Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  Dark Hearts

  A seraph, a gargoyle, a wendigo

  And an average human girl = a gothic love triangle plus one

  Add a sexy shapeshifter, a mysterious warlock, a fun-loving wendigo brother, and mix in an ancient vampire and it becomes an intriguing reverse harem romance with a paranormal twist or two.

  By

  P.L. Midnight

  Cover Design by Omair Dzyner

  Professional Edited by Celia Pool

  Image ID: 9518125 from 123RF Stock Photos

  Text copyright @ 2017

  All Rights Reserved

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, dialogues, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, whether living or dead, businesses, locales, or events other than those specifically cited are unintentional and purely coincidental or are used for the purpose of illustration only.

  The publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials. The publisher and author do not have any control over and do not assume any responsibility for third party websites or their content.

  This book contains material protected by the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary & Artistic Works and the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC) c 2017 P L Midnight and is covered in the Circular 38a, International Copyright Relations of the United States. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, scanned, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical; this includes photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system-except in the case of brief quotations represented in crucial articles or reviews without written permission of the publisher or author, except where prohibited by law.

  The right of P.L. Midnight to be identified as the author of this work has been proclaimed in accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. Under 17 USC 302, the work of this author is protected. All rights reserved.

  The author acknowledges the trademark owners and trademarked status of various brands, and products, which may be referenced in this fictional book. The use of these trademarks is not associated with, sponsored, or authorized by any of these trademark owners.

  Any copyrighted materials referred to herein are the property of the copyright holder only. They are mentioned here only as a reference for description of a person, place or thing. The writer and publisher assume no responsibility for these copyrights or their validity.

  A special thanks to Omar Dzyner for taking my ideas and making them book cover realities. You are the best!

  Thanks to my friends who continue to support my writing efforts.

  A special thanks to Celia Pool who professionally edited this book.

  Thanks to all my readers for without you there would be no reason to write…

  Message from the Author

  Thanks for reading the first installment of Dark Hearts. This is my first attempt at a reverse harem series. I read that genre regularly, so I decided to try my hand at writing one. I hope you will enjoy it.

  I’m a huge fan of Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight Saga, C.L. Stone’s The Ghost Bird Academy series, The Stardust Series by Autumn Reed and Julia Clarke and the new Trickery Curse of the Gods series by Jaymin Eve and Jane Washington. Therefore, I’m sure you’ll notice some influences from their excellent works mixed with an original cast of characters and paranormal uniqueness, which is all Dark Hearts.

  The gorgeous male characters in this series can be immensely charming at times and at others down right infuriating with all their secrets. However, I fell in love with each of them a little while writing their story and hope you will, too. Each of the “guys” are unique in appearance, magical ability, and personality, which makes for what I believe to be a unique cast of swoon-worthy, fascinating and sometimes dominating male creatures. You will get to know each of them better as the series goes on I promise.

  The series follows the life of a teenage girl living in a world that has become anything but normal. The series contains elements of gothic romance, magic, intrigue, fantasy, and a bit of darkness. An ornery, sometimes obnoxious, flirty golden seraph, a lavender-eyed gargoyle, an intense, brooding wendigo and one human girl equals a gothic love triangle plus one. Now, add a seriously sexy, moody shapeshifter, a mysteriously skilled warlock, a fun-loving wendigo (brother to the brooding one), and an ancient, sensual vampire and you have the recipe for a paranormal reverse harem romance.

  Our fierce males stop at nothing to protect Emma and in the process, lose their hearts a little more quickly than normal. Perhaps she isn’t as ordinary or average as she believes. I leave it to you to decide as you enter a world where nothing is quite as it seems.

  The setting for the story begins in St. Paris, a village in southwestern Ohio, where I once lived. I became enchanted with the friendly, quaint community and decided to make it the setting for the first installment of Dark Hearts. I’ve added a few dark elements for the benefit of the story, but many of the places mentioned exist. If you do plan a visit to the St. Paris area, don’t expect to see Raven’s mansion on Main Street surrounded by large shrubs or guarded by gargoyles. The place looks a bit different than in the world of Dark Hearts.

  The Piatt Castles also exist and are located in the West Liberty, Ohio area. They are open for tours during limited hours. If you are interested in visiting either of them, I’d advise you to call ahead. The castles are enchanting and offer most interesting examples of early area architecture. However, don’t expect them to be surrounded by a dense forest of foreboding trees or inhabited by a gorgeous, dark vampire.

  Thanks again for reading the first installment of Dark Hearts. If you enjoy it, please tell a friend or two and take a few minutes to rate it. As you know, there are thousands of books available on Amazon. Your opinion is important to readers by letting them know if you think this book is worthy of a read. As a new author, I appreciate your ratings, too. It will help get my work noticed and into the hands of potential readers.

