Ever Dark

Chapter 13

MIA

H oly shit that was hot. The brutality of it all stirred something in me I wasn’t expecting. I’d never seen a man fight for sport like that before. It was primal and depraved and so fucking exciting to watch. I just hope Lettie didn’t notice me salivating over her brother.

I could feel all three of their hardened stares on me at various times during the fight. I should be worried, afraid, and pissed off. But all I feel is lust and a dangerous curiosity that’s sure to get me killed.

It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. My whole life, it’s only been Nox. Other than my ex, I’ve never allowed myself to get close to anything real or tangible. And look where that got me.

Even though Bones, Draven, and Aries are crude, depraved, and borderline psycho— as I remember Draven plowing his SUV through my gates —they give me an adrenaline rush every time they challenge me. And I can’t decide if I want to run away from them or toward them. It’s exhilarating.

“So, what did you think?” Lettie asks.

“Huh?” I’m lost in my dark, twisted fantasy, consumed with want and need for three deviants who make my blood boil and my pussy wet.

“About the fight,” she says over a chuckle. “You haven’t said a word since Bones knocked that guy out.”

I draw in a deep breath, remembering I have to actually be social if I want to keep friends. “It was… brutal. And weirdly beautiful to watch.” I bite my lip, afraid that she’s going to think I’m the weirdo even though her brother is the one who fights for fun.

Lettie nods and flashes me a warm smile. “Yeah, Bones somehow manages to make bloodsport poetic. I think the melodrama runs in our family.”

“Yeah, it’s romantic in the most fucked up way. He tells a story when he fights. I can’t explain it. Isn’t your other brother a poetry professor?”

She slings her arm through mine as we head back to our cars. “Yes, Felix is a bleeding heart, obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe, poison, and his woman. We Cranes love hard, and we hate harder…” Her voice trails off, and her eyes darken for the first time. I didn’t think this bubbly creature was even capable of having a bad day.

“And what about you? What or who do you love? What are you passionate about?” I rapidly fire at her, desperate to forge a stronger connection with my new friend. Desperate to confide in her all my darkest secrets. But afraid to confess until our bond runs deeper than superficial banter.

“I love my family and my friends. As far as passion? I’m still trying to figure that out.” She almost seems shy for a second. But the girl who showed up on my doorstep to welcome me to town is anything but.

When we reach her car, I cradle her hands in mine. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. I know we are new friends, but I promise you’re safe with me.”

Her eyes glass over, and her throat bobs. “You’re sweet, Mia. But there’s nothing to tell. My major at Tenebrose Academy is undecided, and my love life is nonexistent.” She forces a smile to try to hide her sadness, but I see right through it. I’m an orphan. We are kind of the experts at facades.

But if she’s not ready to open up, then I’ll wait. “Well, I’m here if you ever want to talk it out.”

This time she flashes me a genuine smile. “I knew I liked you from the second we met. You’re good people, Mia. My abuela has a saying, amigos nacen, no se hacen. Friends are born, not made. I think you and I were born to be friends.”

“I love that, Lettie. I’ve not had many friends…” Now it’s my turn to act shy. The bonds that the other girls had in the orphanage didn’t extend to me. I was the weirdo. The freak who would slip into a coma for days at a time.

My roommate was sweet, but she had one foot out the door. While I was afraid to leave and be on my own, Bailey Bishop had friends on the outside who she couldn’t wait to get back to.

“Well, you’ve got one now for life.” Lettie gives me a hug before sliding into the leather seat of her Benz. “Let’s grab dinner this week.”

I need to get more familiar with this town and the locals. “Sure. Take me to your favorite restaurant.”

“I know the perfect spot. Café Thai has the best yellow curry in Melancholia.” She rolls down the window before closing her door. She leans out, resting her delicate hand on its frame. “You okay to drive out of here? It’s a lot darker than when we first came in.”

I ignore the chill on my back, the tingles spreading across my flesh as I still feel like I’m being watched. Just the mere mention of the dark sends off alarms in my head. It’s super creepy out here. And that’s saying a lot coming from the girl who grew up in Wickford Hollow. That town is literally haunted by ghosts.

“I’ll be fine. I have a good sense of direction.”

She waits until I’m safely in my truck, the engine running, before she waves and drives off .

I lock the doors and wait for the heater to warm up. This old clunker is reliable but takes a while to get going. It blows cold air for about five minutes, but once the heat kicks in, it’s like an inferno.

When the vents finally blast out the hottest air imaginable, I latch onto the gear stick. In these old trucks, the shift stick is actually up top and behind the steering wheel. As I pull it in and down, something cracks.

