Grave Devil (Nocturnus #2)

Prelude

The before, before.

WILLA HARKER

We built them stables for their horses. We hunt and cook for them and wash their clothes. We do it in exchange for their loyalty and protection. The tiny blonde girl, the one they worship, saw to this.

There are whispers of magic. Oaths and ancient pacts. This girl with the horsemen has an old soul, sprung from the Wild Hunt. One who has seen and felt more than the land itself. My darling Enzo suspects she’s a witch. Her sister, too, the one with hair spun from rose gold.

Some are fearful. Suspicious even. But I give them my gratitude. I lay flower crowns and pomegranates outside their cottage doors every morning. For they found us in our decaying villages, saved us from cold and hunger, and brought us here to Evigheden so we may start anew.

My brother, Vlad, and his wife, Lydia, are also suspicious of the Bishop sisters, but they keep quiet out of fear of the horsemen.

The Wild Hunt may be over, but the ones who hunted still seem ravenous for bloodshed.

Their nostrils flare when I pass them, their fingers trembling on the hilts of their swords.

They wouldn’t hesitate to slit any of our throats if they perceive us to be a threat.

The sister is even stranger. Grave things have happened to her. I’m sure of it. She stares into nothing for hours, her thoughts lost in the wind. I approach her with caution, as usual, this crisp autumn evening. “My Enzo has finished building the bonfire, my lady. Come before you catch a cold.”

Her face cracks, a small smile offered. She turns slightly toward me while still keeping her gaze trained on the forest. “Ah. A fine man. Thank you for telling me. And when are you and Mr. Crane to be married, Miss Harker? Seems you are of ripe age to start a family.”

I nod and pull up the ends of my shawl. The wind is biting, sharp, and unforgiving. “Indeed. After winter passes. We should like the sun’s blessing on our union. These current days are cold and…”

“Ominous,” Lucy offers. Her gaze finds mine. “I couldn’t agree more. Winter is full of violence and sorrow and death. A summer wedding will be much needed.”

I draw in a sharp breath as I search her expression. There are tales to be told on her face. Secrets and stories that haunt her sparkly blue irises.

“What would you like to ask me, Willa?” Her tone is gentle yet reluctant as she trails off while saying my name.

I feel my cheeks flush, and my breath blows hot, resembling smoke in the icy air between us. “Nothing, my lady. I do not wish to pry. But if you should ever need an ear, I have two reliable ones to lend you. Not everything should be locked away.”

Without warning, she clasps my hands in hers. Her eyes narrow as she lowers her head. “Some things should never be spoken aloud,” she whispers.

Her fingers are ice, marble, stone statues that grip like iron.

I bite my tongue. I nod and hope I haven’t offended her.

We don’t speak of her behind her back in this village.

It’s understood but never expressed. We don’t talk about her men or the mysterious journey that led her to the three of them.

She has her reasons. They watch us now from afar, guarding her the way the horsemen do her sister.

I blow out a breath dusted in snowflakes. “Of course, my lady. Forgive me for even suggesting it.”

In the blink of an eye, it’s forgotten. She releases my hands. Her lips curl into a warm smile even though her expression remains stoic. “Will you sing us a song by the fire? I do love the sound of your angelic voice, Miss Harker.”

I let her lock her arm through mine and lead me over to Miss Thorn, who is pouring cups of spiced honey mead from a steaming cauldron.

A warm, effervescent rush glides over my skin after the first sip. I stifle a little moan. “Thank you, Astrid. This is delightful.”

She whips her blonde braid back off her shoulder. “I’ve been cultivating a new flower. I added just a drop of its essence into this batch.”

Lucy’s face flushes pink while she swallows it down. “Delicious. And what might this flower be?”

The gorgeous Thorn girl with the blue-green eyes beams with pride.

“It grows only in one part of the forest. It was rather difficult to get there, I might add. So I have named it baneberry because getting it was the bane of my existence. But its berries are delectable little jewels bursting in your mouth like temptation.”

“Well, that is lovely, Miss Thorn. Thank you for risking your patience so that we may enjoy this tasty elixir.” Everything Lucy says melts out of her mouth like butter. She’s polite and charming, and yet, I can’t help but detect the darkness it’s laced with.

She holds tighter to my arm as she nudges me forward. As if she hears my thoughts aloud. “I pray that you never know what it is to have secrets, Miss Harker. They will eat you alive from the inside out.”

