Chapter One

The human body contains approximately ten and a half pints of blood. Two hundred and six bones make up the skeleton that houses a heart designed to beat sixty to one hundred times per minute.

My pulse sat at the lower end of that scale as I stared into the mid-distance toward a frame containing a picture that I couldn’t see in the dark. Not that my eyes were actually focused on it. A wet bubbling sound broke the silence of the room and I sighed.

This was taking too long.

Good things come to those who wait.

My nanny used to tell me that when I wanted dessert before dinner. The thought of dinner was a reminder that my wait time could be better utilized washing up. Heaving myself off the bed, I wandered out of the room in search of soap and water.

The apartment was nice, considering it was an addition above the garage of a mid-century modern home I assumed belonged to his aging parents.

Beneath my feet, the cool floorboards gave way to cold tiles as I found the bathroom. Without bothering to turn on a light, I cranked the sink faucet and let the water flow over my sticky hands.

“Messy, messy,”

I chided, getting off the worst of the gunk before pumping a good amount of soap into my hands and scrubbing hard. The lyrics to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star drifted through my mind as I washed, rinsed, and washed and rinsed again.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

I snorted and dried off my hands before backtracking to the bedroom to find complete silence had fallen.

“Finally.”

I fished a small coin purse out of my pocket and retrieved one of the four coins inside. It didn’t matter which, seeing as all four would be used tonight.

Approaching the bed, I grimaced as my foot squelched in the viscous fluid leaking over the edge. Gross. Now I’d have to wash up again.

Careful of the congealing mess, I climbed onto the bed and straddled the cooling body, placing the coin carefully on his tongue.

At first, nothing happened.

The stillness of the room reminded me of the first time I had summoned them. It was a bittersweet memory. We had been reunited, just as they promised, but they always left me again.

One night every year wasn’t enough.

The thighs beneath my ass tensed, and the whole corpse jolted as someone took up temporary residence.

The handcuffs I’d used to restrain the vessel clanked as the new soul settled in place. The eyes opened. Even in the dark of the room, they glistened with a malice that could only belong to one person.

“Dalton.”

I threw myself up his body, crushing my lips to his in my urgency to connect with him again. He opened to me, and I moaned as he pushed his tongue past my teeth. He was vicious in his exploration of my mouth, tongue lashing and teeth biting until I was a panting mess on top of him. The clank of metal on wood returned my horny brain to the present. As I pulled back, Dalton raised an unimpressed eyebrow at me. He lifted his wrist, his lips forming inaudible words.

“Oops,”

I shrugged, unlocking his cuffs and opening my eyes wide in an effort to look innocent. It seemed I’d unintentionally cut the body’s throat too deep and severed its vocal chords. It looked like Dalton would be having a quiet Samhain this year. He cast an accusing glare at my knife, and I pouted. Of course, the body would be less damaged if I didn’t cut it up, but I liked my knife. And I loved the way blood seeped from an open wound. Right up until the moment it congealed and became difficult to clean off.

The second his hand was free, he snapped it out, fingers digging into my throat until sparks flashed at the corners of my vision.

Yes.

“Is it finally time for me to join you?”

I choked out as my tongue swelled under the pressure of his grip. My body shook with the thundering of my heart — far surpassing the hundred beats per minute mark — and my lashes fluttered. Hypoxia kicked in, making my head spin. Just as my body began to relax, his grip tightened, then left me altogether. Instinct took over and my body sucked in a greedy breath.

“Cock-tease,”

I growled, my voice hoarse from how close to oblivion he took me. His scowl matched mine as I moved to get off him. We had more vessels to find. The night was already getting away from us.

He threw off the covers, revealing the naked body beneath. An impressive erection jutted out from the hips and, eyes sparking with accusation, he reached down and gave it a hard pump. I pursed my lips and ran my eyes over the length of him, unable to resist fucking with him, and was rewarded instantly when he fisted my hair and slammed my head down on his cock. Tears flowed from my eyes as freely as saliva dripped down my chin as he savagely fucked my throat, taking everything he couldn’t on any other day of the year. My already saturated panties chafed against my tender skin, and I slid them aside to shove two fingers inside me to relieve the ache.

As I rubbed my thumb over my swollen clit, Dalton shoved deep into my throat and held me there, his pubic hair scratching against my nose as my senses overloaded and I screamed, choking on his cock as I came hard enough to black out for a moment.

Consciousness returned as the bitter taste of cum spread across my tongue. Swallowing fast, I pinched his balls in punishment and winced as he thrust hard into my abused throat.

God, I’d missed this so much. As Dalton shuddered through the last of his aftershocks, he pulled me off his softening cock and up into a gentle kiss. Despite the body having belonged to someone else a short time ago, he still tasted like home.

While I straightened my dress, he found some clothes on the floor. Just as we prepared to head out into the night, the unmistakable click of a lock came from the front door.

“Walter? You in here?”

The voice was deep. Masculine. Dalton and I shared a look, wondering if we should pretend no one’s home. Footsteps tapped along the floorboards, closing in on the bedroom and just as a man in his mid-forties appeared in the doorway, I grabbed my knife off the bed and hid it in my skirts.

“Walt— Oh! You have company.”

Dalton smiled pleasantly at the man. It took me a moment longer than it should have to realize I’d need to do the talking.

“Hi, Sir. Sorry, we got a little carried away. We’re about to head out trick or treating.”

The man’s brow furrowed as he glanced between Dalton and me, confusion and disbelief written all over his face. Well, screw him. I was an amazing liar.

Side-stepping around him, I tried to wriggle my way out of the room. His hand wrapped around my arm and I reacted on instinct.

Slam. Grunt.

Warm blood oozed over my fist, still wet and runny just the way I liked it.

“What…?”

Some people were so funny when they died. Mouths flapping as their limbs went loose. Right on cue, the man’s body hit the floor, his flailing feet slipping in the growing pool of blood beneath him.

A loud sigh overpowered the sound of his weakening struggles.

“At least we’re one body closer to being reunited.”

I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Dalton roll his eyes.

“I dunno. It could be fun for one of you to be a Daddy this time.”

He crossed his arms, unimpressed vibes radiating off him. I was so going to cop it when he could speak again next year. That was definitely a future-Tillie problem.

Checking the silver fox’s pulse, I found he had put up far less of a fight than his son. Thank God for small mercies. The coin purse was lighter as I retrieved it this time. Not even ten o’clock at night, and I was already halfway to having my men back. Yay!

And that’s when the screaming started.