Hearts of Darkness: A Valentine's Day Bully Romance Collection
Page 122
“That was graceful,” Peter laughs.
“Shut it, Ace,” I growl.
“Both of you stop, now,” Eve commands. “Nick and Peter you need to go before Lance gets suspicious.”
“He’ll get more suspicious without Genna,” Nick says.
“Come up with a story that is believable then,” Eve suggests. “Genna, you’re staying here tonight with me.”
Nick and Peter salute Eve and they leave me alone with her. My heart plummets as I see them both leave. I’ve grown attached to them both, especially Nick, but maybe that’s because I’ve been tethered to him.
“Now I suggest you get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be long and you need to have your energy because you will need to be on alert in case something goes down.”
I want to salute her too. I nod. “Yes, ma'am.”
Eve laughs, “Don’t call me ma’am. It makes me feel old.”
Aren’t you already? I think, then turn red, hoping she didn’t hear me. She made no comment.
“Can you still read my thoughts?”
“No, I cannot. The moonstone has activated, and it protects your mind. Plus it would be disrespectful of me.”
“But that didn't stop you before,” I retort.
“That was because you broadcasted it before without effort of hiding your thoughts,” Eve said. “Now goodnight my Queen. Sweet dreams.”
Where exactly am I to sleep? I look around and there was a nice mahogany princess bed with my name on it. Or so I assumed because Eve walked away and not in the direction of the bed.
“Thank you for the bed,” I say.
“Don’t thank me, thank yourself. You materialized it yourself.”
Impressed with myself and curious what else I could do I crawl into bed and pull the covers over me and instantly fall asleep. Though sweet dreams are far from my mind. Instead, a battle rages into my thoughts and it scares me shitless.
Chapter 10
Genevieve
The first day of school is always the most nerve-wracking for me. My anxiety gets the best of me but today as I stand in the hallway with Nick and Peter at arms’ length, I feel calm. That is, until I see Lance approach me.
My stomach falls into the pit of my stomach, and the moonstone begins to burn.
“Hey gorgeous, I missed you last night. I couldn’t find you after the fire. I was worried sick about you.”
What the fuck is he talking about? He’s the one who caused it. I plaster on a fake smile and go along with it.
“I got you a little something. A gift to make you feel welcome.”
My moonstone is burning so bad and I want to run away, but before I can do or say anything, he grabs my hand and places a red sapphire ring on my finger. The burning subsides and I feel sleepy and subdued.
“Now princess, I know we didn’t get on the right foot and all, but would you consider going steady with me? This isn’t just an ordinary ring,” His voice is garbled and like sweet wine. “This is a commitment ring.”
I smile and nod. “Okay,” I slur. “I thought you didn’t like me.”
“Silly girl. Of course, I don’t like you, I love you,” he laughs. Then in slow motion, I see his face coming towards mine. He presses his lips against mine.
I close my eyes relishing his sweet kiss despite the loud noises I hear around us. Perhaps the fireworks are in my head. But then I feel someone pull us apart. I spin around to see it was Nick and next thing I know Nick is punching Lance.
“What did you do to her?” Nick yells at Lance.
Lance touches his jaw and only stares blankly. Nick punches him again and Lance doesn’t block him. “Does that jog your memory now?”
“I don’t know what I did,” Lance replies. Then he looks at my hand. “Oh shit. Morgana gave me that ring to drain her powers.”
Eve approaches us at full speed. Yanks at my finger and the ring won’t budge. I won’t budge. I feel as if I’m falling underwater fast.
I hear a loud gasp of collective voices and screams as fireballs are being shot at me. It’s Katie and some other woman.
“We have to get her out of here,” Lance shouts. But I’m glued to the floor. They try to budge me, and I won’t.
A shield of crystal encases Peter, Lance, Nick, Eve and I and the fireballs hit them and bounce back off.
The woman with Katie smashes her staff into the crystal and the crystal breaks and floats in slow motion before me.
Even though my senses are numb, I grow angry as she tosses Nick, Lance, Peter and Eve to the floor with a wave of her hand.
My skin is on fire and I feel melted metal oozing off of the hand Lance put the ring on. It melted right onto the floor.
I let out a battle cry and lightning strikes only a few inches away from Katie and the woman.
“You think your little parlor tricks will scare me, Guinevere? We’ve danced this dance before, and like last time you’re going to die along with your friends.”
I clench my fists and I soar above her as she aims her staff at me.
“Oh this is new,” Morgana says.
I drop-kick her to the floor and shatter her staff with a lightning bolt.
“I like to call it the element of surprise,” I say dryly as I have her pinned down on the floor.
“You don’t have the guts to finish me off,” she says.
“No, but I do,” a voice says behind me.
Before I could turn around to see who it was, Morgana disintegrated before my very eyes.
I fall flat on my face and a hand picks me up by the arm. I’m flipped around to see it was Mordred.
“I could have killed her,” I say, shaking.
“A queen is to never kill, only render helpless,” he winked. “Plus I don’t want that on your conscience.”
“How kind of you,” I say.
“Father?” a voice interrupts us.
He lets me go and I see Katie shaking her head and approaching us both.
She runs to him and hugs him. He smiles and I think that’s the first time he’s ever smiled. Then Eve transforms into the woman of my vision. They all embrace.
I’m touched, it’s a beautiful scene. I turn around to give them their moment and before I know it, I’m in Lance’s arms.
“My Queen, I’m truly sorry. I was under her spell. How could I ever repay you for saving me?”
“How about you kiss me, you stupid fool?”
Without hesitation, he kisses me with passion, and I return it. Then all the memories flood back to me. He was mine once— after Arthur died, but so was Nick, and Peter. We all were companions to fill the emptiness and the void Arthur left behind.
I pulled away from his kiss. “Where’s Adam?”
“He fulfilled his duty,” Eve says.
“What do you mean?”
“He was Arthur, Genna. He was a spirit to protect you and to guide you back to your destiny.”
My heart was filled with sadness. I didn’t get to say goodbye to him this time or the last couple of centuries.
“Now that you are Queen, you must take a King,” Eve says.
I look around at Nick, Lance, and Peter. “I take all three of them as my life companions and each holds a special place in my heart.”
“You can only marry one—” Eve says.
“I am Queen, and I change that rule. I shall take all three as my Kings.”
Eve smiles. “As I thought—and so it shall be. From this day forward you shall have all that you desire.”
The End
About the Author
SHEENA AUSTIN IS THE author of The Spirit of Mr. Darcy which is featured in Most Ardently: An Austen-Inspired Christmas Collection, The Trouble with Demons, Journey of the Heart, and Memoirs of a Disillusioned Heart. A lover of all romance and fantasy, a cat whisperer, and Kermit-obsessed, the author currently lives in Virginia with her boyfriend and two cats.
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Read more of Sheena’s Books
The Trouble with Demons
Journey of the Heart
Memoirs of a Disillusioned Heart
THANKS FOR READING HEARTS OF DARKNESS!
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