Ghosts of Halloween: A Dark Why Choose Romance

Content Note

This story takes place around Christmas after the events of that fated Halloween night, so almost two months later. The characters have come to terms with their new life, processed everything, and did some soul searching. They finally have some time to explore their four-way relationship dynamic.

Warning! This story is mostly smut—to a higher degree than the main story. Seriously, there is no plot. It’s mostly sex, okay? With some trauma revisiting and a sneak peek into the characters’ daily lives after the HEA.

What to expect: Christmas masks; various pairings, including MM, MF, and foursome; rimming, oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, snowballing, cum play, spanking, edging, genital piercings, sex toys, forced orgasms.

“Baby, we have to leave now,” Jack shouts from downstairs just as I finish applying mascara. I put it away, giving myself one last look in the mirror to make sure everything is in order.

I had to change my appearance, so I opted for bangs and a darker blonde. I also wear fake glasses, and these minor changes were enough to let me fly under the radar. It definitely helps we’ve crossed half the country before we finally settled in this small, suburban home with three bedrooms and a tiny backyard.

Jack didn’t get his money back—what was left of it was hidden in his apartment, and the landlord found it when cleaning out Jack’s stuff. But Caden and Silas both hid their stolen cash really well, and that gave us a decent head start into the new life.

“I’m coming.” I poke my head out into the corridor and speak quietly so as not to wake Silas. Back in my room, I pull on a soft woolen cardigan Caden got for me and grab my bag. I jog down the stairs, smiling when I see Jack all dressed in a big jacket, a warm hat pulled low over his forehead.

The buzzcut isn’t the best choice for winter, but he won’t grow his hair out.

When he sees me, his impatient expression shifts, and he gives me a slow, warm smile, jolting the butterflies in my stomach into a happy dance.

“Hey, princess,” he says, voice low, as he leans closer to give me a kiss. “Missed you so much.”

When he pulls away, his warm taste lingering on my lips, I snort. He has no reason to truly miss me. I mean, I usually sleep with Jack, but I stayed in my own bed last night. When Jack came in, he found Silas already wrapped around me, sleeping like a log with his face buried in my hair.

He does that when Caden works night shifts. Just comes into my bed and cuddles up to me. I quickly figured out Silas can’t sleep alone, so I make a point of staying in my room when Caden’s away. And Jack knows this, too. I think if my bed was bigger, he would just climb in and sleep with the both of us, but alas, it can barely hold two people.

“We need a four-person bed,” I say, pulling away with a smile. “And then a room that would fit a four-person bed.”

Jack chuckles, waiting for me to pull on my boots and winter gear. Just as we’re about to leave, the lock clicks, and Caden comes in, cheeks flushed from the cold, his dark eyes tired. He grins when he sees us, exhaustion melting away.

“Glad I caught you,” he says, leaning in to give me a quick kiss. He kisses Jack, too, and Jack blushes. It’s been weeks, but he still hasn’t gotten used to these casual affectionate touches from Caden and, very rarely, Silas. “You’re coming back here? After you drive Harlow?”

Jack nods. We say our goodbyes and we’re off, climbing into Jack’s car waiting by the curb. He must have defrosted it while I got ready, and we set off at once, the tires crunching over icy snow.

“Ready for your second week?” he asks, glancing at me.

“Yeah,” I say with a smile. “More than ready. I’ve learned most of the basics, and everyone’s just really nice.”

I work as a cashier in a hardware store, and even though they just took me on for a paid trial, Mac, my boss, already told me he’ll offer me a permanent position after the New Year. I’m really happy, because there aren’t that many jobs I can do, even with my state-of-the-art prosthetic. Anything to do with typing is right out, and when I applied for a waitressing job, they took one look at me and showed me the door.

So this job is a godsend. I’m working for the first time in my life and loving it. The guys allow it, though they made it clear I didn’t have to get a job.

“We’ll provide for you, little bird,” Caden said seriously. “It’s the least we can do… you know, after everything.”

But after living my life in Noah’s protective shadow, and then, mired in despair after he died, I’m eager to spread my wings. I want to try all flavors life has to offer, and getting a job is just one of them.

