Templar Vampires 02 - The Daystar

by Lyons, Rene

  When she was younger, she’d heard them the few times she slipped away from the path of purity. She’d never told anyone. Not even Allie. Lex had kept this to herself since she was a kid. She’d suffered in silence, as a child fearing people would think she was a crazy. When she got older, she realized how right she had been to never talk about it to anyone. She’d witnessed how people treated her sister and it was awful. Lex knew she lacked the thick skin her sister possessed. Where Allie was able to shrug off people’s harsh opinions of her, Lex wasn’t able to do that.

  Today was a good day, Lex realized, when the voices quieted as fast as they’d come. She dropped her hands and almost wept with relief at how short this episode was. Sometimes, it would last for nearly an hour.

  With a glance at the closed portcullis, Lex stood and quit the garden. As she walked through courtyard she looked toward the massive gray stone keep. Even now, after being here for the last month, she still found it unbelievable that this was “home”. It amazed her that she lived in an exact replica of a medieval castle surrounded by creatures most humans believed fictional.

  Life had certainly taken a turn for the surreal.

  When Lex entered the keep she smelled the delicious aroma of baking cookies. Chocolate chip, if she weren’t mistaken. One thing about Anne, the grandmotherly woman who took care of the castle and its inhabitants, she cooked like no one’s business.

  After two decades of having no one to cook for, Anne more than made up for it with Lex. If she kept on stuffing her the way she did, Lex was going bust right out of her clothes. Given the tightening of the waist of her jeans, maybe she’d eat only two cookies tonight instead of the entire dozen. Though she doubted it.

  Glancing at the empty hall, Lex was reminded that not only had Constantine gone with Raphael to search for information on the Daystar, but they went to feed as well. Though she had no right to be jealous, she was. After all, she was only human.

  After going directly into the den, Lex powered up the computer she shared with Allie. This was the only contact she had with the outside world. She attempted to keep up with her friends through phone calls and emails. But those calls and emails grew fewer and farther between as each day passed.

  Settling into the lush black leather chair, Lex opened the media player program and selected the special edition of the Enigma album, MCMXC A.D. The haunting beat took her mind away from the here and now.

  Dark, mysterious and medieval, the music reminded Lex of Constantine. Her eyes slid shut as “Sadeness” overwhelmed her. Her body hummed to life as she imagined Constantine’s calloused hands and unyielding mouth on her. Having never experienced the touch of a man, she ached for her first kiss to be with Constantine.

  Without realizing it, her hand went to the itch. The skin was raw from the damage made by her nails and hurt when she passed her fingers over it. When the hum of energy began to vibrate through her, coherent thought fled. She was transported to a dark and peaceful plane of sub-consciousness. All Lex heard and felt was the music pumping from the speakers and the electricity shooting through her body. The rest of the world faded away.

  Leaning her head back against the chair, Lex surrendered herself to the sensations coursing through her and let the music mix with the energy. The power took her away, where there was no death and no fear. For a blessed moment she was relieved of the worries of her life and the nagging grief of losing her brother, which was something she had yet to work through. But then, Lex assumed that the loss of a sibling was something a person never truly got over. There were days when the loss of Christian was so keen, it choked her, making it difficult for Lex to breathe. His death had drawn Allie and her even closer, since all they had now were each other. God knew their parents were completely worthless.

  Right then, however, all of that faded from her mind, leaving the imagined sensation of Constantine’s touch upon her body. She gave over to the sensation, believing it was as close as she’d come to knowing what it would be like to be touched by him.

  Chapter Three

  As soon as Constantine entered the keep, the mix of the rhythmic beat of Enigma’s music and the sweet scent of Lex had his body growing so damn hard it hurt. He found himself in this painful state often since she came to live here. Each night it became more difficult for him to hold on to the civility he’d fought for centuries to maintain.

  There wasn’t a part of Lex’s body Constantine didn’t burn to touch—with both his hands and mouth. Hell, he wanted to bring other parts of himself into play as well, but that train of thought was best left unexplored.

  The fact of the matter was, he couldn’t be in the same room with her without wanting to haul her up to his chamber and lay claim to her body once and for all.

  Even knowing this, Constantine walked to the den and leaned his hip against the frame. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched Lex. She looked so at peace. Lord knew such a state was a rare thing for any of them these days.

  He remembered the night they’d met and had to bite back a groan as his desire for Lex intensified. He’d never believed he would come across a being of such purity until Lex. She’d stepped from the church like a beautiful dark angel. He’d been enraptured by the innocence of her, yet one touch had told him she was Allie’s kin. That knowledge alone was all that had saved her from being dragged away from the church and taken in every depraved way he could imagine—and when it came to the darker side of life, he had a very vivid imagination

  When he’d touched her, an odd frisson of energy had passed between them. For a moment he was given a blessed reprieve from the cold and the hunger that were his constant companions. When Allie had brought Lex to Seacrest Castle the next night, Constantine had known his existence would never be the same.

