“Guys, as much as I want to see this thing through to its obvious conclusion, we can’t. Not here.”
“Goddammit, bro!” Thad curses as he pulls himself back from Fate. “Sometimes I hate your realist ass.”
Fate chuckles even as she groans slightly while removing herself from between the two of us.
“Rain check?” she asks, a wicked smirk tilting her swollen, pink lips.
“You know it, woman,” Thad promises, lifting his hand to push her hair out of her face.
“Oh my ghost! Look at that!” she exclaims, pointing at my brother’s wrist.
“What the fuck?” I murmur, seeing the solid line dotted with four dots in the center.
Thad eyes his wrist and smiles broadly. “Bout damn time I got mine.”
Fate eyes me, a little bit of hope mixed in with a hint of fear. “You?” she asks nervously.
I glance down to my own wrist, seeing the solid black line with five dots in the center, and hold it out for her inspection.
“Yup. Me too. You?”
She shrugs out of her leather jacket and eyes her left bicep.
Just above Knox’s and Macklin’s lines are two lines that match ours.
Her fingers ghost over the marks before her eyes come back up and connect with mine.
She smirks, shrugging her bare shoulders that are just begging me to lick them. “Looks like you boys are stuck with me.”
“Wouldn’t want to be stuck anywhere else, sweets.”
The SUV barrels down the two-lane road, back to the estate. The guys are on the phone with Cole while my head hangs out the window, feeling the sun and wind on my face. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. Next to being sandwiched between two totally drool-worthy guys, of course.
Hot damn! That was worth every added little bit of frustration. I make a promise to myself that one day soon, I’ll grab one, or more, of my guys, find an empty bed, and put it to good use. It’s been too damn long, and it’s way past time I get a little TLC.
I hear my name and reluctantly pull myself back inside the vehicle. The guys keep telling me it’s not safe, that I’m not a dog, but I just can’t find it inside myself to care. I’ve already come back from the dead once. I say bring it on! Well, okay. Maybe I need to talk myself off the ledge that leads to crazy town. Don’t want to do something stupid and miss out on all those orgasms I keep promising myself, right?
“How mad were they?” I ask, biting my lower lip. Nothing flares my ire up faster than the blue-eyed devil that is Cole, and we can’t afford to let my emotions get out of control right now. Crazy fucking powers. Ugh!
“Well, they weren’t fucking happy,” Thad mutters.
Cue eye roll. “No shit, Sherlock.”
“Better learn my name, woman. You’ll be screaming it out from beneath me soon enough.”
“Whoa! You sound pretty confident in your abilities, big guy.”
“Never had any complaints,” he croons, a smirk plastered on his way too kissable lips.
But that’s all it takes to set off my temper - so much for keeping my powers under control. Throw a sprinkle of jealousy my way and Bam! One irate ghost girl coming right up. My hands start to spark, and the car starts to shake, a little smoke seeping out of the inside vents.
“Bro! What the fuck?” Levi growls, nervously eyeing me in the rearview mirror. “You better calm her down. Now, before she makes the car go boom!”
Thad swiftly turns in his seat, casting me a nervous look once he gets a glimpse of my pissed off expression.
“Babe, I didn’t mean…”
“Don’t you ‘babe’ me, Thad. I know exactly what you meant,” I growl. “A ghost girl can’t even leave her men alone for a hundred years without them going off to find somewhere else to stick their willies.”
“Ok, first off. We don’t call them willies. We call them dicks. Or cocks. Definitely not fucking willies. Secondly, might I remind you that we had no memories. Of anything. Not even you. I can promise that none of those girls meant anything even close to what you mean to us.”
I know he’s right. I know I’m being slightly irrational. But I. Don’t. Care. I look at the hunky piece of twinsie in front of me and narrow my eyes. Time to prove a point.
“You’re right,” I murmur thoughtfully.
I watch as his smirk makes a reappearance. Poor man. He thinks he’s won this round.
