Page 118 of Chasing Your Ghost

Asher cupped her face, his fingers gently brushing over her tender cheek. “I’ll kill him,” he growled, his gaze locked onto what already felt like swollen and bruised flesh. His eyes lifted to meet hers, the fire in them cooling into concern. “Are you okay?”

Riley nodded, though it felt like a lie. Everything felt too intense, too much. “Are you?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, the corner of his lips twitching up. “I’m more than fine.”

He looked about as far away from fine as possible, but Riley knew he wasn’t talking about his physical state. He was smiling because his friends were able to see and hear him. He was happy because when he turned to Ella and asked her if she was alright, she replied.

“I think so,” Ella said shakily. Her eyes flitted around the room, searching frantically for a sign of Brett. “Is he gone?” she whispered. She lifted her hand to her forehead and wiped at the skin that he had drawn an invisible mark onto with his thumb.

Riley could only hope Brett had failed to complete whatever spell he’d been attempting to cast. And based on the fact that Ella was still standing with them, she felt good about the chances that he hadn’t finished it before Riley had plunged the knife into his back.

Asher looked over his shoulder. “I don’t know.”

Riley did the same, unable to keep herself from feeling as though the man who’d offered to help her with her boxes would suddenly appear behind her, even when she was confident he wouldn’t. Unless he’d gone to another plane that made him invisible even to her Spidey-senses, Brett had left. “I think he’s gone,” she told them.

“Are you sure?” Ella asked, her hand reaching out to clutch Asher’s arm like a lifeline.

Riley had been terrified, but based on the way Ella’s eyes were still flickering around the room and her entire body was trembling, she hadn’t been half as afraid as the brunette. And with good reason. Brett had been Ella’s boogeyman for the last few years, and seeing him must have been worse than any nightmare.

“I’m sure.”

Asher took Riley’s hand in his free one when the wail of sirens alerted them that they’d have company soon. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Noah,” Ella gasped. She released Asher’s arm and fled out of the door, her fear seemingly forgotten as her concern for Riley’s stepbrother took precedence.

Asher and Riley followed after her, their departure delayed by Riley searching for her phone, and their pace slowed by Asher’s injuries.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, noting his wince when he climbed the first step. She steadied him by placing a hand on his arm, careful not to touch any of his cuts.

“I’m not going to lie. I’ve been better.”

“Really?” she asked. “You only got kidnapped, sliced up, and put under a spell that made your heart stop. I don’t see why you’re complaining.”

He paused on the next step and shot her an amused look. “You’re right. I’ll stop the dramatics immediately.”

“Good,” she replied with a smile that felt like thin glass, ready to shatter under the slightest pressure.

He must have seen the worry behind her sarcastic front because he sent her a reassuring smile and began climbing again. “See, I’m perfectly fine.”

Riley swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. “Right.”

They made their way to the top of the steps, and if Asher weren’t leaning so heavily against her side by then, she would have run to where Noah was lying on the grass. Instead, the two of them went to him together, and Riley found herself grateful that Asher was at her side when she was close enough to see how much blood had soaked into the shirt that Chris was pressing against Noah’s wound.

“You’re going to be fine,” Ella was telling him, and Riley wasn’t surprised to see that the girl was sitting with Noah’s head cradled in her lap, her shaking hands brushing through his hair and her tears dropping down onto his cheeks. She was surprised, however, that Noah was letting her comfort him.

“Noah?” Riley asked, dropping down to her knees beside him and across from Chris.

His eyes fluttered open and sleepily moved to her before landing on the man beside her. “Sorry,” he said to Asher, the word barely more than a murmur.

“For what?” Asher asked him.

“For stealing your thunder,” Noah replied with a breathless laugh. “Everyone’s fawning over me instead of you, and I’m not even the one who’s been missing for over a month.”

Asher let out a chuckle, but Riley could only shake her head, too worried about how much blood Noah had lost and how pale and clammy he looked to laugh.

“You’re right, you little shit.” Asher linked his fingers through Riley’s. “But I’m about to steal it back.” He lifted Riley’s hand to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss on her knuckles while his eyes seared into hers with an intensity that made her blush.

“I knew it,” Chris crowed happily.

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