My stomach knots. What the fuck? The stick jams in between park and drive. Oh no. Fuck. I try to push it back up into park, but it won’t budge.

Fuck.

I fish my phone out of my purse and click on Lettie’s icon. “Come on,” I mutter. The line is silent. I look and see that I have zero bars; the display at the top of the screen shows SOS .

No cell service.

“Fuck!”

My heart races as I try to unjam the gear stick, but it’s no use. I look out the window into the darkness that exists past my headlights. I spot a few cars still remaining. Maybe I can find someone to give me a lift into town…

A tiny voice in my head says, don’t get out of the car, Mia .

But I can’t stay out here all night. I can’t turn off the engine with the gear shift stuck. I only have a half a tank of gas, and there are at least six hours left until sunrise. And if I accidentally fall asleep… If Nox gets me… I’m so fucked.

I open my glove compartment and snatch the can of pepper spray I have stashed. With that in one hand and my phone in the other, I hop out of the truck and pray I can find help before my car dies. Or I do .

The wind whips through the makeshift holes in my jeans, sending goose pimples across my thighs. I take careful steps as I shine my cell phone light on the ground in front of me. Thank god I wore sneakers tonight .

As I approach the first car, the windows are fogged, and the whole car is bouncing. Yeah, I’m not interrupting that. Fuck.

I sigh and keep going, determined to find someone still partying out here. I pass another two vehicles—a black luxury SUV and a yellow Ferrari. A fucking Ferrari? I shake my head as I peer inside each of them, only to find them empty. I knew there was a lot of old money here in Ever Graves, but I wasn’t expecting to see a sports car in the woods.

There’s only one car left up ahead. My stomach drops when I see what it is. Or rather, who it belongs to. It’s that rebuilt Mustang from the garage. Bones’s Garage . I draw in a deep breath and curse under it on the exhale.

Three cars. Three psychos. Suddenly, disturbing the random couple fucking back there looks more appealing. And like a bad omen, as soon as I take a step back, the bouncing car with fogged-up windows peels out.

Fuck.

Now I’m alone in the woods with monsters.

I pull up my hood and hold my phone out, shining the light in a circle around me. My pulse races as I imagine all the worst-case scenarios for a woman. If this isn’t a choose-the-bear type of situation, I don’t know what is.

Except that I’m a sick fuck. A woman who enjoys being food for monsters. Nox can attest to that. Nope, no damsel in distress here. I’m more of the trip-and-fall-on-purpose kind of girl because catching me is the quickest way to get me wet.

No. I shouldn’t do this. Fuck it. I’ll go back to the truck and wait. I spin around and can’t see my headlights anymore. I can’t see my truck. My stomach drops. What the actual fuck?

It’s pitch dark except for the light from my phone. Which won’t last long. I’m at thirty percent battery. Fucking hell.

I hold the can of pepper spray in front of me and keep walking. “Bones?” I call out. I know he’s here. That they’re all here. I wish they would stop acting like creeps and just come out. I don’t think Lettie would be too happy with them if they let me die out here. She seems to be the only person they care about pissing off.

Every leaf that rustles, every branch that snaps in the wind sends my heart racing and my adrenaline into overdrive. It’s times like these when I start to entertain the idea of bringing Nox to the surface. If he wasn’t trapped in my dream world, he’d be here in seconds, scooping me up and taking me home. He’d kill anyone who tried to harm me with his bare hands.

But the thought of unleashing him on Ever Graves… the thought of him in a power struggle with Bones, Aries, and Draven… it would be a disaster.

Even now, his voice echoes in my head, taunting me. Let me out, dark one .

I shake it off. Focus, Mia. Stay alert .

Crunch .

My heart almost leaps from my chest. I spin around, convinced something is behind me. But it’s nothing but darkness. Fuck me.

“Guys? This isn’t funny. Please come out,” I plead. Now I’m getting scared for real. Maybe I’m wrong, and it’s not them. There could be a serial killer out here. A sicko who preys on all the adrenaline-fueled women who come out here every weekend to watch hot, sweaty men fight like animals.

With all that sweat and pre cum… I bet our pussies taste the sweetest . Or am I the only one who gets aroused by violence?

Every step I take leads me farther away from my truck and deeper into the woods. I’m so turned around now that it’s too late to go back.

A woosh of air blows past me, tickling my neck. I scream and break out into a run. Fuck. Something is hunting me. I can feel it. I’m not just being paranoid.

My chest hurts as I struggle for breath while I zig-zag through the trees. I don’t have time to be careful. I just need to get as far away from whoever that is as possible.

