Page 78 of Ghosts of Halloween

“Fuck you,” he spits, his face flaming red under the tan. He looks not only angry but also flustered, and that gives me pause. But then Caden’s hands frame my face, and he leans in for a quick but deep kiss.

“I can take you, baby. Any time.”

“And I want you to fuck Harlow’s mouth,” I say, my heart beating faster when the details of what I want to do slot into place. These might be our last hours of existence. And I want to get rid of my regrets—as many as I can.

“Then I’ll fuck you again, princess,” Jack says, already calm as he places a gentle kiss on her temple. “You up for it?”

Harlow takes a deep breath and nods, then braces herself to stand up. “Sorry,” she says in a raspy voice. “Yeah, I am. I’m just so tired. So muchhappened.”

I study her face, eyes narrowing on the ghostly pallor of her skin. She’s alive, and more constraints are placed on her than on us. She must be exhausted after everything that’s happened. And yet, she keeps going. I come over, deciding to indulge every fucking urge in the short time I have left, and cup her cheek as she straightens. Her eyes widen when she looks at my face, instantly waking up.

“You’re doing so well, angel,” I tell her, meaning every word. “You’re so strong and resilient, taking it all so well. Making sure to get everything you can out of this last night. I promise it will all end soon. You’ll rest.”

I don’t just speak to her, but to the weariness inside me, too. Soon. Soon, we’ll rest. I lean closer, giving her the briefest peck right on her lips and pull away before she can kiss me back.

She looks surprised, blinking up at me dazedly until Caden swoops in, capturing her mouth in a firm kiss even as he tugs me closer, his hand on my hip. I press my hand to his, watching them kissing, the contrast so stark now that Harlow’s skin is bare. How pale and soft she is, how young. He looks like a savage in comparison, his skin swarthy and lined, rough shadow on his chin and cheeks.

And yet, their lips fit together perfectly, mouths moving in unison. I swallow a tightness in my throat with a bittersweet triumph. I hate sharing him, but I’m glad it’s her. Seeing how much Caden wants her gives me peace. Makes it okay to want her, too.

Jack comes to stand behind Harlow and snakes his arms around her. Caden pulls back, and Jack tugs her into a kiss. I grip the back of Caden’s head and crush my mouth to his, tasting Harlow on his tongue.

Fuck, it feels so good.

I reach out blindly, finding Harlow’s hip, and I tug her closer. Jack follows, and we all stand pressed together, our hands reaching and tangling while we kiss. Caden pulls back, nipping lightly on my lower lip, his eyes already dark with lust. He turns and grabs Harlow, tearing her away from Jack’smouth, and when she turns and kisses him, I put my arm around her waist and kiss down her neck, because fuck.

No more thinking. No regrets. I’ll just let my instincts take over.

Jack’s on her other side, nuzzling into her skin as his frantic hands move over her tits and stomach. I kiss down her shoulder, past the strips of fabric tying up her wound, realizing it’s her right side that’s turned to me. Slowly, I trail my fingers down her stump, wondering how that feels for her.

It’s intense, that’s for sure, because she moans into Caden’s mouth, shaking under our touch. He groans into the kiss, his fingers sliding up my hip and stomach. I’m only wearing my pants, my torn shirt lost somewhere in the house, and Caden squeezes my bare waist as he dips lower to tongue Harlow’s nipple.

She’s flushed, her lips moving slightly with every frantic breath. I drop a kiss on her forehead and reach for her throat, squeezing just hard enough to make her wince. Her blush deepens, eyes flaring wide. Jack tugs on her hair to face him. He devours her mouth with a feral grunt, his hands roaming her body frantically, tanned fingers sliding over soft skin.

When he touches Caden’s face, still pressed to Harlow’s tit, he hesitates before burying his fingers in his hair.

I watch that for a moment before huffing with amusement. Something definitely got me tonight. Why not Jack, too? If he’s having some kind of bi awakening, who am I to judge him, anyway? That’s not the problem, though.

The problem is, he’s touchingmyCaden. As Jack’s long fingers sift through Cay’s short hair, I wait for my jealousy to hit, but it doesn’t. All I feel is a reluctant acceptance, because somehow, it feels right.

Because Jack’s one of us, and we’re all in this together.

45

Harlow

I’m surrounded by my men, their hands and mouths on me, and it’s the most glorious I’ve ever felt. I’m their toy and a goddess, a body to use and to worship. Sparks flood me in a continuous stream, and I barely stand on my shaky legs, my senses overwhelmed. All the pain in my body recedes somewhere deep. It barely throbs in my marrow as pleasure pulls me under.

Both Jack and Caden are in a tug-of-war over my lips, their hands touching me with possessive assurance. Silas digs his fingers into my skin, his hot lips on my shoulder blade, teeth sinking in to add a delicious pinch of pain to the mix. It grounds me, sharpens everything, until I keen, my body on fire.

“I need you,” I gasp, the words tumbling out in desperation. “Please, I need you now.”

Jack pulls back, thrusting into the side of my hip, his jeans chafing against my sensitive skin. Silas grunts, bending low for the lube, and then lunges at Caden, kissing him desperately even as his hand seeks out mine.

“We need you on your hands and knees,” he rasps, pulling away from Caden’s mouth. “For this to work.”

Jack moves at once, fetching my prosthetic, and I tug it on with shaking hands while he holds it for me. The pain in my shoulder becomes hotter and more insistent as I move, but I just grit my teeth and channel it as best I can. I let it warm me up, charging me high on delirious energy so I can survive this final ride. Because I can’t tapout now.

Good thing I’m used to pain. And now, with the phantom pressure in my missing arm gone thanks to Jack, this is more than bearable.

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