Page 69 of Ghostly Touches

I stare incredulously at him. “Fuck off. She’s not safe with any of you. I told her I’d watch after her, and that’s what I’m doing.”

The sound that comes from the depths of Kwil’s hood causes my heart to skip a beat.

“I said, give her to me,” Kwil repeats slowly.

Yeah, no, that’s not going to happen. I’m not giving Willow to anyone. My body makes up its mind before my head can. My tail whips around and strikes Kwil across the face. As he stumbles back, I pull Willow tighter into my chest and make a run for the front door. Theo attempts to tackle me, but I turn and meet him head on, literally. My horns slam into Theo’s chest. It catches him off guard, and he’s thrown back. I make it to the front door and kick it down.

Then we’re free.

The property is well off road and surrounded by old trees. If I can get to them, I can put some distance between us. My strides are long as I race away from the house. I hit the tree line with a grin. Keeping Willow close to my chest, I duck and twist through the trees. Behind me, I can hear Theo’s shouting, but it fades as I put space between us.

Where can I go to hide us? I don’t even know where I am. How can I take us somewhere when I don’t even have a starting point? Plus, I’ve been out of the world so long that my normal places where I’d lay low from debt collectors or enforcers are probably either gone or well-known at this point. And while I don’t know Willow very well, I know she doesn't deserve a life of hiding in seedy places. But then where can I go? I suppose I'll keep running until I figure it out.

Dropping from the trees a few feet ahead of me, Kwil lands in a crouch. The deep snarl that he lets out as he straightens causes me to slow to a stop.

How did he get ahead of me so quickly?

“Get out of our way,” I order.

“She’s safe with me.”

My laughter is bitter as I bring Willow closer to my chest. “Yeah, you’re doing a bang-up job protecting her.”

“Do not take her from me, or you’ll regret it.” Kwil takes a step towards me. “I don’t want to hurt you, Jonah. You’re innocent in this. Don’t make things worse.”

I wish I could see the Ghost’s face. Out of the three of them, Kwil seems to enjoy Willow’s presence the most. His reaction to Viktor striking her was volatile and instinctual. His quickness to correct Theo back inside is also telling. I hedge my bets and lower my voice.

“Kwil, you seem the most clear-headed person out of your group. You know Willow isn’t safe around the others. How about you come with us? We’ll both watch over her.”

Kwil’s body stiffens. I can’t tell why. He’s either surprised by the offer or offended that I would try to pit him against his brothers. I don’t get the chance to find out. The sound of leaves crunching behind me tells me Theo’s caught up to us.

“Where do you think you’ll go, Jonah?” Theo asks as he comes up behind me. “How long do you think she’ll be able to handle the pain of not having us around? It took us a week before we knew we made a mistake, and we’re just missing a single piece of our soul. She’s missing four.”

Theo’s right. But that doesn’t mean I can’ttryto save us from these Ghosts.

“Look, figure out your shit,” I start, taking a sidestep so I can see both of them. “Then come find us, okay?”

That would buy us some time…

“We’re not letting Willow out of our sight. She has my soul,” Theo hisses. “I’m not parting with it.”

Kwil moves quickly. Even as I try to duck and turn, Kwil manages to grab me from behind. Theo moves next, yanking Willow from my arms.

“Don’t try that again,” Kwil whispers in my ear.

I watch in dismay as Theo turns and heads back towards the house with Willow in tow.

I’m sorry Willow, I tried…

Chapter20

WILLOW

The pain in my head isn’t something I can ignore.

With a groan, I open my eyes. Everything is blurry. I try to blink away the fuzz, but it lingers until I rub them. When my vision clears, I sit up. Immediately I regret it. My stomach heaves. It's only through sheer will that I don’t puke. Not sure that I can hold it off much longer, I swing my feet over the edge of the bed and look around the room for a bathroom.

Hold up. Where am I?

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