Chapter 23
MIA
“O h, my sweet, dark one. You are not well. I can sense it.”
“Nox?” I don’t remember falling asleep. I don’t remember anything from last night.
“Yes, my love. I’m here. Tell me what happened.” He lies next to me, stroking my hair.
“I-I don’t know.” There’s this gap in my memory. The last thing I can recall is sitting with Aries at his house. We were kissing.
“Something’s happened to you. I can feel it. Are you hurt?” Nox tucks me into his chest.
I curl onto my side and bask in his warmth. But there’s a chill in my bones that I can’t shake. I shut my eyes and try to remember.
“I don’t feel hurt.”
He kisses my forehead. “That’s because you’re sleeping. But I sense you are hurt in the other world.”
Aries and I were kissing and then we were interrupted by… Draven .
I gasp and bolt up. Fuck.
“Draven put me in a trunk. He’s trying to make me sell the house to him. I ran away from him. And then… I lit the poison fields on fire.”
“What were you thinking?” Nox growls.
I look down at my trembling hands. “I-I wasn’t. I was just so angry. That baneberry has caused me nothing but grief. I made a split decision to burn it all down.”
He pinches my chin hard between his clawed fingers. “And now you might die, Mia. The fumes from the poison… it can kill you.”
Tears stream down my face. “I didn’t think about that. He makes me so angry.”
Nox releases his hold on me and goes back to caressing my hair. “That’s because you love him. Did you ever think that he’s using the poison as an excuse to get to you? Embrace your darkness, my love. Embrace his. You need someone to care for you up there. Because I cannot.”
Is he right? Do I love Draven? Do I have feelings for all three of them? After everything they’ve done to me… I couldn’t. But I feel something for each of them. I’m drawn to them like an addiction.
“I’m sorry. I know it was stupid. But if I’m here, that means I’m not dead, right?” The chills in my spine deepen. I pull the sheet up around me.
“You are still alive. But you need to rest, so you stay that way.” He pulls me back to his chest. “Sleep now, my love. Return to me when you’re healed.”
I cry myself back to sleep on Nox’s beautiful chest. It’s these tender moments between us that strengthen our bond. He’s my nightmare, but he’s also my savior. The only one who has never abandoned me.
“I know that I love you , Nox,” I murmur as he coaxes me back to sleep. I feel safe in his strong arms.
“Shhh, sleep.”
Panic fills my chest when I open my eyes. I’m in a room I’ve never seen before. In someone else’s bed. Where the fuck am I?
My throat burns. Fuck. I can barely swallow. I turn my head, and my stomach knots. I shrink back against the pillows.
“You’re awake. Good.” Draven lounges in a chair next to the bed.
The scent of honey wafts up my nose. It’s sweet but stings to breathe in. “Did it all burn?” I rasp.
He blows out a deep breath, his brow furrowed at me. “No. My driver spent all night hosing it down. No thanks to you.”
Fuck. I went too far. He makes me this way . All I see is red every time I’m around him.
“You saved me. Why?” I’m under no assumption that he still doesn’t want to kill me, but he could have left me for dead in the fields last night.
His eyes darken. “I don’t know.”
“Thank you.” There’s something he’s not telling me. He’s holding back.
He unbuttons his shirt and takes it off. The quiet rage coming off him is palpable. “You do not get to decide when you die. I do.” He unzips his pants and steps out of them. “You almost fucking died last night because of your impulsivity.”
I’m too weak to argue. And I know he’s right. For once, I agree with him. But the way he undresses is stirring an ache in my core. “What are you doing?”
He gently climbs on top of me, careful not to put his weight on my fragile frame. “You have no idea how fucking terrified I was. To see you choking on the ground, desperate for breath. I hate you for making me feel that way.”
Fuck. He does feel something more for me. “I’m sorry,” I murmur .
He gazes at my lips. “Don’t you ever put yourself in harm’s way like that again.”
I tilt my head closer to his. “I won’t.”
He pulls back the sheet to get underneath it. The heat from his body sends a spark straight to my belly. “Are you warm enough now? You’ve been shivering all night.”
