Cursed Hearts (Hearts Duology Book 1)

by Benson, SF

  “Yes.” He intertwines his fingers with mine. “You deserve happiness. I felt so bad not being able to tell you about Lena.”

  My mouth drops, and I look up. “You knew?”

  “Yes. Nathan told me the night I took you to the club. Reapers aren’t supposed to inform anyone about their marks, but he trusts me. He knew I wouldn’t tell you or get in his way.”

  “I understand.” And I do. It would be too easy to get pissed about it. Unfortunately, once the Fates decide someone's time is up, there’s nothing that can be done to stop it.

  Talking about Lena, though, makes my chest ache. Not once did I ever imagine not having her in my life. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss her, but my sorrow doesn’t even come close to Jonah’s. He turned down a baseball scholarship to UCLA. It was their dream to go to California together. His therapist convinced him to apply to a local school and live at home with his parents.

  “Thank you, Victor.” I wave the itinerary in the air. “This means a great deal to me.”

  He leans in and kisses me on the cheek. “There’s more.”

  “Oh?” His barrier has been in place since he arrived.

  “Close your eyes.”

  I do as he asks and wait. His hands rustle in his pocket for something.

  “Okay. Open them.”

  In the palm of his hand is a small navy blue box. “What is it?”

  Victor’s slender fingers grasp the edges and pull back the lid.

  I gasp. Inside the box is a silver band with an emerald-cut sapphire and rectangular diamond baguettes along the side of it. I cover my mouth with my hand. “Oh, my Siren.”

  “It belonged to my grandmother.” Victor removes the ring and looks into my eyes. “Kelsie, I knew from the moment I saw your picture that you were special. Before I even found out how extraordinary you were, I was willing to fight for you, for us. In fighting for us, I fell in love with you. Over the past few months, I realize I want you with me always in all ways. Say you’ll walk through eternity with me. Be my wife.”

  Bloody teardrops land on the counter. We had talked about the future together. I had convinced him to take things slow. He’s been so patient with me. I grew to love that about him. Not once have I admitted how I feel about Victor, but I don’t doubt my feelings at all. “Of course, I’ll be your wife. You’ve been my rock. And I love you more and more each day.”

  He places the ring on my finger. It’s a perfect fit.

  “What’s going on here?” Cash’s voice comes from the doorway.

  I whirl around and show off my new jewelry.

  Cash drags his hands through his hair, and his face reddens. “Are you serious? Kelsie, tell me that’s not what I think it is.”

  The smile slides from my face. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”

  “Well, you thought wrong. We need to talk. Alone.” He walks toward the living room.

  I look up at Victor. He places his hand on my lower back. “Go on, love. I kind of anticipated this.”

  Cash stands in front of the window with his back to me. “Kelsie, you’re not marrying a vampire.”

  “What happened to that great speech of yours? You told Council they shouldn’t stand in the way of love. What’s changed your mind?”

  He faces me. “I’m all for you loving him, but do you have to marry him?”

  “It’s not like I’m marrying him tomorrow. We’ll probably wait until we come back from Europe.”

  “Europe!” he shouts. “Have you lost your mind?”

  I walk up to my brother and touch his forearm. “What’s going on with you, Cash?”

  He exhales loudly. “I’m worried about you. What are you going to do when you need essence?”

  “To be honest, I haven’t needed it in a long time,” I admit.

  Cash’s mouth falls open. “Why didn’t you tell me, Kelsie?”

  I drop my hand and go to the sofa. “How should I have told you? Cash, I’m losing my Lilin tendencies? Or, you no longer have to worry about cleaning up my messes?”

  “Yeah. One of those would have worked.” He sits beside me. “There may still be some Lilin left inside of you. How will you deal with that if you’re running around with a vampire?”

  “Victor and I will figure it together.” I drop my head into my hands. “Don’t get it twisted, Cash. This scares me—losing my Lilin nature, traveling with Victor, marrying him.”

  “Then don’t do it.”

