Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  The furniture consisted of a huge, light blue sectional that covered the biggest part of one wall and curved around a small section of the adjacent wall, making an L shape. The large end table was clear crystal with delicate white snowflakes painted around the edges and down its icicle shaped legs. When you sat upon the sectional, it was soft with thick cushions that cradled you in comfort. There were fluffy, round, white pillows looking almost like oversized snowballs that complimented the room perfectly.

  An enormous flat screen took up a large section of the wall opposite the settee. Beside it there were built-in shelves holding what appeared to be hundreds of DVDs. I’d never understood why we always rented movies when Vince’s family owned several hundred of them. However, when I’d asked about the DVDs, Vincent told me that they were family history DVDs and mostly documentaries. Those DVDs were not the kind of stuff we’d want to spend time watching, he’d said.

  The clear acrylic fireplace against the wall faced the mural and housed a blazing fire, making the room toasty warm in spite of the cold ambient decor. Next to the fireplace was a large bar and kitchen area where the pizzas boxes had been stacked.

  I hadn’t seen the rest of the house, just one of the bathrooms and Vince’s room where we used to study. Those rooms were decorated in shades of blues and white, giving them the same cold ambiance as the basement.

  Even though it was designed to give off a cold ambience, the room was actually quite warm. It was always overly warm in Vince’s house. I figured that his parents were cold-blooded like him, since I noticed them wearing heavy sweaters like he always did.

  Strangely enough, Vince’s parents seemed to know Alex. I guess he’d already been here.

  Vince took our jackets and hung them in the invisible closet in the basement that was hidden behind the mural. Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe made themselves scarce as the last members of the group filed down the crystal staircase. The monstrosity looked like it was made of solid transparent ice. I was surprised that Alex hadn’t made a comment about it. Most of us did when we saw it for the first time. I was certain he’d already been in the basement, too. It seemed that Alex and Vincent had become close friends quickly.

  We always referred to Vince’s basement as the ice dungeon, but it was actually a cool place and, as I mentioned, my favorite room in the house. It was just different, like Vince, I thought as I watched my friend talking to Alex. Raven had come over by himself on his black and chrome brute better known as his Harley. I was certain of it when Vince stashed his helmet and leather jacket with the rest of the jackets in the closet.

  Vince, Raven, and Alex were already talking and laughing. When all three sets of eyes were directed at me, I became instantly uncomfortable. I wondered what they were discussing. No sooner did I notice their attention then they looked away, pretending that they hadn’t been looking at me.

  A white pillow sailed across the room, drawing my attention away from the three of them. Tori stood across the room smirking at me. She had undoubtedly thrown it. I wondered if she noticed me looking towards the guys and was a smidge jealous.

  “Hey, let’s get this movie started. It’s already getting late. The pizzas are getting cold and I for one am ravenous.” Yep, Tori was already diving into the pizza, ignoring the salad she’d asked us to order for her. Good thing I liked salad with my pizza. Alex had refused to let any of us chip in on the food as we normally did. I’d asked him to get the salad for Tori and wasn’t going to let it go to waste. Anne apparently had the same idea, as she put part of it on her plate along with a couple slices of pizza. She guessed that Tori had probably ordered the salad, and then was lured by the irresistible smelling pizza, as usual.

  After everyone got his or her pizza, we sat down in front of the television to watch the movie that Alex had brought. As it turned out, Crimson Peak was good, but then again, it was difficult to focus on the movie with Raven on one side of me, Alex on the other and Vince lounging on some pillows near my feet. Yes, he was almost sitting at my feet. We’d pushed the table out from the couch after we’d finished eating and Vince had grabbed a couple fluffy white pillows and plopped down on them.

  I knew the seating arrangement was probably not to Tori’s liking, as she was on the opposite side of Alex who seemed to have a fascination with my curls. He was totally ignoring her as he twisted one of my curls around his finger. When he got tired of that, he draped an arm behind me on the couch. His closeness was uncomfortable at first until he began snaking his fingers through my hair, gently massaging my scalp. His gentle touch was a bit of heaven that I hoped no one noticed.

