Constantine_A History Part 3

by Donna Grant

  He replaced the cap and set the pen in the box, wondering who might have sent this to him. His gaze caught a small card in the lid. He pulled it out and read, “Meisterstück 149 Mont Blanc.”

  If the instrument wrote as well as it looked, he would keep it forever. He lowered the card and then saw the note. It had been hidden in the lid. Con carefully unfolded the paper.

  Constantine –

  I know I already thanked you, but words didn’t seem enough. This new pen is all anyone can talk about since it became available. It looked as bold and commanding as you. When you use it, I hope you think of me.

  Your comment about family is something I should have seen myself, but I have spent so long mourning the thing I didn’t have that I couldn’t see what I have. It is easy to feel alone in a crowded room. I spend most of my life doing just that, but knowing you has made it a little easier to bear.

  Willow

  He folded the note and put it in with the pen before closing the lid as the train came to a stop. Con put the box in the inside jacket pocket and exited his compartment. It was a bit of a walk to Dreagan, but he didn’t mind. Con could have told any one of the Kings that he was returning early and had someone there waiting to pick him up, but he’d decided against it.

  Not even when it began raining did he regret his decision. He turned from the road and crossed land instead, jumping fences and bypassing houses. All the while, he noticed the small things like the last blooms still clinging to life despite autumn fast approaching.

  He passed a crumbling ruin of a home, crossed streams, and scattered herds of sheep until he reached Dreagan. As soon as he passed through the invisible barrier he looked up. Anytime there was a storm, the Kings took the opportunity to fly in their true form.

  Dozens of Kings soared through the air, turning, gliding, and diving. Their roars masked by the thunder.

  Con watched them for a bit longer before he removed his clothing, folding everything nicely and used magic to send it to his chambers at the manor. Then he shifted. He spread his wings and shook out his head. With a leap, he caught a current and flew higher before releasing a loud roar.

  In response, the Kings all turned toward him and answered with a roar of their own. Con was with his family. Even when his blood family had been alive, the Kings had been his focus. And they always would be.

  ~ ~ ~

  Con was smiling when he pulled out the new journal. He opened it and turned to the first page as he lifted his new pen.

  I was reminded today that the little things matter. No one should forget such a thing, and yet I did. For many decades.

  If I’m honest, centuries.

  I hope I never forget again. I’m not sure if the woman I met today – Willow – is the Iris I wrote about over a hundred years ago. At first I wanted to know, but then it didn’t matter. I know Iris is my friend, and I believe that Willow is as well.

  So many believe that friends come and go, that it’s family that matters. However, sometimes it’s friends who become your family. That’s what the Kings are to me. They’re my brothers, the ones I would – and have – done anything for.

  I have sacrificed for them. And I would gladly do it again. That’s what family means. The fact that they all turn to me for answers and decisions does weigh heavily at times. So heavy that I fear I might buckle under the strain. Now I know that I not only have a family, I have a friend. Iris.

  And possibly Willow.

  Whether I see them again or not, I have something to remember them by.

  Con looked at the pen and then the pocket watch lying on his desk. His gaze then moved to the cuff links.

  I have left off Heather, who gifted me the cuff links. Three women. Or is it just one woman visiting me several times? I think it is a puzzle I would like to figure out, because if it is one woman, then I want to know why she goes to such trouble to hide herself.

  And if it’s three different people, then I have been beyond fortunate to encounter such amazing women who have definitely left a mark upon me.

  Constantine, King of Golds

  King of Dragon Kings

  Con shifted to the next page and drew a picture of Willow before writing her name beneath it. He was smiling as he put away the new journal. When his gaze looked at the many other journals, he recalled that he had drawn a picture of Iris, and perhaps even Heather.

  He knew exactly when he had met Iris because he put the whisky into production just a few days later. Just as he reached to pull the journal out, one of the Kings shouted his name.

  Duty called, but he would remember to look when he returned. He was determined to figure out if there was any sort of likeness at all between the three women.

  As he stepped out into the corridor to see what the current problem was, he did so feeling lighter than he had in quite awhile. His steps were long as he hurried to meet up with his Dragon Kings. Whatever problems awaited them, they would face them together.

  As a family.

  THANK YOU

  Thank you for reading CONSTANTINE: A History Part 3. I hope seeing into the past and discovering how Con came to have the Mont Blanc pen that shows up in various books was fun.

  Please read on for an excerpt from DARK ALPHA’S DEMAND, the third Reaper book. You will find buy links to the entire Dark World at the end.

  If you’ve not checked out my new www.MotherOfDragonsBooks.com website, please do. It’s all things dragons and the Dark World. You can find the reading order, characters listed by Dragon Kings, Reapers, Fae, Humans, and Druid, places, and things found in each of the series.

