Page 55 of Grave Devil
But it’s still a celebration. An offering to the Wild Hunt. At least that’s what Aries claims. For a moment, they look happy,unbothered by anything. Bones laughs genuinely with Aries and Draven, even while the weight of what’s to come hangs over us like a dark cloud.
I nestle in between them, laughing at their banter and the stories from their youth. Around us, dozens of other bonfires blaze. It would seem that the entire town is out here with us. Ever Graves takes their pagan holidays very seriously. All the shops closed early today, so anyone who wanted to partake had plenty of time to get into costume and make it out here before sunset.
I first felt silly trying on dresses. I usually prefer the comfort of my favorite pair of ripped jeans and the black leather jacket that I’ve had since I was nineteen. I found it in a dumpster behind a dive bar in Raven’s Gate called Angels Trumpet. That place was great for finding jewelry, drugs, and club clothes. Anything left behind on a Friday night went straight into the trash.
I can now afford as many leather jackets as I want, but I still prefer the feel of that one. That one I earned. It’s no easy feat to hoist yourself up into a dumpster when you’re only five foot four. And to not get caught at that. The way the bouncers police the perimeter, it was a fucking miracle.
But there’s something to be said for pretty, delicate things too. I’m getting used to the gifts my guys bestow upon me. My cherry-red vintage car from Bones is still my favorite. Though I won’t ever admit that to Aries or Draven. I’m sure they suspect it. They know me well.
And even though we are all way too overdressed for the woods right now, I’m appreciating the fact that it’s for a sacred holiday. Besides, it’s not like we’re the only ones. All the other mini camps spread out around us are also full of luxuriously clad Ever Gravians decked out in full head-to-toe, seventeenth-century garb. I make myself giggle as I doubt thatGravianisan actual word, but it sounds good in my head.I will not be repeating it out loud, however.
Draven smokes a cigarette, blowing his smoke across the fire as his gaze remains locked on mine. “Penny for your thoughts, Trouble?”
I smile back, the scent of smoke and gin and cedar wood hangs between all of us. It smells like autumn and winter combined, and I’m overcome with a feeling of nostalgia for a time I’ve never had. Like déjà vu or a dream that I swear is real until I wake up.
I shrug sheepishly. “Just taking stock of the night and everything that has led me here.”
Aries bumps my shoulder with his as he plops down beside me. I think he tired Bones out from dancing in circles around him for the last hour. He offers me his flask of gin, a silver beauty embossed with rose gold and his Thorn namesake etched into it in obsidian.
I take a long pull from it and am pleasantly surprised that it’s not straight liquor but mixed with something sweet and tangy. I couldn’t place it if my life depended on it, but I take another pull just to see if I can come up with an educated guess. “Lemon drop?”
Aries winks. “Not quite. It’s called a French 75. You like?”
I nod and lick my lips.
“Finish it. We have more in Draven’s secret stash of desserts and oddities.” He leans back and puffs on a joint. It’s the most relaxed I’ve seen him in a while. Which is strange, considering the circumstances of what we’re supposed to be doing tonight. In fact, they all seem way too calm.
“Care to tell me why I’m the only one who has knots in their stomach? Or are you all just that good at pretending you don’t feel nerves?” I wave the joint away when he offers it, happy with just the sweet cocktail for now.
Aries shrugs. “We like this kind of shit, Mia. You should know that by now.”
“Remember how much fun we had killing that fucker who spiked your drink last year?” Bones chimes in.
Draven presses the joint to my lips, refusing to accept that I won’t get high with them. “Murder, torture, and mind-altering drugs… fucking you raw… all our favorite things, love. Now, suck.”
I chuckle and give in, taking a long drag off the sticky, purple Kush-filled joint. The potent smoke singes my throat, and I cough hard. “Fuck. I forgot rich people have the best drugs.”
Aries pulls me back against him as my head dizzies. He caresses my chest, dipping his fingers demurely into my cleavage. “You see, love, we will always have the best of everything.”
Draven pulls me to my feet, catching me by my elbows as I stagger a bit. “And we will always chase and hunt and embrace the darkness. Now it’s time for you to wander off, little lamb.”
Bones’s eyes darken, his lazy grin gone. “Just stay in our sights, mi amor. We want to lure him out but not lose you in the process.”
Now I know why Draven made me smoke weed. I’m not as terrified as I was earlier. The knots in my belly have eased, and my palms are no longer sweating. I nod and almost burst into laughter as I again remember that I’m wearing a corseted gown and high-heeled boots in the dirt.
Wow. I’m really fucking high actually. “I haven’t heard him in a while… what if he doesn’t come?”
“He’ll come. He’s probably already close by.” Draven looks around, his gaze flitting between the various groups of people.
I shudder as the wind changes direction, blowing colder. It snakes up the back of my neck, prickling my flesh with goose pimples. “Come dance with me first.”
As the weed and alcohol course through my veins, I feel even lighter. The fire of an ancient time provokes me. The sky is pitch-black and full of incense smoke. People sing and dance and chant around us. It’s seductive and dreamy and easy to get caught up in the intoxication of it all.
I twirl around each of them, spinning and swaying my hips back and forth. I glide my tongue inside each of their mouths, kissing them hard and ravenous. I savor the taste but wish that Nox was here too. He would look so fucking hot under the silvery moon with the reflection of firelight flickering in his onyx eyes.
There are drums nearby, beating fast and hard. They pound in my ears, matching my heart rate. I feel it in my head all the way down to the soles of my feet. It’s electrifying. I imagine my ancestor Willa feeling the same way I do as I tip the flask back and drink down the rest of my liquid courage. Did she stand here in this same spot? Did she resist the devil for as long as she could? Or did she give in right away?
I sway from side to side, sandwiched between the three of them as they grind against me. Their hands roam my body—caressing my breasts, squeezing my ass, fondling the backs of my thighs through the folds of my dress. I throw my head back against Aries’s hard chest and surrender to the frenzy.
