Page 12 of Ever Dark

Not when I’m flustered. “I-I’m just tired. There’s still a lot of unpacking to do. Sorry.”

He undoes the top button of his shirt, revealing swirls of ink across his collarbone. “Don’t ever apologize, little lamb. You’re too pretty to be sorry.”

I swallow down the lump in my throat while my traitorous pussy pulses with need. “Um, thanks.” The last time I checked myself out in the mirror, my dark circles were more prominent, and my face was paler than usual. An unfortunate side effect of forced insomnia followed by coma-like sleep spells that can pull me under for days.

He furrows his brow. “I guess we should get down to business, Mia.”

His shift in tone snaps me out of my sex-with-a-stranger fantasy. “Right. Yeah.”

“This property is special. Aside from it being the largest estatein Ever Graves, it’s the oldest. And it’s a lot for one person to manage.” He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he swirls his wine in circles on the counter.

Something prickles the back of my neck. Fear? Uneasiness? “It’s a bit intimidating, but it already feels like home. My grandmother left me a lot of money. Once I get settled, I plan on hiring some people to help out.”

He winces, his lips pursed. “That’s the thing, Mia. No one is going to want to work here.”

I set down my glass and push it away from me like it’s going to bite me suddenly. “What do you mean? Why?”

“Do you know who Draven Blackwell is?” He grips the stem of his glass so tightly that I think it might snap in half.

Fuck.So this is why he came. “I don’t know him personally.” There’s a chill in the air between us.

He takes another big swig of his wine. “Well, I do. Draven Blackwell runs this town, Mia. He has forbidden anyone to work for you. Trust me, you don’t want him as an enemy.”

I grip the edges of the counter to steady myself. My stomach knots, and my knees shake. “I think you should leave,” I rasp.

Aries reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out an envelope. “We are offering you three times what the property is worth. You can go anywhere you want in Melancholia. Fuck, you could buy ten houses with the money we’re giving you.”

A quiet rage begins to fester in my bones. The fucking audacity of these people. “This is Harker Mansion. AndI’ma Harker. My grandmother wanted me to have it. So with all due respect, fuck you and fuck off. I’m not selling.”

He creeps around the center island, stalking toward me. My breath hitches as I back up against the wall. “You need to leave,” I repeat.

He rests his hands on the wall, boxing me in between his arms as he glares down at me. “Such foul language from such aquietgirl. Ithink you were just biting your tongue before to hide all that filth.” He leans in closer. “This property is covered in baneberry. Its mere existence infringes on our poison territory. You can either sell it to us or become our biggest competitor. The latter option is a whole lot messier. And as I mentioned earlier, I don’t fucking like messy.”

I catch another whiff of his scent and know why it’s familiar. It’s the same scent I smelled on the veranda yesterday. I take a deep breath and force myself to hold his gaze. “Are you threatening me?”

He licks his lips. “We’re beyond threats, little lamb…” He steps back and adjusts his sleeves, rolling them back down and buttoning them at the cuff. “I’ll leave this here for you to look over. My cell number is at the bottom. Call me when you’ve signed, and I’ll make sure you have the funds in your account before the ink is dry.”

I snicker, my cheeks flaming, but not for the same reason as before. “Get out before I call the sheriff.”

A devilish smirk takes over his mouth, and this time, he doesn’t try to hide the rings of light swirling around his pupils. “No need. I don’t want Sheriff Moss distracted during our golf game tomorrow. He’s a terrible swing as it is.”

Fucking hell. My chest heaves as I watch Aries back away toward the front door. Ever Graves is my chance at a new life. To start over. I’ll be damned if I let the town bullies take that away from me.

In the past, I’ve always backed down. Ran away. Conceded. But for some reason, this time, I want to stay and fight. For the first time in my life, I want something more for myself.

I follow him out and stand on the porch, watching him climb into his black SUV. He rolls down the window before he pulls away. “I expect a call from you soon, Mia.”

“Don’t hold your breath,” I call out. But he’s already driving away, laughing as he speeds through the open gates.

“Fuck,” I murmur. The wind howls around me, sending shivers down my spine. I look to my left toward the skeleton trees that line my property. I spot row after row of pink and white flowers. I chargetoward the closest cluster. The bushes are full of bright, beautiful berries.Fucking poison?

I take a deep breath to try and calm my nerves, but the scent of the toxin lodges in my throat, and I almost cough up a lung. I stumble back to the porch, angrier than ever. I have no friends, no allies… Just a bunch of old money that doesn’t mean shit in a town full of people who have just as much. Fuck me. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

ARIES

Mia Harker is fucking gorgeous.Dammit. It’s a shame we have to run her out of town. I could have fucked her so easily in the wine cellar. She was clenching her thighs together like she hadn’t had a cock between them in years. She was practically begging for it. I imagine how loud she’d moan, bent over a wine barrel with her panties around her ankles, my cum dripping down her legs…Fuck.

“Anyone home?” Bones snaps his fingers in front of my face. “You zoned out for a full minute.”

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