  Donna Grant

  www.DonnaGrant.com

  www.MotherofDragonsBooks.com

  DARK ALPHA’S DEMAND

  The Reapers Series, Book 3

  Light Fae Court

  Western Ireland

  Talin pushed open the thirty-foot double doors and entered...Hell. The court of Queen Usaeil was a gorgeous one. All around him Light Fae with their midnight hair and silver eyes, their beauty a trait of being a Fae, danced, laughed, and plotted.

  He paused steps into the massive room and surveyed the huge chamber. Everything glittered – per Usaeil’s demand. The decoration was white and gold, with splashes of vivid, breathtaking flowers of various colors everywhere.

  There wasn’t an inch of the Queen’s castle that didn’t bespeak of wealth and beauty. Add in the Light Fae, and the brilliance made it difficult to gaze upon.

  Even for a Fae.

  But then again, Talin wasn’t just any Light Fae. He was a Reaper – chosen by Death to be an executioner for all Fae. Except no one knew his true identity.

  If he wanted to ensure everyone lived, then they could never know.

  Talin walked through the crowd gathered in the hopes that Usaeil might make an appearance. The Fae, as a general rule, were a race of beings who cared only about themselves.

  There were a few exceptions – Rhi, for instance. But the Light Fae who once had a well-documented affair with a Dragon King was another matter entirely.

  The Fae around him now had no idea their queen pretended to be a very well known American movie star. So they wouldn’t know she was on location shooting her next movie and wouldn’t be in attendance that night.

  Then again, the Fae didn’t care. Their thoughts were on something else entirely.

  Talin paused when the whispers reached. Reapers. They whispered the word as if speaking it would bring them to life. Their voices were filled with fear, panic.

  Dread.

  And they should feel such emotions. Every Fae was subject to Death’s judgment, be they Light or Dark.

  The Dark Fae preferred to use their magic for evil, which changed them physically by adding silver in their black hair and turning their eyes red. They fed off humans by having sex with them, stealing their souls in the process.

  Light Fae were those who grasped the magic they were given and only dallied with a human every
now and again, though never killing one.

  That didn’t mean the Light weren’t judged. In some cases, Death was harder on the Light than the Dark. Balance. There always had to be balance.

  As Talin listened to the scheming and constant conspiring, he could understand why. Those among the court were devious, calculating, conniving, and treacherous. It wasn’t always done to get in favor with the queen. In fact, a lot of it was done for marriages, business dealings, and even standing among the Light.

  Talin didn’t understand the need to have a social standing. The humans had all but gotten rid of theirs, but the Fae made up for it by structuring their entire race on such things. Though it had always been so.

  Since his arrival at court, Talin had been begged, bribed, and even threatened by families to marry their daughters. All of which turned his stomach.

  The machinations to get a man to notice a certain woman made Talin wary. He’d seen the same trickery directed at him on several occasions.

  He quickly moved to the side of the room and up the four steps to one of a dozen white granite pillars. From this vantage point, he could see in almost every direction.

  Talin leaned a shoulder against the column and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn’t sure why Death chose him to spy upon the Light court, but a Reaper didn’t question orders.

  Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It happened only once, and it was a good thing, because it turned out Death hadn’t sent the mission for them to kill all half-Fae among the humans.

  Turns out, that order somehow came from an old enemy out to end the Reapers – and Death. The fact this new nemesis was none other than a former Reaper Death sent to the Netherworld for his crimes only made things more difficult.

  Talin had no idea what Death hoped he might find spying upon the Light court. All he’d discovered so far was that the Light somehow knew the Reapers were on Earth.

  No one knew who the Reapers were, or if, in fact, they were real. The Reapers were a story told to the young to scare them from turning Dark. The Dark, well, he wasn’t sure what they were told.

  The fact was that there wasn’t a Fae alive – Light or Dark – who wasn’t frightened about the Reapers. Just the mention of them put the Fae on high alert.

  If no one knew if the Reapers were even real, why would the Fae somehow know they’d returned to Earth? It was a question Talin asked himself over and over again with no answer in sight.

  While he attempted to figure it out, he watched those at court. There were the ones who had prestige and position within Fae society.

  Those few individuals walked around with a cocky smile in place, their heads held high as if they were above reproach. In their wake were others whispering and plotting as jealousy threatened to swallow them whole. That was the next tier of Light – those who wanted the top positions.

  These Fae never stopped plotting or conspiring. Their goal was to be on top, and they were going to get there one way or another. This group was by far the largest, with its own social hierarchy that made his head hurt each time he thought about it.

  The last group were those who managed to make their way to the castle by the queen’s invitation, some trade or bargain, or other such endeavor. These Fae were bright-eyed by the opulence and allure, and most didn’t realize they needed to guard themselves against all.

  With the right connections, these lowest of the Fae could manage to get into the second level easily enough. However, working their way through that hierarchy was trickier than maneuvering through a battlefield.

  “Hello, lover,” whispered a sexy feminine voice in his ear as hands wound around him from behind.

  Talin smiled, unable to help himself. He looked over his shoulder at Neve. She raised a black brow, her silver eyes searching his.