“Nice, huh? They better be,” Jack says, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “If anyone gives you trouble, you tell us, yeah? We’ll set them straight.”

That makes me pause before I laugh out loud, giving Jack an incredulous look.

“You can’t go beating up my coworkers if they, I don’t know, are mean to me or something,” I say, rolling my eyes.

“I can and I will,” he mutters, and I finally realize he’s completely serious.

“Jack, we’re supposed to keep a low profile.” I hush my voice even though we’re inside a moving car and no one can hear us. “You literally can’t beat anyone up or we’ll have to move.”

He glances at me, face still hard. “I’d wear a mask. They wouldn’t know it was me.”

I stare at him, blinking, because that obviously doesn’t solve the problem.

“But they would know it was something to do with me,” I say slowly, frowning at him. “Since you’d probably make it clear that this was about how they treated me…”

Jack releases a frustrated breath and shakes his head. “Fuck. Didn’t think about that. Well, what if I…”Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Baby, stop,” I say, putting my hand on his thigh. “Everyone’s really nice to me, and even if someone wasn’t, I can take care of myself. I’ll be fine. And if I can’t handle something, I’ll tell you, okay? I promise.”

He grips the steering wheel before releasing a long breath and leaning back. I know Jack well enough to see the iron control he has over his violent urges. He gets riled up over everything he perceives as a threat to me or the guys, and sometimes it takes a bit of talking to help him calm down, but he doesn’t lash out.

Though I’m sure he keeps all this fury locked up somewhere deep. Ready to use it when he needs to. I know where his violent temper comes from and it just makes my heart ache. I want to gather him in my arms and hold him until all the hardness inside melts away.

But then, Jack wouldn’t be himself without all those hard edges.

His dad was a violent drunk. He beat Jack’s mom, and then Jack when he acted up to draw his father’s murderous attention to himself. He was just six when he figured out he could protect his mom by getting in his father’s way and taking the beating in her place.

And he was only fifteen when he finally gave back as good as he got and put the fear of god into his father. Jack’s old man died a few years ago, and ever since Jack unleashed all that pent-up rage on him at fifteen, he never touched him or his mom again.

“Okay,” Jack says, icy calm settling over him, though he still looks alert and tense around the eyes. “You’re right. You’re strong enough to deal with your shit. But fuck, Harlow… I just never want you to suffer again. I know it’s impossible. But just… you’ve been through enough. Also because of us. Because of me.”

His jaw clenches, knuckles blanching as he grips the wheel tightly, so I squeeze his thigh, trying to comfort him. “I know one thing you could do to make up for some of it,” I say with a sly smile, knowing how to distract him from his guilty thoughts.

Jack parks in front of the hardware store and looks over at me, putting his hand on mine. “Yeah? Tell me.”

I cup his cheek, tugging him closer for a kiss before I say, “Well, if you’re so eager to put on a mask… I won’t complain, you know? Turns out, I might have a mask kink.”

Jack grins, all his dark thoughts dispersing now that he’s thoroughly distracted. “Yeah? You wanna get railed by a hot masked stranger?” he asks, leaning in, husky voice purring in my ear.

“Mmm,” I murmur, pressing my lips together, because holy shit. Shouldn’t have started it. Now I’ll spend my entire shift getting hornier by the minute.

“What kind of mask would you like me to wear, princess?” Jack murmurs, hot breath caressing my ear until I have to press my thighs together. Damn.

“Um, something festive?” I say, desperately trying to curb my lusty thoughts. “Christmas is coming.”

Jack pulls back, looking slightly miffed. “Just so you know, I won’t dress up as Santa to fuck you.”

I picture it for a moment, and honestly… Fuck, I think I’m into that. But seeing Jack’s flustered expression, I burst out laughing. “Well, you could be a hot elf, maybe? Or, like, Krampus? That demon that comes to punish naughty kids?” I say with a grin, at which Jack’s expression clears.

“You’ve got it, baby,” he says, kissing my cheek. “Now go out there before I fuck you in this car for everyone to see. I’ll pick you up at five, yeah? Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

We kiss goodbye and I go to work, feeling so warm inside, not even the freezing December air can cool me.