GHOST OF CHAOS: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK TWELVE)

by Honey Palomino

  “Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling a little shy. “Is it really you?”

  “Of course, darling, who else were you expecting?”

  “Well, nobody, actually,” I replied, following him as he turned and kept walking down the trail. Suddenly wishing I’d brought a pair of shoes, I gingerly stepped down the muddy trail, trying not to slip on the wet, muddy leaves. “Where have you been?”

  “Me?” he asked, looking over his shoulder and raising a brow. “Oh, here and there.”

  “Did I see you at the coast?”

  He didn’t answer or turn around, his tall, lanky frame motionless, except for his feet, his boots moving swiftly down the path.

  “Hey, what’s your last name?”

  “Blackwood,” he called over his shoulder. “Hawk Blackwood, Ms. Evie.”

  “Hawk Blackwood,” I repeated. “That sounds like something out of a vampire movie.”

  He laughed, but didn’t slow down at all, in fact, he seemed to pick up the pace a little. I glanced back over my shoulder, knowing I shouldn’t wander this far from the cabin.

  “Hawk, I need to go back,” I said.

  “Just a little further, my dear,” he said.

  I kept going, taking a deep breath and venturing on.

  After a few minutes, he veered off the trail and waved at me, summoning me to follow him. “Just a few more minutes. You’re going to love this.”

  I lifted the hem of my now muddy nightgown so that I could climb over the fallen trees and rocks as we hiked through the forest, with only the pale moonlight illuminating our way.

  After a few moments, Hawk stopped in front of what I thought was a large rock, but once I walked up next to him, I saw that it wasn’t.

  It was a gravestone, with a crude engraving etched upon it.

  Catherine Blackwood

  Beloved Wife and Daughter

  1907-1927

  Thou’rt like a star—whene’er my eye is upward turned to gaze

  Upon those orbs, I mark with awe their clear celestial blaze;

  And then thou seem’s so pure, so high, so beautifully bright,

  I almost feel as if it were an angel met my sight.

  I looked down at it, my blood running cold.

  “What is this, Hawk?” I demanded.

  “Catherine was my wife,” he said.

  “Your wife?” I asked, confusion overwhelming me, as I tried to do the math. “She died nearly a hundred years ago.”

  “Yes, it’s been quite a long time,” he nodded.

  “I don’t understand, Hawk,” I said. “What are you talking about? Why did you bring me here? Why is this on the Gods' property?”

  He turned to me, his pale blue eyes shining brightly.

  “Oh, Evie,” he said, his voice so low and quiet, I could barely make out his words. “I wasn’t completely honest with you, my dear. I apologize for that. But it’s time for me to be honest now. You deserve to know the truth, my love. This used to be my property, I lived here with my wife.”

  “But, h-h-how?” I asked.

  My eyes darted around, looking for a way out. We’d come so far, I was lost now. Hawk stared at me, his eyes locked intently on me, sending shivers of fear along my spine.

  “Evie, you are as beautiful as my beloved Catherine. The first time I saw you, years ago, you looked so lost and confused, but you’re so much stronger now.”

  “A few years ago?” My skin crawled. “We just met a few days ago.”

  “That is true, that is when we first met, but darling, I’ve watched you — and the Gods — for so very long, that I feel like we’re all family.”

  “You’ve been stalking us?” I asked, my voice laced with disbelief. “What do you want from us? What do you want from me?” Trembling with fear, I tried desperately to make sense of what he was telling me.

  “Love, darling. Pure, simple, real, honest love. Is that too much to ask?” A tight smile stretched across his face, his cheekbones sinking in and creating an eerie, shadowy effect under the moonlight that scared the hell out of me.

  “I want you, Evie. I want to love you, to make love to you. I want to come out of the shadows and into the light, for you, with you, Evie! With you!”

  His eyes wouldn’t let me go. He peered through my soul and I shuddered.

  “Hawk, I don’t—.”

  “Shh, don’t speak, darling,” he said, holding up a hand. His fingers were unusually long and thin, his skin almost translucent. “I know it doesn’t make sense now. I know it’s a lot to take in. But it will make sense later. Just think about it with an open mind, that’s all I ask. Tell me you think about me. You do, don’t you, Evie? I’ve seen you, late at night on the porch, peering into the darkness as if you’re searching for me, reciting the poem I left for you. Tell me I’m wrong. I’m not, am I, Evie?”

  “You? How did you—?” Paralyzed in place, I shook my head, unable to breathe.

  “Yes, I think about you,” I said, my voice low and far away. “Often…”

  “Ah, yes,” he smiled, his eyes now glowing. “That’s my girl. My sweet, sweet girl. How I love you…”

  I reached up towards his face, mesmerized by his words.

  “Hawk,” I whispered. “Hawk Blackwood…”

  My fingers touched his skin, piercing the flesh and sinking into his face.

  I screamed, my voice loud and piercing, as Hawk’s eyes began to melt away.

  “Evie! Evie!” he cried, his voice faint. “I’m so sorry, Evie…”

  I screamed again, my heart pounding in my chest as I took off running.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  SHADOW

  “Evie! Baby! Baby, wake up!”