  Desire struck him quickly, making him instantly hard. Neve always managed to bring such a reaction from him every time he heard her voice, felt her touch, or look at her.

  In other words, simply her existence filled him with lust. It knotted tightly within him, demanding he claim her body. He drew in a shaky breath as he ached to taste her, to hold her luscious body against his.

  “You walked right past me.” She lifted her chin, her dark pink lips tightening subtly. “I should be offended.”

  Talin took her hand and pulled her around to face him. His skin prickled at the feel of her soft curves against him. His heart quickened when he breathed in her scent.

  How he craved this woman.

  “But you won’t.”

  He took in her heart-shaped face and high cheekbones with skin that seemed to glow. Her ebony locks were pulled away from her face in several rows of braids before being clasped at the back of her head, leaving the rest of her locks to fall about her shoulders.

  Black brows arched over large, almond-shaped eyes that tilted up at the corners. Her lashes were long, and her lips full.

  The long slim column of her throat tempted him to lean down and nip at the delicate skin while running his hands over her delicious curves.

  She shot him an icy look before she let her eyes run up and down him. “Why’s that?”

  “You’ll forget all about it when I take down the corridor and into one of the many hidden alcoves.” He looked down at the bright pink gown that accentuated her breasts and small waist. Talin ran his finger along the swell of one breast. “I’ll tear off that dress and have you screaming in pleasure.”

  “You’re confident.”

  He met her gaze as he slid his finger between the plump swells of her breasts. “I should be. I’ve done it with you often enough.”

  Neve smiled and wrapped her arms around him and said, “Hmm. I like your thinking.” Then she gave a little pout. “You’ve been gone a long time.”

  “I’m here now.” He squeezed her breast before wrapping both arms around her. So far Talin had been able to dodge any questions she posed on his whereabouts, but Neve was getting more pointed with them.

  “Yes, you are. None too soon, either.”

  That made Talin cautious. There was always something going on at court. Hopefully this didn’t pertain to him or Neve. “What? Besides the usual?”

  “You haven’t seen it?” she asked with a frown.

  “Apparently not.”

  Neve took his hand and dragged him behind her as she meandered through the people until they came to a crowd gawking at something.

  Talin maneuvered around her and shouldered his way to the front. Hanging on the wall was the front of a human magazine with a picture of Usaeil and a man through the window of a hotel room.

  The man was out of focus, but Talin knew who it was – Constantine. He was King of the Dragon Kings, and he wasn’t going to be happy about this.

  Talin wondered if Con and the other Dragon Kings had learned of this. More importantly, had Rhi? Talin looked around to see if he could catch a glimpse of Rhi. This was definitely something she would post in the middle of court.

  “Who are you looking for?” Neve asked.

  Talin kept his hold on her hand and moved them away from the crowd. “Have you seen Rhi?”

  “She always hated being at court, but no one has seen her in a long while. There was a rumor that she quit the Queen’s Guard.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. There was one person who would know if Rhi was responsible for this. Daire was veiled and following Rhi wherever she went, per Death’s orders. Death had a peculiar interest in Rhi that none of them understood.

  “Why are you asking about Rhi?” Neve questioned.

  Talin shrugged and dropped his hand to his side. “Rhi’s pissed at Usaeil.”

  “So you think she posted the magazine cover?” Neve asked with brows raised.

  He glanced back at the crowd and halted before he faced Neve. “Yes.”

  Neve licked her lips and took a step closer to him, her voice lowering. “Right now everyone is shocked about Usaeil’s escapades as an actor.”


  “She didn’t purposefully hide it. Did she?”

  Never lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “It explains why our queen has been gone so much. The fact is, that’s what everyone is talking about. Now. Soon, it’ll turn to the man she was photographed with.”

  “And?” Talin wanted to know if the Light thought it was a human or a Dragon King.

  “Some speculate it’s a human. That doesn’t bode well for our queen.”

  Talin might not have known Neve for too long, but in the time he’d spent with her, he’d come to recognize she formulated her own opinions, thoughts, and answers without concern for what the rest of the court thought or did.

  “And you?”

  Neve looked him in the eye and said, “I have other thoughts”

  “Like?” he pressed.

  “I believe it’s a Dragon King.”

  Several seconds passed before he reacted. “Why do you think that?”

  “I’ve never met Usaeil, but I’ve seen her often enough. She’s a queen, Talin. She’s not going to give herself to just any man, especially not a human.”

  “Even a queen has needs.”

  That brought a small smile to Neve. “She’s taken lovers within the court every few hundred years, but none know their identity.”

  “Then how do you know she’s taken a lover?”

  Neve gave him a flat look. “How do you know anyone has taken a lover?”

  “Point taken.” Talin started walking. He waited until they were outside the castle walls and strolling through the cold with dark, heavy clouds threatening rain before he asked, “Do you really think Usaeil would take a Dragon King as her lover?”

  “You mean because of what happened with Rhi?”

  He nodded. “Do you know the story?”

  “Every Fae knows that story. Or at least what we were told.”