Templar Vampires 02 - The Daystar

by Lyons, Rene

  His lover cradled her. “Hush now, darling,” she soothed.

  The woman whimpered. He loved the sound of a mortal’s fear. He ached to hear the Hallowed make such a sound as he played with her before draining every last drop of her blood.

  Julian couldn’t fault himself for his obsession with the Hallowed. He’d been searching for her for centuries. Now that he’d found her, and she was nearly within his grasp, he had to have her. Soon.

  The Hallowed would be his. He would take everything she had to give. Her blood sealed the fate of the world.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Greaves Castle:

  November 19, 1300

  Constantine gagged on the stench of his own blood and vomit as he lay face down on the icy stone floor of Ulrich’s solar. His entire body shook violently from pain, the cold doing little to numb him against it.

  Ulric had been more brutal than usual. At least it was over—for tonight.

  Now that Ulric was done with him, he’d already moved on to his other pleasure, which was torturing women. But then, from what Constantine had seen, Ulric liked anyone weaker than him. Women, boys, it mattered not to him.

  The petite and comely chambermaid with the blonde curls was new to Greaves. Her wide smile and large blue eyes enchanted all the men at Greaves. Yet Constantine knew once Ulric was done with her she wasn’t going to be pretty anymore.

  Ulric did that to people. He changed them. Robbed them of everything they were. He left them ugly and scarred straight to their souls.

  Futile though it was, Constantine tried to move. Pain sliced through his battered body, stilling him. He’d try again once he was able to catch his breath.

  His back and thighs were a mess of crisscrossed bloody lash wounds. Blood filled his mouth. His bottom lip was split. His left eye was swollen closed.

  And the most private parts of his body...

  Tonight the pain overrode his shame. His blood was everywhere. The sticky warmth of it covered him, leaving him weak since he’d lost so much of it. He knew his face was never going to be the same. Ulric had made sure of that when he’d taken the blade to him.

  He’d been held down by two of Ulric’s most loyal soldiers—men as evil as their lord—while Ulric straddled his chest. He’d used the dagger to taunt him as Constantine fought wildly to throw Ulric off. His fight had been for naught. All he’d accomplished was to tire himself out.

  Overpowered, Constantine could do nothing but bite back his screams when Ulric dragged the blade down the left side of his face. The cut began up near his hairline and stopped somewhere near his jaw.

  Blood stung his left eye. But at least the eye was still there. Ulric could have just as easily cut it out. He’d be scarred but at least he still had sight. Constantine was grateful for that one small boon.

  His anger left him as he lay bleeding. He liked the anger. It cleansed him of the pain. Now, the fury refused to come to the forefront and lend him strength. Instead, Constantine bit down on his already bleeding lip to hold back tears.

  He swore the first time Ulric abused him he’d never cry again. He couldn’t afford to be weak. Not here. Not when his survival depended on his strength. Yet the thought of pushing himself up off the floor and going on another day brought the sting of tears to his eyes.

  He wanted this over, even if it meant his death. He knew that if he managed to fight his way out of Greaves, the memories of what went on here would stay with him for the rest of his days. Each time he saw his own reflection he’d see the evil of Ulric scarred onto his face.

  Disfigurement.

  It was Ulric’s fifteenth birthday gift to him.

  When he heard footfalls coming down the corridor, Constantine knew he couldn’t be found still lying here. Placing his palm on the blood-slicked floor, he used every bit of strength he had left to push himself up. Once he’d managed to gain his feet, he swayed, the blood loss leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

  He looked around the torture chamber, the manacles dangling at the end of the chains set into the wall above the bed making him sick. His eyes fixed on the large stain of blood on the bed.

  There were other contraptions in the room, all designed to put a human body through pain. All used to satisfy Ulric’s sick sexual gratifications. He’d been forced to suffer each of those torture devices. It caused his hatred for Ulric and his parents to grow over the years.

  Ulric was a twisted bastard who preyed on those smaller and weaker than himself. Women. Children. He set his sights on anyone too weak to fight a grown man.

  Constantine wasn’t going to be weaker than Ulric forever. He was growing stronger every day. He trained relentlessly from dawn until long past dusk, honing his skills with a savage need for vengeance. It kept him on his feet long after his body was ready to give up.

  In that moment, the last bit of his humanity and dignity bled out of him. Constantine knew only one thing—the time to leave Greaves was coming fast.

  The day was coming when he would wipe the stain of Ulric Chambers from the world.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  With arms opened wide and face turned up at the clear sky, Lex stood in the center of the stone circle. The fading sun infused her with its light as she waited for night to come. As much as she regretted the death of the day, with the night came Constantine. After the better part of her afternoon spent out in the courtyard and away from him. Lex missed him.

  She’d have stayed with him as he slept, but she’d needed to be outside under the loving caress of the sun’s rays. And if there had been any doubt to the necessity of needing the sun, the voices screaming in her head were a loud reminder.

