Darling (4 page)

“I always pay
you the utmost attention, precious.” He kissed her cheek.
“Darling, before we go I must ask something of you.”

Cassandra’s
rapt gaze focused on a man wearing a tiger head as a mask accompanied
by another man with a leashed wolf in tow. “Yes, my lord?”

“Cassandra,
please look at me.” He waited until she complied. “You
must promise to stay close to me this evening. No wandering off on
your own. Do you understand?”

“My lord, I am
not a child lacking sense.” The air surrounding Cassandra
hummed from her tangible excitement. She squirmed, looking past his
broad shoulder to catch another fantastic glimpse of the carnival.

Lord Constantine
gripped her chin with firm fingers. He waited until Cassandra
concentrated on him completely. “Do not argue with me, darling.
This is important.”

“I am not. I
am merely pointing out your warnings are unnecessary. I promise I
will not purposely part from your side.”

The stiffness
dissolved from his body. “Thank you.” He studied her
upturned face and breathed, “You are especially lovely this
evening. Has it always been so?”

Cassandra melted in
pleasure. She hoped Lord Constantine would kiss her not on the cheek,
chin, or temple but on the mouth. Cassandra’s heart leapt when
his beautiful mouth descended towards hers. Arching up, she met him
more than halfway. Cassandra swallowed his faintly reproving use of
her name.

Finally!

Sweet and luscious,
their kiss blurred the lines between poignant adoration and sharp
lust. Cassandra twined her arms about his neck as he wrapped his
around her waist. Lord Constantine’s mouth seduced hers open.
However, Cassandra’s bold flick of her tongue conquered his.

She forgot frivolous
amusement and pursued the addictive rush of being able to truly kiss
him. He tasted of everything sweet and right. Cassandra hoped he
enjoyed the sensation of her warm mouth as much as she craved the
feel of his cool touch.

Fire flicked down.
Cassandra’s thighs shifted, suddenly restless in their confine
of silk stockings and embroidered garters. Uncaring that the car door
still stood open, she toyed with the urge to pull him down upon her.
Cassandra, though innocent in body, knew the natural course of where
their actions could lead.

She wanted that with
him. Badly.

Lord Constantine
squeezed her tightly, causing Cassandra’s mouth to open wider.
The vampire took advantage. Feral moans rumbled in Cassandra’s
ears, drowning out the sound of her heart slamming against her ribs.

They eventually
parted, shaken and looking at the other in amazement.

“I love you,
Lord Constantine.” Cassandra’s heavy-lidded gaze sought
his. “I love you more than I have loved anything else in the
world. I cannot wait until I get to fully show you what that means.”
She kissed him again, deliberately sliding her tongue against the
razor points of his extended fangs.

“Cassandra!”
The vampire pulled away but not quick enough to escape the rich taste
of her virgin blood.

She smiled, aware of
the crimson liquid coating her teeth and lips. “Thank you for
allowing me to share myself with you.”

Lord Constantine’s
gaze gleamed gold. His lips parted from the heady combination lust
and hunger. He carefully pulled Cassandra towards him. “You
slay me, darling.” Cupping the base of her neck, Lord
Constantine bade her to be still. Cassandra, eager to obey, relaxed
into his large body.

“I love you,
my lord!” she proclaimed again with a kittenish sigh. Giddy and
flushed desire, Cassandra murmured sweet promises of eternal devotion
while her vampire’s lips feathered over hers. Lord Constantine
thoroughly lapped up all traces of spilled blood. Kissing her a final
time, he rested his temple against hers.

“I adore you,
Cassandra. If you believe nothing else you must at least believe
that.”

“I know.”
She smiled and arched up to kiss him again.

“No, no!”
he admonished. “Let me see your tongue.”

Cassandra stuck it
out, eyes wide with question. Peering at the pink flesh, Lord
Constantine frowned in concentration. “How much does it hurt?”

Cassandra closed her
mouth. “It doesn’t.”

“The cuts look
deep enough to hurt, darling.”

“I swear it
does not.”

“Let me heal
it.”

She clapped her
hands over the bottom half of her face.

“Cassandra,
darling, you must let me heal your wound.” Lord Constantine
gently tugged her wrists until they fell back into her lap. “I
cannot bear the thought of you suffering unnecessarily.”