  Evie was writhing around in bed, mumbling in her sleep, her hands flying around her face like she was fending off an attacker.

  “Evie, wake up!” I shouted.

  Her eyes flew open, wide with fear.

  “Baby, you were having a bad dream,” I growled, pissed I couldn’t protect her in her dreams. She flew into my arms, sobbing. “Shh, it’s okay. It wasn’t real. Whatever it was, it wasn’t real. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

  I wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight until she stopped crying and her breathing returned to normal.

  “That must have been a doozy,” I said, remembering the way I’d felt before I’d gotten some sleep. Now that I was rested, whatever I’d seen in the forest seemed like a distant dream itself. Once again, I was ready to take on the world.

  “Sorry to freak you out,” she said, shaking her head. “Must have been the wine.”

  “Yeah, or the sex?” I offered.

  “That was definitely not nightmare inducing sex.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear,” I said, kissing her gently. She took a deep breath and sighed, resting her head on my chest. “What time is it?”

  My stomach growled and we laughed together. “I guess it’s breakfast time?”

  “Sounds like it,” she replied.

  “How about I make breakfast today? Waffles for a change?”

  “Sounds perfect,” she said. “Do you mind if I stay in bed a few more minutes? I’ll be right out.”

  I kissed her forehead. “You can do whatever you want. You’re a grown-ass woman, remember?”

  “Oh, right,” she chuckled.

  “Sure you’re okay now?”

  “I’m fine,” she smiled, her face puffy from sleep.

  “Okay, then,” I said. “See you in a few minutes.”

  I slipped out of bed and threw on a pair of sweats and left her languishing under the covers, my heart swelling with quickly growing love for her. I’d have to tell her as much soon, but I didn’t want to freak her out.

  There was still the issue of Slade to work out, and if I survived that, then telling her exactly how much she effected me was going to be the first order of business.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  EVIE

  Shaken, I watched Shadow close the door behind him, an
d I stretched out on the bed, the dream still fresh in my head.

  It had all seemed so real, and yet I was so incredibly glad that it wasn’t.

  At this point, I was convinced we were both just being paranoid. Once the Gods came back to the clubhouse, this place would be bustling with activity once again, and Shadow and I could begin to sort out how all this was going to work.

  I wasn’t worried about Slade at all, even though I knew Shadow was extremely concerned about him.

  I lay there with my eyes open, refusing to close them in case I saw Hawk’s face again. I’d never experienced anything like that before in my life. It was so real, I could have sworn I could smell him, I could still hear his low, droning voice in my head. I couldn’t shake the feeling of doom I’d woken up with.

  “I’m going mad,” I muttered to myself. “Alright,” I said, out loud. “Time to get up.”

  I pushed back the covers and padded to the bathroom, pulling up my nightgown and sitting on the toilet to pee.

  I sighed, Hawk’s pale blue eyes haunting me.

  I let my gaze travel down to the floor and my heart stopped.

  Mud.

  Everywhere.

  Caked on my bare feet, splattered along the bottom of my nightgown, between my toes…

  “No,” I whispered, my voice frantic and laced with fear. “No, no, no….”

  Terror gripped my heart and I sank to the floor, my knees buckling underneath me.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  SHADOW

  “Hey, babe, I’m going to take a quick shower,” Evie called from the bathroom.

  “Alright,” I answered, happy for the extra few minutes alone. I stepped outside on the porch and called Riot. He answered and I could hear the sounds of a party going on in the background.

  “Shadow, how’s it going?”

  “Hey, Riot,” I replied. “It’s alright. Y’all wrapping things up there?”

  “Yep, we’ll be home soon,” he said. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, I just wanted to run a name by you.”

  “A name?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “I’m sure Slade told you there was someone creeping around and talking to Evie. But she was having a nightmare this morning and she was calling out a name. I thought it might be the guy that was messing around. Hawk Blackwood. Strike a bell?”

  “No, not at all,” he said.

  “Damn, I was hoping for a lead.”

  “You sure everything’s okay, man?”

  “Yeah, there’s some shit going down, but nothing I can’t handle. Everyone is safe, though. No worries.”

  “Cool, man. Tell you what, he’s not here right now, but when I see Ryder, I’ll ask him if that name means anything to him and let you know what he says. I’ll poke around and see if I can find out anything else about him, too, okay, brother?”

  “Thanks, Riot, I appreciate it,” I said, before hanging up. I stood on the porch, looking out into the woods, the events of the day before replaying in my head. Whatever was going on was effecting Evie, too, and I needed to find a way to put a stop to all of this bullshit.

  “Shadow?” I turned to see Jeremiah in the doorway, his sleepy eyes staring up at me.

  “Hey, buddy. How’d you sleep?”

  “Okay, I guess,” he said.

  “Breakfast?”

  He nodded, and I followed him back inside, my thoughts churning.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

  EVIE

  I stepped out of the shower, still stunned.

  Hawk’s words echoed in my head, confusing me to no end.

  I had no idea how Hawk had made it into my dreams, or my dreams had made it into real life, but I was convinced he held the answers.

