Page 68 of Ever Dark

His words are like a knife to my chest. I blink back tears. “Fuck you, Aries. It must be nice to grow up privileged. To have people dote on you your whole life. I, on the other hand, have clawed and fought for every breath. Every moment of peace.” I turn my head as the tears stream down. I don’t cry for what he’s doing to me; I’m mourning the life I never got to have.

He sighs. “Fuck. You’re supposed to be scared, not sad. I hate it when women cry.”

I choke back another sob. “You think you can break me like this? You have no idea the things I’ve gone through. I’ve slept on the streets, had to barricade myself in dumpsters just so I could fall asleep without the fear of someone fucking with me. I have sold my art for pennies so I wouldn’t starve. Some nights I did. Do yourworst, Aries. Nothing you can dream up will be worse than what I’ve endured and survived.”

“Yet look at you now. All grown up and one of the richest women in Ever Graves. Things turned out just fine for you.” He reaches into his pocket to retrieve a stack of papers and slams them against the cage. “Now sign the contract so we can all get back to our privileged fucking lives.”

“It’s not about the money,” I rasp. “Harker Mansion isn’t just a house. It’s my family’s home.Myhome. I’m not giving it up, Aries. It’s all I have left of them.” I look away as more tears stream down my face.

He stares at me for what seems like forever, his expression unreadable. Until he finally stalks back into the cage. I draw in a sharp breath when he presses his body against mine, my lips quivering as he drags his thumb across my jaw.

“You are going to be the death of us,” he whispers. “Fuck.” He reaches up and unlocks my shackles.

I pull my arms to my chest. “Thank you.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt you, you know.” He kneels down and releases my ankles. “I was just trying to give you a little scare. But I’m not enjoying it anymore.”

“Not much scares me in this world.”

He steps aside, allowing me to leave the cage. “You’re free to go, but… could you stay? I’d like to share something with you.”

I should make a run for it while I can. This could be another trick. Another game. But he’s so beautiful, so desperate in his plea for me to hear him out. I can’t tear my eyes away.

“I can’t stay long.”

He hands me a pair of black leggings, a tank top, and sneakers. They’re almost my size. I arch an eyebrow as I quickly put them on.

“They belong to my sister, Libra. She always keeps a set of clothes here.” He sits down on the bed. “She is the reason I need control of the poison fields.”

Lettie has told me some of their story, but I’m curious to hear it from him. I sit down next to him on the bed and try not to think about how much I’m drawn to him. It’s his scent, his eyes, his physique. Everything about this man is seductive and inviting. He’s made me cum more than a few times tonight, and I can’t help but crave more. Even though he’s chaos personified, his brand of desire is addicting.

So much so that I’m sad when he pulls on a hoodie, covering up that chiseled body of his.

“Tell me. What happened to her?”

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “So many fucked up things. And I couldn’t do anything to stop it. I didn’t know until it was too late. My father was trading her for favors from business partners. From the time she was sixteen. He’s a real fucking monster.”

My heart sinks. “I’m sorry, Aries. That’s horrible. No girl deserves that. Especially from her own parent.”

He hides his face in his hands. “Lib is tough. But it hardened her. People think she’s a spoiled brat. A bossy rich girl. But it’s just a front. She’s broken inside. Money and sex and drugs is how she copes. Or at least how she used to until she got locked up.”

I can’t help myself. I reach over and rub his back. “I heard a little about that part. Draven’s grandmother had her committed to Absentia Asylum, right?”

He nods. “Yeah. We thought she was dead for six months. But she’s a fighter. She found a way out, and now she’s literally running the place. But she wants nothing to do with the poison business. Not after it took her childhood and her freedom. She gave me her ancestral shares in exchange for Draven’s permission to murder Penny Blackwell.”

And I thought I had issues.These people are more fucked up than me. “Why are you telling me all this?”

He lifts his head to look at me, his watery eyes the color of seaglass. “Because I need you to understand this isn’t a game. We aren’t just some greedy assholes. We have money, Mia. Lots of it. For Draven, it’s about power. The power to stop being at the mercy of our parents. For me, it’s about revenge and redemption. I will never let Gemini Thorn have control over me or my sister ever again.”

Fuck. I don’t want to know their sob stories after all. I don’t want to feel sorry for them. “What about Bones? What’s in it for him?”

Aries chuckles. “Nothing. He loves us. The three of us have been best friends since we were born. If I ask Bones to murder someone, he will. No questions asked. That’s just what we do for each other.”

“Like family,” I murmur.

“Something like that. Except Bones and I… well we have our own shit going on too.” His gaze veers away from me, lost in some distant memory.

They love each other as more than friends. I’ve never had anything like that. And now I feel even more pathetic. Fuck. Which is why I can’t sell the only connection I have to my family. The only home that’s ever actually been mine.

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