Page 130 of A Wild Darkness

Thompson Manor has its own cemetery—and not just any cemetery, one that is home to souls from the nineteenth century. My eyes glide over each inch of the limestone grave marker.

I am speechless.

“You can do your rubbing here,” he says. “There are over a hundred headstones, so it should keep you busy for a while. I also had our shopper go out and purchase your supplies for you. I didn’t know what brands you preferred, so I told her to buy it all.” He runs a hand through his dark hair. “Everything should be here by tomorrow afternoon.”

Falling back into the wet leaves and sticks on the ground, I cross my legs under each other. “Sebastian, no one has ever understood my hobby like this before.”

“It is super weird,” he plays, but then his voice becomes deeper. “But you enjoy it. And if it’s important to you, then it’s important to me. You should be free to do as you wish while staying safe.” The back of his knuckles smooths over my cheek. “The property is the safest place on earth for you, Stevie. And it’s as much yours as it is mine.”

The dark night.

The raven croaking in the background.

The beautiful full moon high above us.

The old cemetery.

I have never experienced meeting another person who sees me for me. And it’s not like Sebastian is trying, he really understands me.

The conversation I had with my dad, my childhood, my inadequacies, and my sense of loneliness all come rushing in. They hit me like a freight train running off the track, and I’m overcome with emotion.

Tears spring from my eyes, and suddenly, I am safe to feel everything.

“My mom died when I was young,” I blurt out. Sebastian’s arms come around my back, and he scoops me up, pulling me into his lap. I sink into him, breathing a heavy sigh. The chilled wind stings my bare skin, but it’s no bother because it feels good. “I’ve never been close with my dad, not like my sister. I’ve always felt different, or that my interests weren’t good enough because they weren’t the same as his.”

I wipe my face, then tuck my head into his chest. The scents of leather and smoke surround me. “My dad’s a good father. But he and Lux always bond over crime and his cases. It was lonely growing up, and my fascination with the dead stemmed from something much different from theirs. While Lux and Dad had each other, I had no one. Does that make sense?”

Sebastian releases a heavy breath. “It does. A part of me thinks each person I kill, each monster I wipe from this earth, will bring me closer to my parents.”

I tilt my head to look at the sharp features of his face. His eyes were fixed on the dark forest around us.

“But it never will.”

“I wish I’d gotten to know my mother, too. Then maybe I wouldn’t have to spend my life feeling like I’m not good enough for my dad.” The way my words hit the air surprises me. To acknowledge it out loud is something entirely different from hearing it within the quiet walls of my skull.

Sebastian’s arm tightens around me. “You are good enough, Stevie. You agreed to help me because you have that fire in you, too. The belief that you and you alone are the only person who can bring it…” He pauses. “Is a gift.”

A few raindrops fall from the sky, sliding down his leather jacket.

“And so are you.” I straightened my arm, my palm pushing into the dirt beneath us. “You are a man determined to rid this world of bad people in the name of people you’ve lost. That is everything.”

His lips meet my forehead, pressing a rough kiss into my skin. “The need to kill has become a part of me, and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it.”

“But your determination⁠—”

Sebastian’s eyes flicker, his expression turns once again. Without warning, his hand wraps around my throat, cutting off my oxygen supply. He pushes my back up against the cold, hard limestone of the headstone. My heart pounds with the sudden shift in his demeanor.

He draws his head back to face me, his jaw clenches. “You’re not afraid of what I do, and that’s something I never thought I’d have.”

“I’m not, because I am who you are inside.”

“I’m so grateful to have you, and anytime you feel inadequate or you have to prove something, you look to me, because I will always remind you of how perfect you are for just being you.” His knuckles caress my cheek. “Now tell me you’re mine.”

I nod. My eyes water from strain while the rain dampens my skin. He releases only slightly.

“I am yours.”

Sebastian’s eyes darken quickly, then he compresses my windpipe again. “Good.” He leans into me, shifting his body weight so he’s straddling my legs. “You need to understand that I will not live without you. I have become obsessed, addicted, and utterly strung out on every bit of you.” He dips his head closer, his nose gliding across my cheek. “Your touch, your smell…” He tightens his grip. “Your taste. And I promise to show you every single day what type of incredible fucking woman you are.”