Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel)

by Light

  “You know,” he grinned, “mail theft is a federal crime.”

  Logan scoffed. “And your point is?”

  “You have a knack for acquiring things that don’t belong to you. I could use that to my advantage. What do you say you give me that, and leave tormenting her to me?”

  “But I was just getting to the good part,” he said, grinning down at the page. “And don’t think I don’t know about the boy you were with.” Logan paused, smirking at Christian knowingly. “I wonder who he could be talking about?”

  “Beats me,” Christian said.

  “…You’re proving yourself to be no better than that whore mother of yours. You wouldn’t want to end up like her, would you? I will only tolerate so much more of this behavior. Do not test the limits of my forgiveness. Richard. PS: If you ever jeopardize my reputation or my career again, rest assured it will be the last thing you do.”

  Christian clenched his jaw, ripping the letter from his grasp.

  “Touchy,” Logan said. “Man, that shit wasn’t even that entertaining. Honestly, now I’m just fucking depressed. Someone give that girl a better childhood. It’s no fucking wonder she’s a damn slut.”

  “She’s not a slut,” Christian said, somehow managing to keep his voice calm. “It was a lie. I never even slept with her. All the shit I told you, Adam, I made it up. She wouldn’t sleep with me, so I came up with some elaborate story. She’s probably still a damn virgin, for all I know.”

  “Really?” Adam said.

  Logan gave Christian a disbelieving look. He had this suspicion he was lying now, but that just didn’t make sense. Why would someone lie about banging some hot, loose chick? Especially someone with his reputation.

  Kaleb was a little shocked by his confession. He hadn’t expected Christian to defend her. He would be lying if he said he actually cared, but after hearing the contents of that letter, completely hating the girl was proving more difficult than he cared to admit. “Are we done here?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Christian said, snagging the envelope off the grass. “We’re done.” Logan raised his eyebrows at him indignantly.

  “And where the fuck do you think you’re going with that? I want that letter back,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re attempting to steal my property right now. I seriously thought you were smarter than that, Christian.”

  “It’s not like you’re doing anything great with it,” he replied.

  Trent moved like he intended to take it back, and Logan waved a hand at him. It wasn’t worth the effort, he thought. “Whatever. I got what I needed. Just get out of here before I change my mind.”

  Christian didn’t waste any time. He nudged Kaleb between a few structural beams, leaving the group behind as they crossed the field. He walked all the way back to the main building, cutting through the cafeteria and into one of the boys’ bathrooms on the ground floor. He took a moment to relieve himself before stepping over to press his palms to the sink, twisting the faucet on. He washed his hands and splashed some cool water over his face. When he turned around, Kaleb was leaning against the door, blocking his exit. He hadn’t realized he was still following him.

  “I’d like to leave,” he said. “And since you don’t really have my back, I’d prefer it if you didn’t shadow me all day long.”

  Kaleb pushed away from the wall, stalking towards him until they were toe to toe. He smiled down at him, placing his hands on Christian’s hips and pressing him back into the sink. “What’s the matter?” he whispered, ghosting his lips over his neck. “You’d think you were scared of me or something. I promise I won’t bite,” he chuckled darkly.

  “Are you seriously going to fuck with me right now?”

  “…That guy sort of put me in a mood,” Kaleb replied.

  “Who, Trent? No…”

  Kaleb raised his eyebrows. “He was giving off some pretty clear vibes. Besides, I thought you liked the attention?”

  “Sorry, but I’m not Rome. I don’t fuck in bathrooms.”

  “No, you’re not Rome,” he agreed. “Nowhere close, in fact. You’re just a scared little boy who likes to act tough, aren’t you?” Kaleb could feel the anger and fear coming off of him, and it was deliciously amusing. It was just what he needed, the perfect way to release some of the frustration he was feeling. He leaned down, forcing him into a kiss.

  Christian turned his head to the side, striking Kaleb in the ribs. It felt more like he’d broken his own hand. “Just get the hell away from me,” he demanded. “I don’t need your shit right now. The only thing Trent did was piss you off, and I don’t appreciate you taking it out on me.”

