Stalkers: A Dark Romance Anthology

by Ally Vance

  I start to tell him no, but a change of location might give me an advantage. “Yes. I’ll follow behind in my car. See you there.” I nip at his lips and add a little breathiness to my voice. I know Tate hasn’t fucked him yet, though it’s obvious that Stuart wants to with how flustered he is now.

  The drive isn’t long, but I’m becoming agitated that I’m having to deal with this fucker in the first place. Sure, I could have let Tate deal with the heartbreak and move on, but my sole responsibility is to ensure that no one hurts him. Ever. And breaking his heart by leaving like this is definitely hurting Tate. Maybe not as much as it would have if Corvin hadn’t finally shown his true feelings for him, but he’s still hurting. I can feel it, just like I can feel many of the aftereffects of others’ actions against him.

  Once I’m inside Stuart’s apartment I drop the facade of Tate that I’d imitated to get me here. The easy smile leaves my face and a sinister sneer replaces it, unnerving Stuart the moment he notices the slight physical change that distinguishes me from Tate.

  “Tate? What’s going on?”

  Tate doesn’t usually try to come forward when I’m in control, but I can feel him fighting me now. Perhaps because it’s Stuart, but I can’t let him take over now. Not until I’m done.

  I make quick work of Stuart, making it appear like an accident. I take advantage of his distraction and viciously slam his temple into the corner of the small end table that sits just inside his living area. I press down to ensure that the wound is deep enough he will bleed out quickly, then arrange his body to look as if he fell. For added assurance I knock the vase of flowers from the small table onto his face. If it weren’t for Tate, I wouldn’t have bothered with staging anything. I’d have sliced him open with my blade and left.

  When I’m finished, I write a note for Tate. I tell him what I did—all of it—then I drive us back to the apartment where Corvin is waiting for him. After parking the car, I set the note where he won’t miss it and drift back into the darkness to watch... ready to take control again if needed.

  Chapter Ten

  Tate

  I’ve been in a fog since the date with Stuart ended, which is strange because I didn’t drink that much. For some reason I have a vague impression that I went to his place, but I don’t remember anything about the drive from the restaurant to my apartment. After the way the night ended, I don’t know why I’d think I went there. Shaking my head to clear it, I noticed a slightly crumpled sheet of paper with writing on it. I pick it up and as I read the words written on the page, my entire body freezes in denial and fear.

  The note is signed ‘Will’ but he hasn’t been in my life for a long time. Not since before I met Corvin. My psychiatrist at the time said he had outlived his usefulness, seeing as my abusive stepfather had been imprisoned for his crimes and then shortly after took his own life. She said the threat was gone so it made sense that Will had gone too. But this note and the details it contains suggest he’d never left me, not completely.

  Shit. I have to tell Corvin. Fuck. What if he hates me for not telling him sooner?

  I get out of the car, the note still clenched tightly in my fist, and somberly make my way into our apartment. I can hear Corvin in the kitchen, and I don’t waste time fighting with myself over what I need to do.

  Corvin notices me the moment I enter the room and a smile stretches across his face. “Hey, how did the date go?”

  “Uh,” I stumble over my words and instead shove the piece of paper at him. He reads about the horrible things Will has done to keep me safe. His face remains stoic, expressionless.

  “Okay. So what does this mean?”

  “That I never had a stalker. Not in the sense of a true stalker anyway. Will has apparently been protecting me from heartbreak and any other source of hurt my whole life. I thought he had gone. Dr. Plaske had said he was gone, but she was wrong.” I sit at the small kitchen table, elbows on the top and my head in my hands. Corvin is going to hate me or think I’m crazy—which I guess I am—or maybe even both.

  “So he’s not gone. And you think this is a bad thing… that he protects you?”

  “Yes. Why wouldn’t I? You don’t understand, Cor. Will is… he’s… he’s me… sort of.”