“I mean, I guess since we have no memories of each other, then I shouldn’t feel guilty for all those daydreams about hot men with all their muscles and sexy ass smiles. Guess it’s totally okay that I wondered how they’d feel above me, and beneath me, and behind me. All the while wishing they were touching me. Licking me. Thrusting their big, yummy cocks into me while I come like I’ve never come before. It’s okay, right? I mean, since I had no idea who you guys were and all. You want me to detail out some of my more naughty daydream sexcapades, babe? Wanna hear all about the one where some Scottish guy with a killer accent ate me out like I was his last meal? Or what about the blond surfer who could bend my body in ways I didn’t know I could bend, all while he fucked me senseless? I mean, I could detail it down to the size of each guy's cock and how good it made me feel? Hmmm?”
By the look on his murderous face, I think he gets my message. If he doesn’t like imagining me with some fictional guy, then he definitely wouldn’t want to hear even the tiniest hint of me with someone real. I can’t deny they had a life before they found me again, but I’ll be damned if they’ll get to parade it in front of my face. I tend to get a little stabby just thinking about them with anyone else. Maybe now he gets that.
He ends our silent staring contest with a small nod.
“Message received,” he grumbles.
The sparks disappear, and the ride smooths out now that the vehicle isn’t under duress. Fucking wonky powers. From what Reggie has explained to me, they shouldn’t be so reactive to my emotions, but so far no one can figure out how to fix it. Story of my life.
I catch Levi’s eye in the rearview mirror and realize he’s looking pretty stabby himself. Good. Hopefully they pass the message along to the others.
“You hungry, sweets?” he murmurs cautiously.
“Mmm...yes. Find me some yummies!”
“You’re pretty yummy, woman. Wouldn’t mind getting a bite of you.”
I cock my eyebrow and look at the naughty twin in the passenger seat.
“You’re not forgiven yet. If anyone is getting my yummies, it’s Levi. He’s been a good boy.”
“I’m not sure if I should be appalled at being likened to a well-behaved toddler or excited because...hell yes, I want your yummies.”
“Mmm...you’re right. I’m not really the call me Mommy, sort. Ew...” I trail off as I suddenly feel my mark flare up with the itchy-tingle I’ve grown to recognize as that damn ghostly summons. “What the hell?” I mutter.
“What is it?” Thad asks nervously.
“I think Knox is trying to summon me. I don’t even know if it will work now that I’m in this form. Shit!”
“You think he’s trying to pull you back to the house? Why not just call us?” He pulls out his phone. “No bars.”
“It’s gotta be important for him to be trying this right now. He and Macklin agreed to wait until I felt stronger.”
“We’re only about fifteen minutes out,” Levi says as the car picks up speed.
“Good,” I say nervously, bringing my fingers up to run over Knox’s mark. I can actually feel the tug from his line specifically as I brush over it. As I start to pull my hand back, my fingers slowly start to fade, wisps of smoke trailing off where my fingertips once were then out the window as my hand begins to disappear.
“Uh...guys…”
Thad looks back, and his eyes widen in fear. “Fuck! Levi. Hurry.”
Levi looks back at me in the rearview, but by this point, the fade is picking up speed, smoke flying out the window faster than a smoker dragging on a cigarette.
/> It doesn’t hurt, but it’s damn disconcerting.
“Guys. Get to the house as fast as you can. Something tells me shit’s going down.” I glance at my bottom half and watch as my belly fades away to nothing. I look at my twins one last time before it begins to consume my chest, crawling up my neck. “And hurry! Son-of-a-…”
I don’t get to finish the word before I’m whisked through the vortex. It’s only seconds before I start to materialize in the foyer of the estate. The wisps of smoke slowly gain solidity until I’m whole again and clutching the table in the middle of the space to keep me upright.
“Bitch!” I cry out. “Knox, you better have a damn good reason for…”
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the self-proclaimed Queen of the Gateway.” A raspy voice with a distinct New York accent cuts off my well-deserved rant.
I look up, and my eyes catch on an apparition standing in the doorway to the study. He’s tall and gangly, with deep sunken eyes and cheeks. He’s dressed in an old-fashioned suit from the twenties, complete with pinstripes and that weird little pocket handkerchief. His hair is slicked back, and his whole look screams mob. Though the badass effect is lost since he’s totally see through.
