Page 47 of A Wild Darkness

“Oh, and Stevie?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for telling me where you’re going,” he tosses over his shoulder as he exits the kitchen and heads toward the West Wing. I nod to myself because he clearly can’t see me now, and I’m not sure what else to say. “Good night.”

“Night,” I say under my breath.

The only sound I hear is the clacking of my heels on the tiled floor the entire way down the hall.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

SEBASTIAN

Ihad to push back my session with Sensei Clark, and I’m now finishing up my session later in the evening than I’d have liked, which conflicts with my prime time for working out. Sensei Clark has been working with River and me for some time. He’s a small man, older, and filled with a head of gray hair, but he’s quick and tough and kicks our ass during training sessions.

“I see Ms. Stevie next,” Sensei Clark tells me as he switches out his cloth hand wrapping.

I wipe the sweat from my brow, glancing around the gym, thinking I might catch a glimpse of her walking in.

“Oh?”

“She is a precious one, isn’t she?”

I laugh. “Yeah, don’t I know that.”

“But tough,” he adds. “She has a calm confidence about her.”

My ears perk up at his comment. “I agree.”

“Last time she stayed at the manor, she spoke to me about her business and the reasons behind why she has chosen to spend her time with the deceased.”

“Hmm…” I trail off, ruminating on how my trainer could have an in-depth conversation with Stevie, but I haven’t seen that side of her yet.

To my surprise, I find myself a little jealous he got to spend some quality time with her.

“Sebastian?” I hear a feminine voice say my name.

I whip my head around to see Stevie in a matching black workout outfit that makes my head flicker with dirty thoughts like an old neon sign. She may get on my nerves, but I am human.

“I hear you’re next.” I fight the urge to drag my eyes along the tight spandex hugging each one of her curves.

Stevie kicks off her athletic shoes and steps onto the rubber mat. “I am. I have to stay in shape while I’m here, right?”

“And you know I’m a better trainer anyway,” Sensei Clark interjects with a smile, like they’re suddenly best friends.

“Debatable,” I quip.

“Don’t be jealous that I like him more than you,” Stevie plays. Her hair is tied in a loose bun on her head, revealing the delicate skin of her neck.

“Have fun,” I blurt out, and quickly exit the gym before either of them can respond.

I walk down the hallway of the West Wing and straight into my office. I glance at the wall of screens, all displaying cameras from across the property, including the East Wing bedrooms. When I knew Stevie was moving back in, I had the bedroom rewired with a new camera system since River had access to the old one when Lux was staying here. Which I shook off as an unnecessary obsession, but I find myself indulging in the same way. It might be trust or something else that’s driving me to watch Stevie. But whatever it is, I’m giving in to it.

“What the fuck is wrong with me?” I mutter with frustration, glancing at the bottom two screens that are turned off. One is her bedroom, and the other is her bathroom. I turned them off because I fought with myself about her privacy.

I slump into my leather desk chair, but before I can get too comfortable listening to the pattering of the forest rain outside the windows, the burner phone rings.

The Society.