  Corvin takes the chair from the side of the table opposite me and moves it until he can sit beside me. “T, I’m going to tell you something, but I don’t want you to get pissed at me, okay?” I nod in response. No matter what he has to say it will never change the fact that he’s my best friend. Or that I’m in love with him. I might not have realized if he hadn’t kissed me and fried my brain until I could think of nothing but him, but it’s true.

  “I already knew about Will. Well, not what he’s done or that he was the stalker, but that he takes control occasionally.”

  “What? How long?”

  He shrugs. “Since middle school. He thought I would hurt you, so he threatened me. I didn’t back down and we came to an agreement to protect you together. He’s not sure if I’m worthy of you as more than a friend and protector yet. There’s some kind of test I have to pass in his eyes, but it doesn’t matter. I pushed that kiss onto you last night and I know it was wrong.”

  “Hold on. You’re going to just forget that he’s—I’ve killed these men?”

  “Forget? No. But I understand why he did it, T. I’d do the same if given the opportunity. If it meant saving you from hurting, even from heartbreak, I’d use any excuse. Will feels the same.” Corvin takes my hands in his and starts rubbing his thumbs over my knuckles in a gentle, soothing caress.

  “Heartbreak isn’t a legit excuse to murder someone.” I try to keep my voice calm, but he’s taking this a hell of a lot better than I expected and it’s thrown me for a loop.

  “I—” I think about what he’s saying, and I realize he’s right. If the roles were reversed and I could save Corvin from hurting by allowing his crazy alter to dispose of anyone that poses such a threat, I’d do it because... “Um, I think I love you.”

  “Holy whiplash. But thank fuck, because I love you too. I think I always have.”

  “What about Will?”

  “I kind of have a soft spot for him too.” Corvin smiles at me and I find myself wanting to melt into his arms where he can hold me, and I can feel safe.

  Mine. All that matters is making him mine. Forever. The thought isn’t mine, well, not completely, and I realize that Will loves Corvin too.

  “That’s good because I think he might love you just as much as I do.”

  Corvin uses the grip he has on my hands to pull me from my chair, guiding me to straddle his lap. Leaning in until his lips as a breath away from mine, he whispers against them, “This might be inappropriate after the crazy conversation we’ve just had, but I really want to kiss you again.”

  I lick my lips and nod in response, a moan escaping me as our mouths meet and I allow him to control the kiss.

  Chapter Eleven

  Corvin

  I may be taking advantage of Tate’s frazzled state of mind at the moment, but the fact that he didn’t run away from the things Will has done, and instead chose to come to me, makes me hopeful for a future for the two of us… one I thought I’d lost when Stuart had chosen to pursue him so boldly.

  This time when we kiss, Tate doesn’t freeze, and he doesn’t move away. He lets me control the pace, but he isn’t an inactive participant either. His hips roll over my lap creating a delicious friction against my hardening cock. It makes me want to carry him to the closest bed and strip him down until there’s nothing between us but sweat and skin.

  The need for air forces me to break the kiss. “Tate. As much as I enjoy having you in my arms, you might want to slow down a bit before I can’t stop myself from doing something we can’t come back from.”

  “I don’t want to slow down. I don’t want to stop. The realization that you and Will have been surreptitiously protecting me from any hurt life may throw my way; physical and otherwise, has opened my eyes to fe
elings I didn’t know I was hiding. Any sane person would run for help from the craziness that is in their mind and the best friend who helped, but I can’t help feeling extremely grateful that you love me enough to do whatever it takes to keep me happy and safe. So whatever you’re thinking of doing that we can’t come back from, I’m a hundred percent on board.”

  I press my lips hard to his for a quick kiss and grip his ass in palms as I stand. Tate licks and sucks at my neck much like I imagined he would during my fantasy last night. It’s hard to find the will to pull away from him, even for only a few moments to strip the both of us down. Somehow I manage to get our clothes off and before either of us can second guess our actions I’m pressing his naked body into my mattress. The feel of Tate’s lean, hard muscles moving beneath me makes my already hard dick even harder as it slides alongside his.

