Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  "That's true," I said slowly. "Is that a bad thing?"

  "I thought it was," he admitted. "I felt like... Why should anyone be free while Lucas was trapped in his own body, knowing he was dying?"

  "You didn't feel free to do what you liked?" I asked.

  "I did," he said thoughtfully. "But I felt guilty for doing it. And I was angry with you for doing the same."

  "So all along, you felt powerless and didn't like that I was living my life while he was dying?"

  "It wasn't just you, but yes, I suppose so. I mean, I took a lot out on you because you're around so much."

  "Note to self, be around less," I said dryly.

  "No." He cupped my face with his hands. "I want you to be around. I want you to be you."

  "That's good, because I don't know how to be anyone else," I replied.

  He laughed softly. "Can you help me to bring the old me back?"

  "I don't know, how would I do that?" Rule number one, you can't change other people, not really, but I would be there for him if wanted to chill out at last.

  He drew me to him and pressed his mouth to mine. "Just keep being yourself," he said against my lips.

  "I can do that," I replied. "But with a couple of conditions."

  He leaned back and looked questioningly at me. "What are they?" he asked carefully.

  "I get to use the library again," I said.

  "Did you actually stop going in there in the first place?" He looked rueful, but his eyes were laced with humour.

  "No," I replied easily. "That brings me to the second condition. Never shut a book suddenly behind me, or do anything else to startle me."

  A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "But it's funny." For the first time in a while, he looked like the old Huon.

  "Not as funny as kneeing you in the nuts," I told him sweetly.

  "Ummm, all right, point taken. Please don't hurt my balls." He gave me a "puppy dog eyes" look and pouted.

  "I make no promises." I pressed a hand lightly to his chest. "Do you remember how you wanted to be fuck buddies?"

  His expression fell slightly. "You don't want that?" He exhaled through his nose. "I'll respect that if you don't. I would pressure you. Anymore."

  I snorted. "Of course you won't, but I was actually going to say the opposite. If you'll stop being a dick, I'd like to play with yours more." To be honest, I'd thought about him over and over. My whole body ached to touch him and to be touched.

  He smiled. "Really? I'd like that." He leaned in to kiss mouth again. He cupped my breast with his hand and palmed my nipple until it rose to a hard peak.

  "Me too." I reached down to rub against the front of his pants. He was erect in moments.

  He moaned. "You know, I keep remembering something."

  "What's that?" I asked, breathless already.

  "When you said something about being on your knees, choking on my cock."

  "Oh, you remembered that, hmmm?"

  "Yeah. How about that?"

  "Very surprising," I agreed. I undid the front of his pants and pushed them aside to free his erection. I broke off our kiss and sank to my knees in front of him.

  "Oh gods," he whispered.

  "No, just me," I replied. I put a hand on his hip and licked a drop of pre-cum off the tip of his cock.

  He laughed, but it turned into a moan when I took him into my mouth. I ran my tongue over his tip and swirled it around several times. While I massaged his balls with one hand, I began to suck. His cock was hot and salty and the sounds of pleasure he made drove me wild.

  After a few moments, he started to buck against my lips, just gently so as to not hurt me. With one hand, he gripped my hair and held my head in place.

  He muttered something about, "Better than I could have imagined," and groaned. He pulled back a little, then thrust back between my lips. He did that several times before his body went stiff. He grunted, thrusted three or four more times, then came, squirting his hot seed into my mouth.

  I raised my eyes to look up at him while I deliberately swallowed. His eyes drank me in and my heart leapt. It wasn't just sex that made my heart race, it was him as well.

  "Gods." He hand tightened on my hair, but he pulled out of me and drew me down to the grass. He pushed up my skirt and all but tore my panties off. In a moment, he had a finger deep inside me, then another. He thrust them in and out of me, then brought his mouth down to my sex. He lapped hungrily at my folds and the juices of my arousal.

  I arched my back. He touched me in all the right places and in just the right way. It felt like he'd studied a map of my body and everything I liked and applied all of it.

  He licked and suckled at the sensitive bud of my clit.

  "Come for me," he said, his voice muffled by my thighs.

  I was never especially obedient, but right now my body gave me no choice. I bucked against him and cried out as I peaked and dropped over the edge into an abyss of pleasure that pounded through me and left me breathless.

  I flopped down on the grass and panted while Huon crawled up to lie beside me.

  "Has anyone ever told you that you sound even more beautiful when you come?" he asked.

  "Only you." I tugged my skirt back into place and turned to face him. "You seem to have a thing about me coming."

  "I definitely do," he said firmly. "I'd like to make it my mission in life to hear it as often as possible. If you'll let me."

  "I think I might just do that. After all, I think you promised something about the back of one of the chairs in the library."

  His eyes lit up. "We can do that. As long as we don't make a mess on the books."

  "Gods forbid!" I pressed a hand to my mouth. "That would make us the worst kind of monsters if we did that."

  "Worse than trolls," he agreed.

  "Much worse."

  "Worse than screamspinners?" he suggested.