  “Fuck, calm down,” he said evenly. “I was just fucking with you. Everyone around here is so damn serious and cranky. I just wanted to have a little fun.” Christian huffed, staring down at the tile. “I think you might be my favorite new toy,” he said, nipping playfully at his ear and feeling him shiver against him. “I miss having people to mess with. What’s the point of being the son of someone important if you don’t have people to entertain you? I mean, really? This place is a fucking drag.”

  “You were serious about that?” he asked. “Your father’s really…?”

  “King?” he said. Kaleb nodded.

  “Okay, fine. But why do you feel like you have to mess with me? I know we aren’t exactly friends, but I at least thought we had an understanding.”

  “Why?” Kaleb asked. “Why indeed.” He sighed, resting his chin against the top of Christian’s head and trying to ignore the thoughts and memories surfacing in his mind. “You treat others how you’ve been treated, I suppose. It becomes part of your nature, maybe.” He stared at his reflection in the mirror behind them, wondering why the face looking back looked so hollow, so heartless and mean.

  Christian closed his eyes, thinking intently about Kaleb’s words. “It’s not your nature. You do it because you feel weak,” he said. “You do it because the only way to take back your power is to do the same to someone else – to make them feel helpless.” His mouth felt suddenly dry.

  “I don’t feel weak,” Kaleb muttered defensively. It was a lie. That was often the only thing he felt. He made an annoyed sound, feeling like he’d intended to torment Christian, and instead had left himself open to torment.

  “Well now that you’ve had your fun, can you let me go?”

  “Yeah, whatever,” he said. He turned away, not meeting his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Good to know you wash your hands at least,” he joked humorlessly.

  “Yeah, and I brush my teeth three times daily,” he said sarcastically, walking past him and into the hall.

  “Who knew you’d be the most fun?” Kaleb smirked. “I hadn’t expected the kid with the tough talk and the bad jokes to make for the most interesting conversation.” Christian spared him a glare. “You’re so transparent sometimes,” he said.

  “Me, transparent? Look who’s talking.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaleb said.

  “So far all I’ve seen is that you’re worse than me. You love getting a rise out of people and you hit on anything remotely pretty. That, and you think everyone’s got a thing for you. Trust me when I say, Trent is a homophobe. Hell, if he wasn’t ethnic I’d go as far as to say he was racist.”

  “Honestly,” Kaleb said, “I don’t understand it at all. For vampires, sexuality is so fluid. Hate, understanding, none of that shit plays into it. It’s about one thing: sex. It doesn’t matter who you’re doing it with. It matters that it feels good.” He shrugged, feeling like it was the rest of the world that didn’t make sense. “I don’t get why everyone here makes such a big deal about it.”

  “I agree with you. If it feels good, do it. But I’ve learned that just because something feels good to you doesn’t mean it feels good to someone else.” He sighed, trying to ignore Kaleb’s mixed emotions at his back. “Fucking wolf,” he muttered, “making me feel all this shit from other people. I don’t even want to
feel my own feelings,” he grumbled.

  Kaleb snickered. “I can sense things from people too, but it’s only on occasion. If I’m very close to the person, physically or emotionally. It’s easier to taste what people are feeling. Blood is just so much more honest and sincere. It doesn’t lie.”

  He found himself staring at Christian’s neck.

  “I can feel you looking at me funny,” he said. “Knock it off.”

  “Eerie,” Kaleb commented. “I wonder if two people who can sense emotions would be able to sense what the other is feeling, or only an echo of each other?” He suddenly decided he wanted to find out, lengthening his stride and walking up beside Christian. He curled a hand over his shoulder, stopping him near the exit. “Hmm… Anger, fear, fear, and more fear. Nope, those are definitely not my emotions,” he laughed. “Good to know.”

  “Yeah, I’m so sure. ‘Cause you never get angry or scared, do you?”

  Kaleb stared back at him.

  “…Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Christian asked.

  “I’m somewhere right now.”