  Shadow was wonderful. He’d been nothing but a rock from the moment he arrived. And the things he made me feel were nothing short of spectacular. Every second in bed with him was like a fireworks show going off in my body, and each time, he left me longing for more.

  And yet, I needed answers.

  Was everything Hawk said true? Could it even be possible?

  None of it made sense, and I knew I wouldn’t rest until I’d obtained those answers.

  Quickly, I dressed and as quietly as possible, I shimmied out the bedroom window, hating that I was having to resort to such lame actions, knowing Shadow would be so upset once he realized I was gone.

  But how could I possibly explain any of this to him?

  What would I say? Be right back, going to search for a ghost…

  Yeah. No.

  He’d never allow me to take off alone and I knew for sure that Hawk wouldn’t talk to me if Shadow was there.

  If he’d even talk to me at all.

  First, though, I had to find him.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

  HAWK

  I watched Evie run through the woods. She called my name, her voice frantic and desperate.

  The look on her face filled me with guilt. It was fear in her eyes and I’d been the one to put that there. It was because of that, that I couldn’t find the strength to face her right away. I’d done too much.

  Instead, I watched from afar, wondering how long she’d search for me. She raced through the woods, retracing our steps from last night, until she found Catherine’s grave in the woods.

  My heart broke in half as she stood in front of it, now sobbing at the confirmation that her dream had been real.

  I watched silently, hating myself.

  “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that, asshole?”

  I turned towards the voice, rolling my eyes when I saw who it was.

  “Hello, Doc,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’d say it’s lovely to see you again, but you’d know I was lying.”

  “Feeling’s mutual, dickhead,” he said, staring at me accusingly with his wild, grey curls sprouting out from his thick, round head like unruly snakes. Oliver and Olivia were with him, one of them perched on each of his shoulders, their big orange eyes blinking menacingly at me. They stood in front of me, like some sort of ghostly superhero gang.

  “What are you doing here? Don’t you have someone better to haunt?”

  “Sure as hell do, and yet, here I am, having to waste my time to come kick your stupid ass into shape.”

  I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re right about one thing, Doc, you’re wasting your time.”

  “Listen, asshole. Evie’s a good kid. Why are you fucking with her? She doesn’t deserve this shit. You’re just confusing her, and you know it. Besides, she’s going to be gone in a few days, so whatever obsession you’ve developed for her is useless.”

  “You think you’re so wise,” I said. The owls stretched their heads, opening their beaks and snapping them shut.

  “Listen, just because you’ve been dead longer than I have, doesn’t mean your evil ass is smarter than I am,” Doc said.

  “I disagree.”

  “I don’t give a shit. Look, either lay off Evie, or else.”

  “Or else, what, Doc? Are you going to kill me?” I laughed.

  “No, worse than that. I’ll haunt your ugly ass until you do what I fucking say,” he growled, coming close and getting in my face. The owls swooped away, landing on a nearby branch, their intense gaze never leaving my face. “Try me. You know I’ve got the time. And trust me, making your stupid ass miserable wouldn’t be a bad way to spend a few lifetimes.”

  He was right. I hated him. He was completely uncouth. He had no manners. He was crude and rude and he cursed like a sailor.

  “Fine,” I agreed. “I’ll leave her alone.”

  “You’d fucking better.”

  “Just leave me alone, Doc,” I said. “You’re right, the last thing I want is to spend another minute with you. You’re dismissed.”

  “Fuck you, you old-fashioned bitch. You can’t just dismiss me like a dog.”

  “Fine, I’ll leave myself,” I said.

  “Good thinking, dickhead!” He stood there with his arms crossed over his
chest, looking at me expectantly.

  I took a last glimpse at Evie, as she finally wiped her eyes and began walking away from Catherine’s grave.

  Taking a deep, frustrated breath, I glared at Doc one last time, and disappeared.

  “That’s what I thought, prick,” I heard him mutter after I was gone.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  SHADOW

  I was beginning to prepare.

  The words I chose to inform Slade that I was going to be dating Evie were going to be important. I wanted him to know I had good intentions. I didn’t want to just fuck her, I wasn’t interested in casual. I was serious about her.

  I just needed to find a way to tell him all that, in the smallest amount of words possible, so that I could get them out before he began punching me.

  First, though, I should probably talk to Evie about my intentions. After a contentious beginning, we’d sort of just fallen into each other's arms without a lot of discussion about it.

  Maybe she wanted casual.

  Fuck, I certainly hoped that wasn’t the case.

  She had quickly become everything to me. I’d even gone so far as to think of the worst case scenario — that Slade refused to let a God date his sister-in-law. Would I leave the Gods to be with Evie?

  If necessary, yes, I would.

  She meant that much to me.

  My heart was changed now. There’s no going back.

  Jeremiah finished his breakfast, and I glanced nervously at the door of the bathroom down the hallway. She should have come out of the shower by now, or at least I would have thought so. But what do I know about how long women shower? Still, a nagging feeling in my gut kept growing until I couldn’t stand it any longer.

  I stood up and walked down the hallway, stopping outside the door and knocking lightly.

  “Evie?” I called.

  Silence.

  I listened at the door, listening for running water, but didn’t hear it.

  “Evie?” I called, knocking louder.