  "I'm not sure I'd go that far, but not worthy to enter the library again." I dropped my hand to his arm.

  He smiled.

  I smiled back. He seemed more his old self again, but with a hint of sadness around his eyes. That might remain for a while. Lucas' decline and death had hit him harder than I think he would ever admit, even to himself. I didn't loathe him anymore. That was a bonus. Who knew, maybe some day we might become more than just lovers. We had a long way to go for that, but anything was possible.

  Maybe even love.

  The end

  Enjoyed this story? Read more of Summer, Huon and her other lovers, in Summer's Harem. Download book 1, Shimmer, now. https://books2read.com/Shimmerbk1

  About the author

  MAGGIE ALABASTER IS the pen name of Mirren Hogan. She lives in NSW Australia with her husband, two daughters, dog, cat, and countless birds. She has a Bachelor of Arts (English/ history), a Graduate Diploma of Arts (writing) and a couple of degrees in education. She writes paranormal romance.

  Join Maggie online.

  Mirren and Maggie's Magical Readers on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/MirrenandMaggie/?ref=share

  REVERE

  Lacey Carter Andersen

  Copyright 2020

  Published by Lacey Carter Andersen

  Cover Art by AKA Cover Design

  This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.

  To my middle child—your patience and kindness amazes me each and every day.

  ~ Lacey Carter Andersen

  Chapter One

  Esmeray

  There was a time when I believed I was go
od. That the darkness inside of me would never overpower the light. But with each year I grew, the truth revealed itself. And now, at the age of eighteen, there’s no question about who I am. About what I am.

  I should be afraid.

  But I’m not.

  As I move through the shadows of the trees that surround my parents’ manor, monsters follow my every step. My keen hearing picks out the sounds of their harsh breathing, as well as the sound of saliva spattering the ground.

  My bare feet press into the wet mud. I take a deep breath, tensing my muscles, and I run.

  Racing beneath the trees, the monsters give chase, their feet pounding the earth, shaking it. Even the leaves from the trees fall down like a mystical rain all around me.

  When I break free of the woods, I whirl around and lift my arms in the air.

  The monsters stop at the edge of the shadows. One of them is a creature with scaly flesh and rows of sharpened teeth. Another of the monsters has pits for eyes and long claws on its hands. And the third is a tiny thing, but has the ability to kill with the smallest touch.

  I smile, pump my fists in the air a few times, then drop them at my side. “I won.”

  Gregor gives a sad roar.

  Amash claws his nails into the ground in frustration.

  And Flakc whirls around and disappears back into the woods.

  “Sore losers!” I shout back at them.

  One day I know they’ll outrun me. But not today.

  “Talking to your friends?”

  I whirl around, my heart beating fast. Behind me Bron stands, his brow cocked. But even though no one would believe it, a tremble of fear wracks my body at the sight of him. The tall man, with dark brown hair and vivid hazel eyes, makes me feel things I don’t like. Which is why it was so much easier when he and the others left me here alone.

  Easier. But painful.

  I walk past him, trying to hide my reaction to him by keeping my head held high.

  He catches my arm. “You know normal girls don’t hang out with monsters. Right?”

  I look up up into his eyes. “I’m not normal.”

  For a second, that arrogant-as-sin expression of his falters. “Esmeray...”

  “How’s the academy?”

  He drops his hand from my arm. “Just the kind of place you’d hate, full of giggling women and grinning men.”

  “Sounds dreadful,” I tell him.

  He runs his fingers through his hair, messing up the neat strands. “What have you been up to?”

  I consider the last years since they left. “Mostly, I learned about the fun of being eighteen and being able to pass for twenty-one, and finding men to enjoy at the clubs.”

  His hand drops to his side and his brows draw together. “Oh? To feed on or...”

  I’m surprised he doesn’t finish the sentence. It’s not like he’s a virgin either. “For whatever I want.”

  Turning, I head for my parents’ manor, even though they’re not home to care that I’m out so late. Looking at my house more carefully, I realize that more lights than usual are turned on. My brother and all his friends must be home for a little visit. It’s unexpected. Since going to the academy, they haven’t visited.

  Not once.

  At first I was hurt. My brother, Rayne, and his buddies, Bron, Lucius, and Dwade, were my closest friends. But because I’m not the heir to our house, because I’m not one of them, I couldn’t go. They left me behind, and it felt like a betrayal. But as time passed, I reminded myself that I needed no one. As long as I had my monsters and ghosts to keep me company.

  Bron is suddenly at my side. “Things haven’t changed here at all.”

  “No, they haven’t.” And I’m not sure if I’m sad or happy as I say the words.

  “The only thing that’s really changed is you.”

  I dare a glance in his direction, but I can’t read his face. Are the changes in me good or bad? And do I even care? I force myself not to ask. Not to give him the benefit of knowing that I care what he thinks.

  We enter the house, and I walk through the massive foyer and through the richly decorated mansion, until we come to the back living area. Here, we have a large room that works as both a living room and a game room, filled with modern things like televisions, a pool table, and a bar. It’s where we always loved to hang out. A place my parents tucked away, out of sight of their important guests.