  “Fuck. Tate, I want you so much. I don’t know if I can wait any longer to be inside you.”

  “Then don’t wait. Get inside me, Cor. Please. I need you.”

  I move a hand between us, stroking my fingers over his cock and his balls, then slide them lower. I’m desperate to be inside him for the first time, but I don’t want to hurt him. Circling his hole with a finger, I tease him open and revel in the sexy sound that leaves his lips when I finally push inside.

  “Why aren’t you inside me yet?”

  I laugh at the mix of lust and irritation in his voice. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I tell him as I add another finger, and scissor them as I thrust them in and out, stretching him.

  “You won’t. I’m ready. Please, Cor.” Tate arches his back and impales himself on my fingers and I take that to mean he is telling the truth and is ready for more than a fingerfuck.

  Taking myself in hand, I press my cock to his hole and slowly slide inside an inch before stopping and leaning down to kiss Tate. My lips don’t leave his as I push fully inside and lift his legs, hooking them over my arms at the crook of my elbows. The kiss continues as I lose myself to fucking Tate, fast and hard, wishing I could slow down and commit every detail of this to memory. But Tate is as desperate as I am, and he rises up to meet my every thrust until I’m moaning into his mouth, and my approaching orgasm forces me deeper into his body. I feel the warm stickiness of his release coat both our stomachs as mine pulses out inside him.

  I fall on top of Tate, then after a moment I roll us onto our sides, our bodies still connected. “Let me catch my breath and I’ll make love to you like I should have. You’re worth so much more than a quick fuck.”

  “Do you hear me complaining?”

  I laugh and press another kiss to his lips. Tate had experienced a lot of hurt in his life before he met me, and I’m glad that Will was there to help ease his pain and shield him from the worst of it. And I’ll be eternally grateful that I was able to help them both over the last several years. Tate is my everything, and I’ll do anything for him. Always.

  Epilogue

  Will

  I wake wrapped in Corvin’s arms as he spoons me from behind and I consider making a scene, but Tate is happy, and I guess Corvin’s proven himself worthy. However, I’m kind of salty I didn’t get to have some fun with him first. Knife play can be hot. Judging by the way my body feels, the two of them had some hot fun of their own last night.

  I’m happy for Tate and his newfound love with his best friend, but I can’t help the tinge of jealousy that coats my thoughts. I want what they have. I want Corvin for myself. If I thought Tate wouldn’t flip out at the idea, and if Corvin actually saw me as something other than Tate’s alter and protector, then I’d make my own move.

  Corvin’s arm tightens around my body. The movement is intentional, and he’s letting me know he’s awake. Turning in his arms, I meet his eyes. His deep grey irises shine, the smile on his lips echoed within them. I can tell the exact moment he realizes it’s me and not Tate, but the smile never leaves his face the way I expect it to. He watches me as I rise up onto an elbow to look down into his face. It’s intoxicating to know he’s watching my every move. It’s the same way I’d also watched him a few times when he thought I was Tate before he learned to tell the difference: as if he’s the only one I’d ever need. But that can’t be right. Corvin loves Tate, not me. I’m just a violently annoying third wheel that comes with the territory.

  “What?” he asks.

  “What do you mean what?”

  “Come on, Will. You’re glaring at me as if I committed some great offense against you.”

  My facial expression must have given me away without me knowing, and for some reason I decide to be as honest about my feelings as he and Tate have been. “I was just thinking of how much I’d love to be able to love you the same way Tate gets to. Fully. Unconditionally. Forever. But I know that can never be.”

  “Are you hungry? Pancakes?” Corvin rolls out of the bed and pulls on a pair of boxers as he heads out of the bedroom. My head is spinning at the sudden change in topic.

  “Hey, Will?” I look up to see Corvin standing in the doorway watching me. “Never say never.” He winks and wanders off to presumably make pancakes, leaving me with a hope that one day I will have what he has with Tate. One day I will be the one who is loved.