Cassandra remained
mute and shook her head.

The vampire sighed
in defeat. “You odd little thing. If I see you in any type of
pain, any at all, I will heal it without another thought. Do you
understand?”

“Yes, thank
you! My lord?” She glanced up at him from beneath a coquettish
fan of lashes. “Did you enjoy our first true kiss?”

“Fishing for
compliments already?” Lord Constantine traced her flushed cheek
with the one finger. “I enjoyed it very much, my darling. Far
more than I can adequately express without making a complete fool of
myself.”

She snuggled against
him in bliss. “I am so happy I think I will burst!”

“Please do not
do so. I would hate to have to reassemble you. What if I put this,”
Lord Constantine tapped her nose, “here on your throat by
mistake?”

Cassandra giggled.
“You are so amusing, my lord! I would think you would be
especially careful with my neck since one night it will be yours.”

His mouth parted in
a devilish grin. “The future is promising of exciting things.
Alas, my attention should remain on the beautiful sight before me.”

Aware of his neat
sidestep, Cassandra refused to allow melancholy to continue to dog
her. Even the knowledge of where Lord Constantine went when he left
her and who he spent his time with could not shake Cassandra.

I belong to him and
he belongs to me. No one else can interfere with our bond.

“How do I
look, my lord?”

“Thoroughly
kissed.”

“I feel it.”

“Here, let me
fix your lipstick.” Lord Constantine rubbed his thumb over her
lips. “Perfect.”

Cassandra didn’t
need a mirror to verify his proclamation. Her lord had the power to
remake anything in his kingdom—the feminine accoutrements of
beauty included. Eventually he would remake her as well. Cassandra
just needed to keep her faith in Lord Constantine.

I am his Beloved. I
was born to be his. There can be nothing but this beautiful love
between us.

“Are you ready
to be entertained, darling?”

She slipped her hand
in his. “Absolutely.”

5

Cassandra took the
deafening cacophony in stride. Arm tucked securely in Lord
Constantine’s, she safely kept her promise to him but still
found her upper half pulling away.

Large, gaily colored
tents lined the avenue, each promising Cassandra entertainment beyond
imagination just by virtue of existing. Barechested barkers dressed
in jeweled satin pants harked their wares, seeking to entice the
living throng of people undulating ahead of them.

She eyed one such
gentleman as they made their way past him. Blue-skinned with a head
of gorgeous white hair, his exotic handsomeness made Cassandra wonder
what world he came from. He quickly noticed her attention and bowed
with a flourish. Extending his arm, he beckoned her to him. Cassandra
gave an apologetic shake of her head. He licked his lips, forked
tongue charming her even if she couldn’t truly hear him over
the din. The barker pulled back the tent flap and gestured again.

I wonder what would
happen if I let go of Lord Constantine to take a peek in his tent.
Surely he wouldn’t be too upset with me. . .

Cassandra’s
vampire chose that very moment to pat her hand. “You would not
disobey me so quickly, would you?”

“Of course
not, my lord.” She promptly turned her attention away from the
beguiling barker and focused her gaze straight ahead. Bizarre figures
loomed high over the crowd. They reminded Cassandra of scarecrows
with their skeletal proportions. Several leaned down, unnaturally
long arms extended, and plucked an unsuspecting few out of the crowd
before tossing them into the various pavilions. Raucous laughter
echoed in the wake of shrill surprised screams.

Cassandra squinted,
noticing the farther things were from her, the harder they were to
make out. She wondered if her eyesight was starting to fail. Taking
in the torches lining the pathway like manic fireflies and their
resulting smoke, Cassandra pounced on that being the reason she could
barely see ten feet away.

“Are you
hungry, precious?”

She replied an
affirmative and squeezed his arm. Feeling brave enough to look over
her shoulder again, Cassandra noticed an exquisitely beautiful
vampiress watching her from the entrance of a nearby tent. The black
and white stripes mimicked the colors of her voluminous gown, making
Cassandra wonder if the pavilion belonged to the vampiress.
White-blond hair tumbled down her back, unrestrained by hood or
jeweled circlet.