  When I move into the room, only Lucian is there. He’s frowning down at the pool table. The balls on the table have been shot in every direction, and he holds a pool stick in his hands. His blond hair is longer than I remember, but mostly I’m surprised by the scruff of a beard on his face. It makes him look...like a man instead of a boy. And I shake my head, realizing he is a man.

  Bron stalks through the room and slides onto the couch, turning on some sports game and dismissing me all at once.

  Lucian looks up from his game, and when he spots me, his blue eyes widen. “Esmeray!”

  I feel the smile that tugs my lips. “Did you not expect me to be here?”

  He drops the pool stick and moves around the table, his arms wide as if to welcome me into one of his infamous hugs. But when he gets within a few feet of me, his gaze roams over me, and his arms drop.

  I hate that I feel disappointed. “You’re...taller,” I manage.

  There’s a flicker of hurt in his eyes I don’t understand. “Yeah, I guess I am. But you’ve changed too...”

  Again, I can’t tell if it’s in a good way or a bad way, but he doesn’t explain further.

  “What have you been up to?” he asks.

  Bron speaks from the couch, even though I could’ve sworn he wasn’t listening. “Apparently, fucking a lot of random dudes at the club.”

  Lucian doesn’t look at me for a long minute. Instead, he seems fascinated by the television.

  I smirk. “And I’m sure you boys have remained virgins all this time.”

  Bron’s scowl is almost audible. “We’ve been busy, with classes and shit.”

  “Of course,” I say, then feel a wave of rebellion. So all along they thought I was pining away waiting for them...time to prove them wrong. “But around here there isn’t much to do. So I get to drive into town and find my perfect marks. I like them not much older than me and attractive. I taste them right there in the club, deciding just what I want to do with them, and then it isn’t hard to lure them to their apartments, or even to rent a hotel for the night.”

  “Fuck,” someone mutters behind me.

  I spin and spot Dwade. The giant of a boy has turned into a giant of a man. His black hair is trimmed as short as always, and his light brown eyes are impossible to read. But I sense shock, maybe even anger, as he looks down at me.

  “What?” I say, an edge to my voice.

  They probably thought while they were living it up with a gorgeous woman on each arm I was just here sighing and wondering when they’d visit. I grit my teeth together, waiting for what Dwade will say next, ready to argue.

  He doesn’t say hello. He doesn’t say anything. He just walks past me, joining Bron on the couch watching sports.

  At last, Lucian tears his eyes from the screen. “Your brother went to town to meet up with some woman, so I guess you won’t have much to do but go to bed early tonight.”

  I’m shocked by his dismissal of me.

  “Okay,” I say, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

  I glance over at the men who were once my closest friends, then head out the door. Climbing the stairs up to my room, I call them every curse word I know. The three bastards must have hearts of fucking steel, because even though I hide my feelings well, they’ve known me long enough. They had to see that dismissing me hurt. They had to know I expected to spend the evening with them, recanting stories and laughing like we used to.

  Either they sent me away because they don’t care about me anymore, or they did it just to hurt me.

  The fucking bullies.

  Chapter Two
<
br />   Esmeray

  I decided that there was no way in hell I was going to just go to sleep while they hung out. So I’d gotten ready, giving them an f-you the best way I knew how to. By showing they couldn’t control me, and that I didn’t need them.

  Staring at the mirror, I’m oddly pleased by my appearance. When I’d picked out this outfit, I’d planned to save it for a special occasion. But somehow, tonight felt like the right time to bring it out.

  Shifting to examine my reflection more carefully, I smiled, loving the way the leather outfit hugged my curves. I’ve swept my brown hair up into a long pony tail that skims the crisscrossed pieces of leather at my back, and I’ve put on makeup, something I rarely do. The effect of it all together made me look older, almost like someone else.

  Which is exactly what I want.

  In the mirror I see a woman who looks like a predator. Who screams sex and desire. There would be no question to any man who sees me what I’m after tonight. If my old friends don’t want me, maybe this will be the first night I take a guy back to my place instead of his.

  Let them hear me fucking a guy and draining him.

  Let them be the ones to feel like they’ve been left out of something.

  Or will they just be disgusted by the evidence of what I am?

  I turn away from the mirror, straighten my shoulders, and ignore the tremble that moves through my body. The guys acted so high and mighty about what I’ve been doing since they left, but I refuse to let that matter to me. I am what I am, whether they hate me for it or not. Even though I never thought they’d judge me for my needs. For my desire to feed.

  My high-heeled boots are loud against the wooden floors as I walk across my room and out into the hall. Moving down the stairs, I barely hesitate when I reach the bottom before I head for the front door.

  “Esmeray?” The shock in Bron’s voice makes me pause, and I slowly turn around.

  His gaze sweeps me from head to toe. “I thought you were going to sleep?”

  I quirk a brow. “You guys suggested sleeping. I’m in the mood for some fun.”