Page 90 of Ghosts of Halloween

“You can,” he speaks into my hair, and I immediately push him away, stumbling back. “Being a ghost is shitty, little bird. And you’re so young. Everything is ahead of you.”

I take a shaky breath, doing my best to gather my thoughts so I can make a convincing argument. But Greg’s and Ryan’s pitiful whimpers and sobs distract me, and every time I feel like I have a solid thread of thought, it unravels, until I burst out in anger.

“But this is the entire point of this night!” I scream, looking wildly from Caden to Silas. “You’ve planned this for two fucking years! How can you stop now?”

Silas shakes his head with a nasty laugh, a bit of his cruelty returning to sharpen his features as he looks at me with mocking eyes. “Shouldn’t have made it so easy to fall for you, angel,” he says in a hard voice. “It’s your fault. Made me fuckingcare.”

I laugh bitterly, walking over to him with my fists clenched tight. “If youcare, help me stay with you!”

He snorts derisively, and when I raise my fists, not intending to do anything, just gearing myself, he catches both my palms in his hands and leans in, grinning his unhinged smile.

“There is no fucking way for you to stay with us.” He speaks right in my face, voice intense, but quiet. “This is all bullshit Jack made up because he’s desperate. If you die, we’ll all be gone.”

I struggle to free my hands, but he holds me tightly, tugging me even closer as his frenzied eyes bore into mine. “And before you showed up, being free was the only thing I cared about. I just wanted to fucking die. But guesswhat, angel? Now I care about you more. How does that feel? All fluttery and warm?”

He mocks me so cruelly, I just want to hit him now, but he won’t let go of my hands. I groan in frustration, trying to get free, because fuck, if he won’t do it, I’ll do it myself. I won’t live my life alone. There is nothing for me out there.

We fight in silence, Silas’s grin gaining a hungry edge when I struggle against him, his body too strong, his hold too sure to throw off. I huff, turning, and he snakes one hand around my waist.

“Caden, finish the other two so at least it’s done before we’re gone.”

But Caden doesn’t do what Silas says. He stares at Jack, frowning, and as I follow his line of sight, I gasp.

Jack’s awake.

53

Jack

I sit up with a groan, my entire body feeling sore like I got a good beating. Really, all my muscles hurt, my head pounds with a headache, and my mouth feels dry and unpleasant. As if I haven’t drank or eaten for ages.

Because of course, I haven’t, but I didn’t really notice this musty taste in my mouth before. When Harlow drops to her knees in front of me, her frantic hands touching my face, I blink hard, because it feels like my eyes have a hard time focusing. It takes me a moment to finally see her clearly, and when I do, I grin. God, she’s so beautiful.

“Hey, princess,” I say, turning my face to the side so I don’t give her a whiff of my disgusting breath. God, I need to brush my teeth. The thought seems strange, because I haven’t done that or thought about it in two years.

Because of course. I was dead.

Wait… was?

“Jack, are you okay? What happened?” Harlow asks, patting me down frantically like she’s looking for injuries. Behind her, Silas and Caden stand, both looking tense.

I don’t answer, frowning at the sheer amount of the things Ifeelright now. There is somehow so much. I still have a body, I feel my blood pumping, my breaths pouring in and out, but… The sensation is more nuanced than before. Like there is so much more going on under thesurface.

Suddenly, my stomach grumbles loudly, and Harlow makes a small sound of surprise. Silas narrows his eyes, and Caden takes a step back, staring at me as if I just grew a tail.

“Are you… hungry?” Harlow asks, watching me with a worried expression. “Jack?”

Fuck, yes. I’mstarving.And I haven’t felt hunger since I died. Ghosts don’t need food.

I stare at my hands for a moment, turning them this way and that. My fingers are long, my nails slightly uneven but short, a bit of dirt underneath my thumbnail that makes me grimace. There are faint, silvery scars over the knuckles of my right hand, and I rub my fingers over them. When was the last time I saw myself in so much detail?

Sure, I’ve had a body since last evening. But… I don’t know. It didn’t feel as real as it does now. The thought makes me shiver with excitement, understanding pushing through. But I don’t darethinkit. Not until I’m sure.

I try to turn invisible. Earlier, it was effortless. It took just a thought, andpoof, I was gone. This time though, nothing happens. My body is still here, solid and completely visible, Harlow’s worried gaze sliding up and down my face.

“Holy shit,” I mutter, trying to rise into the air next. Again, it felt so natural before. Just a thought and I was flying. Now—nothing.

Still not looking up, because I’m actually scared of what I suspect is going on, I ask, trying to keep my voice nonchalant, “Uh, guys? When Michael croaked, did you see that thing? A kind of, I don’t know, spark?”

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