I nod, not trusting my voice.
“Good.” He shifts more of his body weight onto me. I whimper as his cock twitches against my panties. He boxes me in with his arms, one resting on either side of me.
“You did more than save me. You took care of me and watched me sleep all night.” I part my legs so he can settle in closer.
He slowly shifts his hips up and presses his length against me. “I did.”
We are locked in now, holding eye contact like our lives depend on it. “Tell me how. What did you do?”
He places his hand on my chest. “I applied an ointment here.” My breath hitches as he grips my throat. “And here.”
I bite back a moan when he rolls his hips again, putting more pressure on my aching nub. “What else?”
He slides his hand up my jaw and drags his thumb across my lips. “I made you drink the antidote. The one we created for you just in case…”
Fuck. My panties are soaked .
I lick his thumb, my lips quivering. “Let me show you how grateful I am, Slick.”
A low growl rumbles from his chest into his throat. “You need to know something… I’m half-nightmare, Mia.”
I let his words sink in. The weight behind him. But I’m not surprised. It’s been staring me in the face this whole time. Deep down, I think I knew that about him. I sensed it. It’s why we are drawn to each other’s darkness .
I roll my hips up to meet his. “I don’t care. Now come get your peace.”
His eyes widen, sparking with lust and hunger. He pulls my panties to the side and presses the tip of his cock to my wet entrance. “Are you sure?”
I reach down in between us and grab a hold of his shaft, guiding him inside. “I’ve always been sure. You’re my peace too.”
We don’t break eye contact as he slides inside me. “Oh, fuck. Draven…”
“Mia. Fuck, you feel so fucking good.” He rocks into me gently, making sure I feel every ridge.
I wrap my legs around his middle, urging him in deeper. “Does this mean we have a truce, Draven?”
He draws in a deep breath, his cock throbbing against my inner walls. “No. I still hate you.”
“Liar,” I whisper in his ear.
A soft moan escapes his lips as he thrusts in deeper. “You’re still healing. I don’t want to hurt you.”
The irony is not lost on me. He’s been trying to hurt me since I moved to town. But this is different. He’s being tender.
But I want his brutality.
“It will hurt me more if you hold back.” I grind against him, desperate to feel every inch of him. “Fuck me like you own me.”
His eyes darken as he grabs my throat and squeezes. “ I do own you .”
I scream as he slides out and slams back in. “Yeah, like that. Fuck…”
“Mmm, you make me so angry, Mia.” Thrust . “But I can’t get enough of you.”
We’re spiraling, crashing together like waves against the shore. Like a storm that’s been brewing for centuries only to finally unleash, threatening to wipe out everything in our path.
He made good on his promise to destroy my soul. I welcome it. I crave it. I need his darkness to seep into my bones, into every crevice of my being.
“Oh, fuck,” I whine as he presses against my most sensitive spot.
“I want to die inside you someday. Promise me you’ll keep fucking me after I’m gone. Use my body until you’ve fucked it to dust.” He rubs his balls against my taint as he fucks me harder.
This man is beautifully psychotic, twisted, and deranged. I’m obsessed with him. Addicted to his melancholy and madness. “I promise. You’re mine, Draven. In this life and the next.”
He rides me harder, pulling me into a rhythm that’s as agonizing as it is cathartic. “You’re not allowed to leave, Trouble. Ever. I’ll burn this whole fucking world down and everyone in it.”
I cry out and clench around his swollen cock while my juices spill out. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Fuck. Mmm, Mia…” His hot thick cum unleashes into me, filling me so full I can’t contain it all. It drips out of my pussy and down my ass. He grabs onto the bedpost as we convulse against each other until we finally collapse.
His chaos craves my peace, chasing it like a storm. And I embrace both his light and his nightmare. Like I’m a vessel for his darkness.
I wake up in Draven’s bed alone. I stretch out, my muscles relaxed for the first time in a while. Even though my throat still feels like sandpaper, it’s the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. Nox didn’t send for me. He let me rest. I’m grateful but a twinge of guilt sits in my gut.
