Page 35 of Wraith

And then she was on her knees in front of me, her mouth closing around my cock. I bit back a groan, my gaze darting around the room to make sure no one elsecouldsee this twisted spectacle. Her nails dug into my thighs, the sensation just sharp enough to keep me grounded, to remind me that this was real—or as real as anything could be in this ghostly half-existence.

When I allowed myself a brief glance down, I saw my cock through her translucent form. The sight was equal parts arousing and grotesque, and it was that dichotomy that finally snapped me back to the present moment. My eyes darted to the front of the chapel, where Kael was now standing, his hands gripping the edges of the podium as he looked out over the assembled mourners.

Kael's voice was steady as he began to speak, though there was something brittle about his tone that hinted at the effort it was costing him to keep his emotions in check. "Lucian was more than just a friend," he said, his gaze drifting over the crowd before landing on my parents. "He was like a brother to me. We shared everything, from the most mundane moments to the most profound experiences."

He launched into a story then, about a trip we'd taken our senior year of high school. We'd gone to the beach, just the five of us—Kael, Ciaran, Aeron, Thorne, and me. It had been Kael's idea, a last hurrah before we went away for college. We'd spent the days surfing and the nights around a bonfire, talking about everything and nothing at all. The trip had been Kael's way of solidifying our bond, of reminding us that no matter where life took us, we'd always have each other's backs.

As Kael spoke, his words weaving a tapestry of our shared history, I felt a pang of something that might have been nostalgia if I'd still been capable of such things. But that was before, whenI was still alive and the future was a horizon filled with endless possibilities.

The weight of the air pressing in around me was nothing compared to the feeling of Lilith climbing into my lap, the hem of her tight black dress riding up as she straddled me. I should've been horrified, appalled by the desecration of my own funeral, but there was a disconnect between what I knew was right and the base desires that Lilith stoked to life with her every touch and whispered word.

"Look at Ciaran," she purred, her breath hot against my ear as she whispered the twisted game she was playing. "He's watching us, you know. Watching as I fuck you right here, in front of everyone. What would the others think if they knew their perfect Lucian was getting his cock sucked at his own funeral?"

I couldn't help the way my hands moved to her hips, the feel of her ass beneath my palms as she positioned herself over me. I was powerless to stop her, powerless to do anything but hold on as she sank down onto my cock, her wetness enveloping me in a grip that was both a torment and a pleasure.

Her pace quickened, the sound of her pussy slamming down onto my cock drowned out by the monotone voice of the priest as he droned on about my life—a life I no longer had any claim to. Each thrust drove me higher, the friction of our bodies sparking a fire that threatened to consume me.

And then I heard him—Ciaran, his voice cutting through the haze of pleasure that Lilith had wrapped around me. "You think you're the only one who can play dirty?" he rasped, his words barely audible over the sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears.

I felt Lilith's body shift as she braced herself, her hands gripping the edge of the pew on either side of my shoulders. Her hips worked furiously against mine, the wet slap of our bodies echoing in my mind as Ciaran's ghostly form loomed over us, hislips claiming Lilith's in a kiss that was both a challenge and a claim.

Trapped between them, I could do nothing but surrender to the sensation of Lilith's body grinding against mine, her pussy tightening around my cock as she rode me with wild abandon. The feeling of Ciaran's presence so close behind me, the knowledge that we were defiling the sanctity of my own funeral—it was all too much.

With a gasp that was swallowed by the sobs of the mourners, I came hard, my cock pulsing as I spilled my release into Lilith's waiting depths. The sensation of her orgasm moments later, the way her body shuddered around mine as she ground down on my still-hard cock, was almost enough to make me forget the reality of our situation—that we were all dead, trapped in a cycle of cruelty and desire that showed no signs of ending.

Twenty-Five

The funeral wasa spectacle from the moment it began, but still nothing compared to the chaos that erupted when the police arrived.

One moment, the priest was droning on about my life, my legacy, how much I had meant to the people in this room. The next, the heavy doors of the chapel burst open, and the sharp clack of boots against marble cut through the somber atmosphere like a blade. Murmurs turned to gasps as uniformed officers strode down the aisle, their faces grim, their purpose undeniable.

And still, I was trapped beneath Lilith, my body wracked with the aftershocks of pleasure, my mind a battlefield of horror and humiliation.

She hadn't even moved off of me. She was still pressed against mine, her nails digging into my shoulders, her breath hot and giddy against my ear. She wasglowingwith satisfaction, feeding off my despair like it was the finest wine she'd ever tasted.

I tried to shove her off, but she didn’t budge. Her body wasn’t weighty in the way a living person’s was, but her grip was iron. She controlled the connection between us, determined to make this moment stretch out for as long as she pleased.

“Oh, darling,” she purred, her lips grazing my throat, sending shudders down my spine. “You are just delicious when you’re suffering. Look at you, completely undone. And the best part? No one can save you now.”

The officers reached the front row where Emma sat, still trembling, still lost in her grief—until one of them grabbed her by the arm.

A strangled noise left her lips, confusion twisting into horror as they yanked her up. “Miss Carter, you’re under arrest for the suspected homicide of Lucian Mercer. You have the right to remain silent?—”

The roomeruptedinto chaos.

Emma’s wail split the air as she thrashed in their grip, her hands clawing at the officers as though she could fight her way out of this. Gasps and whispers rose like a tidal wave, accusations and disbelief mingling in the air. My mother clutched at my father’s arm, her face drained of all color. Kael surged forward, furious, shouting something about a mistake, about how this couldn’t be happening.

I watched it all unfold, frozen. Trapped.

Lilith moaned against my throat.Moaned.

I recoiled, but she only pressed closer, her hips shifting against mine in a slow, lazy roll that sent a spike of pleasure through me. My stomachtwisted.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I hissed, my voice barely more than a breath.

Lilith justlaughed. “Oh, Lucian, everything about this isperfect.The grief. The betrayal. The absoluteagonyof it all.” Her tongue flicked against my skin, just beneath my jaw. “Andyou? You’re mine. Stuck here, feeling everything. Unable to do a damn thing about it.”

Emma’s voice cracked as she sobbed, her legs buckling beneath her as the officers dragged her toward the exit. "Please—please—you have to believe me! I didn’t—I didn’t do this!"

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