Ghost (The Halloween Boys #1) (97)

The guys walked up ahead as we veered away from town and toward neighborhoods. We weren’t too far from my old basement apartment, actually. “Are you mad at me?” I asked softly, so the guys couldn’t hear. Though, I suspected with their abilities, they probably heard me anyway.

“I could never be mad at you, Little Ghost,” he said, kissing my temple. “My friends, however, need to learn how to respect what’s mine.”

I glanced ahead, seeing Onyx and Wolfgang jeering and talking as usual. “They’re just being nice. It’s harmless.”

Ames huffed an unamused sound. “A little too nice.”

I rolled my eyes and shoved him playfully. “Lighten up, demon boy.”

His eyebrows rose in amusement. “Demon boy, huh?”

He grabbed me around the waist, pinching at my ribs. I laughed, pushing him off. Once I wiggled out of his grip, I ran, brushing in between Onyx and Wolfgang.

“See, I told you he’d scare her off,” Wolf said. “You owe me fifty bucks.”

Ames caught me so quickly, I thought he must have used some of his magic. He grabbed me as I laughed and hauled me over his shoulder, casually turning to the guys. “Where to next?”

“Let me down,” I demanded, though I was laughing so hard I could barely make out the words.

“We could hit a couple more houses then go sort our loot at the church?” Onyx offered.

“Sounds good to me,” Wolf replied, nonchalantly ignoring my pleas and laughing.

Ames spanked my behind with a loud clap before setting me gently on the ground. I dried my eyes of the tears from laughter, when an image appeared down the street. My heart sank. As my smile faded, I walked past the guys towards the hunched figure. When I reached him, he stood, broom in hand. He smiled when he recognized me under my face paint. “Blythe, it’s so good to see you again. You ran out before dessert the other week. I hope everything turned out alright.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that, Mr. Moore.” The guys’ words about Charles Moore being stuck here . . . for hundreds of years . . . missing his wife who passed and his daughter who was taken, snatched into the woods never to be seen again. I shuddered. “Um . . . are you okay?” I asked. There was nothing I could do, but I worried about him all the same.

“Yes, young lady, I am just fine. You and your fellas probably want some candy, don’t you. I can run and grab some from the house.”

Wolfgang’s presence appeared next to me first. “Hey, Mr. Moore, I’m Wolfgang Jack, and this is Onyx Hart and Ames Cove.”

Mr. Moore clutched his broom and nodded. “I bet you boys know my daughter Ellie. She’s about your age.”

I swallowed down tears.

Ames spoke, smooth and respectful, betraying a hint of his old-timey accent. “Yes, sir. Ellie May is a wonderful girl.”

“She sewed a flag for our treehouse when we were younger,” Onyx added, stopping next to Ames.

Mr. Moore’s eyes lit up. “That sure does sound like my Ellie. Oh, Blythe, dear, did your stepfather find you?”

I felt Ames’s fingers stroke comfortingly between my shoulder blades. “Yes, sir. All is well,” I replied. Somehow . . . for the first time . . . no fear clawed at my senses. I was safe now. I was safe with The Halloween Boys. I looked to Ames, and he smiled like he noticed it too. Like he noticed that I didn’t taste like fear at the mention of my stepfather.

“Good, good,” Charles Moore said, going back to sweeping the street. I wondered how long he’d been out here in the cold, sweeping . . . sweeping . . .

Onyx offered me a tender look before walking over to the old man and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Sir, don’t you think you should go inside, have some hot tea, and have a nice rest this evening? The street looks great.”

Awareness and relief instantly softened Mr. Moore’s wrinkled features. “You know what, young man, that sounds delightful. I think I’ll do just that. You kids be safe and have a good time trick-or-treating. I’ll get the big candy bars next year to make up for this one.”

“Yes, sir, thank you,” we all replied. I swallowed, fighting the tears at the corners of my eyes.

Onyx dared to brush a rough thumb on my chin. “Hey, he’s alright. I made sure. He’s going to sleep soundly with only good memories tonight.” In that moment, I was very thankful for Onyx’s drug-touch.

“I wish I could help him,” I whispered. “I wish I could help all of them.”

“Us too,” Wolfgang replied. “I’ve looked for the lost girls for over a hundred years.” He shook his head. “Ellie is among them, unfortunately.”

Ames wrapped his arm around me again, and I rested my head on his shoulder. “We’ll find a way to help them someday. But there’s nothing you can do. You’re mortal.”

It was the best he could offer, though it stung. You’re mortal. Why’d that feel so shitty?

Onyx chimed in, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Our curses are connected. If we freed ourselves from this devil’s snare, we’d free them. Our Devil has been searching for the key to that for years. It’s one of the reasons he’s always gone, supposedly.”

“Would you leave if the curse was broken?” I asked on instinct.

Onyx shot me a sideways glance. “I’d try to find my parents, my family, my people. It’s been a very long time.”