  Pushing aside those memories, Constantine sniffed the air. The sweet aroma of honeysuckle wafted from her. He wondered if her sun-kissed flesh would taste as sweet as it smelled.

  Something told him she would taste even sweeter then he imagined.

  Constantine found having a conscience was a real bitch when it came to Lex. The damn thing had snuck up on him when he wasn’t looking.

  The evil bastard in him wondered what Lex was thinking, yet he didn’t attempt to invade her mind. Somehow, she managed to block his telepathy when not many other humans could. Well, Allie had possessed the same ability, but she was a stubborn wench and he expected nothing less from her. Allie was so thickheaded he doubted a jackhammer could crack that skull of hers. Yet that was part of her appeal. It was what made her blend in with the Templars, long before Constantine had brought her over to this side of death.

  Still watching her, Constantine marveled at the strength of Lex’s lifeforce. It shone with a light that cut through the night like a blade, a tangible force in a world of shadows and mist.

  As if Lex sensed him, she turned her head toward the doorway. When she opened her eyes and pinned him with her profound gaze, Constantine grunted as if punched in the gut.

  She offered him a lazy smile. “Hi.”

  “Where is everyone?” With his need for her riding him, the question came out harsher than he’d intended.

  Lex shrugged and Constantine sensed her relief. “I didn’t expect you back this soon.”

  He didn’t like her interest in his comings and goings—especially his comings. “Neither did I.”

  He found the way she licked her lips fascinating. “Did you feed?”

  He nodded and stepped into the den despite knowing he should turn around and walk away. “I did.”

  Which is why I’m not tearing into you right now, elf.

  Though Constantine had sated the bloodlust, his body’s needs were far from met. He knew he should have taken the wench he’d fed from. He should have used her body to slake his sexual needs and been done with this torture. At least then his body wouldn’t be screaming for release. Yet, something told him what he needed, only Lex could give him.

  As he approached her, Constantine heard
her heart racing. Her breathing grew erratic, causing her breasts to rise and fall with each hard gasp of air she dragged in. He relished the sound of the rush of blood through her veins. The metallic scent of it filled him, waking the monster in him.

  When he stood before her, Lex reached out to him. Constantine engulfed her small hand with his branded one. He tugged her up from the chair and bit back a groan when she stepped into him. The moment her body pressed against his and her arms wrapped around his neck, everything savage in him came to the forefront.

  Constantine let out a hiss as energy rippled through him. It reached every recess of his body. Though he’d experienced it before, it hadn’t been as strong as it was now. He’d explained it away as nothing more than a powerful lifeforce. Now, it packed a punch that damn near felled him.

  Constantine shoved Lex away and narrowed his eyes on her. “What the fuck is that?”

  She shook her head, feigning innocence. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Lex, he realized, was a horrible liar.

  He gripped her shoulders. Again, the energy surged through him. This time he was prepared for it, welcomed it when it infused his being with heat. The sensation was the same after feeding, only this was a thousand times more intense.

  “Don’t lie to me, Lex.” He gave her a small shake, letting her know he wouldn’t tolerate her playing dumb.

  A fleeting look of fear crossed her face but she hid it behind the annoyingly serene expression she went around wearing. “I don’t know what it is.”

  He gave her another shake. “You’re lying.”

  Her mouth worked but she said nothing. Constantine surmised she was picking her words with care. That was something she did often and it infuriated him.

  “I swear I don’t know what it is, Constantine.”

  Constantine let her go. As soon as he did, the cold rushed back into him, a result of being soulless. “How long?”

  She looked away guiltily. “A while.”

  He cocked a brow at her, resisting the urge to shake the hell out of her again. “That’s not a bloody answer, Lexine.”

  Inwardly, Lex cringed at the determination in Constantine’s tone. This wasn’t something she was ready to talk about, yet judging by the look on his face, Constantine was going to get an answer out of her one way or another. She didn’t relish finding out what the “other” way would be.

  “Since I was a kid,” she whispered, Lex’s hand went instinctively over the raw patch of flesh on her stomach. When she noticed Constantine’s gaze following her hand she moved it away.

  His hands came at her and Lex backed away. Constantine had the speed of his vampire’s body working in his favor. He slapped aside her hands and yanked up her shirt. When she tugged it back down, he growled. She let go and let him do his thing.

  Lex went up in flames of mortification when he knelt before her. His face was only inches from her stomach as he examined the chaffed skin.

  “What is this?”

  Lex shrugged. “Nothing. Just a rash I think.”

  Though she knew Constantine sensed her lie, he let it pass without calling her on it. “They have to be told.”

  Lex knew who “they” were and she wasn’t about to say a word to them yet. The Templars didn’t need the worry of her to add to the burdens they already carried. And Allie—well, she was the last person Lex wanted to worry. Her sister had been through enough. She didn’t need this heaped upon her shoulders as well.

