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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “Yeah, how did you know?”

  “I heard her yelling at you from down the hall. I’ve come to rescue you in time.”

  “I can’t spend the night in your room, Nick.”

  “I know. I have a better place.”

  I look between him and the dorm room and I think I see a pair of glowing eyes. Then and there I decide to take my chances on Nick.

  Chapter 4

  Genevieve

  “What’s up with Katie and Lance?” I ask as we walk down the hallway.

  Nick is silent. Then he whispers. “You threaten them.”

  “Why are you whispering?”

  He places his finger on my lips and I am putty.

  He grabs my elbow again and leads me outside and down a path through the woods.

  I should panic that I’m going to be jumped or worse. But when we turn the bend I see a beautiful cabin and its path is lit with lanterns.

  “You’ll be safe here for tonight,” Nick says.

  “Won’t they find us?”

  “No. Nobody knows about this place. It’s where we fae hang out.”

  “Wait, you’re a fairy?”

  “Yeah, but Katie and Lance don’t know, and they can’t ever find out.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because they hate fairies.”

  “They can’t sense you’re fairies, though?”

  “No, because we’re using a cloaking device.”

  “What’s that? And where can I get one?”

  “All fairies have one embedded in them, some lie dormant, especially if you haven’t embraced the fairy ways.”

  “This sounds all too science-fictiony to me.”

  “Says the girl who's at a magic academy.”

  “Yeah, about that. I didn’t apply or pay to get in. Someone else did.”

  Nick smiles at me, which catches me off guard because even his smile is gorgeous and perfect. Yet he doesn’t respond or make fun of me.

  “How about we go inside and settle in for the night? You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow and Sunday, so we can get you prepared for Monday.”

  “Prepared for what?”

  “Lance and Katie,” Nick says.

  “What about Evie?”

  “Evie? Why would you have to worry about her?”

  “That’s what Katie told me.”

  “Don’t listen to her. Evie is the sweetest person you’ll ever meet. And she’s one of us.”

  “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “A war and you’re going to help us win it.”

  “Me? I can’t even make toast without blowing up the toaster.”

  “Wait, what? You blow up the toaster.”

  “Yeah, it’s weird. I always thought it was a fluke until it constantly happens. So I stay away from kitchen appliances and anything electrical.”

  “Interesting. It would see you have some raw energy that needs to be tamed.”

  I roll my eyes. “How about we go to bed. I’m tired.”

  Nick leads the way into the cabin and we’re not alone. Peter is there and so is Adam.

  “Welcome to the guild,” Peter smiles.

  “Nope,” I say, shaking my head. I spin around to attempt to leave, but a hand on my shoulder stops me.

  “Where do you think you’re going, Princess?”

  I turned around and it’s Adam, who is keeping me from running away.

  “Princess?”

  “Yes, you pierced the veil and entered the forbidden passageway. Only a descendant of Guinevere can do that.”

  “It was a fluke, I’m sure.”

  “No, we’ve been talking. Everybody has been talking. And we know for a fact you are a descendant of Guinevere.”

  “How do you know? I’ve been an orphan all of my life.”

  “It’s because I sent for you,” a man appeared from out of the shadows.

  Great. Are more hot guys going to just appear out of nowhere? They need to rename this school, the academy of hotties.

  “And who might you be?” I ask, shaking a little because I’m definitely intimidated by this guy. His silver eyes reflect that he’s an old soul and that he’s been around the block a couple of times. Or around for a couple of centuries.

  “I am Mordred” he replies dryly. Not amused by my gawking and he seems annoyed with me already.

  “Like in King Arthur’s son?” I ask jokingly.

  “The one and only,” he replies.

  I step back, eyeing for an escape. I swallow hard and my heart races. This is insane. I thought going to college would be a good thing and keeps me off the streets. However, I think I prefer the streets to this nuthouse.

  “There is nowhere to run to Genna.”

  “You’re nuts,” I spit out.