  I side-glance at him. “It’s something I have to do. This is my chance to see what’s outside Falls Creek.”

  “More humans who don’t understand supernaturals.”

  “And what about the supernaturals? Are they all as small-minded as the ones here?”

  “Kelsie—”

  “No, let me finish.” I sit back. “Victor and I had to fight for permission to be together. I don’t want to spend an eternity fighting to love him, too. If there are other places we can visit and love each other openly, we deserve to find them.”

  “You can have that here. Just give the community time,” he pleads.

  “Is the Najex going to allow it?”

  “He won’t be a problem.”

  “Why not?”

  “Colt asked him to stop looking for a way to undo the curse.”

  Now my jaw drops. “Why would Colt do that?”

  A sad smile crosses Cash’s face. “I told you he always liked you. He doesn’t want to see you hurt.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t get it.”

  “Colt saw you and Victor at the diner. Colt said you two looked really happy. He didn’t want to screw that up.”

  “Wow. Maybe there is hope for Falls Creek. But I’m still going to Europe, and I’m still marrying Victor.”

  My brother scrubs a hand over his face, but he doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t have to be a vampire for me to pick up on his vibes. This runs deeper than just his disapproval of me marrying someone.

  “What’s wrong, Cash?” I grab his hand when he looks away. “Don’t you dare lie to me. I know Mom’s been working a lot lately. She’s rarely home. How are you doing?”

  “Stop worrying about me. I’ll be fine.”

  “Will you?” My brother hates being alone. I suspect it’s getting worse. “Maybe this is a chance for you to travel. You’ve always been worried about me, so you never ventured too far.”

  He moves away from me and stands up. “I’ll be fine. The fellas and I can hang out more. There’s always some trouble I can get into.”

  Footsteps entering the room grab our attention.

  “Kelsie, I’ve got things to do. Are we good in here?” Victor asks.

  Cash turns to him and extends a hand. “Yeah. We’re good.”

  Victor’s eyes widen. He slowly accepts Cash’s handshake.

  “A word of warning, vampire. Hurt my sister in any way, and I promise to hurt you twice as bad.”

  “Really?” Victor says.

  The corners of my brother’s mouth lift. “Yeah. I know a little about spiking vampires.”

  My fiancé is speechless.

  “Cash, how do you know that?” I ask.

  “I have my source.” He winks and leaves the room.

  Slowly, I shake my head. My brother’s keeping secrets.

  “Don’t worry about his secrets,” Victor says. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into his chest. “All I care about is he gave his permission. I can’t wait to travel with you.”

  “Same here.” I turn around and place my arms around his neck. “I love you, Victor Duquette.”

  “Back at you, Kelsie Martin.”

  I’m forgetting all the lies I’ve been told. Supernatural beings can find love.

  Curses be damned.

  THE END.

  Read on for a sneak peek of

  Blessed Hearts

  Hearts Duology Book Two

  SF BENSON


  CHAPTER ONE

  “Cash, you gotta help us. I think we killed a coupla girls.”

  Not the call I want at three in the morning, especially when I’m entertaining. When my phone buzzed, I seriously considered not answering it.

  “Slow down, Alec. Where are they?”

  Alec Mazrel, my friend since I was thirteen, stammers, “Behind the diner.

  “And where are you now?”

  “Motel outside of town. I’m with the fellas.”

  I sit up and scrub my hand over my face. The mattress dips beside me. “Text me the address. Be there soon.”

  “What have the twins done now?” Her voice goes straight to my core. Yes, I’m a fucking hypocrite, but I enjoy the pleasures a vampire offers. And this she-vamp has a serious arsenal of tricks. Edwina and I have been hooking up for about five years now. She can’t satisfy my hunger, but she scratches my itch hard when I need it. We just make sure that no one knows about our little adventures.

  I reach for my jeans as my phone buzzes with the text message. “Alec claims that they might have killed somebody. I gotta go.”