When I finally drag my ass out of bed, I spot a fresh change of clothes draped across the chair. The same chair that Draven sat in while he watched over me. A flurry of butterflies swims in my belly. It takes me back to our first encounter at Duff’s all those months ago. Except last night, he didn’t look away. He held my gaze the whole time.
And in his soft expression, I learned more about him than any conversation we’ve ever had. He’s like me in a way. And also like Nox. I knew he was different from Bones and Aries from the start. I just couldn’t figure it out. But when the poison fields were burning, and I saw his eyes glow through the smoke, it was the last thought I had before I passed out. Draven is half-nightmare.
It makes more sense now than anything else.
I finish dressing in the pair of jeans and cashmere sweater he laid out for me. I tug on my black motorcycle boots, chuckling as I imagine Draven rifling through my closet to try and put together an outfit for me to wear.
It takes me ten minutes to find the staircase. Blackwell Manor is even larger than Harker Mansion. The décor is similar with dark walls, marble floors, and velvet curtains. There are ornate mirrors at the end of each hall and old paintings of people I assume are ancestors. When I get downstairs, I find Draven, Bones, and Aries waiting for me in the foyer.
My stomach flips under the heated stares of all three of them. “Good morning,” I murmur.
Bones shakes his head at me. “You promise not to set any more fires if we take you home?”
My cheeks flame. “I-I don’t know what got into me.”
Aries snorts. “You might be crazier than all three of us. I’m going to start calling you little pyro from now on.”
Draven stares at the floor, his shoulders hunched. He’s holding something back again.
“Hey, is your driver okay?” I ask. In the chaos of everything that’s transpired, I forgot to check on the man who saved my house.
He grits his teeth. “Rodrick is fine. He’s worked for my family since before I was born. Putting out fires is what he does best.”
I nod, still concerned with what’s eating at him today .
“We have that meeting with my father later,” Aries quips. “So do we have any of this figured out?”
My stomach knots. Aside from the fragile bonds we’ve threaded between us, there is still the matter of the enormous field of baneberry my property sits on.
“Not entirely,” Draven grumbles.
“What if we compromise? I could sell you the poison whenever you want. But I get to keep my land and my house.”
Bones arches an eyebrow at Draven, his eyes lighting up. “That could work, Dray.”
“You think I haven’t already thought about that? It still doesn’t give us the control we need. Gemini Thorn will try and get to her somehow.”
Okay now I’m getting pissed again. “Hello? I’m still in the room. We could sign an exclusive contract or something. Why are you making this difficult?”
He glares at me. “Are you prepared to be tied to us forever, Mia? If I have that contract drawn up, it’s for life. It will require your unwavering loyalty. A deal like that carries more weight than any other. It’s like a marriage except there is no divorce if you change your mind.”
He’s angry again. Scared maybe. “I said I wouldn’t leave, and I meant it. Who are you trying to reassure, Draven, me or you?”
Aries snort laughs again. “I’m down for whatever you two lovebirds decide. But I want my share.” He stalks over to me and snakes an arm around my waist. “You belong to all three of us, little pyro.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s a spark flickering in my chest. “Stop calling me that. I was pyro adjacent.” Although, it does sound more badass than little lamb.
He fixates on my lips. “It’s a turn on for me. I’ll happily watch you set fires all over town.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Draven growls .
Bones slips his arm around me from the other side. “If we agree to your deal, you’ll have to be a good girl and do exactly as we say.”
I know he’s talking about contracts, but my dirty mind immediately heads somewhere else. Fucking hell I am way too needy for these men. “The baneberry is all yours, just so long as my name stays on the property title.”
Draven finally looks up, his eyes dark and stormy. “And you. I want to hear you say it.”
My heart skips as the three of them surround me. They want me to admit surrender. To give them complete control over my body and my soul. But I come with a lot of fucking baggage.
“I need to talk to Nox,” I rasp out, my throat still sore.
The three of them exchange a look before Draven pulls out his phone. “Rodrick, I need you to drive Miss Harker home.”
He’s pissed at me. Fuck. “You’re not taking me?”
