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

by Joanna Mazurkiewicz

  “Plans for tomorrow?” Ivor asked me.

  I shrugged. “Might read or binge watch something. Haven’t decided.”

  “What about the party?”

  “No one invited me.”

  “Yet.”

  I stuffed mashed potatoes into my mouth to prevent myself from smiling. He was going to do it! Oh dear, he was going to ask me to go with him. I had to play it cool. Play it cool, Hayley.

  “Here.” He pushed an envelope toward me. “Take it if you want it. No pressure.”

  I chewed slowly, looking at the red envelope from the corner of my eye. This was it. It was happening. I took a sip of my orange juice, then finally feeling ready, I opened the envelope and extracted a cute Valentine’s card in the shape of a heart. How cliché. Not that I minded. I cocked an eyebrow at what was written inside.

  Ivor + Hayley

  Valentine’s Day Party

  North Tower

  He was not romantic at all! I giggled.

  “This all you could come up with?”

  “Yes or no,” he grumbled.

  “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

  He beamed at me. “Good.”

  We finished our lunch. We didn’t have the next class together, so we parted in the hallway. As I walked to my History class, I felt like I was floating. The heart-shaped card was between the pages of my History book. Today, we were going to learn about the great Valentine Morningstar – the most dangerous Grim Reaper the world had ever seen. He wasn’t around anymore, thanks to his daughter, Mila Morningstar, and her cousin, Yolanda. He’d reaped for six hundred years and almost brought the Apocalypse on our heads. It was going to be an exciting class, but not as exciting as thinking about what I was going to wear the next day.

  “Normie!” Jace popped out of nowhere. He blocked my way, attracting too much attention from the students in the hallway. “Whatcha got there?”

  “Where?”

  “There.” With a small gesture of his hand, he made the Valentine’s card emerge from my book. He made it float between us, opening it with the power of his mind. “I see. And you’re going with him?”

  “Why not? He invited me.”

  He nodded. For a second, I thought he was going to rip the card to pieces. He did the opposite. He grabbed it out of thin air and slipped it back into my History book. I breathed out in relief. I would’ve hated for him to destroy it. I wanted to keep it. He stepped closer to me, and I suddenly felt cornered. I did my best to hold my ground. He hadn’t bullied me in a while, but even if I was afraid of him and my knees tended to turn to jelly when he was all up in my space, I couldn’t just keep backing down. Now I had Ivor on my side. For a brief moment, I wondered whether Ivor would choose me over him, if it ever came to that. Did he like me enough to protect me from Jace? I would have to wait and see...

  “So, you guys are a thing, now? An item?”

  My back was against the wall. I hugged by books and notebooks to my chest. The mage was so close that his broad chest touched my elbows. I looked up into his bright eyes, unsure what the right answer was. God, he was handsome! With those high cheekbones, full lips, and that mop of black, curly hair... He was every girl’s dream. And, apparently, every guy’s dream, too.

  “We do stuff together,” I whispered.

  “Stuff? What kind of stuff?”

  “You know...”

  “And if you were to do this stuff with me, instead, would you like it?”

  I gulped.

  “Would you, normie?” His voice was a husky whisper now. He pressed against me, his knee parting my legs, and his hand cupping my cheek. He leaned in, inch by inch, breathed against my lips, and when I involuntarily parted them, he dived in and kissed me.

  I closed my eyes. I was painfully aware that everyone was staring at us, but I didn’t care. Finally, Jace was admitting that he felt something for me. When he pulled away, I felt empty. I craved much more than a kiss. He grinned, satisfied with the effect he had on me, and took a step back. Looking straight into my eyes, he snapped his fingers, and a Valentine’s card manifested out of nowhere.

  “Ditch him and come to the party with me.”

  I took the card. Oh, wow! The days of the ugly duckling were over! I’d gotten two Valentine’s cards!

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Okay. You’ll have much more fun with me, I promise. He’s a vampire... what can he do? Bite you? I’m a mage. The tricks I have up my sleeve... You can’t even imagine.”

