Kissing Ghosts (Kissing Monsters 4)

By Lynn Robin

"For a wild moment Scarlet considered brushing her mouth against Julian’s—something urged her on, a need she couldn’t say she ever felt before.
Perhaps it was his beauty.
Or perhaps it was the mystery that surrounded him, something that told her there was more to him than met the eye.
Something broken."

Kiss is Scarlet; Scarlet is Kiss.

After revealing himself as Julian, Lock has returned Kiss’s memories to her—but the past is more painful than the agony she had to endure not remembering, as a tale of toxic love unravels in her mind.

As Kiss finds herself trapped in dark recollections and a version of herself that threatens to take over her new identity, Zane brings along Skylar as an ally as he enters Lock’s lair, determined to find his one true love.

And free her.

But Lock has surrounded himself with all the monsters once belonging to Zane’s collection, unwilling to relinquish Kiss as he savors her heartbreak, and will do everything in his power to keep Zane from reaching her.

Confronted with their own shadowy pasts, Zane has to battle loneliness once more and Skylar has to choose to remember her old self or embrace the slumbering powers inside her... while attracting the unwanted attention of Lock.

The games have only just begun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lynn Robin
• Release date: Nov 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005374402

Lynn Robin

Lynn Robin (1992) is an author of Paranormal Romance novels.Born and raised in the historical city of Leiden in the Netherlands, she has felt the urge to write stories ever since she was little— preferably ones with ghosts and other spooky things (probably because her parents let her watch Stephen King film adaptions when she was nine).Next to that, she likes to add a healthy dose of romance to her books; star-crossed lovers and forbidden romances, preferably about monsters hiding in the bodies of young men, and girls blessed with angelic powers—or at least humans touched by magical abilities.She made her debut in 2017 with her Dutch series entitled the Schimmenwereld Serie (the Phantom World series), containing six books about ghosts, angels, demons, music, dance, art, and—of course—love. She won the Best Book of 2018 award with the fourth installment, Schimmendroom (Phantom Dream), chosen by the jury of The Dutch Indie Awards.In 2020 she debuted internationally in English with the highly romantic Kissing Monsters series which concluded with 8 volumes in 2021. Her latest release is The Sea of Her, a still ongoing paranormal romance series in a tropical setting about the Weeper of Pearls, a Wild Stranger from the Sea and a long-lost King of the Ocean.Besides being passionate about writing, she’s also a rather dedicated running/fitness/yoga/martial arts enthusiast, and likes to spend time with her family, play videogames, or freak herself out watching documentaries about haunted houses (for research, she claims).

Book preview

KISSING GHOSTS

Kissing Monsters — Book Four

Lynn Robin

KISSING GHOSTS

Kissing Monsters — Book Four

Copyright (c) 2020 Lynnette Robin Slijkhuis

Cover and interior design: (c) 2020 Kimberly Jolanda

ISBN: 9781005374402

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author.

www.lynnrobin.com

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Table of Contents

Kissing Ghosts

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Epilogue

Coming Soon

Kissing Nightmares

About Lynn Robin

Connect with Lynn Robin

Books by Lynn Robin

PROLOGUE

come inside, little creature

Lingering in the doorway, nothing but a shadow himself, Lock is watching her closely.

Scarlet.

She calls herself Kiss these days.

But to him, she will always be Scarlet. No matter the fact that she has been blessed and reborn thanks to angelic powers. After all, she is still the same—a creature of light, of kindness, a gentleness he won’t ever be able to comprehend.

A creature like her shouldn’t exist in this world.

For the world isn’t a sweet place.

It’s dark, it’s harsh, it’s toxic—all the reasons why he thrives here so well as one of the most powerful monsters to roam the earth, because it excuses him for every wicked thought that crosses his mind and every sinister impulse to crush, shatter, destroy.

It is simply the world’s nature.

The candlelight illuminating the room is faint, the flames shivering restlessly, yet Lock knows that the moment he will leave, the glow will instantly grow brighter. Because even though Scarlet is battling shadows, she is still… shining.

Yet not for long.

He broke her when she was a human; he will break her again as the monster she is now, tamed by the ring made of his very own bones.

Look at her.

So delicate. So sweet.

