"Trick or treat!" the children chorus, their voices a perfect mix of enthusiasm. With a chuckle, the man drops handfuls of candy into their buckets, earning grateful grins before the kids scamper off to the next house, eager for more sugary treasures. Down the street, a werewolf and a skeleton argue over who got the best candy haul. The night hums with excitement, the perfect blend of spookiness and joy.
A haunted house inside the building I assume Nox lives in.
The moment I step through the creaking doorway, the air turns cool. A dim light casts eerie shadows on the walls, twisting familiar shapes into something far more sinister. A slow, steady yell echoes from somewhere unseen, and distant whispers seem to slither through the darkness, justbeyond reach. Cobwebs brush against my skin as I pass beneath a sagging archway, sending a shiver down my spine. A sudden gust of wind slams the door shut behind me, trapping me in its unsettling embrace. ‘Welcome’ someone yells. Its voice more of a robot sound. At least I am not alone. Four other girls enter before me.
Ahead, a staircase looms, its steps vanishing into shadow. The flicker of candlelight reveals fleeting glimpses—a pair of glowing eyes in the corner, a shadow darting across the hallway, an old rocking chair swaying though no one sits upon it. The silence is broken by a low, guttural laugh from somewhere deep within the house, followed by the faint, metallic scrape of something being dragged along the floor. I climb the stairs and something from inside the wall grabs my wrist for a second, then it lets me go, laughing. I love this. A long, dark hallway. As I walk, I scrape my pitchfork on the wooden floor. One of the girls screams and then the others laugh.
Someone sneaks up behind me and wraps their arms around my waist, ushering me into one of the rooms. I gasp as the door clicks shut. The sound of the key turning echoes like thunder in my ears. He leans in, his mask hovering near. Cigarette smoke with notes of amber, blood orange, wood and leather contribute to his wild scent. I feel my thighs burning.
"Nice house." I push his chest away from me. It’s dark. I can barely see his mask. He switches the lights on, and I look around the room. His room. A coffin in the middle of it.
"You sleep inside a coffin?" I lean the pitchfork on the wall.
"No. I said I’ll taste you inside it."
I lift his skull mask and he winks. His hand over my shoulder, on the wall. I tug at his shirt, pulling him closer. Our lips brush. "And have me bent over it." I kiss him.I don’t know why I just did that.
His tongue meets mine, and his hand moves from the wall to my neck. Again, the perfect choker.
"Like the good girl that you are, you have other plans, don’t you?"
"I am a good girl, I am finishing what I started." I caress his neck tattoo with my lips. A soft, sweeping lick, and my fingers eagerly explore beneath his shirt. Every single muscle.
"Mmm." It’s the only thing he can say before I put my mouth on his again.
CHAPTER 26
Ican taste the strawberry from her lipstick. The spice making my tongue sting. Both her hands touch my belt, and I pause her. She smiles. Gripping my belt, she softly nudges me, and my legs collide with the coffin behind me. Her fingers press on my shoulder, a sign for me to sit. I will follow through on everything she will ever wish. I am absolutely obsessed with her. She is so fucking hot.
She places the mask back on my face and strolls to the wall where her pitchfork awaits her. That ass is swaying beneath that leather skirt, rousing even the dead. Her hands wrap around the handle of the devil’s fork and I wish they were gripping my cock right now. She twists slowly and ambles back to me. Between my knees, she pauses, lifting my mask away.
"Pretty boys don’t need masks."
I laugh and her eyes are poised on my fangs. Her thumb glides over my bottom lip. She lifts my chin and kisses me again. I hoist her onto my lap and clasp her waist firmly against me. She smiles when she feels me hard.
"I want to ride you before I kill you."
"Do it while I am still inside you."
"Aren’t you afraid?"
"I am already dead."
"Nothing works... I somehow have to undo the spell on you."
"The spell?"
"I poisoned everyone when I dropped the love potion into the cauldron."
"And I thought you loved all the attention."
She scoots closer, her breasts pressed against my chest. "This is not love."
"I was absolutely bewitched by you…" Her emerald eyes pierce my soul. But just before words escape her lips, I steal a kiss. "Long before I savored your poisoned candy."
Her eyes grow big. "What?"
"I am in love with you, nightshade. The candy just made it fun."
