Excerpt!
From the story Unseen by Brynn Ford in the Heartless Heroes Anthology
The fragile thing beside me whimpers as she stirs, her head rolling on her shoulders before she slowly lifts it. I grab hold of the strand of hair I was playing with and tug, jerking her head sideways, causing her to hiss as her hands fly to her hair.
"Don't start screaming," I warn her.
She startles more at the sound of my voice than the tug on her hair. She tries to lift her head away, but I keep my hold firm on the tangled tuft of brown hair.
She drops her hands and presses her palms harshly to the leather seat at either side of her hips, pushing down to slowly raise her body from a slumped position to sitting. I allow enough slack for her to straighten, but not enough for her to pull away from me.
"Do you know who I am?"
I hate that I can't see her eyes behind the damn sunglasses. I'm tempted to pluck them from her pretty face, but then I'd just be met by her squinting and looking away. I prefer the sunglasses to that.
She shakes her head against my grip.
"Have you heard of the Senseless?"
She nods.
"Tell me what you know."
She clears her throat. "The Senseless make and sell numb."
"That's right." I release her and stroke my hand down her tangled hair as she pulls her head upright, leaning away from me toward the window. "And do you know who the Grave Digger is?"
Her head turns with a snap to look at me, and though it's hard to see her eyes behind the shades, I sense her looking me up and down with fear.
"Are you—"
"No," I chuckle, "I'm not the Grave Digger. But I do work for him, and everyone else works for me. I'm Merrick Shaw."
"Merrick Shaw…" My name slips from her lips as her forehead wrinkles with recognition.
Everyone in the tri-state area knows my name as well as they know Benji Baker's—the Grave Digger himself.
My eyes fall to her chest to see the heavy rise and fall of her quickening breaths. A smile twists the corner of my lips as the recognition and fear of my name strikes her.
"I take it you've heard of me?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
She nods as she leans away from me.
"Tell me what you know."
She speaks in whispers, "You're not to be crossed."
The meekness of her voice should annoy me. Part of me wants to snap at her and demand she speak the hell up when I ask her a question. But the rest of me enjoys seeing her squirm, hearing the fear in the quietness of her whispered words.
"Do you intend to cross me, Willa?"
"No." The word shoots out of her mouth with speed and intensity.
She's frightened, good. It means she'll do what she's told.
Some heroes want to save the world. Some will burn it down for the one they love. Call them villains, anti-heroes, criminals, and monsters. But these dark men love deeply and fiercely, and are ready to go to the ends of the earth to save their soulmate.
They will tempt you.
Captivate you.
Drag you into darkness, and leave you breathless.
They’ll show you how good love can be in the dark.
There’s a spark between these pages, and these Heartless Heroes will set your world on fire.
Morally grey is the favorite color of these twenty new and bestselling authors. Grab your copy now to read all the dark shades of love painted by these Heartless Heroes.
Authors in this set include:
J.L. Beck & C. Hallman, H. D. Carlton, Sahara Roberts & Dori Pulitano, Sonya Jesus, Lola West, D.S. Wrights, Elizabeth Miller, Lily Wildhart, Morgan James, A.R. Breck, Brynn Ford, Indie Black & Sienna Cousins, Isabella Phoenix & Victoria Pauley, Suki Williams, Ashley Gee, D.W. Marshall, and M.L. Philpitt
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