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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  Talon nods, and I work to hold in a snigger.

  He looks furious that he must be chaperoned. His reactions to the everyday injustices that normal people are used to are fairly comical.

  I continue to lead him through the woods to a path I found shortly after I arrived at the prison. The trail is a perfect circle through the forest, which is small. It consists of a few acres and is fenced in by chain link that allows one regulation entry point from the prison yard. Its only other boundary is the lethal prison wall. Although the woods are not quite the same as the real, wild woods just feet away outside the barrier wall, I’m in here as often as possible. I find following the predictable trail relaxing—meditative, in a sense.

  We’re halfway around the loop when Talon speaks again.

  “You say that these woods are for shifters who kill themselves because they can’t bear to be away from nature? What benefits do the other supernaturals receive by coming here? Don’t witches, vampires, fae, and all those in between require special environments too?”

  The inquiry shocks me. He actually jeered at the shifter suicide rate before I laid into him. Now he is thinking about other supernaturals? It’s yet another hint that Prince Talon has likely never considered the sorrow and pain that others feel.

  “The other species need nature too,” I point out. “The animal side of shifters just demands nature more strongly. If they don’t get it at least once a week, they fall into a deep depression. The rest of us can manage just by being outside.”

  “But why doesn’t everyone walk around in here? It’s peaceful, and you can almost forget you’re behind bars.”

  “There’s a limit to how many people can enter the woods at the same time. Long ago, they held secret meetings in groves. So now, only four supernaturals may enter at once. Plus, people have been jumped in here. That scared some visitors away.”

  I gestured to Georgio. “He’s a good guy, but not all guards are as kind. They don’t defend those who need it most. It’s safer to stay out in the open prison yard, rather than to be followed by someone who doesn’t have your back.”

  Talon glances at Georgio and sighs. “I’ll admit, I imagined I’d get more privacy in prison.”

  “You’re the only one.” I chuckle at his naïveté, but when I see the expression on his face, I stop.

  In that moment, he doesn’t look like a cocky vampire prince. He looks like someone who is having his entire world blown open.

  “How often do you leave the palace?” I ask.

  If he stepped foot in any of the major cities outside the palace gates, he would see how silly his notion of privacy is. In most metropolitan areas, people live one on top of each other and are guarded.

  “Very rarely since my father’s rule began. When I get out now, it’s only to go to another palace.”

  “Your father is that protective?”

  Talon snorts. “Not over me, but my siblings wish to have me with them. Father would not care if I ran off to live in the woods.”

  His words hit me in the gut. It’s sad to think about, but it also gives me an idea as to what Talon needs most.

  Attention and respect. Real respect, not the fear-based substitute he’s been trying to pry from everyone he comes across.

  If I can give him that—get to know him for who he is—maybe we can get a royal on our side.

  The idea is not unwelcome, and it’s a surprise to even myself that I wouldn’t mind getting to know Talon Tenebris better.

  12.

  Talon

  I find myself back in the Shifter Woods alone, walking the same path that Skye showed me yesterday. An entourage of guards walks far behind me, giving me space to think and breathe and appreciate the reprieve from concrete and metal.

  I stop beside a massive tree and gaze up its trunk. It’s the biggest one I’ve come across in this forest, and I’ll bet it’s the same tree I noticed from the prison yard, the one that towers thirty feet over the others—proud and strong.

  My appreciation of trees stems all the way back to when I was a human. As a child, climbing trees was my favorite form of entertainment. I remember scaling the tallest ones in the forests of California, in the days when the state was wild as a bobcat. While I have not returned to the redwood forests since becoming a vampire, I remember them well.

  Is it still the same?

  I doubt it. Many things about my country seem to be different from what I believed before arriving here.

  It’s infuriating. Why am I just now discovering the turmoil that riddles my country? Why is it that the one person I’m supposed to be wrenching secrets from seems to be the same person enlightening me?

  How many sad stories are in the hearts of the inmates I break bread with?

  I’ve always known that my family’s rule emerged out of necessity. Vampires brought order to chaos. Our blood saved humans, witches, shifters, and even a few fae when disease and injury ravaged the land after the humans released doomsday upon us all.

  From behind the walls of our palaces, everything looks peaceful and clean. From a distance, those within the city appear happy.

  But my short time in prison has taught me otherwise.

  Do Elisabeta and Kieran know that most of the country is poor and starving?

  I shake my head. The idea that my older siblings know about the sadness I’ve discovered is abhorrent. Plus, Father keeps them behind palace walls just like me, so when would they have had the chance? Surely Father knows, but I cannot say his indifference on the matter surprises me.

  And that is another problem. My father.

  The king expects me to seduce the rebel witch and get her secrets, although I’m not sure how. She’s as clever and guarded as she is interesting and enticing. I’m not sure I can break through her armor.

  More than that, I’m not sure I want to.

  Before when I considered Skye Borges, I felt only resentment. But in the past few days, she has commanded my respect and something bordering on . . . what to call it?

  A trickling sound reaches my ear, and I cock my head. “What is that noise?”

