All Chapters of Ghost on the highway : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

CHAPTER 71 — THE EDGE OF OBLIVIONThe tunnel shook again, louder this time. Dust rained down from the fractured ceiling, and the air smelt of ozone and burning metal. My arms wrapped tightly around Luca, feeling the tremor of his exhausted body. His blue energy flickered weakly, sporadic and uncontrolled.“Riven… I…” he whispered, struggling to open his eyes. His voice was thin and strained. “I can’t hold it… the shadows… they’re—”I cut him off, shaking him gently. “Yes, you can! Focus! I’m right here, Luca. You’re not alone!”Behind us, the fissure widened, and through the red glow I saw her—Bishop’s right-hand assassin. She moved with terrifying grace, clad in black leather, eyes cold and merciless. Her presence alone seemed to drain the energy from the room.“You just delayed the inevitable,” she said, her voice silk over steel. “Your boy is mine, Riven. And if you get in my way, so are you.”I shoved Luca behind me, stepping forward, fists clenched. “Try me.”---ConfrontationSh

CHAPTER 73 — GHOSTS OF THE PASTThe tunnel was still trembling when I finally dared to look at him. Saint stood there, alive, whole, a shadow of the man I thought I’d buried in memory and fire. His presence was a storm of calm and menace, his eyes glowing faintly in the crimson haze of the tunnel.“Saint…” I whispered, voice cracking, disbelief and fury wrestling in my chest. “You… you’re alive?”He didn’t answer immediately. His gaze swept over Luca, trembling in my arms, the vault humming softly behind us, absorbing what little energy remained. Then, finally, he spoke, slowly and deliberately.“I never left, Riven.”Every word was heavy, weighted with years of secrets and betrayal. “I watched from the shadows. I let you fight, let Bishop rise, let… everything happen. You think I died? No. I survived because I had to. Because some debts… some wars… can’t be finished while you’re breathing.”Wolf growled, stepping forward. “Cut the philosophical bullshit. What the hell is going on, Sa

CHAPTER 75 — BLOODBOUNDThe pain didn’t fade.It settled.It sank beneath my skin, coiling around my bones, my nerves, my heartbeat—claiming space like it had always belonged there.I screamed.Not from the pain alone, but from the knowing.The mark burnt into my wrist—black and blue, pulsing like a second pulse—and with every beat of my heart, something answered back. The ancient thing didn’t leave. It anchored.Luca collapsed.I barely caught him before he hit the ground.His body was limp, breathing shallow but steady, the violent surge of energy gone as suddenly as it had come. The blue light faded from his veins, leaving him pale, exhausted, alive.Alive.That was all that mattered.Saint grabbed my shoulders, shaking me hard. “Riven! Look at me. Are you still you?”I dragged in a breath. Then another.“I don’t know,” I said honestly.The thing laughed inside my skull, low and pleased.Wolf stared at my wrist, face tight. “Jesus Christ…”Vex swallowed. “You’re bound.”“Yeah,” I m

CHAPTER 77 — THE BLOOD DECISIONThe world went quiet after the video ended.Not silence—worse. That hollow ringing that comes right before something inside you fractures.I stared at the black screen, my reflection warped and shaking. Luca. Bruised. Bound. Unconscious.Again.Wolf swore under his breath. Vex turned away, fist slamming into the side of the truck hard enough to dent metal.Saint didn’t move.“That wasn’t live,” he said finally.I looked up sharply. “How do you know?”“Because Bishop enjoys timing,” Saint replied. “If Luca were already dead, he’d have shown you that instead.”The thing inside me shifted, displeased.Alive… for now.I closed my eyes, fighting the surge of rage clawing up my spine. The mark on my wrist burnt hotter, darker, pulsing with demand.Blood must answer blood.“No,” I whispered.Wolf stepped closer. “Riven—”“I said no.” My voice came out harder than I meant. “He’s trying to corner me. Force me into becoming exactly what he wants.”Saint nodded sl

CHAPTER 79 — WHAT THE BOND TAKESI knew something was wrong the moment Luca tried to sit up.He swayed—just slightly—but enough.“Easy,” I said, catching him before he could fall. His skin was too warm, his pulse erratic beneath my fingers.Saint crouched beside us, eyes fixed on the faint mark glowing at the base of Luca’s wrist.“That’s not residual energy,” Saint said quietly. “That’s activation.”Luca frowned. “Activation of what?”Saint didn’t answer.Wolf broke the silence. “Say it.”Saint exhaled slowly. “The bond didn’t just split. It rewrote itself.”My stomach dropped. “Meaning?”“Meaning”, Saint continued, “it’s no longer choosing one bearer to corrupt or control. It’s feeding on the connection between you.”I tightened my grip on Luca. “You said choice fractures gods.”“It does,” Saint replied. “But fractured things don’t disappear. They adapt.”Luca swallowed. “So what does it take now?”The air shifted.Not violently.Intimately.I felt it like fingers brushing the insid