I’m sprinting, leaping, twisting and turning through rocks, branches, and overgrown foliage. The scenery is becoming a blur as I let my instincts and adrenaline carry me.

My heart sinks when I spot the fallen tree up ahead. Fuck it. I have to get over it. I jump up and leap across, praying I don’t break my neck. When I come down, I hit the ground hard and lose my footing. “Ahhh!” I throw my hands out in front of me to break my fall. My knees hit the cold ground with a thud. I yelp as the pain shoots up my legs.

I should’ve stayed in the truck.

My stomach knots when I realize I’ve dropped the pepper spray and my phone. “Oh, no,” I whine as I crawl toward the little trickle of light peeking out of the grass. My screen light is fading with the fucking battery life. If I can just get to safety before it dies…

I claw at the grass, using it to pull me forward. Only a few more feet. Fuck. My knees and shins are throbbing. I’m scared to even try to stand up.

As I cross the last bit of ground that separates me and my only connection to the modern world, heavy footsteps sound in the darkness. My blood runs cold. Everything in my body freezes as a shadow reaches out and yanks me up by my hair.

I’m lifted off the ground and pulled backward. I scream as I’m thrust back against a tree. A shudder so deep and dark ripples through me when we lock eyes.

“Gotcha.” Draven grins, baring his teeth.

I’m hyperventilating, but my fear turns to anger. “Fuck you!”

A sinister laugh erupts from behind him just as another figure steps out of the shadows. “Fuck is my favorite word, little lamb.”

Oh, shit. Aries towers over both of us, his hood up over his ice-blond hair.

“ You screwed with my truck. Both of you.” I’m livid now. They lured me out here so I could freeze or starve to death just for their own amusement.

Draven digs his fingers into my scalp as his grip around my strands tightens. “Your defiance sends a message that I can’t allow. The people of Ever Graves need to see what happens to those who go against me.”

His lips are inches from mine. His breath is hot, just like it was that night when he sucked on my pussy. Fucking hell. Why am I like this? “If refusing to sell my home to bullies is an act of defiance, then I will do it a thousand times. Maybe the people of Ever Graves will learn to start sticking up for themselves too.”

Aries rests his arm against the tree, boxing me in. “Yeah, look where that got you, little lamb.” He leans in closer, his lips grazing my ear. “Look how pathetic you are. So weak and fragile.”

Another shudder races up my spine. They both loom over me, larger than most men, their gazes ravenous, murderous . They won’t let me get away. They will overpower me. I have no choice but to submit to whatever this is. “Don’t you think the woods is a strange place to do business? What is it that you really want right now?”

They exchange a devious look. “That sweet, sweet pussy of yours,” Aries whispers in my ear. “I want it locked tight around my cock like the darkest sin. Because my cum is your holy water.”

I glare at Draven. “I thought you said never again .”

He caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. “Oh, I’m not fucking you tonight, Mia. Aries is. I’m here to make sure you don’t get away. And I’m going to enjoy watching you unravel. Every tormented second.”

I never fully understood the word fury until now. I ball my fist and swing at him, landing a punch in his shoulder. “Let me go right now. I want nothing to do with either of you.”

Draven pushes me back against the tree. “ Liar . When you don’t wear panties, we can see your arousal, Mia. Your cunt is so wet it’s soaking through your jeans. And these…” He unzips my hoodie and pu lls it back. His gaze rests on my swollen nipples. “Look how hard they press against your shirt. I don’t even know why you bothered to wear one tonight. We’re just going to take it off you.”

A flush falls across my skin. My cheeks burn, and my chest heaves as I struggle to control my breath. “No. You’re wrong.”

“Is he?” Aries brushes my hair back off my shoulders. He grazes his fingers over my collarbone, eliciting a whimper from my throat. “Then why are you looking at me that way?”

“Like what?”

He slides his fingers underneath one of my spaghetti straps. “Like you’re more afraid to say no than yes.” Using both hands, he tears the strap off. With a smirk, he does the same to the other one. “Because you want this more than you don’t.”

Draven pins my wrists over my head. “Stop trying to pretend you’re some innocent little girl when we all know you’re a filthy fucking slut.”

Is he right? Would I be this turned on if I wasn’t? My brief hesitation gives Aries the green light.

He unbuttons my jeans and slips his hand inside. I gasp as his cold fingers slide down my slit.

“Mmm, little lamb… Fucking hell…”

Draven snickers. “Now you get to feel the way I do, Ries.” He sucks on my earlobe. “This perfect fucking pussy. A beautiful fucking disaster for my cock.”

I bite back a moan as Aries thrusts his middle finger deep inside. He wraps his free hand around my throat. “Move your hips back and forth for me,” he murmurs.