  The next installment of this gothic/paranormal reverse harem romance series will be released in late 2017 and is called Dark Secrets. I include a sample at the end of Dark Hearts.

  P.L. Midnight

  Table of Contents

  Message from the Author

  Table of Contents

  Prelude

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine-The Guys

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve-The Guys

  Chapter Thirteen-The Guys

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen-The Guys

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One - The Guys

  Epilogue

  Dark Secrets

  Chapter One-Dark Secrets-The Guys

  Chapter Two-Dark Secrets

  Chapter Three-Victor-Dark Secrets

  About The Author

  Other Publications by P.L. Midnight

  Prelude

  A few months ago, I’d never heard of Dark Hearts, an organization dedicated to the destruction of the entire human race. I’ve learned from personal experience that they do exist for their nefarious purpose. I understand that Dark Hearts was named after their sole p
urpose, which supposedly stands for Hate Earthlings Always Ready To Strike. What a stupid name, but they’ve proven to me that they’re serious about their origins.

  I guess the Order changed the name a bit and added their founder’s surname, Dark, which seems to fit. The few of them that I’ve met certainly didn’t have anything besides Dark Hearts. Actually, I’m not sure if they even had hearts at all. I really don’t understand why Dark and his members hate humans so much. I hope I never find out, either. I don’t want to be close enough to the monsters to learn any more about them than I already have.

  As far as the Order goes, they’re supposedly the good guys, although I question some of their tactics. Their name stands for nothing more than their own goal, which is trying to maintain order among the planets and keep the inhabitants safe.

  A few months ago, my life was an average, simple existence of a normal teenage girl. I’d never heard of either of these organizations. I had a mother that loved me and a roof over my head. A few months ago, my biggest problem was being ignored at school. Now, I just want to hide from the Order and everyone else.

  I didn’t want the ones I had grown to love to be hurt because of me. That’s why I left them. Back before all the complications in my life, my deepest desire was to have a boyfriend. Now I have three, or is it six, maybe seven. I’m not even sure anymore, but the bond is there nonetheless and leaving them was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

  I don’t know who to trust anymore. Back then my friends were my friends and life was simple. Now, my so-called friends are not who they seem to be. Neither are my boyfriends, but then again, I’m not the same anymore either.

  I’m not sure what I am now, besides scared.

  A few months ago I wasn’t afraid for my life…Now. I. am.

  I was so shallow back then. My biggest concern was my appearance and being popular. After the fire, I couldn’t even utilize a mirror to see what I looked like. Perhaps that was my punishment for being so vain and ignoring what really mattered, my family and my true friends.

  I remember that first day of school as if it were yesterday…

  That first day, I remember being engrossed with my appearance. I fretted over what everyone would think of the new me. I still wasn’t confident about my transformed look. I wouldn’t be completely satisfied until I saw the response of my classmates, especially my not-so-secret crush, Raven Tafini.

  It shouldn’t matter what others think of you, but it did to me. My father had deserted my mom and me a few years ago. It took its toll on my confidence. I’ve always wondered why he left. Had he gone because I wasn’t sufficiently pretty or special enough for him to love? In the recesses of my mind, I always wondered what I did wrong for him to stop loving me.

  I’d always been a bit of an introvert and had kept to my circle of friends. The big reveal on the first day of school had occupied my thoughts for most of the summer. I’d been convinced that I was nothing special for as long as I could remember and was afraid of venturing out, of changing, but I believed I had to if I wanted to be noticed by that special teenage boy.

  The one I thought cared the most hadn’t even stuck around to watch me grow up. As I said, maybe my father was tired of having nothing special in his life. It wasn’t my mother’s fault that he'd left. She was really beautiful and amazing. Had he seen me as just a plain, average girl? I thought we’d been close. Then one day he was gone. Without a word, he’d disappeared. No one knew what had become of him. If Mom knew, she wasn’t talking. Actually, she’d stopped talking about him altogether. I didn’t know if it was from hurt or anger or a bit of both, but we didn’t mention him anymore. It was as if he’d never been a part of our lives.

  I’d always been your conventional “plain Jane.” I was accustomed to being disregarded even by my now overworked mother. However, I’d grown tired of being on the sidelines with my colleagues. I’d decided to make a few modifications on my appearance. I craved some excitement in my life. Strange, now I have my fill of that and long for the tranquility I once dismissed as nothing.

  I recall that I was hoping for the big change starting with the first day of my senior year in high school…

  It was after another disastrous year of being just another face in the crowd that finally convinced me to make some radical changes. I was tired of being disregarded or just plain ridiculed. As I look back on it, it wasn’t that I looked dreadful, I just wasn’t considered part of the “in” crowd. I’d never be worthy of attention from any of the hot guys either, if I continued to look the same as I always had. Who I really sought attention from was my secret crush, Raven Tafini.

