Hearts With Thorns Novels & Stories

Stay strong. They’re hurting you. Killing you. I’ll heal. Eventually. But if you break. If you become theirs. That’s permanent. That’s death. His eyes blazed gold. I love you. Even if you don’t remember. I love you. Fight. “Enough.” I looked at Thornheart. “What do you want? What will make you stop hurting him?” “Cooperation. Complete. Total. Absolute.” She gestured to the guard. He stepped back. “Stop fighting the programming. Accept the suggestions. Become what you’re meant to be.”

Otherwise, I’ll come after you. —None of that, kiddo! I leave the two of them and go to my office. When I arrive, I see a box on top of the desk. When I open it, I get a scare: inside, there’s an animal’s heart, with a note: I’m very close! I close the box quickly and throw it in the trash, feeling a chill run down my spine.

he whispered, but he did it damn close to my neck. I got goosebumps, and trembled against his chest as I felt his ink-covered hand grip the doorknob and turn it. No, I didn't want to be afraid even though he seemed like a damn psychopath about to dismember me in the basement of a fraternity while throwing a party. It was definitely movie material. "I still don't fear you, Andra," he said. I got goosebumps when we descended, and I realized the music and shouts were still audible; I felt isolated in the darkness.

She shifted slightly, crossing her arms defensively, her eyes narrowing. Lorenzo moved swiftly, pulling her toward him with a sudden strength that sent a jolt through her. She tensed instantly, every muscle in her body coiling tight as his fingers brushed against her waist, seeking out the hidden knives. Her pulse quickened, each beat hammering in her ears as his hands moved with unsettling precision, disarming her with a calm she didn’t expect.

“You run. Then shoot. Then run again.” Nightfall came heavy and fast. Inside the barn, Kael lit the central brazier, tossing in dried herbs that smelled like pine and smoke. He unrolled a map across the floor Hollow Creek, the town, the forest, the valley. “The Thorns have outposts here,” he said, pointing. “They’re not a pack. They’re a hive. Led by Saris Thorne.” Lyra added, “She was once a Pact matriarch. Broke her oath. Took followers. Said the Pact made us weak.”

All she could do was victimize her until she wouldn't be able to take it anymore, so she would pack and leave by herself. “I will make your life nothing but hell. To me, you are nothing but a cursed child.” Living with her uncle, the innocent orphan knew nothing but pain. Bowyer, her uncle, Anita, her uncle's wife and their two daughters, Anya and Vera, were her sadness designers, and they sewed a garment of sadness that fitted her perfectly and she dwelled in its realm both day and night.

Theron was right: Castle Thorne was dangerous, its secrets deadly. But I wasn’t about to stop now. Not until I uncovered everything—and perhaps, despite myself, reached the guarded, haunted man at its heart. Because beneath his cold exterior, I sensed a heart that wasn’t quite as unreachable as he wanted everyone to believe. And whether Theron liked it or not, I fully intended to find it.

“It's okay. I just needed to be sure you were fine. It’s late. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Guilt twisted further in my chest. It felt like the point of a blade was poking repeatedly at my heart causing the organ to bleed This was a new feeling, something I hadn't felt for anyone, not even Bryan. A knot tightened harder on my chest as the thought of him slipped into my mind again.

She blinked. "The Thorne betrothals were useful because they produced three political bonds simultaneously. One marriage to the mother produces nothing except a Luna I did not select through any process that holds weight with the council and three daughters who are now legally my stepdaughters, which means I have three extra burdens, no four; plus you. Which also means my sons are now legally their step-siblings, which means the original arrangement does not survive contact with basic family law.” She opened her mouth. “Additionally, have you ever thought, what if they have had sex? If I get married to you, it means the siblings once had sex with themselves. A gross taboo!”

He swept her into his arms and rushed away without looking back. The crowd's stares seared my skin. I forced myself upright, my knees trembling so violently I could hardly stand. … Back home, I headed straight for Ryan's study. I keyed in Olivia's birthday and heard the safe click open. I braced myself for whatever I might uncover. To my surprise, I felt nothing at all. Inside, there were no treasures, just a single document. I pulled it out. Even after everything that had happened, seeing the proof with my own eyes still made my chest tighten, as if an old wound had been torn open again.