She’s curled up on her side. Her flaming red hair contrasting heavily with her night-dark skin, it cascades down her shoulder like a curtain of rose petals. The white dress he gave her to wear hugs the soft curves of her slender frame. Her eyes are open, a startling gray, but her gaze is unfocused as she’s looking at a life only she and Lock know. Her slim hands are next to her face, almost as if she’s reaching for something. Or someone.

For love.

For the Collector. Zane.

Lock’s mouth sets in a grim line. She might be a different creature now, but he will make sure she’ll meet the same end. There was no one to save her when he broke her as a human; and there will also be no one there to save her now.

And though he can clearly see her fracturing, he hasn’t finished breaking her yet. She’s still holding on to something, even now, as she’s reliving her memories time and time again. She appears stronger than she was before.

Still, she is weak.

Weak with love. With kindness.

Lock would rather stay in this room with her, to pull her from her memories and back into the present, to remind her again that the nightmare has begun once more. He shivers with the thought of running his hands over her body, of leaning close to her so he can’t only feel but also smell and taste her heartbreak.

He relishes it.

Her pain. Her shock to find her world shattered.

He loves how he has found her again; he loves that destiny has made them cross paths so he can trap her in sorrow and agony once more; he loves that Zane, the former Collector, is the reason behind all of this:

After all, it was Zane who tracked Lock down. Who made the mistake of challenging him, while he’s barely a ghost of the monster he used to be. In order to save his dear Kiss—Lock scowls at the name—he has given Lock the opportunity to trap her in this life as well.

The fool.

This is what happens when you forget about the world’s darkness: you become a victim. You become weak. You become a creature of light.

And victims need to be crushed. Weakness needs to be shattered. Light needs to be extinguished.

Which is exactly what Lock will do.

The candles flicker wildly, as if disturbed by a sigh of wind, responding as Lock moves to turn around.

It is nearly time.

Since Zane tried to trick him by giving Scarlet his blood, Lock knows there must be more to his plan. Without a doubt, the fool is now on his way to Lock’s lair.

To claim his dear Kiss.

To save her, like a hero from made-up, human stories.

Oh, Collector; how can you have sunk this low?

You put your reputation to shame.

You’re the laughingstock of monsters.

He’s a fool, yes, a fool.

But that will only make this game more enjoyable.

The door creaks softly as he pulls it closed behind him, exhaling a shuddering sigh as he hears the lock click shut. It’s the sweetest sound he knows; a sound that reminds him he has the power to keep any living creature prisoner.

And with that ring around her finger, Lock is the only one who is able to set Scarlet free.

Such power.

He actually hopes she will struggle. That she will squirm in his grip while she’s writhing in the agony of her heartbreak.

With a mere thought, he glides past the wooden counter and down the paths between the rickety furniture and objects his lair is filled with; with another thought, he’s almost near the entrance. He barely needs to take steps, traveling like a shadow would; weightlessly, without a sound. Opposing to a true shadow, however, he’s not dependent on the sun’s journey.

He can go anywhere he wishes to go.

As Lock approaches the grimy window next to the entrance door, he’s aware of the throaty growls echoing from all around him, as well as the scratching noises of talons scraping against the floor, and burning eyes watching him from the corners.

His lair has become a maze of monsters. Every single demon who once belonged to the Collector’s collection is here.

They will have their revenge.

Soon. Very soon.

Lock stops in front of the window, behind a dusty rocking horse that slowly starts to sway in his nearness. Outside, the drizzle veils the street like a fine mist while fiery autumn leaves swirl by. Reds, oranges, yellows, browns, golds—

And blue.

Growing still, Lock shifts his gaze back to the unusual color. His breath catches as the strangest sensation sweeps through him; a tingling current that trickles through his bones.

He spots the former Collector walking up to his lair, his dark locks windswept and obscuring his eyes, his stride cautious yet purposeful.

Yes, Lock has been expecting him. It’s why he organized this little reunion of monsters.

And yet—Zane has managed to catch him by surprise.

For he has brought along an ally.

Or so it seems. Lock still doesn’t move as he studies the girl. Her electric blue hair is chin-length. She’s rather small standing next to Zane, lithe like Scarlet.

That, however, is where the similarities between the women end.

As she and Zane come to a halt in front of his lair, Lock watches her angle her head while she studies the building disguising itself as an antique shop. She views it like a predator would its prey, her eyes sharp, her expression oddly… placid.

Watching her,