  I blushed even harder, if that was possible. I nodded. He winked at me and left. Little did he know... I had no intention of ditching Ivor. Everything was going according to plan.

  Chapter Nine

  At 8 PM, Jace knocked on my door. I was just putting on my red lipstick, and I almost smudged all of it on my cheek.

  “Just a minute!”

  I fixed my makeup as best as I could, threw one last glance in the mirror, then went to open the door. I hoped the mage liked my little black dress, which was a bit tight here and there. I hadn’t worn it in forever, and when I squeezed myself into it today, it struck me that I must have gained a few pounds. Damn it! It was all because of the stress! I was also wearing high-heeled leather boots, and a delicate silver necklace around my neck. Despite my black hair having grown a bit too long for my liking, my clean-cut bob was still holding. I took in a deep breath, forced a smile to my lips, and pretended that I wasn’t totally freaked out.

  Oh, I was! As I turned the knob and opened the door to see a sharply dressed Jace Merlin waiting for me with his hands in the pockets of his black jeans and a smirk on his lips, a million panicky thoughts flashed through my head. What if this was just another prank? The worst of them all? What if he’d talked to Ivor, and the both of them had planned something horrible for tonight? What if I was walking straight into a trap? It was too late now... Too late to back down and tell Jace I had a headache. He was here, studying me from head to toe, and I was pretty much at his mercy even though he hadn’t said a word to me yet.

  I bit the inside of my cheek. His silence was torturing me.

  “Is this okay?” I finally asked in a small voice.

  “More than okay.” There was something in his eyes. It spoke of... hunger and lust. “You look gorgeous.” His words went straight to my core. I squeezed my thighs slightly, trying to contain the wetness forming in my panties. He reached out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go party!”

  I accepted his hand, and he pulled me toward him. He pecked my lips, then let me lock the door. As I followed him down the corridor, then down the stairs and toward the north tower, I felt like I was floating. My heart was beating wildly, and tingles were running up and down my spine. It was as if I was already intoxicated, even though I hadn’t touched any alcohol yet. Thinking of alcohol, I smacked my lips and noticed how parched they were. I was dying for a glass of something... Not water, and not soda... I wondered what spirits the VDC guys had smuggled in.

  The party was on the last floor of the VDC tower. The doors to all rooms were wide open, and music blasted through speakers some mage had glued right up on the ceiling. Everywhere you went, the upbeat jams followed you. I was frankly amazed at the guys’ ingenuity. Food and drinks in every room, and everyone was invited to just step in and help themselves. No one cared if their dorm-rooms got messed up by drunk couples, because they wouldn’t have to clean in the morning. That was the Academy’s staff job.

  “Are you hungry?”

  I looked up at Jace with big eyes. When had he become such a gentleman? I shook my head.

  “What do you want to drink, then?”

  “I don’t know. Something strong.”

  He laughed and pulled me in one of the rooms. I followed him diligently and waited by the open kitchen bar for him to mix us some drinks. A girl and a boy were making out on the sofa, and the bed was occupied by a boy and two girls. They were both all over him, kissing and pulling at his clothes, fighting over who got to undo his pants. I blushed to high heav
en and averted my eyes. I stared at my feet for a minute, then realized I was acting like a prude, and no one liked prude girls, did they? They were major killjoys. I turned to Jace, and feigned interest in what he was doing.

  “Are you sure that’s not going to taste bad?”

  “Shh. I know what I’m doing.”

  He gave the cocktail shaker a good shake, then poured the concoction in two glasses. I sniffed before taking a sip. Seemed to be safe, so I drank.

  “So?”

  “Will do,” I giggled. I actually liked it, but he didn’t need to know that every little thing he did was perfect and rocked my world.

  “Let’s dance!”