He’s holding my new friend with an arm wrapped around her front and a ridiculously slender hand wrapped around her throat.
To her credit, Reggie doesn’t look afraid. Just worried. And she’d only be worried for one reason.
“Who the fuck are you?” I eloquently ask the mystery man while I try to force myself to stand up straight. Traveling via the ether is not for the faint of heart - or ghost girls who don’t have their shit together yet.
“Ah, ah, ah...you’re not the one askin’ questions here. I am. And you’re gonna tell me what I wanna know, or I’m gonna end your little weirdo friend here.”
I narrow my eyes and place my hands on my hips. “Hey! That’s not very nice. No name calling.”
The slimy man looks at me like I’ve grown two heads.
“They said you were different.”
“Who’s they? And how am I different?”
“You’re…” he waves his hand around in the air like he’s trying to come up with the right words, “significantly less intimidating.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.”
“Definitely not a compliment,” Knox mutters.
I glance back to see him, Cole, and Macklin standing side by side, forming a wall behind me.
I hadn’t even realized they were there. Good God. Am I that easily distracted?
Turning back to Mob Man in front of me, I eye Reggie. She shakes her head, ever so slightly, and looks even more nervous than before.
“And tell me...why should I be afraid of you?” I sneer.
The evil glint in his eye gives me pause.
“Because I know how much you value your friend here, and I can send her to the other side faster than you can blink if you don’t gimme what I want. You with me? And I’m not talkin’ ‘bout the pleasant side either.”
My temper starts to rise, and with it, my powers. I force myself to take a steady breath, knowing I can’t afford to lose my shit and let my powers go haywire. Not now. I need to maintain control for Reggie’s sake.
“You, a measly spirit, can send her to the afterlife?” I ask doubtfully.
His eyes narrow and begin to gleam red. He brings one of his translucent hands up, and it’s then I notice a large signet ring on his bony finger. Right in the center, inlaid in the metal, is a glowing red ruby. Something tells me it isn’t just a fashion statement.
“How the fuck did a ghost like you get a ring like that?” Cole demands from behind me.
I don’t turn around, though I want to. It sounds like he has some idea what that ring is, but I’ve learned my lesson while out on the call with the twins. Never give your enemy your back.
“Friends in high places, my boy. You best remember that. Now...” He glances back at me. “Where is it?”
I study him for a second. Am I supposed to know what that means? Do they not know we don’t have our memories? There’s that mysterious they again. What the hell is really going on here?
“Where is what?” I ask.
“Don’t fuck with me, girl. Where is the book?”
“Oh. The book,” I repeat slowly and pretend to fidget nervously. I have no fucking clue what he’s talking about, but he doesn’t know that. Let’s see just how distracted I can make him. “I’ve placed the book away for safekeeping. Can’t let insignificant spirits like you get their greedy little hands on it.”
His hand tightens on Reggie’s neck, and she lets out a soft squeak. Ok, guess that answers one question. Spirits, or at least this spirit, can hurt other spirits. Good to know.
“You’ll tell me where the book is right now, or you can say goodbye to your little friend.”
One of the guys snorts behind me, and I hear a muttered, “Someone thinks he’s Al Pacino.”
Before I can show off my awesome impression skills, he brings his free hand up, makes a fist, and aims the ruby right at Reggie. She looks at me with resignation in her ghostly eyes. She knows that I have no idea what book he’s talking about or where it might be.
Can’t a ghost girl catch a break? I mean, as if ten years of solitude weren’t bad enough, then I find out I’ve been dead-ish for the last hundred years and have absolutely no memories of anything or anyone. Now I don’t even have time to acclimate to this solid ass body I’m sporting because Mob Man over there has to go and fuck with my friend. Why do the bad guys always want to touch what’s mine?
I feel my powers come alive, my fingers starting to spark.
