Page 94 of A Wild Darkness

My ears perk up as he mentions his name, at the same time Sebastian’s body stiffens. “Yeah,” Sebastian begins. “It was a tragedy what happened,” he lies.

Silas’s expression turns somber, as if there’s an actual human under his evil demeanor. “It was. But we collected his body to make sure the police couldn’t trace any of the crimes back to him.”

That’s why it mentioned there was no body when Sebastian and the team with Lux and River burned it at the cabin that night. My eyes flick to Sebastian; his jaw is clenched as the realization bowls over him, too.

“And that is a service you offer as well?” Sebastian asks without flinching. “To make sure we aren’t caught, even after death?”

Silas smiles, then slowly sips his amber-colored beverage. “Yes, it is something we do and that we’re proud of. Protecting the legacy of our members.”

I keep my hand firmly tucked into Sebastian’s for the rest of the evening and well into the early morning hours as we wait for each member of the group to retire back to their rooms. Between the pretend conversations and the stolen glances between Sebastian and me, my brain shifts into self-preservation mode and processes even small doses—because that’s all I can do until I’m safely back in our hotel room.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SEBASTIAN

The rage I felt when I saw Larry standing so close to Stevie was something I’d never felt before. His disgusting fingers touching her delicate skin was enough to make me want to blow his brains out right there.

But I didn’t. I couldn’t. If I’d given in to my rage, it would’ve fucked up everything for the entire team.

I follow close behind Stevie as I enter the safety of the hotel room. “Are you okay?”

She turns on her heels, her face strained from fatigue and the events of the night. “I could ask you the same thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been distant ever since…” she trails off, but doesn’t need to voice it for me to know she’s referring to me killing Larry. “It was hard for me, too. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“I know.” I step forward, eating up the distance between us. I was so consumed with killing that I didn’t stop to think of how she felt. I know Stevie is no stranger to dead bodies, but watching the life leave another human can be overwhelming, and I should have been more empathetic to that. “I just didn’t expect the way I felt seeing you try to seduce him.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

Her head shakes in disbelief. “How else was I supposed to get him in the hallway?”

“I don’t know. Not like that.”

“Then how, Sebastian?” she bites back. “How else would I get a dirty man like that away from two naked women who are eating each other out?”

My mind draws a blank because I know my jealousy is irrational. “I don’t know.”

“That’s right. Because I didn’t have many options. You should be grateful I could get him out there in the first place.”

I rub the back of my neck, ashamed of telling her how I feel. “I’m sorry I got upset.”

Stevie falls onto the couch, her head in her hands.

“Stevie,” I say, sitting beside her.

She lifts her head. Her eyes are bloodshot, and she looks drained. “I tried my best.”

“I’m sorry for getting upset with you.” I push a curl away from her face, then let my fingers linger as they glide down her cheek. “You did really well. We took out one of them tonight.”

Her eyes close as she leans into my touch. “I was so worried you weren’t going to find us out there.”

When Larry led her outside, it threw a wrench into our plan. Instead of her luring him into the hallway, he—being the controlling psychopath he was—wasn’t going to take direction from anyone.

“I had my eyes on you the entire time,” I say. “There’s no place you could have gone where I wouldn’t have found you.”