Templar Vampires 02 - The Daystar

by Lyons, Rene

  Constantine wiped them from her face. “Don’t cry for me, Lex. Please.”

  “I wish I could take it all away. I wish I could just make it all go away.”

  He ran a hand through her hair, loving the way it flowed through his fingers. “You do.”

  She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Yes, you do.” He assured her. He took her cool, wet cheeks in his hands. His callused palms pressed against the smoothness of her face. “Whenever I’m near you the past doesn’t matter.”

  Lex laid her head in the crook of his shoulder. Her heartbeat thundered against him. He held her close as she trembled. Close enough that she touched his goddamn heart.

  “I love you, Constantine.”

  He wanted to tell her he loved her too, but the words died on his tongue. She seemed to accept his silence with the quiet grace he’d come to treasure about her. He hoped she knew what was in his heart and his mind.

  When Lex slipped back into sleep, she stopped shivering. Constantine closed his eyes and prayed. He prayed to God with everything he was, hoping the Lord granted him this one boon—just this once.

  “Dear God, please don’t take her from me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Greaves Castle

  February 1302

  The dagger slid from Constantine’s blood-soaked hands. It landed in the puddle of blood at his feet, which was spreading across the stone floor. He looked at the bed and fought down the urge to wretch. His skin still crawled from Ulric’s touch. Tonight was the last time he’d ever allow himself to be bound and used for that bastard’s twisted pleasure.

  He looked at his bloody hands and knew he was finally free.

  With a morbid need to make certain the bastard was dead, Constantine went over to where Ulric’s body lay sprawled face-up on the floor. Blood seeped from the gaping wound across his neck. He kicked the body with his bare foot. No movement. He kicked Ulric again. Still nothing. He looked into the bastard’s open eyes. With a hoarse cry, he gave his head a kick. The head snapped to the side before settling back into place to stare vacantly at the ceiling.

  As far as Constantine was concerned, one death wasn’t enough for a man such as Ulric Chambers. It wasn’t enough to make him pay for what he’d put him through all these years.

  Disgusted, the filth of the last years staining him, Constantine stepped away from Ulric and retrieved the rags he called his clothes from the floor. He pulled them on roughly, covering his bruised and broken body. He cast a sickened look around the room. This was every bit the torture chamber Ulric set it up to be. It was a goddamn room of horrors. Here, Constantine had spent many long and painful nights, suffering abject humiliation until he couldn’t suffer it one more moment.

  Tonight had been particularly gruesome, causing something in Constantine to snap. All during the ordeal his mind had screamed no more. No more pain. No more humiliation. No more.

  When he’d been unchained, Constantine had managed to slip from the bed and creep over to Ulric’s pile of clothes while the disgusting bastard spilled himself onto the floor with his own hand. Grabbing the dagger atop those clothes, Constantine moved stealthily across the chamber. His hand nary shook at all as he came up behind Ulric. The moment Ulric had turned, Constantine’s hand had moved with a mind of its own.

  Ulric had only a single moment of the realization of his own death before Constantine dragged the blade across his neck.

  Ulric’s hands flew to his opened throat as he stumbled back. Blood seeped past his fingers, down his bare chest and onto the floor. He couldn’t call out for help. He couldn’t make any sound other than the sick gurgles that escaped him as his life bled out.

  With twisted satisfaction, Constantine backed up until he’d reached a corner of the chamber—the same one he’d spent many a night huddled in naked, bleeding and scared. He stood there as cold as death itself and watched Ulric bleed out. By the time the perverted son-of-a-bitch fell, his life gone, Constantine was laughing hysterically. Once Ulric was dead, Constantine knew he had to get as far from Greaves as possible before the body was found. There wasn’t a person here who wouldn’t know he was responsible for their lord’s death. Though it was a fact most would be relieved that the depraved lord of Greaves had been sent to the devil, there were some who would demand Constantine’s head for this.

  Constantine had no intention of dying for killing a man who’d deserved to be sent to Hell.

  Pushing away from the corner, his oath to Sir Walter was nothing but a fading memory in the face of the horrors Constantine had suffered here.

  Constantine walked back to Ulric’s body and stared down apathetically at the man who’d inflicted irrevocable damage to both his body and his mind. The things that had happened here would stay with him until the last of his days. He would see this torture chamber every time he closed his eyes. He would hear Ulric’s evil laugh whenever his mind was quiet.

  Dragging up a wad of spit in his mouth, Constantine spat it out on Ulric’s face. “May you rot in Hell, you disgusting bastard.”

  He crept from the chamber on silent feet. Ulric liked his privacy when he committed his depraved acts, which was why there was no guard outside the door. On silent feet, Constantine stalked down the corridor and down the steep, narrow, steps that lead to the hall. In the hall he saw most had already taken to their pallets for the night. This was good. It would make his escape easier.