When Mob Man notices, I sense his hesitation as his nerves kick in. He wasn’t expecting me to be able to do this. Obviously, they aren’t fully informed, or he would’ve been a little more careful who he was threatening.
An idea begins to take shape. He doesn’t really want Reggie. He wants me. Isn’t that what Bad Man wanted too? Things are starting to make a little more sense.
“Fate,” Knox angrily whispers from behind me.
I smirk. My empath already has an idea of where my mind has gone, and he is not happy. Cole’s going to lose his shit in three...two...one...
“You don’t really want to hurt my lovely friend over there. What you really want is me, right?”
I see a calculating gleam in his eye. Perfect. Just what I’m going for.
“Like hell,” Cole growls. “Don’t you even think about it, Fate.”
“Oh, she’s thinking about it alright,” Knox scoffs.
“Oh, ain’t this cute? Your ridiculous little male menagerie is concerned for you. Big Bad Queen of the Gateway can’t even make decisions on her own anymore? Such a pity you’ve been reduced to this. Guess my friend was right afterall. You’re of no real concern to me. Gimme me the book, and I’ll leave you all to do...whatever it is you all do.”
My eyes narrow, and my power surges to life inside me, but I tamp it back down. This guy has no idea what he’s in for, and I want to keep him complacent.
“How about an even trade? You take me and let her go, and I’ll lead you to the book.”
He considers me for a moment, the hand with the ring twitching slightly. Then he considers my guys. Apparently making a decision, he drops the hand with the ring but doesn’t let Reggie go. “Okay.”
“Fuck no, little ghost!” Knox snarls.
“Fate, what the fuck?” Cole shouts.
“Fate, you can’t do this,” Macklin pleads.
They all talk simultaneously, but I can’t let their worry and fear distract me. Something in my brain starts to fissure, a small crack becoming a narrow opening where a memory slips out. Not only should I have five marks on my bicep where I currently only have four, but I should also have one on my wrist. One that I share with Reggie. They call me ghost girl for a reason. I can do things no normal person can do. Being able to affect and be affected by spirits is one of
them. With the good, always comes the bad. You know - a yin and yang kind of thing.
Latching onto the idea forming thanks to my wacky memories, I know exactly what I need to do and trust that Reggie knows the old me well enough to know what she’ll need to do next.
“Okay, Mob Man. On the count of three, I’ll give you my hand, and you let her go. If you try to screw us over and take us both, let’s just say my guys have full permission to take you out by any means necessary.”
“God dammit!” Cole mutters behind me, but out of the corner of my eye I see the glow from that mysteriously large knife he has hidden somewhere on that delicious body of his.
I risk a quick glance over my other shoulder, and I’m stunned to see Knox’s eyes glowing, shifting from color to color, while his hands are holding luminescent orbs that match the color shift in his eyes. First red, then blue, yellow, then green, and on and on they change. It’s hypnotizing.
Macklin’s eyes are also gleaming, but his are a pretty blue, like the color that flickers in a flame from a gas fire. He doesn’t have orbs like Knox. Instead, his entire body is encompassed by a faint glow similar to his eyes.
Well, damn! My guys are always hot, but with their powers out and at the ready, they’re sex personified. Desire unfurls throughout my body faster than a lit match thrown on a trail of gasoline.
Down, girl! Now is totally not the time.
Why do I feel like that’s the story of my life these days? Ugh. #GhostGirlProblems.
Mob Man’s voice is suddenly pulling me out of my little desire bubble. “On three then.”
Time to get this show on the road.
“One...two...three…”
I reach out my right hand, and his bony fingers grasp mine. Reggie releases a totally undignified yelp as she’s pushed toward the guys. “Hey, watch it, you brute,” she mutters.
As she rights herself and begins to pass me, my left hand comes up and snags her ghostly left wrist. Out of reflex, her hand clasps mine in return. Our eyes meet, and the connection is instantaneous. But the moment is quickly over, and we’re yanked apart faster than I can blink. I only hope that was long enough.
A Fate Unknown: A PNR, Why Choose Novel (The Ghost Girl Series Book 1) Page 19
