himself for how
much pleasure he took in consuming Cassandra’s base essence.
Her moan echoed his. Constantine left her pristine, skin healed and
evidence destroyed.
Never had he felt so
ashamed of himself.
Why do I do these
things to you when I am supposed to love you?
Constantine
undressed her, refusing to linger on her tender curves and
unblemished flesh even as he hungered to press a kiss to her gorgeous
hip. He flicked his wrist and her undergarments, gown, and shoes flew
back into Cassandra’s gorgeous dressing room.
Constantine tucked
her in, careful to ensure her physical comfort and warmth. He
surveyed his handiwork. Horror seized him. Cassandra looked as if she
were lying under a death shroud. Fractured sanity demanded he rip the
covers off and restart the process five more times before finally
finding paltry satisfaction.
It has to be right.
It has to be perfect.
Constantine
reluctantly left Cassandra to wash his face. The dried blood left
from her hands tainted him as a fiend and he couldn’t stand it
for another moment. Staring at his reflection in the enchanted
mirror, Constantine watched as each pass of linen further erased the
evidence of his deceit. He wished flushing his mind was as easy. He
flung the small towel to the counter. It refolded itself, dry and
clean as before he touched it.
I am king. I can
change everything in this world. I can change this. Everything will
be as I wish it. Cassandra will love me again and things can go back
to where they were.
Constantine walked
away, momentarily flush with conceit. He climbed onto the massive bed
and lay next to Cassandra. Careful to keep his body a respectful
distance away from her, he held Cassandra’s small hand in his
and wept.
Self-contempt tore
into Constantine. How could he have been so despicable to believe his
dalliances would never harm Cassandra? She had turned his thoughtless
cruelty against him and easily unmasked him for the disgusting
creature he was.
“Then must I
adopt a more vampire way of being, my lord? Will you let me have any
handsome man I fancy? Will you look the other way, secure in my
feelings for you, as I spread my legs for him?”
No matter his
rationalizations, Constantine had taken pleasure from his human
women, thinking them a necessary balm to the dangerous craving he had
for Cassandra. He used them, ignorant and believing himself to be a
good man for keeping his lust away from his darling. Instead,
Constantine had been anything but a good man.
And now my Cassandra
is paying the price.
She stirred.
Constantine quickly wiped his tears away. Her eyes fluttered. She
sighed and stretched. Her fist knocked against his shoulder.
Cassandra gasped and sat up. “Lord Constantine?”
“Yes, my
darling?” He stitched a false smile designed to dazzle.
“Why are you
here? Where is Lady Lenore?”
He smiled wider,
cursed for what he had done and miserable because he knew he would do
it again.
“The bath
overheated you. Lady Lenore called for me, darling, and here I am.”
He caressed her cheek with the backs of his gloved fingers. “Are
you happy to see me?”
Cassandra pinked
with girlish delight. She flung her arms around his neck and
squeezed. “Lord Constantine! I have missed you so much!”
Constantine
swallowed the hard kernel of remorse and found it choked him silent.
He hugged her back and buried his face in her neck.
“My lord? Is
everything well?”
“Yes,”
he whispered, sick with what he had done to her. Cassandra tried to
look at him but he merely tightened his embrace. “Everything is
well, darling. I have just missed you so much.”
Constantine heard
her smile and shuddered.
“I have missed
you too. I love being with you, my lord. You are everything to me. I
could never love you more than I love you now.”
Please do not say
those words to me, darling. Not after what I have done.
“I love you
too.”
“My lord,”
she whined. “Let me look upon
much pleasure he took in consuming Cassandra’s base essence.
Her moan echoed his. Constantine left her pristine, skin healed and
evidence destroyed.
Never had he felt so
ashamed of himself.
Why do I do these
things to you when I am supposed to love you?
Constantine
undressed her, refusing to linger on her tender curves and
unblemished flesh even as he hungered to press a kiss to her gorgeous
hip. He flicked his wrist and her undergarments, gown, and shoes flew
back into Cassandra’s gorgeous dressing room.
Constantine tucked
her in, careful to ensure her physical comfort and warmth. He
surveyed his handiwork. Horror seized him. Cassandra looked as if she
were lying under a death shroud. Fractured sanity demanded he rip the
covers off and restart the process five more times before finally
finding paltry satisfaction.
It has to be right.
It has to be perfect.
Constantine
reluctantly left Cassandra to wash his face. The dried blood left
from her hands tainted him as a fiend and he couldn’t stand it
for another moment. Staring at his reflection in the enchanted
mirror, Constantine watched as each pass of linen further erased the
evidence of his deceit. He wished flushing his mind was as easy. He
flung the small towel to the counter. It refolded itself, dry and
clean as before he touched it.
I am king. I can
change everything in this world. I can change this. Everything will
be as I wish it. Cassandra will love me again and things can go back
to where they were.
Constantine walked
away, momentarily flush with conceit. He climbed onto the massive bed
and lay next to Cassandra. Careful to keep his body a respectful
distance away from her, he held Cassandra’s small hand in his
and wept.
Self-contempt tore
into Constantine. How could he have been so despicable to believe his
dalliances would never harm Cassandra? She had turned his thoughtless
cruelty against him and easily unmasked him for the disgusting
creature he was.
“Then must I
adopt a more vampire way of being, my lord? Will you let me have any
handsome man I fancy? Will you look the other way, secure in my
feelings for you, as I spread my legs for him?”
No matter his
rationalizations, Constantine had taken pleasure from his human
women, thinking them a necessary balm to the dangerous craving he had
for Cassandra. He used them, ignorant and believing himself to be a
good man for keeping his lust away from his darling. Instead,
Constantine had been anything but a good man.
And now my Cassandra
is paying the price.
She stirred.
Constantine quickly wiped his tears away. Her eyes fluttered. She
sighed and stretched. Her fist knocked against his shoulder.
Cassandra gasped and sat up. “Lord Constantine?”
“Yes, my
darling?” He stitched a false smile designed to dazzle.
“Why are you
here? Where is Lady Lenore?”
He smiled wider,
cursed for what he had done and miserable because he knew he would do
it again.
“The bath
overheated you. Lady Lenore called for me, darling, and here I am.”
He caressed her cheek with the backs of his gloved fingers. “Are
you happy to see me?”
Cassandra pinked
with girlish delight. She flung her arms around his neck and
squeezed. “Lord Constantine! I have missed you so much!”
Constantine
swallowed the hard kernel of remorse and found it choked him silent.
He hugged her back and buried his face in her neck.
“My lord? Is
everything well?”
“Yes,”
he whispered, sick with what he had done to her. Cassandra tried to
look at him but he merely tightened his embrace. “Everything is
well, darling. I have just missed you so much.”
Constantine heard
her smile and shuddered.
“I have missed
you too. I love being with you, my lord. You are everything to me. I
could never love you more than I love you now.”
Please do not say
those words to me, darling. Not after what I have done.
“I love you
too.”
“My lord,”
she whined. “Let me look upon
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