  He eyed the double doors that opened out to the bailey. Beyond them lay his freedom. As he stepped off the bottom stair, someone shifted upon their pallet. Constantine’s heart leapt into his throat. If anyone woke and saw him...

  He was covered in blood. In his hand was the dagger he’d used to slit Ulric’s throat. He’d never make it to those doors if anyone happened to wake and catch him skulking through the hall. The consequences of killing Ulric, as much as the filthy bastard deserved to die, were such that Constantine didn’t dare think on them.

  Someone else coughed but Constantine continued on his way to freedom. Cracking open the door, he froze when someone let out a loud snore. Sweat breaking out all over his body, he shook violently as he stepped from the hall. The frigid night air hit him, knocking the breath right out of him. Barefoot, in clothes so threadbare they would offer no protection against the brutal winter night, Constantine ran across the courtyard.

  The light of the full moon lit his way as he ran around to the back of the keep. Ulric never manned the postern gate. There, he was able to escape without being seen by the guards who stood sentry atop the gatehouse.

  Slipping out of the gate, Constantine didn’t take the time to savor the moment of escape. Instead, his freezing feet carried him over the frozen ground as he ran all the way to Lowel Castle.

  To Lady Isobel.

  Once he reached the castle and was wrapped in Lady Isobel’s tender embrace, did Constantine finally break. He released the tears he’d been holding back as Isobel held him, rocking him to and fro as she whispered soft words of comfort to him.

  Constantine believed her. He believed her when she whispered to him that he was safe and that she would help him to get as far from Greaves as possible. She promised he would be given a new life—one that would take him to new worlds. One that would bring him glory.

  But most of all, she swore to him that he would have his freedom.

  And then she told him a word Constantine had ever heard before. It was a word that forever changed him and would bring him all she’d promised and more. It was a word that would ultimately lead to his damnation.

  Crusade.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Over the next weeks, time at Lowel passed as if in a dream. It all went by much too quickly as far as Lex was concerned.

  Faced with the possibility that these were to be her last days as a corporeal being, Lex woke every afternoon with a prayer to God. She begged Him to prolong each night, make each one last forever. Still, they sped by, too fast for Lex to hold on to.

&
nbsp; By day, after a shower and quick meal, Lex explored as much of the castle as she was able. There were many chambers locked off to her, but the ones she could go in were filled with treasures. Whether it be the ancients tomes in the massive library or the paintings in the gallery, Lex was awed by all that was housed within the walls of Lowel.

  The weapons chamber was her favorite, much to Lex’s surprise. She’d never been one who liked violence, yet something about standing amid a chamber brimming with medieval weaponry awed her. It also made it all too clear exactly how fierce these magnificent women of the Order of the Rose were.

  Come the night, Lex spent most of the time locked away in their chamber with Constantine. Little by little, over the course of the nights, Constantine dropped his defenses and freely offered her his heart. To Lex, it was the most precious gift she’d ever been given, and one she’d treasure throughout time.

  They never again spoke of his past. Instead, as Constantine came to accept his past, Lex accepted her fate.

  Constantine however, wasn’t as quick to accept it.

  The closer they came to Samhain the more restless Constantine became. He may not have said it outright, but his every action proclaimed his fear of losing her. And the closer they came to the possibility of her being taken from this world—from him—the more scared he obviously became. Constantine, being himself, showed it through his anger.

  But the night was here—Samhain—and in a few short hours Lex knew her life might come to an end. That was why, when Lex woke, she stayed where she was next to Constantine, savoring the last quiet moments with him before the world intruded.

  The First was set to arrive shortly after sunset. The prospect of finally meeting the legendary vampire had Lex anxious, to say the least. That the First was a creature who gave even the Templars pause was saying much.

  Constantine would be at her side, and through him, Lex knew she would find the strength to face the First and to deal with whatever came after. Which was why she wasn’t giving in to her fear, letting it consume her and spoil these last hours before the ritual was to begin.

  Waking as she did every afternoon, tucked against Constantine, his cool body was a most welcomed way to meet the new day. Yet Lex refused to move. She refused to acknowledge this new day. Instead, she lay in Constantine’s arms wishing she could freeze this moment for all eternity.

  Resting her arm across his bare chest, Lex snuggled against Constantine. He grunted in his sleep, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. His actions made her cry.

  Lex didn’t want this to be her last night with him. She didn’t want to go to a place where she’d be nothing more than a whisper in his mind—if even that. When she imagined being able to watch Constantine, but never being able to talk with him, feel their bodies come together, be there to rejoice when the time came for him to receive the gift of his soul—and that was something Lex didn’t doubt would come to be in the least—it broke her heart.

  When her full bladder became painful, Lex relented and got out of bed. She walked to the bathroom on silent feet, not wanting to bother Constantine. After taking care of her basic need, she brushed her teeth and gave herself a long, hard look in the mirror.

