All The Pretty Ghosts (The Never Series Book 1) Jamie Campbell (best life changing books .TXT) 📖

He thought for a moment before realization crossed his features. “Because there are so many dead now.” I nodded. “That must suck.”

“It’s not exactly fun.”

“Did you see the spirits of your parents?” He really didn’t mind getting personal, clearly. He managed to bring up the one topic I didn’t allow to enter my mind, let alone talk openly about.

Jet wasn’t getting that secret.

“No, I didn’t,” I replied. “I never saw them.”

He opened his mouth to say something, then censored himself before the words were out. “Probably better that way,” he mumbled.

For just a moment, I saw Jet’s own vulnerability. It haunted his black eyes for just a flash of a second before he started chewing his bottom lip and sending his thoughts elsewhere.

In that moment, I could almost believe he was a regular human being.

But he wasn’t.

He was dangerous.

I moved on before he forced me to reveal anything else. “So are you pleasantly amused enough to let me go now? I answered your questions. I have earned my freedom.”

And just like that, the real Jet was back. He gestured toward the door. “Be my guest, princess.”

My eyes flicked between him and the door. It had to be a trick. Nothing was that easy.

“I know how to open it now, how to turn the lock,” I pointed out. Nobody fooled me twice.

“You’re a smart girl.”

I tentatively rose to my feet and slowly crossed the room. At any moment I expected Jet to spring up and tackle me to the floor. Or perhaps he wasn’t that creative and would just pull a gun out of the small of his back and shoot me.

Something was bound to happen.

I made it to the door and twisted the lock. It clicked loudly in the quiet room. Surely if Jet was going to stop me, that would be the moment. I had one functioning arm and another almost-functioning one. I could open the door and leave.

Glancing back at Jet, he wasn’t even watching me. His gaze was fixed on the far wall, staring into nothing like it was the most fascinating thing on the planet.

He wasn’t going to stop me.

I was actually going to leave.

I pulled on the door and it shifted open. Another few tugs and it was wide enough for me to get through. Just a few steps and I would be free-

“Good luck with all the people out there who want to kill you, princess.” Jet’s words stopped me dead cold. “Make sure you give them my regards.”

And that was the punch line.

I would never get up above ground with the amount of mole people in the tunnels. They might watch me fumble along until I reached the exit, choosing to play with me for a while to work up a sweat.

But they wouldn’t let me go.

The bloodlust in their eyes still haunted me. If I encountered Perry again, she wouldn’t stop at dislocating my shoulder once more. She would tear me to pieces without a second thought. Especially after Jet had come to my rescue.

Jet’s laughter filtered through all my thoughts. Of course he was amused with my fear. People like him lived off it, fed off it. He was nothing more than a lion playing with his prey.

I let the door thud closed again. Perhaps it was better to risk it with the devil I knew rather than hinge it all on a lot more that I didn’t know.

When I turned around, Jet was standing right behind me. “Don’t worry, princess. I’ll walk you out.”

He reached past me to grasp the door handle and pull it open widely. He gestured for me to go ahead and I took a few steps. Much to my relief, Jet followed.

We were down the tunnel in complete darkness when the sound of the door closing echoed around us.

Jet didn’t grasp my wrist this time, instead choosing to rest a hand on the small of my back. It was warm and humid underground, his hand burned with every step we took. I was never more conscious of a single touch than I was walking along the pitch black tunnel.

When the light finally grew brighter at the end, I was exhausted – both mentally and physically. I longed for some rest but knew it would be quite some time before I would be able to.

We stepped out into the fading light. I had been underground for most of the day. Much longer and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two places.

“Where are you staying?” Jet asked as we continued walking down the street away from the tunnel entrance. A shiver ran down my spine when I remembered the encounter that had occurred there earlier with my ‘welcoming party’.

“You really think I’d tell you that?” I shot back. He wasn’t the only one who could avoid giving answers. There was no way Jet could know where I lived, even if it did change every night.

“Why wouldn’t you?”

I stopped, turning to Jet because I wasn’t certain if he was joking or not. “Because you tried to kill me.”

His brow wrinkled between his eyes. “When did I do that?”

Was he serious? He couldn’t possibly have forgotten about the time he kidnapped me and then had me tied up for days with his gang. Nobody could forget that. I doubted I would even if I lived until an old age.

“When you had your ‘friends’ do whatever they wanted to me,” I reminded him. Because, clearly, he needed it spelled out for him.

Jet’s eyed blackened, I didn’t think they could get any darker but they managed it. In the next instant, it was gone. His face relaxed into the arrogant grin we wore so well. “But they didn’t kill you. And you know what they say