I listened to everything from the shadows, my blood simmering with quiet rage.
The moment Peter disappeared into the room and the door clicked shut, I shrank my God Speed domain to a pinpoint and appeared right beside Helena on the sofa â so fast that the cushion barely dipped under my weight.
Helena was lost deep in her own terrified thoughts, staring blankly at the floor. She didnât even notice me sitting less than a foot away from her. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, her body still shaking from the trauma of the night.
For a few seconds, I simply watched her â this woman whose lust had indirectly given me a second life and god-like power. She looked so small and fragile now, nothing like the moaning, ass-spreading slut I remembered.
I reached out slowly, my fingers brushing the air between us as my voice cut through the thick, terrified silence like a velvet blade.
"Helena..."
Her head snapped toward me so fast I thought she might break her neck. The moment her wide, bloodshot eyes locked onto mine, pure animal terror flooded her face. All the color drained from her cheeks in a single heartbeat.
"G-Ghost...! Itâs a ghost...! Oh my god, youâre dead... youâre supposed to be dead!" she shrieked, voice cracking as she scrambled backward across the sofa, nearly tumbling off the edge. Her hands flailed wildly in front of her as she could physically push the nightmare away.
"Stay back! Pleaseâstay away from me! I didnât kill you! I swear on my life, it was Peter! It was all him! I told him not to do it! I begged him!"
I let out a low, dark chuckle that seemed to echo unnaturally in the quiet apartment. I stood up with deliberate slowness, taking one measured step after another toward her.
Helena kept retreating until her back slammed hard against the far wall. There was nowhere left to run. She pressed herself flat against the cold plaster, chest heaving, tears streaming down her face.
"Do you honestly think a couple of pathetic bullets could end me?" I asked, my tone mocking and calm, like I was scolding a child.
"Even shoving my car off a cliff with me inside... I have to hand it to you two. That took some real balls. Too bad they werenât nearly enough."
Helenaâs breathing turned into short, hysterical gasps. "No... no, please... it wasnât my idea! Peter planned everything! He said if we didnât get rid of you, youâd ruin us both! Iâm innocent, I swear! If you want revenge, go after him! Haunt him! I didnât want any of thisâI never wanted you dead!"
Her voice rose into a full-blown scream that bounced off the walls. "Peter! Peter, help meâ!"
The bedroom door flew open with a violent bang.
Peter stormed out, shirt unbuttoned and hair disheveled, his face twisted in furious confusion. "Have you completely lost your fucking mind, you stupid bitch?! What the hell are you screaming for in the middle of the night?!"
But the second his eyes landed on meâstanding there alive, calm, and very real in the middle of his living roomâhis entire body locked up. His jaw dropped. The anger on his face melted instantly into raw, bone-deep horror.
"No... No, no, no... A ghost... You... youâre dead! I killed you myself! I watched you bleed out! I stuffed your fucking corpse in the trunk!" His voice cracked and climbed higher with every word. "This isnât happening... this canât be happening..."
I tilted my head, a slow, predatory smile spreading across my lips. "Peter... Peter, Peter. You really have no idea who you fucked with, do you? Didnât I warn you that night? Didnât I tell you youâd regret doing this?"
Peter started slapping himself across the faceâhard, frantic slaps that left red marks blooming on his cheeks. "Wake up... wake up, damn it! This is a dream! Youâre not real! Youâre not standing here! I killed you! Youâre supposed to be rotting at the bottom of that cliff!"
I ignored his breakdown completely. Instead, I closed the distance to Helena in one smooth step, wrapped one arm possessively around her waist, and pulled her trembling body flush against mine.
Before she could even gasp, I crushed my lips to hers in a deep, demanding kissâtongue sliding into her mouth, claiming her as I had so many times before.
She stiffened in shock, but when she felt the solid heat of my chest, the real warmth of my skin, and the unmistakable pressure of my tongue, her eyes flew wide open.
I pulled back just enough to let her breathe, my lips still brushing hers. "Helena... tell your husband... does that feel like a ghost to you?"
Helenaâs fingers clutched desperately at my shirt, testing the fabric, feeling the steady heartbeat beneath it. Her voice came out in a broken, disbelieving whisper.
"You... youâre real... Oh god, youâre actually real... How is this possible? I saw you die... I saw the blood pouring out of you... I helped push the car off the cliff... How are you standing here? How are you kissing me right now?!"
Peterâs shock finally snapped into something uglierâdesperate rage. His hand flew to his waistband and yanked out the same pistol heâd used on me before. His arm shook violently as he aimed it straight at my head.
"I donât give a fuck if youâre a ghost, a zombie, or the fucking devil himself!" he roared, spittle flying from his lips. "If I killed you once, I can kill you again! Stay the hell away from my wife!"
Without another second of hesitation, Peter squeezed the trigger twice in rapid succession.
Bang! Bang!
The gunshots exploded through the villa like thunder.
To me, the world instantly slowed to a perfect crawl under the power of God Speed.
I watched the two bullets tumble lazily through the air, spinning in slow, graceful arcs, their brass casings catching the lamplight like tiny, deadly stars. One was aimed straight for my face, the other for my chest. I didnât move. I didnât need to.
My
Eternal Vitality
surged automatically, turning my skin and bones harder than diamond.
The first bullet slammed into my cheek with a dull thud.
The second punched straight into my chest. Two neat holes tore through my shirt, but the bullets themselves simply flattened and crumpled against my body like theyâd hit reinforced steel. They dropped uselessly to the floor with two clear, metallic sounds.
Clank... Clank...