Cassandra smiled in
greeting, half-expecting to be ignored. Instead, she received a
friendly nod in return. Cassandra’s feet slowed. She wished she
could converse with her.

“Darling?”

“Yes, my
lord?” She looked up at him, glittering with the happiness of
being acknowledged by someone from Lord Constantine’s world.

Soft leather traced
the curve of her smooth cheek. “It pleases me to see you this
way.”

“What way
would that be, my lord?”

“Content and
at peace with our life.”

Cassandra itched to
hug him. “I love being with you, Lord Constantine. Nothing else
could make me happier.”

“Even staring
overlong at handsome blue men?”

She swallowed hard.
Mouth uncomfortably dry, Cassandra stammered, “I was merely
curious, my lord.”

“Curious?”
His dark brow rose in faint humor. “About what?”

“His tent.”

“Anything
else, darling?” Lord Constantine leaned down from his
considerable height and whispered, “Perhaps wondering where
such a handsome creature came from?”

“Perhaps.”
Cassandra bit her lip. “Are you very angry with me, my lord?”

“Of course
not.” His indulgent smile communicated the sincerity of his
words. “He is a very attractive fellow. Naturally you were
curious.”

“You do not
feel jealous?”

“No. I am
still your most important person, am I not?”

“Always!”
Cassandra’s queenly offense at the thought of someone else even
attempting to supplant Lord Constantine made him laugh.

“Your devotion
to me keeps me secure, darling. I do not fear your wandering eyes
because your heart stays with me. Do you understand?”

Cassandra started to
answer him when a lilting voice interrupted.

“Yes, little
girl. Do you understand what your lord is really trying to teach
you?”

Cassandra turned and
gaped at the intruder. It was the smiling vampiress of before.
Cassandra waited for Lord Constantine to reprimand the woman for her
bold tongue.

Suffocating silence
filled the space.

“My lord?”
She looked up. Lord Constantine remained bent, mouth closed and eyes
sparkling with good humor. “My lord!”

“He cannot
hear you, little girl.” The vampiress glided across the stone
roadway. “It is just you and I for the moment.”

“How did you
do this?” Fear thickened, making it difficult for Cassandra to
keep a clear mind.

“Do not be
afraid of me. I am not here to cause you harm.”

“I don’t
care about me! Have you hurt my lord?”

“You fear for
him. You are very sweet.” She grinned. Her fangs glinted in the
moonlight. “Your lord has not been harmed. I promise. I have
just taken a bit of time for us to talk.”

“There was no
need for this witchery. I would have spoken to you.” Cassandra
dug her nails into his arm, hoping to awaken him from whatever spell
had fallen.

Please, please wake
up! You can’t leave me with this strange woman like this!

“I am sure you
would have. Your lord, on the other hand, would not have been so
reasonable.” Her eyes flashed crimson before settling back into
their eerie silver hue.

“Who are you?”

“Lady
Kamilla.” She dipped her head in a regal nod. “And you
are Mistress Cassandra, the promised Beloved of Lord Constantine.”

“How do you
know?” Cassandra could’ve bit her tongue out for asking
such a silly question. Everyone in the kingdom knew of the human girl
Lord Constantine kept.

“I do not
really have to answer that, do I?” Lady Kamilla’s
melodious voice did not mock but it did tease. “You are as
famous as the affection Lord Constantine holds for you, my dear.”

Cassandra’s
insides warmed and her panic dissolved. “Then know my affection
for him is as great. Please release him now.”

“Your
affection is greater and no.” Lady Kamilla’s hand
beckoned with a flourish. “Come to me, little girl, so I may
converse with you better.”

Cassandra’s
tightened her grip on Lord Constantine. “I am not to leave my
lord’s side.”

“Your
obedience is sweet but unnecessary.” Lady Kamille flicked two
fingers. Cassandra rushed towards her with a frightened cry. The
vampiress brushed the back of her hand against the human girl’s
silky cheek. “Control your fear, my dear. Even I cannot be
faulted for the temptation to make it grow until it consumes you.”

“Why are you
doing this?”

“I already
told you. I want to speak to you.”

“What about?”
Cassandra inhaled deeply before straightening her posture into an
imitation of strength.

“Earlier I
asked you if you really understood what your lord was teaching you.
Well, do you?”