I swallow hard. Vlad is always on me about asking questions. He says I’m too inquisitive for my own good. “Miss Bishop… I hope I haven’t offended you in any way.”

“Nonsense. It is I who hopes to not offend. Enough with all the cryptic conversation. Let us drink and sing and dance around the flames.” Her eyes sparkle this time when she smiles. And her warmth radiates, her beauty unmatchable.

A fuzzy sensation spreads throughout my belly with each sip of the baneberry mead. I am no stranger to drink, so I’m taken aback at how quickly this one is making me dizzy.

Enzo wraps his arms around my waist from behind. “Are you drunk, mi amor?”

I giggle and sway into him. “Perhaps. Shhh, don’t tell anyone,” I tease.

He nuzzles my neck with his soft lips. “It will be our little secret.”

I nod and laugh but can’t help feeling a twinge of guilt at his words, remembering what Lucy warned me about. There are bad omens that follow that girl. I cannot see them, but I feel a dark presence surrounding her.

Enzo whirls me around to face him. My heart skips a beat when I gaze up into his brown eyes. “Yes, my love?”

“Give me a kiss goodnight, mi amor. It’s been a long day of work, and I’m afraid I can’t keep my eyes open much longer.”

I kiss him longingly on the lips, aching to taste all of him this instant. “I’ll come with you, my love.”

He shakes his head. “No, Willa. You are having fun with your new friends. Stay and enjoy the festivities a little while longer. I’ll keep the cot warm for us.”

I giggle again and almost lose my footing. He’s right. I do love the night, the music, the full moon glistening over the shadows of the flames. I concede, but I kiss him a little while longer before letting him retire to our cottage.

Lucy and I sing songs and dance together while Imogen and her horsemen keep to themselves. But they watch us. They’re always observing. I don’t pay it any mind tonight though. I feel free, fancy, and full of joy.

I can’t remember how many more cups of mead I drank, or why I wandered into the forest without an escort. All I know is I’m not alone. Something is here with me in the dark. And I can feel with every fiber of my soul that it is dangerous.

The ground is covered in white petals. I never thought to ask Astrid how a flower could bloom without the coaxing of spring.

But lo and behold, I am surrounded by the flowers she calls baneberry.

Perhaps it’s witchcraft or magic. I certainly feel like I’ve been placed under some sort of spell.

My head is pounding, my vision blurry, and my skin alight with fire, crackling like the very flames we danced around.

Enzo is going to be furious with me for wandering into the forest alone. But I don’t remember how I got here. There is a presence. Something or someone. Its energy prickles my skin. And yet no one replies when I call out into the darkness.

I need to get back to the village square. To my Enzo.

I lift a heavy leg and almost trip over the skirts of my pleated gown. The dirt on the hem makes me want to cry. This is my best dress. “Damn,” I mutter aloud.

“I could give you a hundred dresses. Right here. Right now.”

I shriek and spin toward the man’s voice. But I see no one. “Who… who’s there?” My heart is thudding in my chest, racing so fast I fear it may explode.

“Over here, dark one,” he commands as well as he explains.

I squint my eyes in the dark, desperate to make out the shapes and shadows that play tricks on me.

And from behind a great tree, a large figure emerges.

I gasp at the sight of him. He is muscular and tall with thick black hair knotted on his head.

His eyes are as brown as my Enzo’s but devoid of any of his same warmth.

No. His gaze is fiery. Hungry. Full of unspeakable things. Sinful things.

I stagger back, careful not to trip again. “I-I wandered too far, sir. Please forgive me. I’ll be on my way now.”

The man steps forward and moves into the path of the moonlight. His eyes glow like amber resin, beautiful and seductive. “Then I must convince you to stay. Come closer. Let me show you what you’ve been missing, dark one.”

I should run, but I cannot tear myself away. “Why do you call me that?”

He licks his lips, and for a moment, it looks as if his tongue is split in two. No. Impossible. It must be my eyes playing tricks again. Or the effects of the baneberry mead thrumming through my bloodstream.

“Because you are not all sunbeams and silvery halos like the others.” He pulls me forward with an invisible string. I cannot stop myself from taking another step.

“You think about darker things. You are curious. And your needs have not been met. I can smell your unquenched arousal from here,” he rasps.

And I inch closer. “You don’t know me.”

He doesn’t move from the tree but instead allows me to come to him. And I have no idea how he’s doing it. “I know everything. I see everything.” His gaze flits to my middle.