  “Please Constantine, don’t say anything. Give me some time to work this out in my head before the others find out.”

  Expecting him to reject her plea, Lex was surprised when he agreed to keep her secret. “I’m telling you now, woman, I’m not giving you long to sort this shit out.”

  “I know.”

  On the rare occasions she’d tried to tell Allie about it, the words had stuck in her throat. After a while, she’d given up and accepted this was something she’d have to suffer alone.

  With Constantine’s hands dancing over the sensitive flesh of her stomach, Lex knew the surge of heat flooding her had nothing to do with the energy raging in her. Her heartbeat raced as if in time with the music as his feathery touch woke her body to desire. When his nostrils flared and he let out a very low growl, it was obvious he smelled her arousal. Lex wished the floor would open and swallow her up even as she dared to hope he’d give her body what it craved.

  He glared at her for a good long while before he reached to touch her hair. Obviously rethinking the action, he dropped his hand. “Why do you want me?”

  Clearly he didn’t realize how gorgeous he was.

  Although she wanted to evade his question for her pride’s sake, Lex knew he’d never leave her to her silence. “Because I’ve never known a man who affected me the way you do.”

  He brought his face close enough that their noses nearly touched. Lex shivered with a delicious fission of excitement. The beats of the music washed over her, made her imagine what it would be like to lay beneath him and have him pump into her in time to it. Oh God, she wanted to kiss. Kiss him and then do so much more...

  “And how do I ‘affect’ you, elf?”

  Unable to resist the urge to touch him, Lex placed her hands on his chest. Since no heart beat there, it was eerily still. His body warmed under her palms and he sucked in a hard breath. His chest didn’t rise or fall with the action, but hers did. Her own heart pounded wildly and her chest rose and fell with her frantic breaths as she ached for something she knew only he could give her.

  “What do you want to hear, Constantine? Do you want to know that every time I’m around you I can barely breathe? And that all I want to do right now is have you kiss me?”

  She lowered her eyes, more embarrassed than she’d ever been in her life. When he fisted his hands in her hair and forced her to look back at him, Lex saw the hunger reflected in Constantine’s silver eyes. His upper lip curled back and she was met with the terrifying, and vastly erotic, sight of his fangs.

  “You don’t ever lower your eyes.”

  She blinked at him as a wealth of emotion stole the breath right out of her. “You make me lose myself, Constantine.”

  “You shouldn’t want me.”

  He ground that out a breath before he lowered his head and took her mouth in a brutal kiss. Everything within Lex came alive as Constantine laid claim to her using nothing but his lips and tongue—and occasionally his teeth. The hypnotic music playing in the background added to the spell of raw desire wrapping around her and pulling her down into a place she’d never thought to go. A place where the world around them failed to matter and it was just the two of them.

  Her limited imagination couldn’t have envisioned her first kiss to be so barbaric. The chaste, gentle kisses she’d always imagined paled in comparison to the demand of Constantine’s mouth. She gripped his waist and held on as he kissed her with a force that robbed her of breath and reason.

  When he pulled his mouth from hers, Lex whimpered at the loss of contact. Constantine fisted a hand in the hair at the nape of her neck and forced her head back. “I should have fucked that woman tonight.” His fangs flashed as he spat the words at her. “But I couldn’t get you out of my goddamned head.”

  He released her hair and straightened, breaking the spell he’d woven around her with his kiss. Lex didn’t want to envision him taking the blood of another woman, yet the image invaded her mind with sickening clarity. Her relief that he’d refrained from doing more knew no bounds. From what she’d seen of him so far, he was not a man who abstained from anything—except for her.

  Balancing on her tiptoes, Lex caressed his face. She spared a brief glance at the scar that cut down his left cheek before placing a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled away and smiled at his frown.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being you.”

  Constantine groaned as he grabbed for her. He slammed Lex against his chest and wrapped his
arms around her to hold her there. His lips caressed her throat as “Sadeness” ended and “Mea Culpa” began. He ran his tongue over the pulsing vein, pulling a rasping breath from her, the sound more seductive than Enigma’s rhythmic beats.

  He palmed the back of her head and moved her so that his mouth settled over hers. With his other hand, he grasped her chin and forced her mouth open. With a primal need that rocked her, Constantine made her body melt into his as he kissed hard and deep. All of his restrained passion was there in his kiss, so much so that Lex had to hold fast to him to keep from being felled by the force of it.

  He ground his hips against her in time to the beat. She groaned into his mouth and dug her nails into him as her entire body sparked to life. Constantine opened her to receive anything he wanted to do to her. He broke through years of suppressed sexuality, bringing it all to the forefront as his body slid into hers. Lex moved her hands down his back until they settled over the taut muscles of his ass. She pressed him against her and thrust forward to meet his hips.