  He snaps his fingers and I feel a surge of pain in my belly button. I look down to see a blue string. He grabbed ahold of it and ties it to Nick’s wrist.

  “You are now bound to Nick and he won’t let you go anywhere. If you leave this academy, Nick will perish.”

  “Talk about the old chain and ball,” Nick jokes.

  “Not funny. Did you know about this Nick?”

  He averts his eyes. Which tells me he lured me here and knew what was going to happen. I seethe with anger.

  “The only way to be free is to do our bidding, Genna,” Mordred says.

  “What would that be?”

  “Destroy my mother, Morgaine. She gives us fairies a bad rap. She has several students under her spell. She’s a shapeshifter and I can’t keep up with her current body. You can find her for us and sniff her out.”

  “So, you want me to be your detection dog?”

  “Sure, if you need to label it. You’ll be our dog,” Mordred says.

  “More like bitch,” a voice laughs.

  I see Peter approaching.

  “I’d be careful who you call bitch, Peter,” I growl, which doesn’t help my case at all.

  “You even growl like a dog,” Peter smiles.

  “Watch it, Ace,” Nick interjects.

  “Yeah, Ace,” I repeat with venom in my voice. “So you’re a fairy too?”

  “Yes, surprised?”

  “No, not in the least,” I deadpan.

  “Enough chatter. We need to get Genna up to par before Monday. She has a lot of training to do. She’s lacking in discipline.”

  I shake my head to dislodge the knife in my head. A headache looming. If I let it get too out of control, I’ll end up doing something I’ll regret and then black out.

  I close my eyes and press the bridge of my nose.

  A hand is on my shoulder. I yell, “Don’t touch me.”

  “Are you okay?” I hear Nick ask.

  “No, these headaches get pretty bad and I do things that I can’t remember.”

  “Calm down, Genna. It’s going to be okay,” Nick soothes me. I feel him scoop me up in his arms and my headache melts away. I open my eyes and Mordred is staring at me.

  “Do you get those often?”

  “Only when I’m super pissed, which in this case I am.”

  “Good, we can use that then.”

  “Excuse me? You’ll use my pain?”

  “Yes, Genna. We use whatever is necessary. It was time you lived up to your potential. You were lacking, so you are here to be groomed.”

  “How about we stop with the dog terms and treat me like a human being.”

  “You’re not human, Genna. Though you have human emotions that will cloud your ability. You need to let all that go. You can’t get your emotions involved.”

  Balling up my hands, I feel my anger rising. Dark clouds form above me and fill up the room. No amount of Nick’s comforting can calm me down. I curse something and then I slip, and it all goes black.

  Chapter 5

  Genevieve

  The darkness engulfs me, and I hear warbling voices as I fade under the waves. As always when this happens, I am greeted by a white light. I resist the urge to go into the light beca
use I don’t want to know what awaits me in the end. Usually, it’s bits and pieces of my past. Painful memories haunt me when I black out. However, I am pulled in the direction, as if tethered by a vacuum cleaner. I’m sucked into the vortex. I close my eyes, waiting for the impact, but within seconds, there is no impact. My body relaxes and I opened my eyes. Five figures stand before me, each bathing in the sparkling sunlight, all appear ethereal. I step forward to get a better look at their faces. I gasp to see Lance, Peter, Nick, and Adam all smiling at me.

  “We’ve been waiting for you, Princess,” Nick approaches me.

  This is going to be a weird vision. I have to ride it out.

  I nod and smile and keep my mouth shut. I’ve learned to keep my wits about me and pick out the messages just in case it’s some Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland shit that’s about to go down.

  Adam then approaches me and takes my hand. “It is time for your coronation, Princess.”

  I follow him and the others to a canopy of trees. A woman in white flowy robes is standing there, with a sword in hand.

  “Come, Guinevere. Your time has come. You have vanquished the evil that lurked in the shadows for centuries.”

  My body is on autopilot and I bend down in front of her, kneeling and she places the blade of the sword on each shoulder.

