Chapter 6
MIA
I lay on the breakfast table—my legs still spread—and take deep breaths. With wet panties and flushed skin, my heart races. What the fuck is wrong with me?
I resist the urge to touch myself as I think of his brown eyes, his masked face, the way he pinned me down… I refuse to let myself get off to that image. Maybe the priests were right. There is a sickness in me.
By the time I regain my composure, I’m pissed the fuck off. I really need to learn the layout of this house. There are too many doors. Too many ways in.
I storm upstairs to the second floor, to the room I’ve claimed as my own, and throw on a pair of pants and boots. I grab a flashlight out of the utility closet and stomp down the hall. One by one, I open each door, flinging it open and flipping on the light.
My heart pounds as I wait for each room to illuminate, bracing myself for the possibility of another predator lurking in the dark. I’d actually prefer the company of ghosts right now. But another masked man sent to scare me into selling my fucking house is not an option.
It’s a good thing I have enough money to pay the monstrous electricity bill I’m about to rack up.
After securing the second floor, I make my way up to the third. This set of stairs is narrower and steeper, like the ones you’d find in a lighthouse. My adrenaline starts to wear off by the time I reach the top, and a prickle of fear returns. What if I actually find another psycho up here? I should’ve grabbed the butcher knife too. A lot of good it did me earlier though .
As I creep down the hall, I notice the air change. It’s mustier up here; the scent of old wood is thicker. The halls are carpeted, unlike the second floor, making it impossible to hear if anyone’s moving around up here. I take a deep breath outside the first room. Put on your big girl pants now, Mia.
I push the door open and shine the flashlight until I can flip the switch on the wall. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it’s just another bedroom. Although, all the furniture is covered in plastic. That’s fucking weird.
Rinse and repeat. I light up every fucking room, leaving the door wide open before I move on to the next one. Each one is either a bedroom or a bathroom. My fear turns to annoyance at the indulgence of it all. While I slept on the streets, these people sat pretty in a mansion with over twenty guest rooms. What the actual fuck?
The last door on the left opens up to a study. There’s a desk against the wall. Next to it is a bookcase, the black paint chipped, filled with the kind of books you’d find in an antique store. I bet there’s some first editions in here. There’s also a comfy-looking couch. It’s so worn that the brown leather is cracked and faded like it did its job in comforting those who sat in it.
I linger in the doorway for a few minutes before my curiosity gets the better of me. I need to stay up, anyway. I walk over to a desk, dusty and cluttered with papers, and I pull out a few drawers to find nothing but bank account statements, some old article clippings from the Ever Graves Gazelle, and random shopping receipts.
I let out a sigh and sift through the papers on the top for now. Pouring through the stack, I find nothing too interesting. It’s just a pile of paid invoices—water, electricity, landscaping. These must be the most recent ones. Like the last fucking ones that Emma paid before she died.
After flipping through the entire stack, the payee’s name catches my eye on the last invoice. My stomach flips. Absentia Asylum . What the fuck? I go back through the stack and find three more payments to that dreadful place.
Were they the ones who had me committed, or was another Harker sent there?
Now I have more questions and still no answers. I huff out a sigh and turn off the light before shutting the door behind me.
On the way back down to the main floor, I rack my brain trying to figure out how my masked intruder got inside tonight. There was no crash, no sound of breaking glass. No sign of forced entry that I can see.
When you spend months at a time on the streets, you learn how to sneak into abandoned buildings. I can pick a lock easily now, but the doors here at Harker Mansion are old and heavy. This place is like a fortress.
My stomach sinks when I remember how Aries knew his way around my kitchen and the layout of my house. He probably knows all its secrets too. Fuck. The wine cellar.
I retrace my steps over to the door Aries led me to. I shine the flashlight down first, dreading going below into the dark. Who puts a light switch at the bottom of a creepy stairwell?
I grip the railing tight as I make my descent while praying I don’t fall. No one would even bother to look for me if I broke my neck down here.
It takes me a few minutes to remember where the light switch is. When I finally flip it on, I take a moment to make sure I’m alone. For all I know that man could still be down here.
Satisfied that it’s just me and a lifetime supply of overpriced booze, I jiggle the knob on the side door. Locked. But when I kneel down to get a closer look, I see the scratches in the keyhole, marks that only metal scraping against metal could make.
“Ow,” I yelp as something hard digs into my knee. What the fuck? I pick up the culprit and snicker. That fucker was so excited to torment me, he dropped one of his lock picks. I stuff it in my jacket pocket.
A spark of rage flares in my chest. I need to find a way to bar this door. Although, I’m sure if he wants to get in again, he’ll find another way.
I feel like I’m losing my sanity tonight. Between fighting off sleep so I don’t slip into one of Nox’s comas, and scouring my own house like a crazy person, I’m starting to regret my decision to move here.
I lock up the wine cellar, but not before snatching a bottle of whiskey. I return to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. Tea isn’t going to cut it tonight. And I can’t resist pouring a little splash of whiskey into my cup.
These assholes are not going to give up. I need to face Draven Blackwell in person so I can tell him that I have no intention of selling. And that if he doesn’t back off, I will have to resort to my own shady tactics.
Who the fuck is here now? The sound of tires on my front drive pulls me to the window. I peek out to see a shiny black Benz pulling up. Ugh. More fucking annoying rich people. I know I’m rich too now, but I’ll never be one of them .
