Page 56 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

“Something that makes her want me. Badly.”

“Are you suggesting you and the Queen…”

“I can keep secrets too, Bloody Diana.”

She pressed her lips together. “Fine. If you won’t share, so be it! Let’s move before the Queen finds you.”

He could have drawn out the game, allowing her curiosity to stew, but it was too dangerous to linger. “Where do you propose we go? It won’t be long before human police swarm the area. The reptilians work with them.” Unable to resist, he added, “As I said, the Queen will stop at nothing to have me back.”

Diana’s smile broadened. “Let her try, then. Come on – I know a place where we can bunker down for a bit.”

If the first turning point had been his decision to allow Diana into his life again, the second was his realisation that he would keep her there.

***

Constantine

While Constantine mourned her presumed death, Diana had been hiding near Antambazi – in a two-storey countryside house with weathered stone walls and a garden left to wilderness. A narrow cobblestone path meandered through the overgrowth, ending at a set of crumbling steps before the entrance door.

It had taken them an hour and a half to reach the place, with Diana leading the way, offering Constantine an unobstructed view of her sculpted backside encased in leather trousers. According to her story, she’d been slipping into Antambazithrough one of the transport portals, spending most of her time on the outskirts while waiting for an opportunity to approach the palace. Such a chance, however, had never arisen.

Constantine scanned the derelict buildings flanking her hideout. “What were you doing near the portal this morning?”

Diana climbed the three steps of the terrace and pivoted to face him. Standing on the top step, her eyes were level with his. “I spent the night in Antambazi and was just leaving when I saw movement on the main road. Call it intuition or whatever, but I sensed something was happening.”

He examined the athletic curves of her body with deliberate slowness. The tight black shirt and leather trousers hugged her form in a way that was, frankly, indecent.

“I’m up here.” She twirled a finger in front of Constantine’s face.

He focused on her features. “Intuition, you say?”

She swivelled around to open the door. Constantine smoothed down his wrinkled shirt. Damn it, what wouldn’t he give to make Diana stop lying to him?

Once inside, he paused to examine the space she’d occupied in recent weeks. The air was thick with age and staleness, yet her presence clung to every corner. It lingered in the empty holster slung across the vintage television and in the open weapons magazine spread atop the oilcloth-covered table by the window.

Diana tossed her gun onto the worn-out sofa, then disappeared into an adjacent room. The door remained ajar behind her, so Constantine followed. He paused at the threshold, taking in the furnishings. A small bed with a metal frame and an antique wardrobe on the opposite wall marked the space as a bedroom.

The vampire unfastened her sword scabbard and then took out the two knives she’d concealed in her boots.

Constantine leaned against the doorframe. “How, exactly,did you collect information in Antambazi?”

“I questioned people on the outskirts.” Diana opened the wardrobe, which contained an arsenal of weapons instead of clothes. “The poor aren’t afraid to speak against the Queen.”

As she reached up to place the knives on a top shelf, the motion lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing her narrow waist above a leather belt adorned with handcuffs.

A few weeks ago, Constantine had thought his touch would corrupt her. Now, he realised the damage had already been done – to him. She must have twisted something inside him because he couldn’t recall ever feeling such a maddening urge to possess a woman, while being so unsure of how to approach her – whether to win her over or simply take her.

“Tell me,” he said, “how does a vampire armed for war go unnoticed in a realm full of reptilians? Your story about strolling around Antambazi and having friendly chats with those lizards doesn’t quite add up.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “You know I’m good at staying hidden.”

Constantine stepped into the room. “Seems to me you’re better at hiding secrets.”

Diana faced him, arms crossed. “Isn’t it enough that I saved your necromancer’s ass from the reptilians?”

The smug curve of her rosy lips held a particular allure he could no longer resist. Constantine grasped her elegant shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed. Eyes widening, she managed to lift herself partway before the motion unbalanced her, sending her flat against the mattress.

“What are you doing, Constantine?!”