  Christian sighed, staring at Dallas’s BMW through the glass doors. “Well, you’re going to have to find somewhere else to be, because right now, I just need some time alone.”

  “Whatever,” Kaleb said. “It’s not like I care.”

  “Right, because I believe that too.”

  Chapter 40

  Papers fluttered down like feathers from the ceiling, falling around them as they landed on Aria’s bed. Rome was quickly starting to figure out that blinking was something he would never get used to. The love letters he’d taken from her father’s study were now scattered all over her room, and the wand was rolling noisily across the hardwood floor.

  “I guess it’s good that thing’s pretty durable,” he said.

  “Sorry,” she apologized. Aria watched Rome’s eyes as they drifted down to her lips. They’d rematerialized in a somewhat intimate position, with her sprawled out on her bed and him resting on top of her. Neither of them had moved yet, and as the moment stretched on, the silence building between them was filling her with anticipation.

  Rome pressed a gentle kiss to her jaw, trailing along the soft curve of her face until his mouth found her neck. He gripped at her sides as her fingers slipped into his hair. He wasn’t sure if it had to do with being close to her, or sneaking around, or just the idea of being with her when he knew that they couldn’t, but he needed her. He was dying every second his fingers weren’t touching her skin, thinking about every time they’d been forced apart because of Christian, or the curse, or someone else getting in the way.

  “I want you,” he whispered. She made a desperate little sound in response and he nearly bit her on the neck. He wanted to claim her. He wanted to clamp down just hard enough to let her know that she was his.

  “…You can have me,” she whispered back, baring her neck to him in complete submission. She wanted him to bite her. She knew what she’d said before, that she wouldn’t submit to him, but that was exactly what she wanted. Aria suddenly found Rome between her legs. He’d bent her knees up around his body and his hands were drifting firmly up her skirt. She hadn’t meant that—it was too soon. But stopping him was proving harder than she’d care to admit. He smelt good, and he was being so gentle and comforting. His touch was filling her with heat. “Rome,” she said, nearly moaning his name. That wasn’t helping, she realized.

  Rome was flush against Ariahna, and he almost couldn’t hear anything beyond the sound of his own blood pounding in his ears. “Are you sure?” he asked. His hands were already making quick work of her buttons.

  “I—” Ariahna breathed. His lips found hers, cutting her off and nearly stealing away her inhibitions. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue worked against hers. Everything he did—the way he touched her, the way he kissed her—it was wild, and passionate, and loving. She could feel him trembling above her. This wasn’t fair to him; she had to stop this before it got too far. Not that it hadn’t already.

  “I didn’t mean… I just meant—”

  Rome was breathing heavily against her neck, trying to get himself to calm down and listen to her words. Right now, stopping was probably going to be the most difficult thing he’d ever done in his life. “I’m sorry,” he panted, feeling himself gripping at her sides. He didn’t know when he’d gotten her shirt un-tucked, or when his hands had slipped beneath the fabric, but he didn’t want to let go. His teeth latched around the delicate skin of her neck, ripping a moan from her throat as she shuddered beneath him.

  “I want you to be mine,” he whispered. He started teasing at her earlobe with his tongue. It was tickling her, he realized; that only made him want to do it more. He sucked and licked at her ear until her giggles turned into gasps. “Tell me you want to be mine.”

  “I… I’m yours,” she said breathlessly. If he didn’t stop, she wasn’t sure she was going to have the strength to push him away again. Her fingers were shaking against his abdomen. She shouldn’t have been, but she was thinking about how she’d watched him walking out of the lake. She could remember in vivid detail the water dripping down his bare chest, the way the sunlight glistened off his wet skin. Her hands had drifted up his shirt seemingly of their own accord before she realized what she was doing. His hips careened into her, leaving her lips trembling. She could feel him beneath the fabric of his pants. Somehow just knowing how desperately he wanted to be with her nearly made her tell him that he could have her, for real. And just like that, he was gone. Aria opened her eyes, blinking over at him. Rome was sitting on the edge of her mattress.

  “Rome, it’s okay. We don’t have to stop,” she whispered. What was she saying? Of course they had to stop, she thought.