  The prison guard who insisted on accompanying my royal guard on this walk points in a direction toward the center of the wood. “There’s a man-made waterfall in the middle. For the shifters who need water to balance their health.”

  “Will you show it to me?” I ask, although I’m sure that if I just follow my ears, I can find it.

  The prison guard leads the way and, as requested, my royal guard follows a generous distance behind. A moment later, the trees thin, and I enter a clearing in which a mountain stands, and a waterfall flows over the rock’s jagged edges into a pool.

  I take off my shoes and socks and slide my feet into the cool water, relishing the sensation of something besides arid mountain air and circulated false heat. “Why are water witches not flocking here?”

  Immediately, Skye comes to mind, and I wonder if she is a water witch.

  The guard shrugs. “If they can’t use their powers, they’re not as drawn to the elements, I guess.”

  My lips tilt in a frown. That doesn’t seem right.

  “Actually, we’re just as drawn to our primary element as before. We simply don’t like the reminder that we cannot use it.”

  Skye Borges emerges from the woods. It is a testament to how hard I was thinking that I did not hear or smell her.

  The prison guard steps in front of me, and I lift a hand.

  “It’s okay. We’re familiar.”

  The guard’s shoulders loosen, and he moves to the side.

  “Is this why you did not bring me here yesterday? You do not like to be reminded of water?”

  Skye lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Hardly. Water is not my primary element. I cannot escape the element that calls to me.”

  “Earth witch?” I ask, although as soon as I say it, I cannot picture it. Earth doesn’t seem to fit her.

  Skye twirls her hands. “Air. It’s sheer torture to be surrounded by it and una
ble to use it as I wish.”

  “I’m sure,” I say and pat the ground next to me. “Come sit?”

  Skye looks surprised by the invitation, but she joins me by the water. After a brief examination of the crystalline, cool depths, she sneaks a shy glance at my naked feet, and a small sigh leaves her red lips.

  “If you wish to take off your shoes, I will hold my nose,” I tease.

  She rolls her eyes. “Oh hush. As if I care what you think anyhow.” But the pink of her cheeks lets me know that she does care, at least a little.

  My father’s request to seduce the witch rolls through my mind once more, and in this moment, I am all too aware that it’s possible. She’s opened up to me in a way tough-girl Skye never would have just days ago. No tension lines her face. And as if I need more evidence, I can hear her heart beating faster than usual.

  My heart beats faster too. There is something between Skye and me, it simmers, slow but undeniable.

  Skye pulls off her socks and shoes and quickly slips her feet into the pool with a sigh. The sound in combination with her faint blush makes my cock harden in my pants.

  Whoa, boy.

  Skye is beautiful, but I usually only get turned on when I am completely relaxed. I find it oddly pleasing that I can feel this way with the witch.

  “This is so nice. Even if it’s not real,” she says, watching the waterfall.

  I nod. “We have a waterfall in the Western palace. It can trick a person into thinking they have left the grounds when they have not in some time.”

  Skye tilts her head and then turns to face me. “When was the last time you got out of your palace?”

  “Not for five years. My siblings—Kerian and Elisabeta—are always under guard. And because we all wish to be with each other, and Father does not want the added stress of wondering where I am, I remain within the palace walls too.” My gaze breaks from hers and travels up the waterfall to the pointy rock at the top. “I cannot even tell you the last time I was in true nature.”

  “That’s sad,” Skye murmurs.

  It is, and to hear her say it makes it feel even sadder.

  “I have another question.”

  “Do your worst, Borges.”

  Skye’s lips tilt up in a small smile. “This might be invasive, but how old are you, anyway?”

  “When Father changed me from human to vampire, I was twenty-four. Just last year, I had my century birthday.”

  Her eyes pop open, which makes me chuckle. “How old did you guess?”

  She shakes her head. “I don’t . . . I guess I didn’t think about it much. You just seem like you couldn’t be more than a year or two older than me, twenty-six tops.”

  “I have another explanation for that.”

  She arches an eyebrow, signaling she’s interested in my theory, and I divulge easily.

  “You are older than you seem. When did you take up the mantle of the rebellion?”

  She stiffens, and I realize that we are back on shaky ground—the rift between our families. But for some reason, I don’t care. That our families are in power on opposite ends of the spectrum no longer feels like a divide to me; rather, it is something that unifies us.

  “Eighteen. The year my parents died, I took over their position. Me and my sister Misty both did. We’ve been fully committed now for six years.”

  I nod because I suspected as much. She has the bearing of someone who has led men and women for years. It has forced her to mature quickly.

  “That might be the one thing you experience that I never will, despite my overabundance of years.” I keep my voice soft. “My father will live forever—or at least, he intends to.”

  “Not if we have our way.” As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Skye claps a hand over it. “I’m so sorry. That was wrong. Even if I hate him, he’s still your father, and I’m familiar with how much losing a parent hurts.”

  If only I felt annoyed by her words.

  She seems to sense that I am conflicted, because she leans forward to stare me straight in the face. Her blue eyes are wide, as beautiful and cool as the pool before me, and for an instant, I yearn to reach out and take her face in my hands and pull her close.