  Of course, Raven was holding my hand and gently rubbing circles inside my wrist with his finger. That was amazing, too. I was almost in heaven, but it was still a bit embarrassing, being sandwiched in between three of the most handsome guys ever. Oh, I didn’t mention that Vince had started massaging my ankles and up my calf, slowly making patterns on my skin with his fingers. I was glad I’d worn the skinny jeans and not the mini skirt Tori had suggested. The guys had all complimented the soft cashmere sweater I wore, too, which made me think I’d made a good choice. Alex couldn’t seem to keep his hands off the soft material as he began massaging my shoulder again.

  I’d never had the complete attention of one guy let alone three of them at one time. It was during that period of complete bliss that Tori decided to get out the big guns, namely her cookies. I wondered why she’d brought cookies in the first place when Vince’s mom made some of the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Not that I’d had much to compare them to, with Mom working so much I was doing most of the cooking. Mine were okay, but they were nothing like Vince’s mother’s cookies.

  Tori put the plate of her homemade double chocolate, chocolate chip cookies on the table. Unfortunately, that didn’t have the desired outcome she’d hoped for, as all three of the guys tried to get a cookie for me. I declined as I heard Tori sigh from across the room. She’d even purposely bent over almost in front of Alex when she’d put the cookie plate on the table. He ignored what was likely close to a free shot.

  I knew she wasn’t really mad. She just didn’t like being totally ignored by every guy in the room. I hadn’t asked the guys to sit next to me. It just happened. I’d sat down and all three of them crowded around me. I had no idea what I’d done to deserve their attention. I felt like a queen holding court or perhaps Cinderella with three handsome princes.

  I turned around to whisper something about the movie to Raven. I forgot what I was going to say when the piece of cookie he’d just broken off found its way to my mouth. I practically purred when my lips grazed his fingers and he groaned, “They’re really good. I saved that piece especially for you. It has extra chocolate chips. I know you love chocolate, Caro.”

  Did he just call me Caro? I think that means dear in Italian. How did he know I loved chocolate? I didn’t even have time to ask before Alex’s hand turned my head around to face him. Then he immediately guided a piece of chocolate from his cookie towards my mouth. He seemed more than a little pleased as he touched my bottom lip with the sweet confection and I shivered. He grinned as his finger remained on my lip just a bit longer than necessary and traced a line across the seam of my mouth before moving away from my face.

  Vince was about to share his cookie, but he was interrupted by Tori, “If you guys are finished feeding Emma, can we please watch the rest of the movie?”

  Alexander jumped right on Tori’s comment, “Is someone a little jealous because we didn’t share our cookies with her? We left a couple on the tray, Tori. Did you want me to hand you the plate? By the way, thanks for bringing them. We all enjoyed them, especially Emma. You should bake them more often.”

  Dead silence, but if looks could kill, goodbye Alex.

  Raven seemed to be the calmest of the three and said in a placating tone, “They really are great cookies, Tori. Thanks for bringing them tonight.”

  Tori appeared a little taken aback by Raven’s comment. I guess she was
surprised that he was so nice. I’d told her he was a good guy. The other three guys in the room, not to be outdone, also thanked Tori, praising her baking skills and asking what else she made. Alex genuinely thanked her a second time, not baiting her.

  “You’re all welcome. What is your favorite kind of cookie, Alex?” Tori asked him as she scooted closer to him. When she was almost on top of him, he slowly shifted towards me to avoid contact with her. If she kept it up, Alex would be on my lap.

  “My favorites are those sunny yellow cookies covered with powdered sugar. I think they’re called Lemon Coolers. My mom used to make them when I was young.”

  She smiled up at him and said flirtingly, “You aren’t too old for them now. Actually, isn’t that a coincidence, those are my favorites, too. They are one of my specialties as well. I use the old recipe that my grandmother used. Emma loves my lemon cookies, don’t you girl?”

