Page 72 of Ever Dark

She coughs and heaves, her eyes bulging, as she claws at the wet grass.

Panic rises in my chest. My palms sweat, and I can’t swallow. “Mia,” I whisper.

Rodrick darts out of the fog. “Take the keys. Get her back to Blackwell Manor before the only woman you’ve ever loved dies.”

My stomach turns. Love? No. That can’t be right. But she will die if I don’t get her out of here. I look back and forth between her and the fields.

“Draven,now. We don’t have time. I’ll clean up this mess. Go.” He starts walking toward the flames.

“Don’t let it burn,” I plead. The fumes are so strong it makes even my throat burn.

I scoop Mia up into my arms and sprint toward the car. I slide her into the back seat and peel out as fast as I can.Thank fuck my house is just up the road.

“Damn you, Mia.” I slam my hands against the steering wheel. “I get to decide how you die. Not you or anyone else.”

Her cough deepens as she twists and contorts in the back seat.

She can’t die.

I don’t know what this is between us, but I’m not ready for it to be over.

“Everybody out,” I roar as I charge into the kitchen with an unconscious Mia in my arms.

My staff scrambles out without hesitation. I set Mia on the center island and rifle through the apothecary cabinets like a mad man. I grab all the herbs I need and a bottle of Blackwell gin. I tear the cork out with my teeth and take a big swig to soothe my throat.

As I mash all the ingredients together to form a paste, I pray that it’s not too late.

“All right, little lamb. Time to shed your coat and become like the wolf.” I rip her shirt open and slather the paste all over her neck and chest. That should shock her system into consciousness and start to pull the toxin out of her skin.

I fly back over to the cabinet and grab a vial full of liquid. As soon as I found out thatshewas Mia Harker, that she’s not immune to the very poison that surrounds her property, I had Bones make an antidote.

I tilt her head up off the counter. “Come on, Trouble. Drink for me.”

She whimpers and murmurs something I can’t make out.

I slap her cheek. “Drink, Mia.”

She parts her lips, but her eyes remained closed.

“Good girl.” I pour the liquid into her mouth and tilt her head back, forcing her to swallow.

She whimpers again as I lay her back down. “I hate you… Slick.”

I press my finger to her pulse and breathe a sigh of relief as her heart rate slows back to normal. “I hate you too. But you’re not allowed to leave me.”

When there’s a normal rise and fall to her chest, I wipe off the paste with a warm cloth. She’s fast asleep now, her body fighting to heal itself. I’ve never seen anyone who isn’t immune to poison survive a blast of toxin like that before.

I watch her sleep for a while, afraid to move her just yet.

The thought of never getting to gaze into her eyes again makes my stomach clench. I take another swig of gin and dial Rodrick.

“How is she?” he asks.

“Alive. And you?”

“Just finishing up. You only lost three rows. They’ll grow back in time.”

Ionly lost three rows?

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