Page 51 of Ever Dark

“I’ll wire you money for the damages,” I call out to Duff.

He almost drops the glass he’s buffing. “What damages?”

I turn back to the douchebag. “I know you think you’re a big deal wherever it is you’re from. Let me see if I guess right. You get free drinks at your local dive bar, even though it’s out of pity because you injured yourself playing high school football and never made it to the big leagues. And I bet all the washed-up cheerleaders line up to suck your cock, but you secretly love how yourbuddiessuck it the best—”

“Watch it.” His smug smile fades into a sneer.

“Oh, am I hitting a nerve?”

Mia clutches her neck. “Draven.”

I inch closer and slide my fingers through the brass knuckles in my pocket. “But you see, this is Ever Graves. Andhere, I’m in charge. People buymedrinks to stay on my good side. And trust me, you don’t want to be on my fucking bad side. Isn’t that right, Duff?”

The exasperated bar owner shakes his head. “Can you at least kill them outside this time?” he calls back.

I grin but never break contact with the stupid fucking white boy in front of me. “You have two options: walk away and enjoy some free drinks on meorstay right here and see what happens. I doubt anyone will actually miss you.”

His nostrils flare. “How about the option where I beat the shit out of you?”

I laugh in his face. “Yeah, that’s not even remotely close to happening,bro.”

Two of his buddies, who match him in size, move closer, flexing their arms behind him.

Mia grunts in frustration. “Enough, Draven. Let’s just talk about this outside.” She goes to move past him and his little posse, whenhe grabs her arm and shoves her behind him. His buddies hold her back.

“Okay, everyone, chill, please,” she groans out.

I light up a cigarette and count to ten before I exhale. “So, option four, then?”

He crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his head to the side. “And what’s that? Your girl fucking all three of us tonight while you cry yourself to sleep?”

“Yeah, not helping your cause.” I take another long drag before putting my cigarette out in the palm of my hand.

He wavers slightly as he stares at the smoke singeing off my flesh.

I pull out a vial of nightshade and give him a wink before I shoot it down my throat. “I bet you think this is gonna go your way somehow.”

The guy gasps when he looks back into my eyes. “Your pupils… they’re fucking glowing. What the fuck?”

His two buddies back up with Mia still in their grasp when they hit two hard walls of solid muscle behind them, Aries and Bones.

The distraction breaks their grip, and Mia wrenches free. She charges forward, directing her anger at me instead. “You don’t own me. I can have drinks with whomever I want.”

“I disagree. It’s time for you to leave now. I’ll call Lettie to come back and get you.” All I see is red right now, and she’s only aggravating me more.

Her mouth falls open. “No, Draven. You don’t get to tell me what to do. You’re not my boyfriend or my father.”

I wrap a hand around her throat, startling everyone around us. “Yeah, but I’m sure you’d love to call me both. EspeciallyDaddy.”

She jerks back, desperate to break free from me. “Never. Now let me go so I can finish hanging out with my new friends.”

I push her up against the pool table. “You mean the ones who said they want to take turns fucking you? I don’t think so, baby girl.That privilege belongs to us. Don’t make me bend you over in front of all these people and remind you how wet I make your pussy.”

“We’ll wait for you outside.” Aries snickers as he and Bones drag the three douchebags out the front door. Duff actually helps them for once. I’m guessing he doesn’t want to mop our mess up off his floor again.

Mia’s pulse beats fast against my fingers, her chest heaving as she struggles to catch her breath. “You can’t have me, Draven. I’m never going to be yours.”

There’s a wistfulness in her tone. Almost like it’s out of her control. I ignore it. “You’ve been mine since the second I decided I was going to destroy you.”

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