  He pulled me out in the hallway, and we mingled with the couples who were either bouncing and dancing or kissing and groping. It was a mix of people who were frozen in place, as if trapped in a bubble they’d created, looking into each other’s eyes, and people who were drinking and dancing, spilling booze all over in the process. It was madness! I almost couldn’t believe the professors had allowed this. From a room down the hall, a girl moaned so loudly that a few people laughed, and others started clapping. I sipped my drink and tried to understand what sort of dance Jace was trying to do, thinking that I didn’t quite belong there. I threw a hand in the air and shook my butt a bit, feeling more and more awkward by the minute. Bodies rubbed against me, and I stepped closer to Jace, trying to avoid them. I didn’t want anyone’s sweat or booze on my skin. And, oh, I was starting to think my little black dress was showing too much skin, because I caught a bunch of VDC guys staring.

  “You’re not enjoying yourself,” Jace yelled, trying to make himself heard over the loud music.

  “I... I am,” I lied.

  He shook his head, then grabbed my glass, which was almost empty.

  “You need another one. Help you loosen up...”

  I wanted to stop him, but he was already disappearing inside a different dorm-room than before, in search of more booze to mix. I tried to follow him, but there were too many people dancing, laughing, and making out. I felt like a fish out of water. I hated that he’d left me alone, but at the same time I was telling myself... What the fuck? I can pretend to dance for a minute. This is a party! No one cares. Someone brushed against me. It was a guy I knew was in the Righteous Death Cabal. I smiled up at him, and he smiled back. My body relaxed a little. The song changed, and it was a slow tune now. Everyone was pulling in their partners, arms around each other, eyes locked. I felt abandoned. I wrapped my arms around myself and looked around me, hoping Jace would return soon. Then I felt someone’s hands on my waist, and I froze. I was about to turn around and slap the guy when he pulled me into a gentle embrace and leaned in to touch my neck with his lips. And I recognized his scent.

  “Ivor.”

  “You look beautiful tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He went to fix us some drinks.”

  He hummed against my skin. The marks that were still there after he’d bitten me throbbed with desire. I cocked my head to the side to give him better access. He licked a trail from my shoulder to my ear, but nothing more. I moaned weakly, wondering whether I should ask... Ask him to bite me, kiss me, anything. Would he comply?

  “You know where to find me,” he said as he pulled away. “At the end of the corridor, you turn right, the second door on the left.”

  I nodded, but he was gone already. In the blink of an eye, like he hadn’t been there at all. How vampires could move so fast was still beyond me. I understood very little of what Ivor and Jace were and what they could do. I guess I didn’t have to know them to fall for them. One step at a time. One day, they would tell me everything, right? One day, they would make me part of their world. That was... if this wasn’t a prank. I hadn’t discarded that theory yet, not even when Ivor was breathing against my neck, nor now, when Jace was making his way through the crowd with two glasses in hand.

  “Try this.”

  I took a sip, and I had to admit it was better than the first cocktail. Who would’ve thought he had such skills?

  “Did you use magic?”

  He laughed. “Do you think I use magic for everything I do?”

  I shrugged, embarrassed. “I don’t know.”

  He came closer, looking me straight in the eyes. I could melt right then and there. I took a big sip of my drink to give me strength.

  “Do you think I used magic to get you to dump Ivor and be my Valentine?”

  I chuckled, and a few drops of alcohol spilled at the corners of my mouth. I covered my mouth with my hand, laughing silently. Oh, he had no idea what he’d gotten himself into. We swayed in the rhythm of the music, finished our drinks, and Jace got rid of the empty glasses with a snap of his fingers. He did use magic a lot. Not all the time, but a lot. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in. We danced like that for a minute, his thighs touching mine, his chest flush against my big, round breasts. I could feel he was hard, and I couldn’t help grinding against him. He bit my earlobe, and I encouraged him by threading my fingers through his curly black hair.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” I asked, my hips making a swirling motion.

  “Oh, do I...”

  I took his hand and started dragging him through the crowd.

  “Follow me.”

  The two cocktails had gotten straight to my head. The second one had been stronger than the first, and it had given me just the courage I needed. Down down down the hall, and then we turned right. The lights down this corridor were few and far in between. Shadows danced on the walls. The dorm-rooms here were not in use anymore. Most of them had been turned into supply spaces, or dump rooms for old furniture. I turned to look at Jace, and he smiled at me. There was a glint in his eyes. He thought he knew what I was up to. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he’d realize he was about to get more than he’d bargained for. Much, much more.