  Is this the last time I’m going to see this face?

  Today wasn’t merely Samhain, it was also her birthday. Lex didn’t miss the irony that she might die on this day.

  She’d always loved this holiday, and not just because it was her birthday. As a kid she’d loved to dress up and go trick or treating with her sister and brother. How ironic that Allie was always something dark like a witch, or a vampire. Once she’d even dressed as a shadow—something only her sister cold successfully pull off.

  Christian had always dressed in a masculine costume. He would dress as G.I Joe or a medieval knight (again, Lex found this ironic). Although there was one year Allie and Lex had forced him to dress up as a girl, something that up until the day he died was a constant sore spot with him and the funniest thing ever, as far as his sisters were concerned.

  Then there was her. Every year Lex added a new something to her fairy costume. Boring, yes, that she’d never changed things up, but it was what she liked dressing as, so that was her costume.

  Where other people used Halloween to escape who they were, the Parker kids used it to embrace their characteristics. Visually bringing to life their personalities.

  Tilting her head to the side, she saw the faint bruise that lingered over her vein. The spot was where Constantine fed from her. Often.

  One good thing about being the Daystar, Constantine was able to feed from her whenever he wanted—and he wanted to often. His frequent feedings didn’t weaken her. And so, like a man dying of thirst, he feasted on her, drinking her in and taking in her power as he took in her blood.

  The feel of his body pumping inside of her as he pulled at her vein was so erotic it never failed to have Lex reaching an instant climax the moment his fangs pierced her.

  Touching her fingertips to the bruise, Lex smiled. She’d miss him almost too much to contemplate if Isobel couldn’t hold her to this plane of existence tonight. Lex could only hope that time in that other place would pass as quick as the blink of an eye. She hoped that when Constantine met her there, it would seem as if it were only a brief moment later.

  Of course, that would mean he’d go on after she was gone and stay true to his oath to God. Lex had every faith in him, and that he’d join her in Heaven when his own time here was at an end.

  Unable to look upon her face one more moment, Lex quit the bathroom. As soon as she stepped into the bedchamber, the light from the lamp beside the bed met her. She saw Constantine sit up in bed. His hair was in wild disarray around his face. His eyes were hooded as he watched her walk toward him.

  Lex glanced at the clock that sat on the bedside table nearest Constantine. One o’clock. Way too early for him to be awake. “What are you doing awake?”

  “I’ve slept enough.”

  Lex climbed on the bed and crawled up to him, laying her hands against the chest she’d been admiring moments before. “Really? Then why do you still look so tired?”

  He cocked a brow at her. God, how she’d miss that arrogant look. She hoped this wasn’t the last night she’d see it. “Because an insatiable wench kept me awake long into the morning begging me to pleasure her.”

  Well now, he had her there.

  Lex and Constantine had spent the time from midnight to dawn lost in each other. By the time they’d slipped into sleep, both were drained and raw and still it hadn’t been enough. With time such a precious and rare commodity for them, it was as if they loved each other enough for all the lifetimes they might never have. In truth, the coupling has been as explosive as it was heartbreaking.

  “Happy Birthday, elf.” Constantine gave her a searing kiss. When he moved away from her, his eyes narrowed on her. “You’re afraid.”

  His perception astounded her, Lex thought sarcastically. She rolled her eyes. “Well of course I am.”

  In a swift motion, Constantine took hold of her wrists and shook her as if he meant to shake the fear right out of her. “I told you not to be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Wouldn’t it be nice if he were able to guarantee her that? Unfortunately, if Lex had learned anything over the years, it was that life came with no guarantees—especially when dealing with matters of fate.

  “You might not have any choice in the matter and we both know it.”

  Constantine released her wrists and buried his hands in her hair. Lex allowed a slow trickle of her power to seep from her, making certain it filled him with warmth. “You’re mine, elf. I’ll not let fate have you.”

  The conviction in Constantine’s tone helped to give Lex hope—albeit false hope. “I know I’m yours. And no matter what happens tonight, know that I’ll always be yours.” She placed a soft kiss on his mouth, loving the low growl that came from deep within him. “If the worst happens, I’ll be with
you whether you see me there or not.”

  The briefest look of utter desolation and hopelessness passed across Constantine’s face. If Lex hadn’t been looking as intently at him as she was, she’d have missed it. He released her hair and leaned back against the wall. “No you won’t. You’ll go to God.”

  “Not if I’m transformed into a ball of energy I won’t.”

  No—she’d be caught between this world and the next, moving through time and space, one small part of a greater whole. Lost to the living, not quite dead and with only the other Hallowed to keep her company. That would be a fate worse than death. No wonder they hounded her inside of her mind. What else did they have to do?

  Constantine’s frown became downright frightening. “That’s not going to happen.”

  “But what if it does, Constantine? What happens then?”