Page 19 of Wolfsbane Hall #1

The Grand Ballroom

The piano sang a somber and hollow melody as Celestine’s body slipped into the rhythm of the dance. It was a strange sensation, because while she enjoyed the movement and being close to Everett—he had always been her favorite Ashbrook—this wasn’t a dance for her. It was Margot’s.

It belonged to her character.

But the part of it that was so disconcerting was that Margot was completely in charge of the moment, and even more terrifyingly, she owned and used Celestine’s entire body.

It was like Celestine was trapped inside her mind; the character had cleaved all control, leaving her like a bird stuck in a cage, banging against the bars and getting her feathers caught on the rusted metal.

Celestine shivered.

She didn’t know how to fight or take back control, but at the same time, Celestine didn’t know if she should even try. Would it be better to let the scene play out and learn something?

Much like everything else tonight, this had never happened before. Before, she’d always been the one steering the car. Always . But not now.

She was possessed by a spirit and stuck.

Her heart slammed in her ears, and her legs shook as they traveled through the three-four waltz steps.

Maybe Celestine should have fought harder for jurisdiction over her body and autonomy, but she didn’t have the energy—mental or physical—after the Phantom and the fire. Perhaps her weakness was legitimate for once. At least now she knew she had been poisoned, so there was a reason for it.

Her feet followed the dance easily. Everett was a good leader.

His frame was strong and confident as he glided her along the floor, but what was strange was the leaking of his emotions.

Celestine could feel them like a tangible force.

Everett churned with them, and so did her character.

Connection, hope, and even love filtered through the connection between them.

For Everett, Margot was a memory bottled in a character card and unleashed on the party. Unleashed on him. Unleashed on Celestine. A boon and a curse. The Phantom’s vengeance.

But why? What was the purpose?

As they danced, an illusion coated them, their surroundings changing.

Now, instead of a ballroom, she was below twinkling lights, and the moon lit the sky.

Celestine was barefoot, her feet sinking into grass that was painted gray by midnight.

Willow trees swayed in a gentle breeze as Everett clutched her to his chest like she was a fleeting dream he wanted to hold on to forever.

“Margot?” Everett whispered, swinging her into a dip, his eyes liquid energy.

A spark of passion ignited between them as he drew her up slowly by her nape.

Their eyes met, lips hovering, nearly touching each other.

“You even smell like her.” The illusion settled over Celestine’s skin.

It was a shade darker than usual, like she lived on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea where the sun could kiss her cheekbones.

Everett sucked in a breath, his fingers digging into the small of her back.

“This is like the night I asked you to be my—”

“Take me somewhere private,” Margot said, puppeting Celestine’s lips.

He nodded and acted fast. The garden illusion broke as Everett tugged Celestine —Margot out of the ballroom, down the hall, and into the privacy of a supply closet with barely enough room for either of them to stand without cramping each other.

Margot’s back hit the wall, and Everett placed his palms on either side of her head, pinning her in. “Kiss me like you did that night,” she breathed, her chest rising with her frantic heart.

Lightning struck inside Celestine’s stomach.

She bit her lip and stared at Everett. Could she just let this happen?

Let the character lingering inside her brain use her body like this?

But even if she wanted to fight it—to stop this—could she?

Did she possess the power to overcome the parasite in her head?

And worse, did she want this, too? She should have been horrified by kissing James’s cousin.

But she just couldn’t manage to stir up any horror.

Instead, only lust ate away at her core.

Plus, a stolen kiss meant almost nothing at Wolfsbane Hall, because she’d kissed many men to further the shows.

It was all an act, but the problem was that this didn’t feel like an act, not for Margot.

And not for Everett.

So was it ethical? And did it matter what Celestine wanted, while Margot was holding tight to the control?

The tension between the two was a tightrope .

“You’re not real,” he whispered, his eyes swirling with pools of sadness. “You’ll never be real again.”

“I am tonight.” Margot’s hot breath caressed his cheek. “Please, I need you.”

His attention focused on her lips, and he seemed to be deciding if he should give in to the demands of the character and his heart. It was a difficult decision to let go and accept this as true for this moment. Everett’s lips moved nearer, hovering too close. Margot’s breath hitched.