I yank open my front door and take a wide stance on the front porch, arms crossed. I won’t be foolish and let another one of Draven’s guns-for-hire into my house again.
My curiosity piques when a beautiful girl with long black hair exits the driver’s side. She tosses me a warm smile and waves as she approaches. When she’s almost to the porch I notice how flawless her brown skin is. It’s literally glowing without the help of any makeup. I’m suddenly insecure, knowing that I’m pale as fuck and the lack of sleep has left permanent dark circles underneath my eyes.
“Hi, I hope it’s okay that I dropped by? I heard you just moved in, and I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood.” Her voice is sweet and genuine; her face warm and inviting. There’s nothing disingenuous about this girl, as far as I can tell. But then again, I thought the same thing about Aries at first.
I keep my arms crossed and my guard up. “And you are?”
Her eyes widen. “Oh shit, sorry! I should’ve led with that.” She offers me her hand. “I’m Villette Crane. My friends call me Lettie. My family just lives up the road. I’m taking a break from school to spend some time with them. You know, self-care and all that. I go to Tenebrose in Raven’s Gate. There’s been a whole lotta drama there though. I’m happy to get away. Shit. Sorry, I’m rambling.”
After this angelic beauty finally takes a breath, I burst out laughing. “That was entertaining actually. I’m Mia Harker. I must be the talk of the town, considering no one knew I existed until about a week ago.”
Villette’s handshake is firm but gentle. “You’ve definitely been in a lot of people’s mouths. Shit. I mean your name, not you. It’s none of my business whose mouth you’ve been in. Fuck. Sorry. I don’t get out much.” Her cheeks tinge with pink, and she lowers her dark eyes to the ground.
I laugh again. “I like you. You don’t bullshit. It’s refreshing. You remind me of a girl I knew back at the orphanage in Wickford Hollow. She always said what was on her mind too.”
Her smile returns as she shyly gazes back up at me. “Thank the raven. Not everyone agrees with you. My brother Bones says I need to think before I speak sometimes.”
I shake my head. “Nah, keep doing you. It’s endearing.”
She shrugs and twirls a strand of her black hair around her manicured finger. “Thanks. So how are you finding Ever Graves so far?”
My stomach turns. “Um… I haven’t seen much of the town yet. Still unpacking.” I gesture toward the house as if she can see my boxes from out here.
She nods. “Well, if you want a break from all that, my brother Bones is throwing a party tonight at his garage. You should come.”
The thought of meeting new people makes me queasy, but I like this girl’s vibe a lot. I’m guessing she wouldn’t hang out with jerks. She seems to have a good sense about her.
“Yeah, sure. Why not? Text me the address later.” She hands me her phone, and I add my number to her contacts.
“Great! And if you need anything, just let me know. I have a little bit of pull in this town.” She winks.
I contemplate asking her about Draven Blackwell but think better of it. He sounds like a fucking asshole. I don’t want to scare off my potential new friend with the fact that I’ve been here a little over a week, and I’m already in a soap-opera-style feud with him.
“Thanks, Lettie. Um, who all is going to be there? I’m not great in big crowds.”
She twirls her hair again while she counts the guest list in her head. “Not too many people. Some of my brother’s friends and a few people we went to high school with. Don’t worry. It’ll be chill. ”
I breathe a little easier, but small talk is not one of my strengths. “Sounds good. See you tonight. Thanks for stopping by to welcome me. It means a lot.”
“You got it, girl.” She waves again, warm and sweet and with her whole body, before hopping back into her luxury car.
My phone pings with a text from her before she even drives away. I save her contact info and rush back inside so I can stress out for the next six hours over what I’m going to wear tonight.
The only parties I’ve ever been to were with my ex-fiancé. And those were all stuffy gallery parties in the art district of Raven’s Gate. He loved parading me around to his colleagues, hoping that if he gave me enough champagne and compliments, I’d forget about Nox. That, for once, I could act like a normal girlfriend. After we broke up, I retreated even further into the recesses of my own self-loathing.
I wring my hands in front of the mirror. I’m nervous as fuck. But I know it will be good for me. That’s what my therapist used to tell me, anyway.
I let out a deep, dramatic sigh and turn on the shower. As the hot steam fills the bathroom, a little smile plays on my lips. Maybe that hot guy from Duff’s Bar will be there. I wouldn’t be mad if he wanted to fuck me again.
My mood lightens at the idea of him bending me over a stranger’s bathroom counter. I lean back against the shower wall and shudder. The water rushes down my back, heating my skin. I slide my finger down the center of my pussy while I picture my mystery man. I remember his golden eyes staring back at me in the mirror as I thrust my finger inside.
Fuck. I arch my back and close my eyes as I imagine his hands on me again. “ Uhhh .” It doesn’t take long for my nub to spasm. I add another finger as I pump faster, fucking myself hard at the thought of him.
I’m so close, so sensitive. I shudder and moan as a sharp orgasm rips through me. My legs shake as I cum all over my fingers. I smear it in circles around my swollen clit, drawing out a second wave of spasms in seconds. “ Fuck …”
My chest heaves, and my heart beats out of control. I huff against the shower wall, my pussy raw and tingling. Fuck. I’m so horny right now I’d probably let that masked intruder fuck me. I’m a hot, sticky mess, and I need more than just my own hand.
Suddenly I’m looking forward to this party tonight.