Page 31 of A Wild Darkness

“Seriously, it’s ridiculous. And you get to wear it.” She gently lays it back down on the bed, and we both reach for a small satin black box to the side. “What is this?”

“I’m not sure. An accessory, maybe?” I say, then untie the bow. All four sides fold down, revealing a handmade masquerade mask.

“Is this your mask?” she asks with her voice low, admiring the delicate, haunting lace mask.

Careful to remove it, I pinch the two sides where the thin dark elastic meets the details of the fabric. “It’s a Venetian Colombina. I learned about them in one of the classes I took in college.”

“Let’s try this beauty on you.”

I take an excited breath, giddy to feel the soft, expensive fabric on my skin. “Eek!”

Lux helps me slide it over my head, inching it down my back and over my hips. I’m surprised at how perfectly it fits.

“Damn, Stevie.” She stands back and smiles. “It’s like prom, but now you’re way hotter and with bigger boobs.”

I cross over to the wall in the closet to see myself in the full-length mirror there. “Bigger boobs and hips for days.”

“Exactly!” Lux laughs. “Here.” She hands me the lacy Colombina.

I slide it on, the lace only covering the top of my face, leaving the bottom half of my nose and lips visible.

Lux comes behind me and wraps her arms around my shoulders. “Perfection.”

“Thank you, Luxy.” I rest my head against hers. “I wish you and River were going with us.”

Her expression falls. “I know, Stevie. But I can’t.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I suddenly feel bad for saying anything. It’s selfish of me to want Lux to take part in this project after the hell she went through recently, but she’s my big sister and best friend. The thought of taking any of this on without her is daunting. “I’m sorry, it’s not fair of me to bring it up.”

She steps in front of me, clutching my shoulders. “It’s okay. Trust me, there’s a big part of me that wants to take this on with you, too, but I’m not ready yet.”

An unexpected tear falls down my cheek. “I know. You deserve to put yourself first and escape into solitude with the man who’s obsessed with you.”

A light grin transforms her somber features. “River is something else, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

She swipes the sudden wetness from her face. “Who knows, maybe one day the four of us can work on a project together.”

“Seriously?” My eyes widen with shock at her comment.

“Don’t be so quick to judge. This world is intoxicating.”

“When this is over, I’m going back to my quiet little life with my dead people and cemeteries.”

“Fair enough.”

I turn to take one last look at myself in the dress before taking it off.

While changing back into my clothes, the intercom on the wall by the door chimes with River’s voice. “Lux?”

She reaches for her phone to text him instead of responding through the house intercom. “He’s probably asking if I’m hungry.”

I gently place the mask back into the black box and zip the dress safely inside the garment bag so as to not snag any of the beading.

“Stevie?” Lux’s eyebrows knit together.

“Yes?”