Page 26 of Grave Devil
“Please!” Mia shrieks. “Don’t say his name.”
I tighten my grip around her waist in an attempt to make her feel safe. “That is not his name. That is what he is. Saying it out loud doesn’t summon him, love. Once one has marked theirprey, they are always there. Hechooseswhen he wants to come out and play.”
“What does he want from her?” Bones wipes his sweaty hands on his wrinkled muscle tee. The edges are stained with grease and sweat.
“A soul for a soul,” she murmurs as she stares past me. Her body quivers in remembrance of his touch.
“We made a deal with the devil. I’m free because of it. And now this is how he wants to collect. There’s no getting out of it. He won’t stop until he has what he wants. We just need to figure out what that is.” I let her wriggle out of my grasp.
“Great. I’m going upstairs to shower. Please send Aries up when he gets here. He has something for me.” She won’t look me in the eye as she wrangles that last sentence out of her mouth.
I simply nod and wait for her to go inside before addressing it.
Bones gives me a look, his brow furrowed. “What in the fuck is going on with her and you and… everything?”
“She’s being hunted. It’s a game the Skelker like to play. I believe this has been going on for a few months now. We need to have a word with Aries before he goes upstairs. And Draven. Ourlittle lambhas a not-so-little poison addiction.”
“Fuck.” Bones rubs his palm over his newly buzzed head. “Wait, why can’t you leave the house?”
A cold chill skates up the backs of my arms, prickling like needles. “I don’t know, but I’m almost positive it has something to do with this.”
As we head inside, the crunch of tires on gravel echoes in the distance.Aries and Draven are here. Bones and I head straight for the bar in the parlor. I line up five bucket glasses before Bones fills four with whiskey and one with Blackwell gin.
An unfamiliar knot forms in my belly. Everything is off-kilter. Unfavorable. And like a bad omen of what’s to come, oneof the thick brass hands inside the grandfather clock snaps off with such force, it breaks the glass and clatters to the floor.
“What happened?” It’s odd to see a man of such fashion and luxury with a broom in his hand. Draven sweeps up the last shards of glass while Bones holds the dustpan steady for him.
Aries is already on his second whiskey, his lips firmly pressed to the glass while his gaze keeps flitting up toward the second level.
“It’s an old house,” I reply. That antique was definitely on its last chime.
“I don’t give a shit about the clock, Nox. I meant Mia,” Draven huffs.
“Well, maybe we should start by asking Ries. Anything you care to share with the rest of us?” I implore him, using his nickname even though it feels strange in my mouth. But he insisted, and whenever my cock is buried deliciously deep inside this man, I tend to promise him whatever he wishes.
“Him first.” He nods toward Bones. “Sounds like that might be more pressing.”
Bones leans against the back of the couch, his weight causing it to creak. With his wrinkled shirt and pants, he is beyond unkempt. Bones is violent and brutal, but he’s not a slob. His upper-class breeding and ties to Melancholia’s finest aristocracy wouldn’t allow him to be anything but elegant even in the throes of vulgarity. But right now, he is positively ruffled. Which is an odd juxtaposition for me because I think it makes him more attractive.
“I told Mia to meet me at the garage. We had plans to have dinner and drinks before coming back here. I got tied up a bit with Lettie, so by the time I got there, Mia was… Fuck.” He pours another whiskey and downs it like a shot.
A swell of dark energy radiates off Draven. He grips his glass so hard it almost shatters. “I’m going to kill someone. Just tell me who.”
Bones shakes his head. “There was no one there. Just Mia. She was naked, and there were these black marks all over her. Like ink or paint. And she was catatonic. Like in a fucking trance or something. I tried calling all of you, but Nox is the only one who picked up.”
Draven curses and throws his glass, splintering the thick crystal into a thousand shards. “I should’ve been there.”
Aries’s gaze flits to the wet, sopping mess on the floor as he steps around it. “You almost ruined my shoes, Dray. Fuck. These are my favorites.”
Draven glares at him. “Don’t push me right now.”
I come around to his side and gently place a hand on his back. He releases a breath instantly, his stiff muscles trembling under the heat of my palm. He has been the hardest to read. The most challenging to break. But his love is immaculate. It’s the most powerful drug one could ever partake in. He is worth every scowl and every verbal lashing.
“Nox said she needed a bath and a poison I’ve never heard of. Bloodroot,” Bones continues. “And he was right. I put the petals into her mouth, and it brought her back.”
Aries snickers. “So that’s why I got a text alert from my apothecary. I’m impressed that you remembered the code to get in. And that you found the bloodroot. It’s a rare strain that I keep tucked away in the back.”
Draven tilts his neck as he loosens his tie. “What is so rare about it? I need to know everything. Details, history, location.Everything.”
