Chapter Three

London, England 1811

Constance stood by the bed while placing her clothes in the suitcase and glanced at the ring on her left ring finger. The gold band sparkled along with the three diamonds and she sweetly smiled, thinking about becoming the newest Lady Vincenzi. She remember the first time she had laid eyes on Giacomo and how handsome he looked in his black waistcoat, white shirt, tight black trousers and black leather boots. The black cape hung on his shoulders and he held black leather gloves in his right hand. He had come to see her grandmother in order to get some help fighting the loup garou that were terrorizing a village not far from the house and her grandmother gave him a silver blade sword. He offered to pay for the sword but her grandmother told him that there was no charge. For her to be so generous surprised Constance but then she heard that he would meet his match and his heart would be stolen.

"Imagine our surprise when we found that it was I who would end up stealing his heart!" she thought then smiled.

"M'Lady?" someone asked as she turned around and saw Giacomo's maid servant standing in the doorway.

"Yes…Kristina, was it? What can I do for you?" she asked as Kristina walked closer and stood in front of her.

"I dinnae mean tae speak out of my station, Miss, but I need tae speak with you," she said and Constance nodded. She walked to the door when she closed the door and pointed with her hand toward the couch near the window. They sat down as Kristina bunched some of the apron she wore in her hands and sighed, looking at the floor.

"Do not worry, Kristina. Whatever you wish to say to me will never leave this room," she said and Kristina softly smiled.

"I….I wish to speak tae you aboot my master," she said and Constance nodded for her to continue. "Och, I admit that I have feeling for him but I ken that he doesnae have feelings for me. I just wonder if you truly love him. He is a nice man an' he deserves someone that loves him completely."

"I do love Giacomo with all my heart," Constance said and Kristina nodded.

"It's just that I heard stories aboot you, Miss, terrible stories," Kristina sighed and Constance softly smiled.

"You mean the rumors about me being a witch?" she asked and Kristina's eyes went wide. "Now there is no reason to be afraid. I do admit that I am a witch."

"Have you…? Did you….?" Kristina stammered and Constance softly laughed.

"No, I haven't cast a spell on Giacomo. Truth be told, I think he cast one on me," she said with a shy smile. "Out of all the women in the world, he asked me to marry him."

"The Master is verra shy, Miss," Kristina said with a nod of her head.

"Yes, I have noticed that."

'Then there's…" Kristina said then stopped herself and Constance tilted her head to one side.

"Yes?" she asked and Kristina shook her head, looking down at her hands.

"I promised nae tae tell," she said and Constance placed a hand on top of hers.

"Are you talking about his nightly activities?" she asked and Kristina's eyes went wide. "I know all about them."

"You…you do, Miss?" she asked with a stunned look on her face.

"Yes, and I promise to keep his secret," she said then stood up, looking at her. "Is there anything else?"

"Aye," Kristina said as she stood up and sighed. "When you say that you're a witch, are you a white witch?"

"Are you asking if I'm a good witch?" she asked with a grin and Kristina nodded her head. "Well, like there are good people and bad people, there are good witches and bad ones. So, yes, I am a white witch."

"That is good to ken," Kristina said then did a curtsey and left the room. Constance looked at the door for a few minutes when she softly laughed, shook her head and went to finish her packing.

Las Vegas, Nevada 2011

The one thing Cassandra Lake hated was sitting in traffic. She hated it more when she had somewhere to go. Her agent had called and told her that she had arranged an audition at the Hard Rock Hotel and Cassandra was on the verge of being late. First her alarm clock failed to wake her then she broke a nail and her hair dryer died, leaving her to go out with wet hair. It didn't matter that she had to prove that she was an excellent magician but having to work for some like Peter Vincent seemed…beneath her. She had seen his act a few times but she never thought much of his act.

"Well, it's better than nothing," she thought and held the steering wheel tightly in her hands. The traffic finally moved as she sighed and her blue car moved down the street. A few minutes later she arrived at the hotel when she parked the car and got out. Her jet black hair was pulled up into a bun as she opened the back door and reached in to remove the cage that had been secured to the back seat and whatever was in the cage growled at her. Inside the cage was a falcon with dark brown and white feathers and the small black feathers on its chest was in the shape of a cross. She placed the cage on the ground when she closed and locked the doors then picked up the cage, walking toward the door to the employees' entrance.

"Right, let's get this over with," she said as her hazel eyes sparkled in the sunlight and she pushed the button, hearing the buzzing sound from behind the door. She was wearing a white blouse, a navy blue jacket and trousers and blue shoes and her purse was hanging over her right shoulder. She held onto the handle of the cage when the door opened and a tall man with a bald head looked at her.

''Yeah?" he asked as she looked at him and noticed that his muscles were straining against the tight black t-shirt he was wearing with SECURITY on the front. He was also wearing jeans and black leather boots and she held up a finger, opening her purse to get out the letter her agent had sent her. Handing the letter to him, she waited as he checked the names on the list that was connected to the clipboard in his hand and he nodded, opening the door wider. "The showroom is down the hall. Just make a left then a right and you'll see the banner over the door."

Thanking him, Cassandra picked up the cage as she headed down the hallway when she entered the lobby and smiled. She looked around when she walked to her left then saw a hallway to her right and held the handle of the cage tighter in her hands. She stopped when she saw the banner with Peter's picture on it as she blinked her eyes and hummed.

"Ego much?" she asked then shrugged and headed for the door. She opened the door when she walked inside the showroom and glanced at the décor. She softly smiled then saw other young woman sitting at the tables or standing near the stage when she walked toward the stage and stood next to a young woman, who looked like she was wearing nothing more than feathers. Smiling, Cassandra gently tapped her shoulder and the young woman turned around, looking at her. "Excuse me. I know this is going to sound dumb, but is this where I audition for Peter Vincent?"

"Yeah, but why anyone wants to work for that asshole is beyond me. The guy's a hack," the young woman said when a loud cough filled the air and they looked up, seeing Peter standing on the stage in complete make-up and was wearing his leather pants, leather boots and his leather coat. "Oh fuck."

Constance agreed with her but only because the sight of Peter in person was a shock. He looked intimidating but she could sense a great sadness coming from him and he looked down at the young woman with such anger in his eyes.

"If that's how you feel, get the fuck out!" Peter shouted as he pointed toward the door and the young woman flipped him off and left the room. He looked at the other young woman when he crossed his arms over his bare chest and glared at them. "Anyone else want to leave?"

Cassandra looked at the other young women as they shook their heads and Peter slightly smiled, arching one eyebrow.

"Then let's get started," he said as he walked to the high back chair sitting at the center of the stage, sat down with one leg over the arm of the chair and snapped his fingers. Darcy had taken over Ginger's job as she growled then walked to him and slapped the clipboard against his bare chest and he smiled at her. He looked at the list of names when he looked at the young woman and tapped the clipboard on the tips of his fingers. "Right, who wants to go first?"