I clench around him. “Go to hell.”

He presses the heel of his palm against my clit. “Stop fighting and give in. You know you want to cum for us.”

I fucking hate both of them because he’s right. I want to cum so fucking bad I can barely breathe.

I whine and look away as I rock toward him, then back .

“Yeah, just like that, little lamb.” He adds his index finger, sliding it in slowly as I grind against his hand.

“ Filthy fucking whore .” Draven presses my wrists harder into the bark of the tree, splintering my skin. “Spread your legs more. I know you want him in deeper.”

Fuck, what is happening? Why do I keep letting them do this to me? I’m furious, but I can’t fucking help it.

“Not yet. Let’s get these off first.” Aries’s blue-green eyes sparkle with sadistic lust as he bends down and takes off my sneakers.

“Someone is going to see us,” I whisper.

Draven bites down on my ear. “I hope someone does. This town has gotten too fucking soft for its own good.”

My body trembles as Aries slides my jeans down my legs, pulling them off. He throws them to the ground. “Your turn.” He presses his hand against my abdomen and looks down, waiting for me to obey.

My heart races out of control. Fuck. I don’t have a choice. But that’s not why I do it. For fuck’s sake, I am their fucking slut right now.

He raises an eyebrow, not satisfied with my stance. “Come on, little lamb. I know you can do better than that.”

I blow out a shaky breath as I step out until my feet are past shoulder width. The bark of the tree scratches against my bare ass, digging into it like shards of glass.

Aries slides his hand down my abdomen and cups my pussy. “I have your pulse in the palm of my hand now, Mia. It beats so fucking fast for me.”

A whimper escapes my throat. “Please…”

Draven looks down and licks his lips. “You thought she was wet before…”

I gasp as Aries slides his fingers down my slit. He pulls my tender flesh apart, pressing each side back as wide as he can stretch me. “Fuuck…pink is my new favorite color. ”

I don’t know why the anticipation turns me on just as much as the act, but it does. “Oh, fuck,” I whine.

He slides his thumbs up and down my exposed folds. “You sure you don’t want to join in, Dray? I don’t want to be greedy.”

Draven snickers. “I told you, she’s all yours. I just want to watch you violate the fuck out of her.”

He growls in my ear, “And when I’m lying in bed tonight, I’ll make myself cum to the image of Aries’s swollen cock fucking you raw.”

His words both piss me off and turn me on. I want to be a fly on the wall when he jerks himself off to the memory of me later. Fuck. “You’re both the biggest assholes I’ve ever met,” I grunt out.

Aries chuckles as he continues to make my pussy twitch and tremble with his fingers. “Lay down.”

I gasp. “Down where? The ground is dirty and freezing.”

Before I can protest anymore, they are both pulling me down to the ground. Draven is above me, pinning my arms over my head again.

Fuck. My anger turns to rabid desire. I arch my back as Aries pulls what’s left of my tank top down to my waist.

I shiver at the cold air hitting my nipples.

“I can’t wait to suck on those.” He stands back up, hovering over us as he pulls his sweatpants down, yanking them off with his sneakers in one fell swoop.

Oh fuck. His cock. It’s at least eight inches long. And the fucking girth. I’d have to use both hands to jerk him off. Fucking hell. Now I’m scared . But in the best fucking way.

He kneels down in between my legs, pushing them wider apart. “Isn’t this why you left your panties at home tonight, little lamb?”

My breath is sporadic. I think I might have a fucking heart attack. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Draven presses harder on my wrists. “Have you ever been fucked like this, Mia?” He nuzzles the side of my face. “Ever been fucked by one man while another one holds you down? Like a fucking whore.”

The more he degrades me, the wetter I get. The needier I am to cum. To be dominated and defiled in the woods. I shake my head. “No.”

Aries drags the tip of his cock down my entrance. “No, what? Use all your words, Mia.”

I swallow hard, my throat dry. “No, I’ve never been fucked like this.”

“Tell us… Do you want to be?” Draven coaxes.

I bite my lip. If I admit it out loud, then it does make me their whore. So I look away as I nod.

Draven hisses. “ Use your words , Mia. Do you want this?”

I bite down harder on my lip to hide my gasp. Everything is still. Everyone is waiting on me. It hits me like the cold wind that swirls my flesh. I hold the power. Not them. This is a game. A sick and twisted game. But they won’t make another move unless I do.

I take one more deep breath, and my teetering morality switch flips completely off. “Yes.” Without any more hesitation, I arch my hips, raising my pussy up to meet the tip of Aries’s cock.