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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  It didn’t matter whether you were a man or a woman – when an incubus or a succubus was around, it was impossible to not fall in lust. Or love... That could happen, too. The way to figure out if what you were feeling was love or infatuation was simple enough: if the incubus stepped out of your line of sight and you forgot about him, it was lust and nothing more. That was what I always felt when I was around Mr. Lesage. So, when he said: “Miss Clarke, please pair up with Mr. Merlin,” I followed his order blindly. Then I found myself face to face with Jace, and my stomach turned. The bastard winked at me.

  “Please behave just this once,” I blurted out before I could censor myself. I stole a glance at Professor Lesage, who was pairing up the other students. I didn’t want Jace to cause a scene in his class and embarrass me in front of the incubus. Not that Mr. Lesage would ever have eyes for me, but I still wanted to make a good impression.

  Merlin cocked an eyebrow. “I’ll make you a deal, normie. Beg, and I might just grant you your wish.”

  “What are you? A genie?” I huffed. “You don’t grant wishes.”

  He shrugged. “Fine, then. For your information, I didn’t have anything planned for today, but I’ll see what comes up.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, counted to five, then opened them, stared right at him, and took a deep breath. I hated that I had to say it, but maybe... just maybe...

  “Okay. I beg of you, Jace, please don’t do anything bad to me in this class. Today. Don’t do anything today.” I bit my lower lip. I knew I was stretching it, but if he took pity on me...

  What I hated more than this situation was myself. My weakness. Yes, by nature, I was at a disadvantage. I could stand up to my bullies verbally, but never physically. Jace had powers that were beyond my understanding. He could materialize things out of nowhere, turn things into what he wanted... In short, he could control matter. And Ivor had speed and sheer physical power on his side. When he’d trapped me the day before, it had been impossible for me to fight him, to push him away. Not that I wanted to... But if I had wanted to, I wouldn’t have stood a chance. It wasn’t just the fact that he was stronger than me. It was the fact that he was supernatural, and I wasn’t. As simple as that. So, what was I left with? Begging...

  Jace pursed his lips and studied me for a minute. Eventually, he nodded.

  “Just because you’re rather sweet when you beg.”

  I blushed. Sweet. He thought I was sweet.

  “Not that I’d ever be into someone like you,” he added quickly.

  I deflated. I cleared my throat and shifted awkwardly, hoping he didn’t notice my disappointment. It was better this way. Whatever twisted feelings I thought I had for Jace, they would be gone soon. They were probably the result of having to think about him all the goddamn time. What would he do next? Would he be a jerk to me tomorrow? Should I watch my back in PE? Should I have my lunch in the bathroom? Jace, Jace, Jace. And Ivor, Ivor, Ivor. I was forced to think about them constantly, and that was why I now had the impression that I was attracted to them.

  I released a breath of relief. My logic made sense. Yes, that had to be it. I was okay. I wasn’t wrong in the head. I wasn’t falling in love with either of them, I was just stressed and obsessed because they occupied so much of my time with their stupidity.

  “The technique I want you to use today is simple.” I turned my attention to Professor Lesage. “Ground yourselves, take a couple of deep breaths, and when you feel ready, look at your partner. Just look at them for a few minutes, breathing evenly, in and out. Look at their skin, their eyes, their hair.”

  I stole a glance at Jace. Fuck. Could I, perhaps, ask Mr. Lesage to pair me with someone else, or was it too late?

  “After you’ve taken in your partner’s physical appearance, the next step will be to unfocus your eyes and look... not at them, but through them. Beyond them. Soon, you will start seeing colors, nuances... vibrations, as your partner’s aura comes into view.” He paused and silently checked in with us. When his eyes met mine, I nodded despite myself. Did I understand the assignment? Yes. Did I want to do it? No. Not with Jace. “Good. You may begin now. And don’t forget: take your time. This is not a competition. If you don’t manage to see your partner’s aura by the end of this class, that’s okay. We’ll try again next time.” As he made his way toward the teacher’s desk, he added in a low voice that held the tiniest bit of sarcasm. “Since you’re here, though, you’re all very gifted. Should be easy enough for you.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. He was right. It should have been easy enough for me, especially since I was used to feeling and seeing my own aura. The perks of being a dream traveler. But I was afraid it might not work with Jace. He wasn’t a partner. He was a huge, messy distraction.

