Page 19 of Ever Dark

I linger in the doorway for a few minutes before my curiosity gets the better of me. I need to stay up, anyway. I walk over toa desk, dusty and cluttered with papers, and I pull out a few drawers to find nothing but bank account statements, some old article clippings from the Ever Graves Gazelle, and random shopping receipts.

I let out a sigh and sift through the papers on the top for now. Pouring through the stack, I find nothing too interesting. It’s just a pile of paid invoices—water, electricity, landscaping. These must be the most recent ones. Like the last fucking ones that Emma paid before she died.

After flipping through the entire stack, the payee’s name catches my eye on the last invoice. My stomach flips.Absentia Asylum. What the fuck? I go back through the stack and find three more payments to that dreadful place.

Were they the ones who had me committed, or was another Harker sent there?

Now I have more questions and still no answers. I huff out a sigh and turn off the light before shutting the door behind me.

On the way back down to the main floor, I rack my brain trying to figure out how my masked intruder got inside tonight. There was no crash, no sound of breaking glass. No sign of forced entry that I can see.

When you spend months at a time on the streets, you learn how to sneak into abandoned buildings. I can pick a lock easily now, but the doors here at Harker Mansion are old and heavy. This place is like a fortress.

My stomach sinks when I remember how Aries knew his way around my kitchen and the layout of my house. He probably knows all its secrets too. Fuck.The wine cellar.

I retrace my steps over to the door Aries led me to. I shine the flashlight down first, dreading going below into the dark.Who puts a light switch at the bottom of a creepy stairwell?

I grip the railing tight as I make my descent while praying Idon’t fall. No one would even bother to look for me if I broke my neck down here.

It takes me a few minutes to remember where the light switch is. When I finally flip it on, I take a moment to make sure I’m alone. For all I know that man could still be down here.

Satisfied that it’s just me and a lifetime supply of overpriced booze, I jiggle the knob on the side door. Locked. But when I kneel down to get a closer look, I see the scratches in the keyhole, marks that only metal scraping against metal could make.

“Ow,” I yelp as something hard digs into my knee. What the fuck? I pick up the culprit and snicker. That fucker was so excited to torment me, he dropped one of his lock picks. I stuff it in my jacket pocket.

A spark of rage flares in my chest. I need to find a way to bar this door. Although, I’m sure if he wants to get in again, he’ll find another way.

I feel like I’m losing my sanity tonight. Between fighting off sleep so I don’t slip into one of Nox’s comas, and scouring my own house like a crazy person, I’m starting to regret my decision to move here.

I lock up the wine cellar, but not before snatching a bottle of whiskey. I return to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Tea isn’t going to cut it tonight. And I can’t resist pouring a little splash of whiskey into my cup.

These assholes are not going to give up. I need to face Draven Blackwell in person so I can tell him that I have no intention of selling. And that if he doesn’t back off, I will have to resort to my own shady tactics.

Who the fuck is here now?The sound of tires on my front drive pulls me to the window. I peek out to see a shiny black Benz pullingup. Ugh. More fucking annoying rich people. I know I’m rich too now, but I’ll never be one ofthem.

I yank open my front door and take a wide stance on the front porch, arms crossed. I won’t be foolish and let another one of Draven’s guns-for-hire into my house again.

My curiosity piques when a beautiful girl with long black hair exits the driver’s side. She tosses me a warm smile and waves as she approaches. When she’s almost to the porch I notice how flawless her brown skin is. It’s literally glowing without the help of any makeup. I’m suddenly insecure, knowing that I’m pale as fuck and the lack of sleep has left permanent dark circles underneath my eyes.

“Hi, I hope it’s okay that I dropped by? I heard you just moved in, and I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.” Her voice is sweet and genuine; her face warm and inviting. There’s nothing disingenuous about this girl, as far as I can tell. But then again, I thought the same thing about Aries at first.

I keep my arms crossed and my guard up. “And you are?”

Her eyes widen. “Oh shit, sorry! I should’ve led with that.” She offers me her hand. “I’m Villette Crane. My friends call me Lettie. My family just lives up the road. I’m taking a break from school to spend some time with them. You know, self-care and all that. I go to Tenebrose in Raven’s Gate. There’s been a whole lotta drama there though. I’m happy to get away. Shit. Sorry, I’m rambling.”

After this angelic beauty finally takes a breath, I burst out laughing. “That was entertaining actually. I’m Mia Harker. I must be the talk of the town, considering no one knew I existed until about a week ago.”

Villette’s handshake is firm but gentle. “You’ve definitely been in a lot of people’s mouths. Shit. I mean your name, not you. It’s none of my business whose mouth you’ve been in. Fuck. Sorry. Idon’t get out much.” Her cheeks tinge with pink, and she lowers her dark eyes to the ground.

I laugh again. “I like you. You don’t bullshit. It’s refreshing. You remind me of a girl I knew back at the orphanage in Wickford Hollow. She always said what was on her mind too.”

Her smile returns as she shyly gazes back up at me. “Thank the raven. Not everyone agrees with you. My brother Bones says I need to think before I speak sometimes.”

I shake my head. “Nah, keep doing you. It’s endearing.”

She shrugs and twirls a strand of her black hair around her manicured finger. “Thanks. So how are you finding Ever Graves so far?”

My stomach turns. “Um… I haven’t seen much of the town yet. Still unpacking.” I gesture toward the house as if she can see my boxes from out here.

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