The Ultimate Distraction(seduce him into wanting to have sex and kill him while you do it)
I look up at Zilla.
"Herbs and other spells can always be included."
CHAPTER 16
1. The Ultimate Friend Zone Ritual.
The air is thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves as we walk, our footsteps barely disturbing the quiet hush that hangs over the graveyard. The lights are flickering through the twisted branches of old trees, casting shadows that dance across the worn gravestones. A Halloween graveyard party. The perfect place to start undoing the spell.
I run my fingers along the edges of a moss-covered marker, its inscription worn and barely legible. I pause at a marble angel, its stone wings spread in eternal vigilance. A single crow perched atop it, head cocked, as if studying her, listening to her whispers. A couple of ghosts holding hands runs between the tombstones, their cold breeze knocking over a vase of dried flowers. I make my way to it, lifting them up and restoring them to their place.
"They will knock it over. Over and over again."
I shift in the direction of the voice behind me. The male ghost is crouching on a bench.
"Nice hat." His eyes are fixed on my witch hat.
"I’m a witch."
"No one would tell." He laughs and stands up.
I laugh. "Are you here for the party?" I place the vase on the concrete bed.
"You guys are in my garden."
"So it’s your party."
"Yeah." He floats to my right. "The party is that way."
Flickering lanterns cast ghostly shadows over cracked tombstones, mist is creeping in from the ground like lost spirits rising for the night. Guests are already dancing and drinking in their most haunting attires, ready to revel the midnight chill. The sound of rock music is waking up the dead and people are sipping dark-themed drinks—maybe witch’s brew or blood punch, with alcohol in them, of course. Games include a ghost-story contest near an ancient crypt, a scavenger hunt for hidden bones and a dance floor where skeletons sway to the beat of drums. Jack-o’-lanterns glow dimly, watching over the party like silent guardians, and somewhere in the distance, an owl hoots. They used glow-in-the-dark paint to make gravestones eerily glow. Everything else is covered in spiderweb.
The smell of smoke becomes familiar.
"Nice dress, nightshade." A finger brushes my spine, delicately rising up my vertebrae.
"Would you like to dance with me?" I ask the ghost and take his hand leaving the vampire behind.
CHAPTER 17
She moves like a haunting whisper through the evening air. Every intricate pattern of her black lace dress—woven gothic flowers, elegant vines—seem to come alive as she steps forward, her silhouette framed by the golden hues of dusk. The fabric hugs her form tight, its texture like spiderweb on her skin. The dress falls just above mid-thigh, revealing a bold yet effortless style. Flaring out in a flirtatious sway with every step she takes. Paired with knee high boots and that witch hat, making me crave to undress her. Her black hair, that living veil, once wrapped around my hand, fluttering like the pages of an unread love story. She is poetry. She is the queen of horrors. As she turns, there is a flicker of mystery in her eyes as she watches me, a promise of something unspoken, something waiting to unfold in the hush between our heartbeats. She smiles. Playing little thing. She starts to jump on the rhythm of the drums and laughs when she sees her friend also dancing with a guy.
"Isn’t that your witch?" Zeke leans on the tomb I am already occupying, drinking from a blood bag.
"Fuck off!" I pull a cigarette from its container and stick it in my mouth. Colette sits on my lap and lights it.I am going to kill everyone.
"Isn’t that your witch?" She looks confused. Zeke laughs.
I breathe in the chemicals to calm my body and release the smoke on Colette’s face. Neo notices them, her on my lap. I wait for a flicker of jealously, but indifference runs all over her tiny body as she turns her back to us.That ass. Fuck.
"Oh, someone has a boner." Colette stands up. "She looks fucking delicious, man." She yanks my hand and hauls me to the dance floor.
The flickering lights pulse like a heartbeat, weaving energy through the night air. Neon flashes in vibrant green, reflecting off laughter-filled faces. Shadows shrink with every strobe, music syncing with the dance of light and darkness. The smell of alcohol and smoke is heavy. Exactly how everyone likes it. Colette’s arms wrap around my neck while her eyes are hunting for lonely girls. A quick meal. A fast fuck.
"Ask her out, dude." She yells into my ear.
"No."