  “Come on, normie. Let’s do this.”

  He sounded tense. Could he have been just as nervous about the task ahead as I was? No, that didn’t make any sense. He was Jace fucking Merlin. He probably saw auras as he casually walked around the Academy every day. For all I knew, he was such a skilled mage that he saw everything in colors and waves of energy.

  “Okay, I’ll just... start with the grounding part.”

  “Do what you have to do.”

  “Can you... see mine?”

  He hesitated for a second. I thought he wouldn’t answer. After all, Professor Lesage had told us in previous classes that it wasn’t advisable to describe someone’s aura to them. It held too much information they didn’t need to know.

  “Yeah,” he whispered when I least expected it. “It’s deep purple, with specks of blue and... dark red.” He stepped closer, his brows slightly furrowed. He was looking straight at me. I gulped and fought the urge to take a step back. “Especially here...” He reached out and motioned toward the right side of my neck. I instinctively covered the marks Ivor had left with my hand. “It’s the only part of your energy field that’s peppered with spots of red. Like blood... Yeah, it looks like blood.”

  I stared at him in shock. I couldn’t believe Ivor’s bite had imprinted on my aura! He’d left two dark, bruised spots on my skin. Fine. Those would heal. But my energy field carried his attack within it now. What he’d done the day before had affected me more than I could have ever imagined.

  “Let me see.”

  When Jace’s fingers touched my wrist, I jumped. It was the first time ever when he actually touched me. He’d done so many things to me... But he’d never touched me physically. He’d always used his freakish powers. I didn’t know how to react. No, scratch that! I couldn’t react at all. I just stood like that, frozen, unable to move or speak. His fingers wrapped around my wrist, and he pulled my hand away. I averted my gaze. As he studied the round marks Ivor had left on my neck, I couldn’t look him in the eye anymore. Once again, I felt exposed and vulnerable. And ashamed. I had no idea why, because it hadn’t been in my power to protect myself, and even if I had liked it while it was happening, I had had no choice. This was not my fault. Still, it felt like it was.

  “Who did this to you?”

  “You know who.”

  “Ivor.”

  I nodded.

  “Huh.”

  Huh? What was that? Huh? That was the only reaction he could have?

  “When?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “I see...”

  Okay, so Ivor hadn’t told Jace. Just like I’d thought.

  “Are you going to report him?”

  Jace cocked an eyebrow. He traced the length of my neck with his fingers.

  “Now, why would I do that? He’s my friend.”

  “What he did was wrong...”

  “Was it?” He finally stepped away. He was grinning. “Because I have this strange impression that you enjoyed it. And, you know what? I think it suits you. To be the vampire’s slut, that is. It makes you more interesting. Sexy, even.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “He bit you. It’s a way of claiming you, isn’t it? He liked the taste of your
blood, so there must be something about you. Ivor is a smart guy. He wouldn’t feed on just anyone. The thought that he touched you, drank your blood... I don’t know. It almost makes you desirable.”

  My face was probably beet red by then. I couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his mouth! I didn’t know how to react, didn’t know what to say.

  “Mr. Merlin, Miss Clarke... are you done?”

  Professor Lesage’s voice snapped me out of it.

  “If you’re done with the exercise, write down your observations, and you’re free to go.”

  As much as I wanted to run out of there, I couldn’t mess up this assignment. I was tired of letting Jace and Ivor ruin each and every one of my classes.

  “We’re not done,” I said.

  “I am,” Jace chirped like he didn’t have a care in the world. “But if Miss Clarke needs more time, that’s fine with me. I don’t mind staring at her.”