  Peter helps me up and the woman speaks once again. “You must now pick a King, Your Majesty.”

  I look around at Lance, Peter, Nick, and Adam, all smiling sweetly. Lance approaches me and kisses me passionately.

  I step back. “I thought you didn’t like me,” I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

  “You’re right, I don’t like you. I love you,” he replies.

  “That’s not fair, Casanova,” Peter interrupts. Then he takes me in his arms and kisses me. “I loved you from the very moment I laid eyes upon you.”

  “You called me a bitch, that hardly screams love.”

  “Gentleman,” the woman pushes between us. “The Queen must choose. If she cannot then you all must duel to the death to win her affections.”

  “Glady,” Adam steps in, and he’s wearing his armor.

  “Woah, wait a minute. There will be no bloodshed today.”

  “Then you must choose,” the woman replies. “So, who is it going to be?”

  My head spins, I can’t choose. I don’t love any of them.

  “Genna,” a voice interrupts my moment. It’s Nick. “It is time to go,” he reaches out for my hand and I take it.

  Once I take his hand, I feel like a fish out of water and as if I’m tethered to something again. I close my eyes; the emotions are overwhelming. I hear a loud pop and when I opened my eyes, I find myself back in the cottage, flat on my back and Nick holding my hand.

  He helps me up. I look around. “What happened?”

  “You blacked out and only caused a slight thunderstorm in the cottage.”

  “I didn’t cause any real bad damage did I?”

  “No, thankfully once you went out like a Christmas light, you were talking, and it was quite amusing.”

  I turn bright red and my cheeks flush.

  “What did I say?” I ask.

  “Are you sure you want to know?” Nick asks.

  “Yes, so you can save me from future embarrassment.”

  “It was mumbled but you said love. Do you mind elaborating? ”

  I place my head in my hands to hide my face. “No.”

  “The vision is important for us to know, Genna,” I hear Mordred say.

  I unhide my face and stare at him. “Can I tell you in private?”

  “Afraid not, Nick is tethered to you, remember?”

  “Then I’d rather not say. It was of no importance,” I say, hoping that was the truth, because I don’t think I could face having to choose anyone to marry.

  Chapter 6

  Lance

  I roam the academy halls, hoping to shake off the strange dream I just had about Genna. I kissed her. How revolting. I’m here to end her, not to love her. It’s bad enough that it seems she has Peter and Nick under her spell. I will not let her pull me down with her fairy charms. It is my sworn duty to end all fairies. Morgana has shown me the light when she first stepped foot into Avalon Academy all those years ago.

  Taking a deep breath, I start walking down the hallway, then I realize I’m right outside of Katie’s and Genna’s room. I push the door back and it creaks, but nobody stirs. I focus my eyes to adjust to the dark. I only see Katie and Genna’s bed is empty.

  Where could she be? I text Nick, no answer. I text Peter, again no answer. I grow angry that nobody is answering my texts. I put my phone back into my jacket pockets, and I race down the hallway to their rooms. Nobody is there. They aren’t allowed off campus, where could they all be? I walk out to the atrium and down a wooded path. I hear a growl and I’m greeted by an angry dog. “Good boy,” I say, but it continues to growl. It lunges toward me, but I wave my hand to render it to sleep. To no avail does it work. I run back into the academy, shutting the atrium doors behind me.

  My heart races, I’ve never seen that dog before. It must be guarding something important. I walk down the corridor and made my way to the library, where I touch the spine of Le Morte d'Arthur to reveal a hidden passageway. If I can’t get ahold of Nick and Peter, I’ll do the next best thing and summon Morgana.

  As I make my way down the spiral staircase, I see light illuminating at the bottom. I’m greeted by a hooded figure.

  “It’s about time you showed up, my pet,” the figure purrs.

  “I would have come sooner, but I was busy,” I reply, playing her game because I know it’s Morgana.

  She removes her hood, and her raven hair splays across her shoulders. “Busy with what? Your sole mission is to rid Avalon Academy of the fairy.”