  The voices, Lex now knew, were the Hallowed who’d come before her. Or at least the four who had crossed over during their failed rituals to hold them in this plane of existence. This didn’t bode well for her, Lex thought as she gazed at the sun. Five had come before her and only one had survived. Those weren’t good odds at all, as far as Lex was concerned.

  Over the course of the past few nights, Isobel had been a regular font of information. She’d explained what a Hallowed was—simply put—a human vessel that housed the power of the Daystar. The four who hadn’t made it through the ritual now existed in another realm, parallel to this one, moving simultaneously through the ages. These were the women who spoke to her, who’d been yelling in her head since she was a little girl. As Samhain neared, Lex felt a deeper connection binding her to the Hallowed—one power divided into separate bodies.

  At this point Lex didn’t know what would be worse, not making it through and becoming pure energy or having to go much longer waiting for what was to come. Not knowing if she’d live or die was an exercise in torture, the stress of which festered within her. As each day passed she was becoming short tempered and began to retreat into herself, just like she’d done after Christian died. She cut herself off from everyone save Constantine. Her nights were now spent trying to make each moment with him last.

  The faint call of a hawk overhead pulled Lex out of her thoughts. She watched the magnificent bird soar across the sky, and in that moment she became one with everything around her.

  For a moment—just one incredible moment—Lex was one with the all of the elements. The earth was alive and singing to her, its rich voice blending with the music of the Hallowed.

  Lex dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. Words she had never known before now, spoken in a language she’d never heard, rolled as naturally off her tongue as if she’d been born to them.

  Her chant was for Danu, the Mother of the Gods, and Druanita, the Queen of the Druids. They were all around her, passing through her, as she prayed to them. Power surged through her. Instinctively, she knew it was that of the goddesses and of the Daystar. It branded Lex right to her soul and made her realize that from this moment on, no matter what occurred come Samhain, there would be no escaping this world of Druids and magic.

  When Lex finished the prayers, the voices quieted in her head.
For the moment, at least, she was once again alone in her own skin. She rose and looked to the keep. As much as she dreaded returning to it, she needed to be with Constantine. She missed him and hated that she’d had to leave him.

  The mark on her stomach burned as she stepped out of the stone circle. Giving the sky one last glance, Lex crossed the courtyard toward the keep. She had one goal in mind, and that was to return to their chamber so she could be with Constantine. The last thing she wanted was to be detained in the hall.

  “He hurts.”

  Lex halted in her tracks when Daria’s voice cut through the quiet. “Excuse me?”

  Daria Bastille, who Lex had learned was once a courtesan in King Louis the Fifteenth’s court, rose regally from a chair set in a darkened corner of the cavernous hall. The silver threading in her white gown shimmered as she sauntered over to Lex.

  “Your man. I feel his pain.”

  Cold dread ran through Lex. “What happened? Who hurt him?”

  “He hurts himself, Lexine. He has been since he was a boy.”

  Lex shook her head, unable to grasp what Daria was saying. “So, Constantine is okay?”

  No one was hurting him—that was all that mattered to Lex.

  “Dragon is far from ‘okay’. But I think it’s you who’ll save him from himself.”

  Daria came to stand before her. The rich musk of her perfume filled Lex’s senses. The gleam in her silver eyes was hypnotic. There was no mistaking that Daria was a woman who held many—many—secrets within her.

  When Daria reached out to her, Lex stared at her hand and wondered whether or not she should take it. Lex didn’t know if she dared to go where the vampire would lead her.

  Swallowing down her fear, Lex slipped her hand in Daria’s. The vampire offered her a cool grin. Her fangs peeked out behind red lips. As if in a trance, Lex allowed Daria to lead her up the stone steps to the second level of the keep. Flickering light from the torches set in iron wall sconces broke the dark. The firelight sent long shadows dancing across the walls as they traversed down the long corridor. For just a moment, Lex had the distinct sensation she wasn’t merely traveling through the castle, but through time as well.

  When they came to the last chamber, Lex was surprised to see the door open. The last time she’d tried to get in here and snoop around, the door had been locked.

  Daria tugged her inside and Lex felt as if she were stepping into a different plane of existence. This chamber seemed frozen in time. From what she could see, there were no modern amenities here. There weren’t even doors to close off the massive open balcony.

  The only furniture in this medieval chamber was a bed, enclosed in white netting, which billowed from the wind whipping in from the balcony. Everything seemed so otherworldly, as if the very air were charged with an energy that, though just as strong as what burned within her, was something vastly different.

  “Can you feel it, lass?” Daria tugged her toward the balcony. “Can you feel the energy all around us?”

  “Yes, I feel it.” Lex sounded a bit breathless, even to her own ears. “It sings to me.”