  He really was determined to make my life hard. For the next ten minutes, I did my best to ignore my surroundings, the thoughts running through my head, and even him. Ignore him, even when he was the object of my study. Hazel eyes and curly black hair. I eventually managed to get a glimpse of his aura, which was a mix of yellows and greens. I decided I was fine with what I’d accomplished and didn’t need any details, so I wrote my report in a hurry, and was out of there before the bell rang. I could feel Jace’s eyes on me as I walked out the door.

  I hoped Jace would leave me alone for the rest of the day, and he did. Ivor was another story...

  “You talked to Jace in Anatomy of Souls.” He sat down next to me in Psychology.

  “Not by choice.”

  “He touched you.”

  I shot him an incredulous look. “What the hell? Do you have spies now? You asked someone to follow me?”

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  “Then what happened between me and Jace is none of your concern, either.”

  He sneered at me, and I made myself small. I could actually see his sharp canines. His green eyes turned dark, which happened every time he wanted to feed. Now I knew. If the vampire’s eyes were black instead of green, I had to get out of his way. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. I was trapped at this desk at the back of the class, as Headmaster Colin was giving a lecture about the sixteen types of personalities in supernaturals. I tried to turn to him and pay attention. Maybe if I ignored Ivor, he’d shut the hell up and mind his own business.

  “Something happened between you and Jace, then. What? Tell me.”

  I sighed. For a second, I wanted to tell him that he was insane, and nothing had happened between me and the mage. He’d discovered the bite marks Ivor had left and touched my neck. Big fucking deal! Then it struck me. With the new revelation washing away all my confused thoughts, I turned to him and smirked.

  “I get it now. You like him. As in... like like. You’re into him. In love with him? Oh, wow! Oh my God! This is good.”

  Black veins protruded around his eyes. I’d struck a chord.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about...”

  “Oh, I think I do.” I was becoming more confident now. “Listen to me carefully. I know your secret, and it’s true Jace and I have bonded a little in Anatomy of Souls. We’re not friends, by any means, but let’s say that if I tell him what I know about you, he won’t dismiss it. In fact, I think he will believe me.”

  “You’re going to regret this.”

  “Nah. I don’t think I will. Because now I have leverage. So, how about you step the fuck away from me, leave me be, and I don’t tell him that you’re all mushy-mushy over him? Sounds good? Do we have a deal?”

  He snarled at me, which drew Headmaster Colin’s attention. He was asked to either pay attention in class or lose fifty worth points and be on his way. Losing worth points was something that all students at the Academy avoided like the plague. Even Ivor.

  He never told me that we had a deal, but from the way he avoided me the rest of the day, I knew I’d struck gold. Now that I was safe from Ivor, I had to find a way to become free of Jace, too.

  Chapter Six

  An interesting thing happened in the following days, something I had never expected. Ivor had left me alone completely, but Jace... it was as if Jace was following me around. He started sitting next to me in the dining hall. Casually, he would make his way to the end of the NDC table and sit either across from me, or right next to me. The first few times, we didn’t exchange a word. He chatted sparsely with his NDC friends, who were all ignoring me even as they sat in my close proximity. Then, Jace started making light jokes in which he included me, too. I couldn’t believe my eyes, nor my ears.

  “Is it true all girls are in love with Mr. Lesage?” he asked me once, out of the blue.

  I almost choked on my food. “I... I don’t know.”

  He turned to me, and I squirmed uneasily. All the other guys at the table were being nice to me – well, not exactly nice, more like indifferent – only because Jace wasn’t bullying me anymore. It was like he was their leader or something. Ivor was all the way at the RDC table. Since I threatened to spill his secret if he didn’t leave me alone, he’d avoided both me and Jace like the plague.

  “Are you in love with him?”

  “No!” I said that louder than I should have. A dozen eyes turned to me. “He’s an incubus. It’s just that he’s got this effect on people.”

  “On you, too? What effect does he have?”

  “Oh, come on. You know.” I looked around and tried to spot a succubus among the NDC and RDC students. My gaze fell on Kassandra, who was staring at me with fire in her eyes. If looks could kill... But Kassandra wasn’t a succubus. She was a demoness.

  “Well?”