  He was really the main reason for my metamorphosis. I hoped to be able to catch his eye finally. Raven was a part of that “in” crowd. You know the “in” crowd I’m talking about. It’s the group that includes the popular students and the blatantly attractive girls. The ones that are normally cheerleaders, class officers, or hold other prestigious positions that ensure their notoriety and popularity. Many times, the girls are the typical snobs or the bitchy-type and the guys are hot, but elusive to the rest of the student body.

  The “in” girls get all the attention and all the amazing guys. You know the ones with the gorgeous blonde hair, sporting the latest fashions, and size-0-waists. I don’t even believe there’s a size zero. Who wears something like that anyway, an anorexic or what? Well, I still don’t, and probably never will, wear anything that small. What can I say, I like to eat! However, I digress and if you’re a size zero or the dreaded double zero, good for you.

  I was happy about one thing in my life. I had that special core of friends that totally approved of me exactly as I was, which was always slightly plump. I refer to thirty pounds as slightly, by the way. I wondered what they would think of my new look, but we all know that true friends support you no matter what, unless of course you do something off-the-wall-stupid. Then they try to do their best to protect you. I hoped my new appearance wasn’t that kind of stupid. I was sure I needed a change, which we all experience at one time or another.

  My circle of friends was great. I knew they’d like me in anything, including a burlap sack dress. Unfortunately, any “plain Jane” would fit in with my group. We’re a part of the unnoticed masses that attend Graham High School. Most of us sat at tables in unobtrusive areas where we were mostly ignored by the general student populace. Occasionally, we’d receive a snarky remark or snicker for no particular reason from some smart aleck we’d learned to ignore for the most part. Sometimes we were bullied or were the butt of stupid jokes or pranks, mostly we were just ignored.

  I liked my circle of friends, but I wanted more my last year of high school. There had to be more to life than just studying and going to Jim’s Pizza Chalet on Friday nights after the football games.

  I wanted something special to remember from my high school years. I thought it would be nice to have a real boyfriend. I wanted one like Raven who wasn’t two inches shorter than me. I needed a guy that wasn’t so focused on science that he ignored me. My so-called boyfriend for the last couple of years was nice, but just not in the “real” boyfriend class. Since we’d been good friends for years, I suppose it was just assumed that we were an item. I don’t even remember him ever kissing me.

  I was absolutely in need of a confidence boost, as my best friend, Tori Miller, said. After much persuasion and lots of encouragement from her and an awesome looking store clerk, I made a few changes over the summer.

  I liked what I saw in the mirror that morning. By the way, my name is Emma Stephens. I was now the girl with a short stylish haircut instead of my usual long locks that hung to my mid-back. My long, dark brown hair had spent most of its time in a haphazard ponytail anyway, so why not get it cut? The difference between the new style and my usual haircut was that this one wasn’t done at the local department store salon. I’d forked out real money and gone to an extravagant salon that specialized in the latest hairstyles from good old Hollywood. If the stars wear them,
why can’t we?

  My formerly straight hair now lay in soft curls that framed my oval face. Yes, my round face had changed too, with the help of an expert at Macy’s makeup counter. The cosmetics at the mall had been expensive, but a good foundation that doesn’t turn orange, great blush and some eye emphasizing shadows are absolute necessities when you want to look your best, as I did.

  I’d saved money from my job at Subway and even added a few new clothes with some guidance from Tori and that sales clerk I mentioned. Tori has great taste in clothes. It does help that she’s rich. I couldn’t afford a complete new wardrobe like her, but I’d shed thirty pounds over the summer. I thought that losing weight was a good excuse to buy some new clothing.

  Oh, and now, my bookish black framed glasses are only worn occasionally around the house. I’d found that the local optometrist’s office sold some reasonable contact lenses that worked great. After several weeks of practicing, I could finally get them in without poking myself in the eyeball. Getting them out was no longer an hour-long “fishing” expedition of pinching and prodding either. It was a smooth, quick operation after hours of aggravation and practice. However, it was all worth it as I stared at the new me. Even if no one else liked the “new” me, I did. In the end, that’s what really matters most.

  My image in the mirror was the reflection of a reasonably pretty girl with short, curly, dark brown hair and brilliant blue eyes. I was still adjusting to the brilliance of my eyes. Thanks to the colored contact lenses, my nondescript blue eyes were now emphasized with a brighter shade of blue. That seemed to be my facial pivotal point, which the receptionist at the optometrist’s office mentioned. Funny, I never remembered them being so prominent or my lashes being so long before. Of course, a little mascara helped in that “long lash” department. Maybe like most everyone else, I just hadn’t noticed myself much.