  I merely nodded since I had no clue she could even make lemon cookies. However, I wanted the attention directed away from me for a while, as if that was going to happen. Now that the guys were finished with their cookies, Raven had taken my hand again. He was doing that crazy circle pattern with his fingers on the back of my wrist and the palm of my hand. It was doing strange things to my stomach.

  Alex had begun to play with one of my curls again as his arm again stretched along the back of the couch behind me, gently stroking my shoulder. Vincent had put one of my feet in his lap and was gently gliding his fingers up and down my calf. There was no way I could even begin to concentrate on the movie.

  Anne and Mark had sat on the far end of the long L shaped couch, which put them a distance from us. Neither of them said much during the movie as they quietly held hands, although Mark had also thanked Tori for the cookies. I did notice Anne smiling at me a few times. I wondered what she thought of the three guys smothering me with attention.

  We finished watching the movie. Then we sat around visiting afterwards. The guys left me long enough to indulge in a snowball-pillow fight. This was a normal occurrence every Saturday night. It seemed the guys couldn’t resist the snowball shaped pillows. They were perfect for a pillow fight, Vince said. Anne and I watched. Tori had decided to join in, focusing her attention on Alex who was doing his best to discourage her.

  I ducked, although I got a few direct hits from Vince who’d snuck behind me somehow and directly attacked me with his pile of pillows. It was all in fun and ended up being a free for all with lots of laughing and shouting. When we got too loud Vince’s mother gently reminded us of the time. Then she brought down more cookies which the guys didn’t hesitate to devour.

  I had to be home by midnight since it was a Saturday night. I knew Tori had the same curfew so we all left at the same time. Vince walked us to the door and grabbed my hand as I walked out the door. He gently squeezed it and brought it to his lips for a small kiss. He let go and bid me good night and thanked me for coming.

  We were getting into Alex’s car when Raven came over to say goodbye to us, leaning in to give me a little peck on the cheek. That’s when we heard them. The loud blare of the sirens filled the air, stopping Raven in his tracks. There were lots of sirens as the loud noise continued to grow.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Wow, sounds like a really bad accident or a big fire,” Raven said as another siren blared to life in the once quiet night.

  “Yeah, maybe we can find out what’s happening after I take Emma home,” Alex said.

  “That might be a good idea. Just make sure to stay out of the way,” Raven stated while a strange look passed over his face. Was it worry or concern for what was going on? It was probably another bad accident, I thought, instantly feeling sorry for the victims. Maybe the guys were worried that it might be some of their friends. I hoped it wasn’t anyone we knew. Actually, I hoped that no one was hurt.

  Alexander wasted no time driving towards my house. Several fire trucks passed us on the short drive to my house. When we got a few blocks away, we could see the flames spiraling into the night sky, lighting the entire area. It looked like it was fairly close to my house. I hoped our neighbors were all right. I started getting an uneasy feeling in my stomach as we parked a couple blocks away, which was as close as we could get with the blockades set up around the area. Alexander opened the car door for me and led me down the street.

  As we got closer, I realized it wasn’t our neighbor’s house on fire. It was my house. Horror filled me. I knew that Mom was in that flame enveloped house. I screamed and tried to get past the blockade before Alexander grabbed me. He held me firmly against his body so I felt every hard plane and muscle. However, I was only focused on getting away from him. I had to get to Mom.

  I writhed and struggled to escape the strong arms that held me. I screamed at him. “My mom’s inside. I’ve got to get her out of there.”

  Alexander tried to calm me with, “Maybe she’s already outside. You can’t go inside anyway, Emma. The house is already too engulfed in flames. Let’s check with one of the firemen and see if he knows anything about your mom. We stopped the closest firefighter who immediately stated, “You need to get back, kids. The house is about to collapse. Never seen a fire spread like this; now please get back before you get hurt.”

  “Sir, please, Emma lives here.”

  He looked at me with pity, but determination filled his voice, “I’m sorry, but she doesn’t anymore. I can’t let you get any closer.”