  “It sings to us all, Lexine.”

  Once out on the balcony, Daria released her hand. Lex moved to the low stone wall and looked out at the night. She sucked in a hard breath when Daria stepped behind her. The vampire pressed herself against Lex’s back. Lex wanted to move away yet she remained still, as if under a spell.

  “I can feel your heartbeat.”

  Lex stiffened when Daria wrapped her arms around her waist. When Daria inched up her shirt and pressed the palm of her cool hand over the mark of the Daystar, Lex hissed and tried to push her away.

  “The power is great inside of you, Lexine.” Daria’s voice was an intoxicating whisper in her ear. “Greater than those who came before you. Learn to channel it and you’ll hold the world in your hands.”

  Lex fought against the seductive power of Daria’s voice. She shook her head and moved Daria’s hand away from her. “I don’t want the world. I just want to go home.”

  As Daria stepped away, a movement caught Lex’s attention. She looked to the left and saw Constantine stepping from the shadows at the other end of the balcony.

  As much as she wondered what he was doing out here, the sight of Constantine comforted her. He looked as if he’d just risen from sleep, with his messy hair and hooded eyes. He wore only black pants and boots. Lex liked the way the moonlight played off the vivid colors of his tattoos. He really was a handsome man. It amazed Lex he couldn’t see his own appeal.

  “Give him your energy.”

  Daria’s voice was a seductive purr in her ear. Lex realized how close the vampire was to her when Daria’s hands settled on her shoulders.

  Lex’s breathing was ragged and she watched Constantine’s steady approach. His lips were parted, his fangs showing. He said nothing, remaining as silent as a grave when he came to stand before her.

  This was a side of Constantine she had never seen. Tonight he was all things wild. He was the night and the shadows. His eyes held the promise of such pleasure she could barely breathe as anticipation gripped her.

  Daria used her body to move her forward. “Give him of yourself.”

  Daria’s hypnotic voice guided her, drove her closer to Constantine. His eyes narrowed on her, watching her like a predator would its prey. His sexual need wrapped around her, awakening her own desire and sending a flood of warmth to the juncture of her thighs.

  Constantine’s hands settled at her hips, the simple touch ignited her. The ache it brought begged for Constantine to fill her.

  When Lex released her energy into Constantine, his lip curled into a primal sneer. His fingers bit into her hips as his eyes ignited with silver fire. “Fuck it all... ”

  His head fell forward and his body stiffened. Lex went to pull the power back but Daria was quick to stop her. “No, Lexine. Let it flow from you to him.”

  Lex couldn’t understand why fear suddenly took hold of her. She slipped away from the moment, needing to find a safe place in her mind. Constantine, however, had other ideas.

  He looked at her through the veil of his hair. “Go easy, elf. Relax.” He leaned in to her, his cheek brushing against hers. “Trust me.”

  He didn’t need to ask her twice. Lex trusted him as she’d never trusted another person, save her sister and brother. The tension eased out of her and she released even more of her power into him. “I trust you.”

  His growl reverberated through her, creating a rush of desire to go with the heat and pressure building in the very core of her.

  ”Leave us.”

  Constantine’s command had Daria moving away from them. Lex was glad to be rid of the vampire’s touch.

  “Accept the gift, Constantine. This may be your last chance.”

  With those cryptic words, Daria left them. Lex started to ask what she’d meant, but Constantine’s mouth settled over hers and cut off the question.

  In the span of one moment to the next, Constantine’s demeanor changed. He went from quietly contained to furious abandon. He was all over her, in her head, on her body, and in her soul. Lex was completely consumed by him and she was reveling in every moment of it.

  Constantine broke contact with her mouth and lifted her. Wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist Lex held fast as he carried her into the chamber. Once inside, he swept aside the veil of netting around the bed and laid her down. The bed gave under his heavy weight. He settled over her a moment later. Lex held him close enough for him to feel her heart beating against his chest as his mouth once again claimed hers.

  That’s when the first flash of a vision pierced Lex’s mind.

  She gasped and her eyes flew open. Constantine lifted off her, bracing his hands on each side of her. His frown was fierce as he stared down at her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Lex shook her head, beyond words as she struggled to erase the confusing image from her mind. She barely saw Const
antine. Instead, her eyes saw a black-haired boy crouching on the ground against a wall. He was crying. Bleeding. But before she could focus on him, the vision vanished.

  “Nothing. I’m fine.” He didn’t look like he believed her, though she knew without his telepathy working, he couldn’t tell if she was lying or not. “Truly, Constantine. I’m fine.”

  Her lie was a weak one, but one he seemed to accept. He pulled up her robe and tugged off her underwear. When his hand, warm from her energy, touched her between her legs, Lex let out a cry into his mouth. He gently pressed his palm against her. Lex lifted her hips, begging him without words, for more. And he gave. He gave her what her body craved.