  “Yes we do,” he said, his voice strained. “I told you I want it to be perfect, that I wanted to wait until it was right. I don’t want to push it, and I don’t want to pressure you. Plus—”

  “Plus what?” Ariahna said. “Are you okay? You’re scaring me.”

  “I’m alright, it’s just that… I have to tell you something.” Rome turned to look at her over his shoulder, their faces equally matched with worry. “I know you kissed Christian.”

  “Please, just let me explain.”

  “No, I’m not mad. You don’t need to explain anything to me.” She looked even more confused and Rome just couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  “I kissed Kaleb,” he admitted shakily. “But I only did it because I had to, because he wouldn’t tell me what he found out otherwise. Well, not only because I had to. What I mean is I—I kind of like him. I swear I tried to stop it, whatever it is between us, even before you and I started… this. But, every time I’m around him, it’s like something happens.” Rome was rambling, and his heart was wailing in his chest. He’d intended to broach this subject with a bit more elegance. Right now he felt like he was tripping over his own feet and catching his fall with his face. “Okay, let me try again. What I mean is that he’s cursed to be alone, and if I push him away, all I’m doing is letting that curse win. And—”

  “Oh my god,” she said heartbrokenly. “You’re gay. I thought that was just a rumor? But… you really like him. I feel like such an idiot,” she murmured. “What was this all this time, then? Were you just pretending?”

  “W-What? No. That’s not what I meant. I’m not gay and I’m not pretending. Ariahna, I’m in love with you,” Rome said, turning to face her. His hand hovered over her back, but he decided it would probably be best not to touch her. “I just didn’t want to lie to you about whatever is between me and him. And it’s not like I meant for this to happen. I was pushing him away and holding him at a distance while you were still doing the same to me. It’s just… complicated. I want to be with you, and part of me… part of me wants to find out why I have feelings for him. This really isn’t easy for me to admit. I feel like you’re going to see me differently, like less of a man. But I’m not a cheater, and I’m not a liar. And I’m cert
ainly not going to let you destroy that wand without knowing that my heart is being torn in two different directions. I guess I was just hoping you might understand, considering how you feel about Christian.”

  Ariahna wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so flustered in her entire life. “How I feel about Christian?” she said in a high-pitched voice. “That—it was just a kiss. I’ve already explored that avenue and I know now that there’s nothing for me down that road. It was a fluke, what happened this morning,” she insisted. “And I’m trying to understand, but…” Aria sighed. “I don’t know how to feel about hearing you confess you might be interested in someone else.”

  Rome was staring up at the ceiling like it was going to give him some profound answer. “I’m just confused,” he said. “Maybe it’s nothing? Maybe he’s just using some vampire power to trick me into thinking I like him. But honestly, I just think that’s my way of trying to deny how I feel. And this morning wasn’t a fluke, we both know that. Lying to ourselves isn’t going to make this any easier. Christian is a part of this curse, and I’m sure it’s only going to be a matter of time before he confesses to you how he truly feels. If he walked up to you and told you he was in love with you, would you really be able to say that it was all just a fluke? That you didn’t feel anything for him? You’d be lying if you said you could. I meant what I said this morning to Amber, about sharing. What I’m trying to say is that I’m open minded, and I’m just hoping you can be too.”

  Ariahna stood and walked slowly towards the door. This conversation was heading somewhere completely undesirable, and she was having a hard enough time processing everything he was telling her.

  “Can we talk about this later?” she asked quietly. “I’m a little tired.”

  Right now, honesty did not feel like the best policy. Rome sighed against his shoulder before standing up. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that this is the way everything is. I’m used to pulling the short end of the stick. I’ve never really known anything else. But if I just blew my only chance with you… I don’t think I’m going to be able to handle that well, at all. And yet I can’t help how I feel. I want both of you, which probably just means I’m going to end up alone.” He clenched his jaw and hung his head as he walked towards the door, stopping only once his fingers were curled around the handle. “For what it’s worth, I love you, and I know in my heart that will never change.”