Page 88 of Ghosts of Halloween

I slap her ex awake, making sure to hit his fucked up cheek. He startles with a low moan, a bleary eye opening, and flinches when he sees Harlow standing over him with the knife.

“Hello, darling,” I say, knowing how unhinged my smile must look, but damn. I’m enjoying this. “Sleep well?”

I move to stand behind him, bending down to stretch a patch of skin over his right pec. I really hope Harlow gets him through a nipple with a letter or two. As she leans closer, her brow furrowed, my cock jerks in my pants. She exhales in a rush, poising the knife over the stretched patch of skin, and starts carving.

And fuck. Holy shit. This is so hot, my dick hurts from how hard I am.

A slightly lopsidedRemerges under the knife, seeping blood. Michael thrashes and yells, and Caden and Jack flank him, holding him down to keep his body as still as possible. We move over to another patch of skin, and Harlow carves anA. So far, she missed the right nipple, but that’s okay. Guess I could just add a little something after she’s done.

PandIare next, and then it’s time forS. I grin when the curve of it catches on Michael’s left areola, making him thrash harder. But Jack and Caden are stronger than him, and they hold him down easily. Harlow stops for a moment, brushing hair off her face, her eyes fixed on the nicked nipple.

“Good girl,” I murmur, not sure she can hear me over Michael’s muffled screaming.

When she shoots me a quick glance, eyes burning in her tight face, I know she heard me. We move on further to the left, and she makes sure to carve the line of herTright through the middle of Michael’s nipple.

He chokes on his desperate scream, shuddering while Jack and Cay hold him down. I grin so widely now, my face hurts, butfuck.This is beautiful. It’s the first time I get to work together with other people while punishing someone, and the team experience is doing it for me.

I wish we had time to fuck now. I’ve neverbeen so horny in my life.

“Kinda crowded at the end there, angel, but otherwise, perfect. You get an A from me.”

She laughs weakly, shaking her head, and hands me the knife. I shrug, whip around, and slam it into Greg’s thigh. Harlow gasps, freezing, and I grin at her, pulling the knife out and hacking down again. And again.

Each time, I move higher up his thigh, until the knife buries in his groin, and Greg, who’s screamed like a pig throughout this little exercise, passes out cold when his pants grow dark with blood.

“Sissy,” I say, eying him with distaste. “I’ve barely started.”

Harlow gasps, her eyes burning bright as she glances from me to Greg and back until she slowly reaches her trembling hand for the knife. I grin, delighted she wants to keep playing, after all, and wipe it on Greg’s shirt before offering it to her with a flourish.

“Really should hurry up now,” Caden says, his voice tight. I glance at him, and he’s on edge, his fists clenched at his sides. I suspect he feels what I do—a profound regret this will end.

Because I feel like I’ve finally found my place on Earth. My family. No, better than a family, because I don’t think any of my relatives would feel comfortable slaughtering rapists together. But these three? They are my true blood and kin, andfuck, I really hope Harlow gets to stay with us after she dies. I don’t want to lose this. Ever.

She grips the knife, breathing faster and faster, until she raises it high in her left hand and plunges it deep into Michael’s stomach. She tears it out with an angry shout, and blood wells, pouring out as Michael writhes and screams, all his muscles tense with agony. Harlow takes the gag out, and the sounds of his suffering come through in full force, making my dick jump with desire.

God, I’m sick. And loving it.

We just stand there and watch as his strength flags. Blood seeps through his jeans and pools on the floor under him, and I suspect Harlow must havehit something really vital for him to bleed out so fast. When Michael stops moving, only shallow breaths indicating he’s still alive, she makes a soft sound of surprise, and Jack puts his arm around her shoulders.

And then, Michael breathes out for the last time, and Jack’s eyes widen. He lunges toward the body, his mouth wide open, and snaps his teeth right over Michael’s lips. I frown, opening my mouth to ask him what he’s doing, when Jack crashes to the floor, his body convulsing like he’s in shock.

It can only mean one thing. We’re out of time.

52

Harlow

I drop to my knees with a thud, barely registering the impact. Jack looks like he’s having some kind of seizure, his entire body spasming violently. I don’t know what to do, just vaguely think I should maybe put something between his teeth so he doesn’t bite through his tongue, but when I look frantically around, there is nothing I can use.

“No!” Caden shouts behind me, and I glance back. He and Silas wrestle, and it looks like they are fighting over the knife. I turn back to Jack when the drumming of his feet over the floor quietens, his body calming down until he just lies there, chest rising and falling in deep, calm breaths.

He seems asleep.

“Jack?” I ask carefully, cupping his cheek. It’s warm. And he’s breathing, I reassure myself, looking over him to check for any injuries, but he seems completely intact. In perfect health. Only, he doesn’t react to my touch.

“Jack? Jack!”

I shake him, and his body is so completely relaxed, it jostles easily. But his face remains calm, his eyelids and mouth still, not a single sign of consciousness. I force myself to swallow a sob and feel under his jaw for his pulse. It’s calm and strong, just like his breathing.

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