  Edwina exhales loudly. “Ya know this has got to stop,” she groans. “It was one thing handling messes for ya sister, but those twins…”

  “I’ll deal with Alec and Dante.” I stare at her before I tug on my shirt. “Just take care of this before folk get to talking.”

  She pulls the bed sheets over her perfect breasts. “Very well, cher. Ya owe me.”

  “How about I come through tomorrow night?”

  “I suppose that’ll do since we’re not finished here,” she drawls.

  “Thanks, Edie.” I kiss her forehead. Now it’s time to handle a couple of assholes.

  The motel Colt chose is eight miles west of town. It’s the usual type of dump near a highway—two-story brick with rooms facing a broken parking lot. Thankfully, the place seems relatively empty with just a few cars in front. The fewer people who know we’re here, the better. When supernaturals get into trouble it’s always best not to have witnesses. Shit only gets complicated when that happens.

  A single light shines in the lobby over a plain, anorexic-looking woman with greasy brown hair. She’s the only one at the desk. Not the type of human on my radar. She’d be like cheap whiskey. It’ll get you drunk, but you’ll feel like shit in the morning. The best humans for stealing essence from have a little more meat on their bones.

  I pull my shiny red and black Ducati Multistrada 1200—my pride and joy, something I won off a dragon passing through town—into a spot near the end of the lot and kill the motor. My first thought is cleaning up the mess the Mazrel brothers created. Thankfully, I have someone to get the job done. Punishing the hell out of them is my responsibility. I hold my head back and look at the darkening sky. Problem is I don’t know how I’m gonna do it.

  The room number Alec texted me, 207, is on the second floor. I climb the rusty staircase at the front of the building. Slowly, I walk toward the room and weigh my options. If the Mazrel twins really killed someone, how the hell am I supposed to punish Alec and Dante so they understand what they’ve done? If it were any other incubi, the task would be easier. But these guys are like my brothers. I’m supposed to have their backs.

  There’s never any need for an incubus to kill a human, unless they’re just learning control. But even with novices a certain amount of respect has to be given. It’s the whole reason I supervised Kelsie as much as I could. Every innocent she killed was a black mark on my soul—it meant I wasn’t doing my job as her sibling and teacher. I have my own issues without adding anyone else’s to the pot.

  I knock twice and the door squeaks as it opens, and Alec sticks his wavy blond head out. Remorse flickers across his face. Apologetic sapphire eyes rake over me. “I’m sorry, Cash.”

  "Stop apologizing." I push past him.

  Inside the shoddy room are the incubi who have been closer to me than anyone I’ve known. Alec and Dante are identical—from the color of their hair down to their muscle-bound physiques. The only way we can tell them apart is the fact that Alec, the more thoughtful of the two, wears his hair cut close and Dante lets his hang to his shoulder. They recently moved out of their father’s home. It might be why they stay in more trouble than usual these days.

  Colt Najex, a slender-boned incubus with a rock-solid body, is checking himself out in the mirror. Dude’s got NS—narcissistic syndrome—something fierce. He’s a Japanese Royal—the only one of us with two Lilin parents. The guy likes to spend his days modeling for a few human photographers in and around town. He runs a hand through his slicked back hair and throws a nod in my direction.

  Rocco Surnan, with his Middle Eastern features, is more down-to-earth, if that exists with incubi. He enjoys tinkering with cars in his father’s shop when he’s not recovering from an all-nighter.

  I’m the oddity in the group, the only one with a human sire. I’m also the only one living with my mother. It’s a personal choice. She needs someone to look out for her. The fellas, however, know better than to tease me about where I lay my head at night.

  I prop my butt against the cheap wooden dresser. “Okay, spill it. Who did what?”

  Alec and Dante exchange a nervous look.

  “The way I understand it is,” Colt offers, “they met the girls near a park. When things got hot and heavy, the girls wanted to bail.”

  “It was my fault,” Dante admits. He stares at the floor and says, “One of them got pissed and hit me. I let things go too far. I didn’t intend to kill her.”

