Page 66 of The Ghost of Rage's War

“Ah fuck!” Ghost yelled as Carter body slammedhim. The breath left his lungs in a rush, and Ghost made squeaking noises as he tried to suck air in. He and Carter wrestled for several minutes until Ghost pinned Carter.

“That’s my brother!” Gideon bellowed and knocked Ghost sideways.

“Rip his fuckin’ head off!” Drake demanded, and Ghost sent him a dirty look.

Ghost and Gideon traded a few blows, and when Ghost stepped back after getting his bell rung, Spike snuck a sneaky couple of uppercuts in.

Panting, Ghost rested his hands on his knees before squaring up to Drake. Grunt just watched, looking amused.

Drake wasn’t messing around, Ghost realised, as he received a blow that forced him backward.

Ghost launched at Drake, and they began beating the shit out of each other. This was about more than Carmelle. This was about fourteen years of silence, grief, and missing out. Ghost and Drake were intent on punching their emotions out. They traded blows viciously, both wanting to inflict pain.

Suddenly, a cold blast of water hit them both and broke up the vicious fight.

“I didn’t say you could beat the shit out of him, Drake. And as for you, Ghost…” Phoe snapped from the porch, holding a hose on them.

Drake stepped forward, his eye swelling and his lip split. Phoe sprayed him again as Ghost began to laugh. He shut up quickly when Phoe blasted him with ice-cold water.

“Enough!” Phoe warned and headed inside.

“Wow,” Carmelle stated.

Ghost wriggled his nose. Had Drake broken it?

“Happy now?” Carmelle demanded.

Ghost cocked his head as his ears began ringing. Aw, shit, not a busted ear drum. It also felt like he’d split his lip, and his eyes were starting to swell.

Drake was as much as a mess as he, and Carter had a black eye, and Gideon had a wide gash on his cheek. Only Volcano and Spike seemed untouched.

“Well?” Carmelle yelled.

“Damn, she does have the Michaelson temper,” Spike muttered, eyeing Carmelle.

Ghost began to laugh as Drake joined in. Carmelle seemed ready to explode.

“We’re getting married,” Ghost managed to get out.

Carmelle’s eyebrows raised so high they disappeared into her hairline. “That’s what this was about?” she snapped?

“Yup. You’re all mine, and they can’t do fuck-all about it. Including me marrying you!” Ghost stated proudly.

“One problem, asshole,” Carmelle hissed.

“What?” Ghost retorted, poking his nose.

“You haven’t asked, motherfucker!” Carmelle yelled.

Ghost considered it for a few moments. “Marry me?” he said hopefully.

Carmelle let out a high-pitched noise of frustration and disappeared back inside.

Drake and the others all began laughing hard.

“You fucked that up, son,” Spike boomed, shaking his head, amused. “Yeah, we don’t need to worry about you marrying her now. Not after that piss poor proposal!”

“She’ll marry me,” Ghost stated confidently… Damn, was that a loose tooth?

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