Page 127 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

A sensation of déjà vu swept over him. For something already experienced. For somethingunfinished.

He freed himself and slowly ran his hand along his length, a low growl escaping his throat. He imagined her hands there instead, the intimacy of her touch igniting his arousal further.

Just for a fleeting moment, he pictured himself returning to her room, positioning her on her hands and knees atop the bed, and sinking into her repeatedly until he drew every ounce of magic from her being, leaving only pure, unadulterated pleasure in her mind.

No matter how much he tried to forget, he still remembered the taste of her lips from that single kiss they’d shared after he’d woken up in the cabin. He recalled the feel of her bare body beneath him – the feminine curves he’d revealed by tearing away her clothing. He should have been ashamed of his actions, but there was no guilt – only a tight, hollow ache, like something had been stolen from him.

His hand clenched tighter around his throbbing length, moving faster and faster. He was desperate to finish, to erase all the images from his mind.

In his past, he’d had many lovers, but he suspected Amelia would be unlike any of them. Perhaps he wouldn’t take her from behind. He would look into her face, watching the transformation in her fiery eyes as he brought her to the brink.

The release hit him, sudden and powerful. He punched the wall, muffling a primal cry into a deep, guttural growl. The tile cracked, and a small shard of ceramic fell to the floor.

“Damn it!” He grabbed a towel, wiping the warmth from his hand.

Damn it.

Lingering in this cabin was turning into a psychological prison.

47

Constantine

Constantine massaged the tense muscles in his neck, unfastening the top button of his shirt with his other hand. Alas, bathing and changing into clean clothes had done little to quell his irritation.

Diana had resolved to drive him mad with every word, holding onto that decision all night. She had declared she would reveal more about her ties to Swan once Constantine persuaded the reptilians to remove her shackles and transfer her to a cell. Afterwards, she promised to find a way to free him and disclose everything about Swan.

Constantine, in turn, insisted she give up her secrets first, and only then would he inform the Queen that he no longer wanted Diana in his quarters.

Of course, he’d lied. He would never willingly part with her.

His gaze swept over her form on the bed. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Gretchen’s words suddenly took on weight.‘Would she stand by you when it’s time to step into the light?’

He circled the bed and sat beside her. She acknowledged his presence with a slight furrow of her brow.

“When I was a child, my mother used to put me to bed every night with the same words,” he said. “‘Never forget that you’re different,’ she would say. ‘Always with one foot in another world, always a nightmare for this one. Most will see a black heart, but the right one will recognise a true friend in you.’”

Diana tilted her head towards him. “Why are you telling methis?”

“I’m bored.”

She shifted her attention back to the ceiling, but that didn’t stop him.

“I was five years old when some older boys caught me, tied me to a tree, and beat me with sticks until I passed out. A human healer found me, not realising I wasn’t an ordinary child, and brought me to her home to tend to my wounds. It took me a full week to recover enough to run away. When I made it home, my mother was pale with worry. I lied, saying I had fallen off a cliff and had been unconscious for a few days, which was why I hadn’t come back. By the time I turned ten, I was used to being tortured and beaten. And lying expertly so my mother wouldn’t find out…”

“Where was your father?” Diana asked without looking at him.

“On the border between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead.”

“All the time?”

He stared at his shoes. “He was dead, and his spirit refused to move on. My mother spent ninety per cent of her time talking to him, trying to figure out how to bring him back to Earth. I’m not sure if she isn’t still trying to this day.”

A quiet weight settled between them. Constantine felt her gaze on his profile.

“Do you keep in contact with your mother?” she asked.