  “What would happen if you lost him? How would you feel?” Skye asks, finally breaking the careful silence between us.

  I sigh. “To be honest, I’m not sure, but what I think I’d feel is . . . freedom.”

  She twists to look at the guard and then inches closer to me. “Like, to leave the palace?”

  The air crackles between us. Although I wasn’t sure before, now I’m positive that she senses it too, because her heartbeat begins to race.

  “To do anything.” My eyes dip to her lips, the bottom one of which she rolls between her teeth. Through the thin shirt issued by the penitentiary, I see her nipples harden.

  All of a sudden, I allow myself to hope that Skye Borges wants me as much as I want her. I rise and extend my hand to her. She looks confused but takes it, and as we touch, electricity shoots between us. It’s a sensation I have not felt in years, and I yearn for more of it.

  When she’s standing, her delicate chin tilts to look me in the eyes.

  I inch closer, until the heat radiating off her skin warms me. Her breath hitches, but she does not pull away.

  When we’re close enough that I’m sure the prison guard won’t overhear, I lower my lips to her ears. “Come to my cell tonight after dinner.”

  “What?” she whispers back. “How can I even do that?”

  She did not say no. My heart skips a beat, and in that moment, I realize how much I want to be close to her, and not because my Father wishes it.

  Because I wish it.

  How exactly this has happened, and how it has happened so fast, I do not know or care. I want Skye.

  “I will send someone for you,” I say. “They will be discreet.”

  Skye’s eyes widen, but she does not speak. Perhaps she cannot.

  As for me, I’m unable to sit there and wait for her to reason her way through a decision. I do not want to see her desirous eyes turn distrustful. So I turn and walk through the forest, the possible ramifications of what I’ve just set into motion swirling tumultuously in my gut.

  13.

  Skye

  MY FOOTSTEPS ARE LOUD as I make my way to Talon’s cell. For the millionth time, I wonder if what I’m doing is right, or could even be considered mildly strategic for the rebellion.

  As Talon promised, he’d sent a guard for me, and no one witnesses my indiscretion. And yet, I find the secrecy doesn’t matter as much as I thought it would.

  I know what I’m doing. When I remember this moment later, I’ll never be able to forget that I, a rebellion leader, walked willingly from my cell to slip between the sheets of a vampire prince.

  And what’s worse, I’m fairly certain that I will like it.

  All during dinner, I anticipated our meeting. With every stolen glance and sexy smirk that Talon sent my way, my excitement mounted.

  We got off to a hell of a rocky start, but things are different now. I never used to believe when people spoke of their life changing in one day, but now I do. It’s as if being outsiders has brought us closer together than I ever could have imagined.

  I can no longer deny that I want his skin on mine. Want his hands to roam over me, to explore me. And more than anything, I want to be that person he opens up to. Although, whether it’s for the benefit of the rebellion or myself, I can no longer tell.

  It does not help that it’s been way too fucking long since a man has touched me in a romantic way. I can’t even remember the last time.

  A sound startles me, and I jump, only to find we’ve stopped, and another guard is opening the door to the prince’s private wing. I nod at him as I pass, knowing that he will keep this secret.

  The hallway has no offshoots, so I follow it all the way to the end. It opens into a large room that has been cut in half to create one giant cell and a waiting area outside. Insi
de the cell, Talon sits on the edge of his bed. At the sight of me, he smiles.

  My heart flutters.

  “Let her in.”

  Without hesitation, the soldier opens the gate and motions for me to go inside.

  “Skye?” Talon asks.

  His voice and the deliciously forbidden nature of our meeting spurs me into motion. I step into his room. The door latches shut behind me with a harsh click, and for a moment, my old guarded self surges to the forefront of my mind, and my heart stops.

  Am I making a terrible mistake? Is this all a trap to get me alone so the prince can do away with a rebellion leader?

  “Guards, leave us.”

  The guards do as they’re told.

  “I wasn’t sure that you would come,” Talon says, moving toward me the way a predator stalks its prey.

  “Neither was I,” My voice comes out a little raspy.

  I wish my body had not given away how I feel, but why wouldn’t it react to Talon’s prowess?

  The sizzle between us is undeniable, and I don’t think it’s only because he’s a vampire. Something has changed between us. It’s evident in the way the hairs on my arm stand on end, and how my mouth has gone dry.

  Taking Talon in, it’s hard to believe that I ever wanted to slap that sexy smirk off of his face. Impossible to fathom that I wanted his hands tied behind his back as I interrogated him. Inconceivable that I wanted his lips to spout royal secrets and not kiss every part of me.

  As if my thoughts have sparked a reaction, Talon reaches out and tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “If you’re having second thoughts, we can—”

  I don’t let him finish before I fling myself upon him. Our lips crash together. As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, our tongues begin to dance, and every single one of my nerve endings explodes into flame.

  I’ve never kissed a vampire before, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s experiencing all that I am. A resounding groan escapes him, assuring me he’s feeling plenty.

  Wanting to be closer, I press my body hard against his.

  Talon’s hands find my ass, and he lifts me so that my legs wrap around his hips. Something hard and long is under me.