Page 62 of A Wild Darkness

Me: What are you doing tomorrow?

Stevie: I don’t know yet.

Me: See you at breakfast?

She smiles and rolls onto her side.

Stevie: Evening breakfast?

I laugh.

Me: Is there any other time of day?

She laughs again.

Stevie: Not that I know of.

Me: Good night, Annabel Lee

Stevie: Good night, Dark Prince

Maybe she is handling it better than I am. Or she’s simply better at controlling her emotions. I don’t know. But her tone through text feels like she’s doing better. The weight of what happened on my chest tonight has lifted slightly, knowing this. Fuck, do I not want to take each one of them out one by fucking one even more now—especially Silas. That prick.

I turn to leave my office for the night, but not before glancing at the screen one more time.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

STEVIE

I’m stepping out of the shower when I get a call from Kristine. I’ve been on the phone with her for the last thirty minutes, reassuring her of my confidence in her and Noah’s ability to run their first official funeral service this evening without me.

“You both will do fine. And if you have any questions or need anything at all, I’m only a phone call away,” I remind her.

Kristine has been texting nonstop since they got their first client.

Kristine blows out a nervous breath. “Thanks, Stevie. And you’re right, everything will be fine.”

I laugh. “That’s right. Keep reminding yourself of that. You’re more than capable.”

“I can do hard things,” she recites, like a personal affirmation.

“You can. And remember, the most important thing is our client lying in that casket. As long as you have their best interests at heart, everything else will fall into place.”

“Okay.”

“Good luck,” I encourage once more. “I’m going to let you go. Guests will begin arriving soon.”

“We’ve got this. Take care,” she says before we end the call.

It was a moment of escape speaking to Kristine about all things Nevermore, but now I’m back to face everything that happened in the last twenty-four hours.

The late afternoon sun shines through the window as I lie flat on my bed with my arms spread across the sheets. I slept better last night than I had in a long time. Remembering what it was like to have Sebastian’s warmth pressing against me, and the way his body commanded mine, was insane. He was protective, even possessive, in those moments we were together. It was intoxicating. Unfamiliar emotions bounced around my body as we arrived back at the manor last night, and it scared me.

This is all for show. It’s fake. We’re here to do a job, and I can’t let irresponsible fantasies get the best of me. So, I detach, like I always do when I’m working on one of my clients. I think about death, and I certainly can’t think about how bad things can go. I’d rather not feel anything at all than feel things that could eventually hurt me.

I glance at the clock on the wall and remember I haven’t even spoken to Lux since she left for France. Not wanting to bother her, I’ve tried to give her space from all of this, but I need to speak with her about what happened between Sebastian and me last night.

I grab my phone again and immediately swipe to her name.