Dark Child:
Author's Note: I've been waiting to upload this story for a long time. I realize that I still haven't finished Dark Deception, although I plan too. I simply got too impatient and had to write Constantine's story next. Dark Child begins after Dark Deception finishes, but, like Christine Feehan's novels, Dark Child can stand alone.
I would like to apologize about the delay, but I would also like to give a big thank you to all of you who have been so patient with me. So, THANK YOU!!! :) I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.
Complete Summary:
Her mother was ravished by a creature of pure evil, and from that evil gave birth to a daughter. Haunted by the shadow of her father, her search for justice has driven her deep into the heart of the Carpathian Mountains and straight into the arms of a man from her dreams. Or nightmares.
His life was forever ruled by his desperate search for her. Now, in his grey and lifeless world, he must pull himself back from the edge of oblivion and fight for her. But what happiness can he find when she has a darkness to match his own?
Destined to be together or perish, can they forgive one another and build a life together from the ruins of their past? The long awaited story of Constantine.
Prologue:
The warehouse was dark and dingy, and the stench of rotting flesh hung thickly in the air. Red stains pooled in every corner and rusty tools hung from overhead beams. The unnecessary iron chains cut painfully into her bare skin. She knew by now that she could not fight him off, she knew there was no escape.
She choked on her sobs but still managed to mumble the lyrics. She could sing it in her sleep now, if she had to.
From somewhere in the back of the warehouse, he was humming the tune along with her. She finished the chorus.
"Watch from the shadows, watch how they dance."
"They'll never escape you, they haven't a chance."
"First verse," he whispered from the shadows. His voice was like grating steel and held all the promise of wrenching bones.
"Knick the skin, so pale, so soft."
The humming grew louder. He was right beside her now. She shut her eyes tightly; she could not bear to see his blood red eyes. Not again. He ran a hand through her hair, now matted with blood. "Sing for me," he crooned softly. His nails scraped too hard. She drew a shuddering breath.
"Spill the blood, spare not a drop."
There was twinge of pain along her collar bone. A trickle of blood wound its way down between her breasts. She gasped as she felt his rasping tongue clean her of it. She kept singing.
"Second verse!" he shouted with perverse glee.
His voice now joined hers. He carried the tune wonderfully in a deep bass. She could only choke out every other word between her sobs.
"Taste the flesh, so soft, so nice."
"Sing the screams, embrace the night."
She screamed as his teeth sank into her skin. She fought to keep singing. The pain only got worse when she refused to sing.
There was a loud crash and a gasp of pain that was not hers. "Watch from the shadows, see how they dance." Suddenly his teeth were gone and the blazing fire in her skin diminished. She was still too afraid to open her eyes. 'They'll never escape you, they haven't a chance."
Another voice joined in the song now, but with words she did not recognize.
"Reverence the blood, waste not a drop."
The shackles dropped away from her wrist and she became aware of warmth coursing through her. The first warmth she had felt in so long.
"Dream of her smile and long for the life." His voice was deep and pure, and brought with it promises of peace. "Sing with me now, embrace the night."
She gazed up into grey eyes that swirled like storms. Hope, salvation. Still she sang. She was aware of him cradling her as the darkness closed in.
The full moon cast its brilliant rays over the Carpathian Mountains. It brightened the tips of trees with silver light and pooled deeply in the valleys. Constantine paid it no mind. He wove between the branches with purpose. Duty drove his actions.
One final sweep of the earth had come up empty. He was now convinced that there really was no woman out there for him, or if there was, he was not favored by the divine enough to find her. No, there was no one there to save him. He would have to find salvation on his own in the only other way he knew.
He wound deftly towards a small clearing, a place he held in fond memory. The clearing was as old as he was. It was there he and Dominov spent a great deal of time as children, learning to master their skills and physical strength. It was there they planned and schemed and dreamt of the future. It was there they first spoke of what their lifemates would be like, and, as fate would have it, it was the first place Dominov brought Alena. As far as Constantine was concerned, it was where his life first began.
An appropriate place, then, for his life to end.
The sounds of the night caressed him. Even the trees themselves, as old as he was, seemed to part for him. Were they beckoning him to stay or playing for him one last time? It did not matter. It had to be done, for the good of every Carpathian. He would not succumb to the dark. He would not, could not force Dominov to strike down his once greatest friend.
He shut his mind off from every other living thing. Utter stillness settled over his grey world.
Wherever his lifemate was, whether long dead or still waiting for the womb, his heart went out to her. He sincerely hoped that she had or would have a blessed, happy life.
The Carpathian Mountains were his home. They were in his blood. He materialized in the small clearing and waited patiently. He had always wanted to see the sunrise. He supposed he would settle for seeing it in shades of grey.
0000
The full moon shone brightly through the windows of the small silver car and cut sharply across Elaine's eyes, preventing sleep. Not that she could have slept anyway. Not even in the small morning hours, nestled deeply in the forested mountains far from anything she considered to be civilization. Her mind was not at peace enough to allow for sleep.
Her eyes darted furtively to the back seat of the small car before she could stop them, where her leather briefcase rested seemingly benignly against the seat. All she could see were the documents burning a hole through the briefcase. Burning a hole through her heart.
Her life as she knew it was ending, and she fled to the Carpathian Mountains hiding behind business.
"Doin' alright, kid?" Jordan asked, taking his eyes off the winding road.
"Oh, just fine, Dad," she answered, her voice laced with mockery. He smirked; he hadn't expected anything less. She settled back against the seat and stared out the window. If she closed her eyes, would she see them? She yawned. Her whole body seemed to ache. But then again, she should be used to it by now; her body always seemed to ache.
The rich Carpathian landscape whirred by in various dark colors, shades of blue and gray and black. There was always something about the night she loved; she found comfort in it. But tonight not even the full moon could assuage her. The little car sped through the night, racing up mountains and down valleys with little care. Jordan's driving would kill her one day.
The hours passed and Elaine could find no sleep. She took some small comfort in watching the Carpathian Mountains, and soon she could see a faint pink line painting the background of the mountains off to her right. She felt in her pocket for her sunglasses, wanting the reassurance of knowing they were there. Her eyes were overly sensitive, at best.
As they climbed a mountainside, a deep valley was exposed to her right. Her vision had always been exceptional, especially at night, and with the full moon to help her, the entire valley was illuminated before her. It was filled to the brim with giant trees and glistening leaves, and a small clearing that seemed in the moonlight to be a pool of silver. Elaine pulled herself up to get a better view. Wait. Was that a man standing there? Elaine squinted to try and get a better view, but even her eyes could not make it out clearly. But then, who would be in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains at this time of night? No, certainly not a man. Not entirely convinced, she settled back again.
It was not until the little car had left the valley completely out of sight that something unseen hit her squarely in the chest. Gasping, Elaine sat bolt upright and clutched a hand to her racing heart. It was as though someone – no, something – had reached out and touched her heart.
"What's wrong?" Jordan asked. He was instantly alert and feeling one hand inside his coat pocket for the hard steel they always carried. He learned long ago to trust Elaine's instincts and senses even when his own could not detect anything.
"I don't know," she replied cautiously. She massaged her heart to calm it down, but she could still feel that brush across her soul. Something was out there, all right.
Jordan frowned but withdrew an empty hand from his coat. "This is going to be one of those awful jobs that people write books about, isn't it? Ah well, let's just get it done with so we can go home."
Elaine grimaced. Home, right. She didn't have one of those anymore.