“Please,” she begged.

Everett succumbed to the temptation, and his lips grazed hers, soft and gentle, light and tender, exploring her and the moment.

Celestine should’ve hated Margot for using her body for passion. It should’ve felt like a violation, but it didn’t. She had once wanted to kiss Everett, but that was long before James came into her life and Everett had become her closest friend.

Would this be weird now?

Everett slid his hand up Celestine’s thigh and stole her conscious thoughts.

The sensation of Margot biting at her mind caused Celestine’s loose grip to slide.

Like in most things, Celestine chose not to fight it and let the other girl win, allowing her consciousness to recede to the back of her mind. Margot could have this moment.

Margot sucked in a breath and felt sensations for the first time in almost 300 years.

Nothing save his skin against hers mattered anymore.

A shiver ran through her whole body, igniting a fevered buzzing.

Margot tracked her fingers along his chest, curling into his chiseled pectoral muscles as her tongue tangled with his.

It was a kiss of remembrance. A promise and a resurrection.

She would rewrite their story with their bodies, pressing together and forging anew.

Margot wrapped her legs around him, and he passionately banged her into the wall, knocking over a broom and unknown chemicals to the floor.

“You’re so perfect.” He nipped at her neck as his hands slid under her dress, caressing her curves.

Fuck . Celestine’s consciousness came back for a moment, realizing that she might be allowing a ghost to use her body to fuck her best friend.

Once again, she should have been horrified, but she couldn’t muster up that emotion.

Because Celestine needed a release, too.

She needed at least one more fuck before she died.

And she was most definitely going to die tonight.

So, Celestine let go completely, allowing these two to do whatever they wanted with each other.

Margot whimpered. “I want more of you, Everett.”

His lips glided along her jaw. “You can have all of me.” His fingers played with the lace of her underwear as his lips slammed into hers again.

He ripped off her underwear, wholly destroying them, and then his hands went to his belt.

With a swift motion, he zipped down his pants and released his sizeable cock.

Margot smiled. It had been so long since she had seen his cock, at least like this.

Spying as a far-too-horny ghost really shouldn’t count.

“Yes, please,” she whispered.

A loud crash cut through the tension, ripping them apart. It came from outside the door, rocks rattling against the floor, and it sounded like someone had knocked over a statue.

“Shit,” Everett said. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

“No,” Margot panted desperately, her chest rising frantically with every gasp. “We don’t have to stop. I’ve waited to be with you again for nearly 300 years.” She rested her forehead against his.

“Marguerite…” Everett pulled away and gripped her face be tween both hands. Clearly, he didn’t believe it until this moment. “Is it truly you?”

“Yes,” she breathed, a tear tracking down her cheek.

Horror sparked in his eyes. “He really…” he trailed off, red climbing up his cheeks as he averted his gaze. “We can’t, my love. This isn’t your body.” His head snapped back to her, and he placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

“We can.”

“No.” He shook his head. “As much as I want to, I can’t. Not like this. Not with her. My brother is obsessed with her. I can’t fuck his girl, as much as I hate him right now.”

“Which brother?”

Everett cocked his head. “Touché.”

Margot swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Fine,” she whined. “But promise me, you will find a way for us to be together.”

“I promise.” He nodded. “Is Cece still in there?”

“Yes, but I pushed her far back into consciousness. I think she’s sleeping.” Another crash of rocks cut into their conversation. “It sounds like the show is progressing out there.”

“Yeah,” he groaned and helped plant her feet back on the ground before he tucked his cock back in his pants and zipped them up. “Sorry about your underwear.”

Margot let out a small chuckle. “It’s not new.” She splayed her hands on the wall to keep herself from touching him again.

“Margot, love, please wake Celestine up. She needs to be conscious for this next bit.”

“Fine,” Margot said and imagined slapping the other girl awake. Wake up, mortal girl. We have a scene to play out for you.

Celestine’s mind snapped back into place, but Margot still held the reins tightly. What?

Everett cleared his throat and stepped back, hitting the shelves on the opposite wall. “Right. Well, welcome back, Cece. Time for past punishments, I presume.” He nodded for Margot to start their play.