  I shrugged. Why was I trying to reason with him, anyway?

  “What do you care? What I feel when I’m around him is my business.”

  He dragged in a sharp breath. I felt him stiffen beside me. Stealing a glance at his handsome face, I saw anger in his deep hazel eyes. The hell did that mean?

  “He’s too old for you,” he deadpanned.

  I gave a shy laugh. I would’ve laughed with all my heart, but I didn’t want to draw even more attention to myself. “Everyone here is too old for me. I’m a human, remember? Mortal.”

  “If you graduate and are chosen as one of the twenty-two Grim Reapers, you will be granted immunity from death for two hundred years.”

  “And when the two hundred years are up, I’ll age in a few weeks and die.” At least, that was the theory. No one knew exactly what happened to humans after they retired as Reapers, because no human had been a Reaper before and retired.

  Jace turned away from me. He took a bite of the baked potato on his plate, chewed meticulously, then finally said:

  “There are ways to gain immortality.”

  He was looking straight ahead now. I followed his gaze and saw he was staring at Ivor, at the RDC table. Ivor hadn’t noticed, or he was masterfully pretending that Jace Merlin, the love of his life, didn’t exist.

  “He bit you once,” the mage whispered in my ear.

  I jumped. I hadn’t expected him to get so close to me, so suddenly, and his breath on the shell of my ear sent shivers through my entire body.

  “He can bite you again, if you want him to.”

  “Why would I want that?”

  “Because, if he drinks all your blood then feeds you his, you will turn. You’ll become like him. That’s how new vampires are made, silly.”

  I gathered all my courage and looked him straight in the eyes. We were so close that I could smell his cologne, the musky scent of it mixed with the fresh smell of clean clothes. It was so simple and direct, that I almost couldn’t believe this was his signature scent. Jace, the powerful mage who liked torturing defenseless girls, smelled like musk and soap.

  “I don’t think I want to be immortal,” I said confidently. “If I make it and I become a Grim Reaper, two centuries are more than enoug
h for me to enjoy this world. Even when it comes to life, you have to know when to stop. A life that never ends can be... too much.”

  “And what if you don’t make it and become a Reaper? What then?”

  A knot formed in my throat. I hadn’t thought about that. Well, that would suck. If I hadn’t been introduced to the supernatural world and hadn’t known it existed and most supernaturals lived for hundreds and hundreds of years, the idea of dying at eighty or ninety wouldn’t have bothered me. But I knew. I was part of his world, now. To some extent, at least. Even as I panicked a little bit inside, I didn’t let it show.

  “I’ll go back to my normal life and make the best of the time I’ve been given.”

  Jace grinned from ear to ear. “Liar. You can’t go back to your old life. You know that.”

  “Of course I can. I have a family and friends, you know. And they don’t care whether I’m a Reaper or not.”

  He huffed. “You’ve seen all this.” He spread his arms. “You got a taste of it. Don’t tell me you don’t want to be part of the supernatural world forever, because I won’t believe you.”

  “I don’t care if you believe me or not.” Kassandra was still throwing daggers at me. I had no idea what I’d ever done to her, but she looked like she wanted to murder me. “Anyway, leave me be, will you?”

  I grabbed my tray and went to sit at the other end of the table. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jace noticing Kassandra. The second the mage spared her a glance, she waved at him and smiled.

  Oh shit. If it is what I think it is...

  I tried not to think about it. I went to classes, as usual, then up to my room to prepare for dinner. Finally, I could have all my three meals in the dining room, like a normal human being! I’d gotten tired of the scraps in my fridge, and had even lost some weight – which I didn’t mind, really. But even if I’d always dreamed of being thinner, that didn’t mean I was going to starve myself to achieve it. If I really sat with this and thought about it, the truth was that my weight didn’t bother me personally. What bothered me was that everyone around me seemed to see that first, and then choose to define me through it. I wasn’t the pounds my body was carrying. I was Hayley Clarke, interdimensional traveler and student at Grim Reaper Academy. I was so much more than they saw when they looked at me.