“No. We have work to do. I’ll let you know later what we decide.” He turns his back and stalks out of the room.
Aries playfully slaps my cheek. “See you later, little pyro.”
I roll my eyes at his back as he heads for the doorway Draven disappeared through.
Bones kisses me on the cheek. “You do what you have to do, baby girl.”
I pull him to me before he can walk away. “How did your brother die?”
His eyes darken. “Mia—”
“Does it have something to do with all of this?” I’ve had a nagging feeling about it since he first told me. The pieces of Ever Graves are like a puzzle I’m slowly putting together.
He sighs. “I was supposed to be watching him, but I was hopped up on poison. He wandered off into the forest and never came home. The search party found his bloody clothes. They figured he was mangled by an animal. My father has never forgiven me. My mother says she does, but I can see the pain in her eyes every time she looks at me.”
I squeeze his hands. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Bones. But it’s not your fault. You were just a kid yourself.”
He clenches his jaw. “My brother Felix and I both fell into depression. While Felix coped with poetry and meditation, I have been actively punishing myself ever since it happened.”
“Punishing yourself, how?” I think I know, but he needs to talk about it. He can’t keep bottling this pain inside.
He presses his forehead to mine and blows out a deep breath. “I’m reckless. I don’t care if I live or die. I do everything to the extreme, drinking, fighting, riding my bike at night with the headlights off. I tattooed my whole body, so I can’t cut myself anymore. Don’t want to fuck up the art. I will do anything that takes me to the edge. It reminds me that I’m still here, and Sonny is gone forever.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer. “You’re allowed to be upset, Bones. But you have to stop hurting yourself in his name. Do you think he would want that for you?”
He holds me tight and breathes heavily into my ear. “I know, baby girl. I’m working on it.”
We stay like this, holding each other for what seems like forever, until I spot Rodrick waiting at the door. He’s as still as a statue, with his hands behind his back, and his eyes averted from us.
I slide away from Bones. “I guess I should go home and let you get back to work. Come find me later if you want to talk.”
He nods at Rodrick before planting another soft kiss on my cheek. “You have a way of taming beasts. Thank you for pulling that out of me.”
“I know what it’s like to feel alone. It can be suffocating. But you’re not alone, Bones. Remember that.”
He gives me a wink. “I’ll find you later, little pyro. Stay away from anything flammable until I get back. ”
I groan. “Ugh, not you too.” I shake my head as I follow Rodrick to the car.
“Thank you for putting out the fire. I have no excuse for what I did.”
The gray-haired man nods before shutting my door.
We ride in silence until we arrive at my gates.
“Draven told you his secret, didn’t he?” he says after he punches in my security code.
“Yes,” I murmur. Does everyone have the passcode to my front gates? Fucking hell.
He drives all the way up to the porch before letting me out. “Perhaps lighting a fire is exactly what he needed to wake up.”
A chill crawls up my back. “Maybe we all need to wake up.”
He nods. “I put my number in your phone. Call if you need anything.”
My heart skips. His light-blue eyes are kind and genuine. I’m not used to anyone caring about me. Even my long lost uncle, who freed me from Absentia Asylum, couldn’t wait to get as far away from me as possible. He paid my way out and dropped me off at a shelter. I cried for three nights straight until I checked my bank account and realized I had enough money to buy the whole town of Raven’s Gate.
And even then, I didn’t trust it. I bought myself a used truck and drove here to Ever Graves, half-expecting for it all to be some cruel joke. But I’m starting to believe it more and more. This is my life now. I don’t have to be alone. I can choose to let people in.
I surprise myself when I throw my arms around the man’s neck. “Thank you, Rodrick. That means more than you can ever know.”
He softens his stiff stance slightly to pat my back. “Well, um, it’s no bother.”
To my right, the fields are blackened. I scrunch my nose as the acrid stench of poisoned ash wafts between us.
He waits for me to get all the way inside before driving away, and my heart melts again. It’s nice to be looked after. But now I’m alone in this strange big house that I need to make feel more like my home.
But I can’t do anything until I see Nox. Nightmares aren’t meant to last forever.