  “It would seem, she has gone missing along with my men,” I replied dryly.

  “Do you think she has come to fully recognize her powers and subdued your men?”

  “Highly doubtful. She still doesn’t know she’s fae and her powers have not come to light.”

  “Good, you must rid of her before her eighteenth birthday. Which is in two days.”

  “That’s going to be one hell of a first day for her,” I laughed.

  “Indeed, she will regret ever being born and stepping foot at Avalon Academy,” she says.

  “What do you propose I do, Morgana?”

  “Katie, my darling great-granddaughter, will play the role of friend and lure her into a false sense of security. And you will play your part, Lancelot. You will lure her by giving her this,” Morgana says handing me an emerald necklace.

  “What use do we have for a necklace?” I ask.

  “It is enchanted. It will drain her slowly, but once the full moon appears it will render her immobile.”

  “When is the full moon?”

  “Coincidentally on the hour she was born,” she cackles.

  “What time is that?”

  “12:12 am,” she says. “So make haste and give her the necklace. Without it, all hope is lost.”

  “I might have to give it to her anonymously. She hates me and I can’t fake any false kindness towards her. Her kind were the reason Camelot fell and Arthur died.”

  “There, there, my child. She will pay dearly.”

  I nod. I grasp onto the necklace and silently put my own curse on it for Genna. “I’ll bid you goodnight,” I say to Morgana.

  “Yes, my child. Do me proud and bring honor to the Pendragon legacy.”

  “I shall,” I nod, and I leave Morgana behind. The necklace in my hand burns and begins to hum. The sooner I give this to Genna the sooner she will be out of my life.

  Chapter 7

  Genevieve

  I wake up to Nick snoring beside me. I can’t even right now. How am I going to go to class and stay in my dorm room with Nick being tethered to me? This isn’t going to fly at all. As if reading my thoughts, Mordred appears at my side.

  “You
can still sleep in your dorm room, it’s a very long tether.”

  “It’s like a retractable leash for a dog,” a voice says. It’s Peter. Of course, it’s Peter. He really needs to stop with the dog jokes.

  “Look, stop with the nasty jokes, Peter, or you’ll regret it.”

  “Ohhhh, what are you going to do? Make it storm again?”

  “Next time I’ll hit you with a bolt of lightning and you’ll be bacon, you male chauvinistic pig,” I growl. I don’t get it. He was so nice to me before and now he’s a complete asshat.

  “Children, stop,” Mordred says, and his voice shakes the cabin, which wakes up Nick.

  He rubs his eyes and looks at me. I turn away from him, so he doesn’t see the tears that are pricking my eyes.

  “What I miss?”

  “Nothing,” Mordred interrupts. “It’s time to get up so Genna can have her training.”

  Nick nods and picks up his cell phone beside him. “Oh shit, Lance texted me, asking me where I was and where’s Genna.”

  Peter looks at his phone too. “Same.”

  “We need to do damage control, boss,” Lance says.

  Mordred nods. “Fine, go before he becomes suspicious.”

  Nick hugs me before he gets up. “Sorry, sweets, gotta play the part.”

  I nod. “I understand. Go break a leg.”

  I watch Nick get up and he and Peter walk out the door. I feel a strange tug at my belly button as if the tether is getting longer. Peter was right, it was like a retractable leash. That’s the best analogy to label the weirdness going on.

  “Now, Princess, let us begin,” Mordred says.

  “Wait, did you just call me Princess?” I ask in shock.

  “No, you misheard me. I said let’s clean up this mess you made and let us begin your training,” he says and spins around.

  I get up and I’m angry. He totally called me Princess and not the other cockamamie B.S. he just spewed.

  “Can’t I just wave my hands to clean all this up?”

  “No,” he says.

  “But won’t that cut into my training?”

  He let out a long sigh. “Fine, cleaning isn’t important anyway,” he says and waves his hand and the room cleaned itself.

  “So can you tell me why we’re fighting your mother?”

  “If I answer you, will you stop with the questions?”