outline of an extremely tall man appeared several yards ahead of my car.

Panic overtook me as I slammed on the breaks, jerking forward, my seatbelt cutting into my collar. Breathing heavy, my engine sputtered. No, no, no. I cranked it again and again.

The fog was so thick now it looked blue. I flicked on my wipers, as if they could do anything against the harsh elements before me. The man. There was a man in the middle of the road. What if it was . . .

I unbuckled. Everything in me screamed at me to lock the doors and cry. But if it were my stepfather . . . I may as well face him head-on. Here and now.

This was it. I slammed my car door and walked forward, unable to see anything.

A figure appeared in front of me in a flash and grabbed my arms. I screamed.

This was the end.





CHAPTER 23





Ames





WHO DID THAT TO YOU?





Hell is empty and the devils are here.

William Shakespeare





Did I shift in time? Could she see me shift in the smoke? Her fear was stronger than ever. It was hard not to moan at the feel of it on my tongue. She trembled beneath my grip and her scream instantly hardened my cock.

“Where the fuck are you going?” I growled, letting the smoke dim.

She looked up at me through wet, black lashes. “Ames?”

A quick glance at my knuckles. My human knuckles. “Yes,” I answered. For now.

A sob belted from her throat as she threw herself into my arms. It was the second time she’d done that. The second time a woman had ever done that with me. You only did that with people you felt safe with. Did she feel safe with me? Even after what happened between us?

“I’m leaving,” she said through muffled cried. “I have to.”

I stroked her hair and held her tight against my body. “I’m sorry I upset you, Blythe. But please stay. I’ll leave you alone forever. You never have to deal with me again.”

“It’s not you, of course it’s not you. It’s him.”