  “In here,” I whispered as I opened the door to one of the old dorm-rooms and pulled him inside. Darkness enveloped us. “Do you want me to turn on the light?”

  “Not yet,” he breathed against my lips.

  Good. That meant he couldn’t see Ivor hiding in the dark.

  “Mmm... finally.”

  He was kissing my neck, his hands traveling up and down my back. My core throbbed with need. I rubbed myself against him. He was so hard that his tight jeans couldn’t contain his erection anymore. It must have hurt...

  “Finally what?”

  “Mine. I’ve wanted you for so long.”

  “But you said... What you did...”

  He grabbed me by the chin and captured my lips in a fierce kiss. His tongue slipped between my lips, and I eagerly granted him access. His other hand traveled up my side, reached my breast, and his thumb stroked lightly. I moaned, impatient and slightly frustrated. He cupped my breast, at last, and I pushed myself against his warm hand, urging him to do something... My nipple was hard underneath my dress and the lace of my black bra.

  “I was a jerk,” he said as he broke the kiss. “I just wanted...” There was a hint of remorse in his eyes. “I wanted you to see me.”

  “I see you.”

  We kissed again. He pushed me to the middle of the room and started fumbling in the dark, trying to make sense of his surroundings.

  “Light,” he whispered.

  And I knew he could turn it on with a gesture of his hand, or with a simple thought.

  “Wait...”

  He cocked an eyebrow. Just as I was wondering if he’d started to suspect something, Ivor came out of the deep shadows, moved at the speed of lighting, and grabbed Jace by the shoulders. The mage yelped. Confused, having no idea what was happening, and also intoxicated, he didn’t know how to react. He didn’t have time to react. Ivor had him strapped to a chair in mere seconds. I walked to the door, found the switch, and turned on the light. I grinned at the sight before me.

  Jace was bound to the chair, strugg
ling and cursing. He must have been pretty drunk, since he wasn’t trying to use magic to untie himself. Ivor was hovering over him, arms crossed over his chest as if he’d just done one hell of a job, a mighty grin on his lips. I couldn’t suppress a giggle. The mage zeroed in on me.

  “Hayley, what is this? What the fuck?!”

  “Relax. You’re gonna like it, I promise.” Swaying my hips enticingly, I walked over to him. The music from down the hall was faint, but I didn’t need it to be loud for it to serve my purposes. I started dancing slowly, seductively. “No, no, no...” I shook my finger at him when I saw he was about to do a spell. It was the look in his eyes. “Patience, Jace. Have you heard of patience?” I traced his lips with my fingers. “It’s what good boys practice, at least from time to time. And good boys always get the good stuff.” I pushed the tip of my finger between his lips, and to my satisfaction, he parted them. His tongue darted out to lick my finger.

  “What does this have to do with Ivor?”

  His eyes were on me. By now, he’d figured out that he was at least going to get a sexy lap dance. But the vampire didn’t fit in the picture. Of course, he didn’t know Ivor had always been head over heels for him.

  “To teach you a lesson,” Ivor said in a husky voice. He was watching my every move with increased anticipation. “Teach you how to share...”

  I turned to the vampire and wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands went to my waist, but the way I swayed and swirled my hips soon made him run them all over my body, touching as much as he could. My skirt rode up, and Ivor groped my left thigh. I hiked my leg up his waist, and we danced like that for a while. He became more daring. He pulled the straps of my dress down my shoulders, and then the straps of my bra. My neck was completely bare and vulnerable, and I tilted my head to the side. This time, Ivor gladly accepted my invitation. He sank his elongated canines in my flesh, and I let out a moan. For the first time since this whole madness with him and Jace had started, I was allowing myself to express everything that I felt verbally. And loudly. I moaned and whimpered as he sucked my blood, begging for more, begging him to never stop.