  “Wait, please, my mom was inside. Did she make it out?”

  “I haven’t seen anyone, but let me check with a couple of the officers. Stay here and don’t get any closer to the fire. I’ll let you know as soon as I talk to the others. I’ll be back as soon as I can. Sorry young lady, that’s the best I can do right now. Just wait here, there’s nothing you can do now, anyway.”

  The firefighter had been gone awhile. I couldn’t wait any longer for word about my mother. I felt sure that the others hadn’t seen my mom or the fireman would’ve come back to take us to her. I hated to do it, but I gave Alex a solid, swift knee to the groin. It had been so unexpected that he’d been unable to block it. He immediately loosened his hold on me.

  He shouted and doubled over for just a moment, which was all I needed. I didn’t hesitate. I ran straight around the back of the house where there were fewer fire fighters and spectators watching the enormous blaze gobble up what was left of my house and everything we owned. Oh God, I thought, please don’t let my mother be in there. I prayed she’d gotten out, but in my heart, I feared the worst.

  I slipped and kicked off my shoes, running barefoot through the dampened night grass towards the house. I could feel the heat getting hotter as I got closer to the house. I was crazed with worry and beyond fear of the flames. The torture of my mother burning alive was my only horrifying thought as I ran toward the burning house. Just as I neared the back porch, I heard a large crackling above me, right before a huge chunk of what was once our porch fell directly in front of me.

  My voice was hoarse from screaming for my mom. Soot blackened my face and the heat singed my hair. Flames licked the boards that had comprised our back porch. The only means of entry was now surrounded by the relentless inferno. The boards falling in front of me had effectively stopped me, causing me to fall to my knees with futility and loss. I’d been unable to save my mother. I knew in my heart that it was a real possibility that she was still inside.

  I don’t know how long I kneeled there, but it couldn’t have been too long. A few more pieces of flaming wood surrounded me before I finally came to my senses, but it was too late to retreat. I was going to die there, as the grass around me started to catch fire from the extreme heat of the blaze. I felt the soles of my feet burning. The pain was becoming unbearable. I cried out with what remained of my smoke damaged voice and fell to the ground with my arms covering my head.

  Why had I slid past the busy firefighters? I was going to die with my mother. It hurt so badly, tears ran down my soot-covered face lea
ving tracks behind them as the heat quickly dried them. The intensity of the high temperature was fogging my brain. I could’ve sworn I heard large wings flapping just above me. I peeked through my arms as Alex landed in front of me. Through the thick black smoke that enclosed me in a fiery prison, I thought it was him or an angel coming to escort me to heaven.

  Burning debris closed off any means of escape, sealing my fate. My last thought was of Alex’s strong arms lifting me from the ground. Then there was a feeling of weightlessness as I floated into the darkness of what I could only fathom was death.

  Chapter Twelve-The Guys

  “How is she?” Alex asked, as he lifted his head out of his hands.

  “She’s resting quietly. Sebastian should be down shortly with a full report on her condition. He gave her something for pain to help her sleep. She was burned pretty badly as you know, Alex,” Raven answered softly. The sound of the door upstairs indicated that Sebastian would be down shortly. “I’m just glad you got her out of there when you did. Don’t look like that, Alex. It wasn’t your fault, brother.”

  “Like hell it wasn’t. He was the one that let her put herself in danger. I want to know how one little human girl managed to slip away from a powerful sun seraph warrior,” Vince nearly howled in painful frustration.

  “Calm down, Vincent,” Raven stated in his authoritative, no-nonsense voice that brooked no argument. “You know how clever human females can be when they want something badly enough. She was convinced her mother was in that house. Vince, you of all people should know how smart and determined Emma can be.”

  “It was his job to protect her. He couldn’t even keep her safe from herself. Some fucking warrior,” Vince stated in a voice that was both exasperated and horribly hurt by Emma’s condition.

  “That will be enough, Vince. You forget that he risked his own life to save her.”