  “This stops tonight. I handled your mess, but it’s the last time,” I tell them. To be honest, I should have seen this coming. Over the past six months, their encounters with females have been getting sloppier. Their last victim was so weak afterward I had to get Edwina to revive her. Tonight is the first death.

  “Whatcha wanna do about this?” Rocco asks. He’s sprawled out on one of the double beds with his hands behind his head like he’s at home.

  “Fuck if I know,” I respond and rake a hand through my hair. “How the hell am I supposed to punish them?”

  “Send them to my father,” Colt interjects. “He’s excellent at torment.”

  There’s a topic I don’t care to visit. It’s why Colt has been on his own since he turned sixteen. Even a demon can only put up with so much torture.

  Alec looks up. His face turns pale, and his eyes are overly bright. “Cash, don’t send us to the Najex. He’ll end us.”

  I shake my head. “No one’s going anywhere. I won’t have that on my conscious. But, if you do this again, you’re on your own. I’m not cleaning up anybody else’s shit anymore. Got it?”

  Alec and Dante mumble a couple of pitiful apologies.

  Out of the blue Dante asks, “So, what’s on for tonight?”

  I face palm. “You didn’t just ask… Never mind.”

  We’ve been through all sorts of shit together—first conquests, nightmare scapes, even the occasional twisted ménage à trois. Anything a demon can do for fun, we’ve done it. I decide to cut the guys a little slack. What happened was an accident. “Since we’re already here, might as well have some fun. Colt—”

  “I’m on it,” he says with a smile on his face. His keys dangle from his hand. “Beer or something stronger?”

  Alec, Dante, and Rocco all shout out, “Beer.”

  “Beer it is,” Colt says. “Shall I bring back some entertainment?”

  Actually, we’re not too far from the Wild Stallion, a stripper joint with some of the hottest females, human and supernatural, around. We’ve always had a helluva night with those women.

  “On second thought,” I remove my keys from my pocket, “maybe we should have a night out. Have a little fun and come back here for a little R and R.”

  Dante waggles his eyebrows and utters, “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

  CHAPTER Two

  The Wild Stallion is just as pac
ked inside as the parking lot. Music thumps off the wall. The smell of ripe flesh mixed with alcohol floats in the air. We wind our way through the crowd of salivating men, and find an empty table in a far corner.

  Perfect.

  Dante flags a redheaded waitress walking by. She’s wearing a sheer one-piece number that barely covers her pear-shaped ass. She turns around, and I get a glimpse of her ample boobs threatening to pop out of her outfit. “Hey, sweetheart, can we get a few beers?”

  “Sure thing.” She flips her blonde hair off her shoulder and her eyes drag lazily over Dante. “Want a lap dance, too?”

  He leans back in the chair and points at his lap. “We’d love one.”

  “I’ll send over some girls.” She flashes a toothy smile, winks, and sashays away from the table.

  There’s a little too much swing in her backside for my taste. Dante places his hand over his heart and sighs

  I laugh and look around the room. Men and even a few women crowd around the main stage where a human is shaking all her assets. I’m tempted to move closer and check her out when my phone buzzes. Edwina’s name flashes across the screen.

  “Guys, I gotta step outside. Be back.”

  Three girls along with the redheaded waitress approach the table, and the fellas forget I exist.

  I’m more focused on my phone instead of watching where I’m going. Halfway to the door, I collide into a warm body.

  “Watch where you are going,” a heavily-accented female voice yells.

  “Sorry,” I stammer out and look up from the screen.

  The most gorgeous female I’ve ever seen stands before me. Her curvy figure is clad in red leather, from her zippered jacket to her spiky heeled boots. Her crimson, full lips turn down and a pair of coffee brown eyes rake over me. My dick stands at attention.

  “Will you spend all night staring or will you move?”

  Normally, there’s a smart-ass comment ready on the tip of my tongue. Looking at this creature leaves me speechless. Her golden aura has me baffled.