  About Faith:

  Faith Ryan is wife to a handsome bearded man and mother to three, yes three, teenage girls. She lives in a small town in Ohio and is a weirdo to the max. She is in love with love of all kinds, especially the dark, dirty, and forbidden. She enjoys torturing her characters, sometimes figuratively and other times literally. Faith's writing leans to the weird, dark, and unconventional. Most of her stories include an element of the LGBT+, typically in the form of MM romance. If you like your stories a bit dark and taboo, you're looking in the right place. But don't worry, Faith also has a sweet side she lets out on occasion.

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  Books by Faith:

  Inhuman Behavior

  Wicked Dreams (Reveries Duet #1)

  Elastic Heart—coming soon!

  Blossom In The Dark

  A Flower In The Dark Prequel

  Ally Vance

  Prologue

  Zachary

  Dad left today, he packed a bag and walked right out of the door. He looked right at me while I stood at the top of the stairs watching him, but apart from giving me a sad smile before averting his eyes, he didn’t acknowledge me or ask me to come with him. A part of me can’t blame him for leaving, but I wish he’d have taken me with him. Instead, he left me here alone with Mom and his precious flower garden, slamming the door closed on his life and his only son. I don’t understand why he didn’t stay here with me and just make her leave.

  Two Years Later

  Walking through the door after school, I sling my backpack on the hook by the front door. I don’t even bother calling out in greeting—I can hear the sounds Mom’s making in the living room the moment I step through the door. I shake my head in disgust and hurry through the house to my father’s…my flower garden. Tending it is the only thing that’s kept me sane over the past two years.

  I bury myself in work, laying groundwork for the new patio I’m installing, finally finishing what Dad never started. The paving stones have been sitting under the tarp for three years. I look over the flat, exposed earth, wishing I could sink beneath it and stay there, taking root in the dark before blossoming into something magnificent.

  A loud grunt cuts across my thoughts, filtering through the open back door, and I shudder when it’s followed by Mom moaning. I should have shut it when I came out here. I dig my fingers into the soft soil, feeling the dirt kick up under my nails and embed itself into my skin. The sounds of fucking grow louder, and I grit my teeth in annoyance, hating that I have to hear this every day. I blame my father. I may still love him, but I hate him for forcing me to endure this.

  Rage seethes beneath my skin, and blackness crowds the edge of my vision, tunneling until everything is tinged with darkness. Wh
en everything clears again, I’m surprised to realize I’m no longer alone in the garden and the sound of my mom screaming behind me from the back doorway is almost deafening. I look down to see I’ve got the hosepipe wrapped tightly around her latest boyfriend’s neck.

  “Zach stop it! You’re killing him!”

  I could stop, but I don’t want to. I pull harder, enjoying the choked gurgling sounds he’s making, and the darkening of his skin the longer I deprive him of air. He’s strung out, I can see the track marks on his arms as he tries to fight me off, but he’s sluggish, too doped up to put any real effort into defending himself. I keep hold of the pipe, even after he stops twitching, staring into my mom’s eyes, showing her all of the hatred and disgust I feel for her and the piece of shit lying unmoving on the ground in front of me.

  “Zachary! Why did you do that?” she cries weakly, her voice slurred from God knows what.

  “Because I’ve had enough of this bullshit. I come home to this every single fucking day. I’m done, Rose,” I sneer, kicking the body with one of my steel toe cap boots before moving forward to get in her face.

  “I’m your mom, don’t you dare call me anything other than that.” She slaps me, somehow more concerned with my blatant disrespect than the fact her boyfriend has just been murdered in front of her.

  I’m done. I’m fucking done. As I push past her, she grabs my arm and her nails scratch my skin. Something in me completely snaps, and I lose what little composure I’d regained in the few moments that have passed since I strangled her boyfriend. Spotting the birdbath my dad installed, I lift the small concrete dish and swing the heavy ornament at her head, knocking her to the floor. Red stains my vision, and all I can see is blood and fury as I unleash every ounce of my hatred on the selfish bitch, until her skull cracks and blood streaks her once soft hair.