Page 35 of Ever Dark

Fuck, he is in a fucking mood. I start to shrug it off when the sight of his biggest trigger makes her way through the crowd. The muscles in my back tense. She tests every one of my nerves too.

“Mia is here,” I mutter.

He sucks in a sharp breath and follows my gaze. “This fucking cunt, strutting around here like she’s one of us.”

I place my hand on his chest as he starts to charge toward her. “Not yet. Relax. Let her squirm for a bit.”

He grits his teeth but settles back against the hood again. “How the fuck does she even know about fight night?”

I nod in her direction. “Look who’s standing next to her.”

Draven lets out a low growl. “Lettie. Dammit. I told her to stay away from Mia.”

It seems like we are all having issues staying away from Mia Harker. There’s something about that girl. We’re acting like a bunch of moths, and she’s the flame.

Through the flickering torchlights, her eyes seem to glow—the sparkling blue offsetting the haunting darkness of the brown one. Like shadow and light. I lick my lips, my cock stiffening at the sight of her tight shredded jeans hugging the curves of her hips. Fuck. Her black hoodie is unzipped, revealing two erect buds pressing against her thin white tank top. It’s fucking cold out here. She knows exactly what she’s doing. And that makes me want her even more.I bet she’s a naughty little thing.

I blow out a deep breath. “She’s not wearing a fucking bra.”

“I doubt she’s wearing panties either,” Draven rasps as he exhales another puff of smoke.

“We shouldn’t mix business and pleasure, Dray.”I need to remind myself of this every time I see her.

He stomps his cigarette out on the ground with a huff. “There’s nothing pleasurable about that wretched creature.”

I lift an eyebrow at him. “Is that what you told yourself the other night after you fucked her again?”

He shoots me a glare. “That was a mistake. A stupid, reckless mistake. It won’t happen again. But I’m down to watch you do whatever the fuck you want to her.”

A plan forms in my mind. Every inch of that woman calls to me. It’s a feral need to stalk her through the woods and corner her like a predator. I want to strip her of all her comforts and securities.

My pulse races as I fantasize about catching her. “I want that tight little cunt sliding down my dick.”

Draven’s eyes darken, filling with lust. An ache that he no doubt recalls what that felt like. “She has demons, Ries. Darker than all three of ours put together. That thing is attached to her. I can see it in her eyes.”

I nod. “I know. And I don’t care. That’s between her and thedevil. But as long as she’s in Ever Graves, we should get to play with her too, right?”

He nods toward a clearing in the trees just as Bones emerges from the shadows. His hands are wrapped and ready to pummel tonight’s victim. I can feel the adrenaline pulsing from him, even ten feet away. As he bounces on the balls of his feet, sweat stains his white muscle tank top. It streaks his chest and arms, his skin glistening under the torchlight.

I spot Mia ogling him too. She licks her lips and crosses her legs, clenching her thighs together. “I think our little lamb likes a big bad wolf.”

Draven snickers as he grits his teeth. “Good. We can all take turns breaking her.”

A tingle shoots down my shaft. I palm my cock, adjusting it in my pants. “That might take a while.”

Draven finally turns to face me, the look in his eyes murderous. “I want that baneberry, Ries. I don’t care if we have to tie her down and force her signature. We have just as much right to that land as she does. Probably more. We’ve lived here our whole lives. She’s been here for five seconds.”

Fuck. He’s more obsessed than I am, and it’smyfather we’re trying to push out. “She is a Harker though. That still means something in this town.”

He shakes his head as he glares over in her direction. “It means nothing.Shemeans nothing… I’ll see you after the fight.” He lights up another cigarette and stalks off.

I blow out a deep breath as I watch him cross to the other side of theCircleand retreat to the shadows. Ever since we were kids, I’ve worried about him getting lost in the dark places of his mind. If it weren’t for me and Bones, he’d never socialize with anyone. And now Mia’s pushing his buttons, triggering him into old patterns and behaviors. It’s only a matter of time before he snaps.

I wouldn’t want to be her when that happens. She just needs to sign the fucking papers before Draven explodes like an atomic bomb.

The crowd cheers, snapping me out of my daze. Bones is spinning around a much bigger opponent, like a ballerina on his tippy toes. He moves with swiftness and precision, alternating between punches to the face and jabs to the ribs.

I can’t help but chuckle to myself. Every weekend, some local asshole thinks he will be the one to defeat my best friend. As much as I’m enjoying the show, my gaze is pulled back to Mia.

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