Page 29 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Constantine

Constantine leaned against a tree trunk, crossing his arms. A gust of wind stirred the branches and carried a floral scent tinged with a sharp, peppery note he’d believed was lost to him forever. What was he supposed to do in the face of this unexpected twist of fate?

Life is the most unfair opponent. For years, it beats you down, and just when you think you’ve grown numb to its temptations, it takes a single moment to lure you back into another duel – another hope that a happy ending might still be possible.

Sometimes, a single moment changes everything.

For Constantine, that moment was now .

His attention settled on Diana. Her chestnut hair, streaked with copper, framed her face and highlighted the warmth in her almond-shaped eyes.

Those beautiful eyes, often inscrutable, reflected emotions he could never quite decipher.

Her soft features radiated femininity, accentuated by a delicate nose and full lips.

“If I still had my necromancer’s powers, I might have mistaken you for a ghost,” he said, fighting the urge to step closer. It was wiser to keep some distance. For now.

She shrugged. “I didn’t die in the tournament.”

As if that explained anything.

He swallowed the reprimand that threatened to rise to his tongue – the anger he harboured over her departure with nothing but a damned note. “It’s good to hear your voice again,” he said instead.

“It’s good to see you again.”

For now , that was enough. He pushed away from the tree trunk. “What were you doing near the portal?”

She studied his every reaction with the same intensity he reserved for her. “I’ve been coming in and out of Antambazi regularly for some time.”

“Why?”

“I was searching for something.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” She tucked a stray chestnut strand behind her ear.

“How did you learn about Antambazi?”

“I met someone during the Al-Hatib’s Tournament…”

Constantine stiffened. “A man?”

“A friend. He warned me there would be an attack on all tournament participants and told me about a realm that exists apart from the rest of the world. But I didn’t know you were there until I saw you today.”

A sharp pang struck his chest. Though he still had much to learn from Diana, a sudden thought curved his lips into a smile. “And you threatened to cut off Kathrine’s head.”

“I have unfinished business with those lizards.”

There she was – the Diana he remembered.

Audacious and unapologetic. Fierce enough to enter a tournament meant for monsters.

And now, the prize she’d risked everything for was in the Queen’s hands.

Coincidence? He doubted it. “Hecate’s Mirror.

That’s what you were searching for in Antambazi, wasn’t it? ”

Her features betrayed a flicker of hesitation. “I was, but I realised I couldn’t take it. Anyway. Why did the reptilians imprison you ?”

“Because the Queen desired something from me.”

“ Something ?”

He stepped closer, his shadow spilling over her delicate frame. “Yes, dove.”

She arched an eyebrow. “What could you possibly offer the Mother of Reptilians?”

“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 Antambazi through 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?!”

He pinned her down, trapping her thighs between his knees. Leaning over her, he seized her wrists and pressed them to the mattress on either side of her head. Their faces were close enough to kiss.

“Answering your question,” he said. “You have no idea how little I care about saving my necromancer’s ass. But your secrets? I want to learn them – all of them.”

She tensed in a feeble attempt to shove him away. “Your life must be dreadfully dull if I’m the most interesting thing in it.”

Constantine’s gaze drifted down the neckline of her thin shirt, imagining what it would feel like to trace that path with his tongue. At last, Diana’s body surrendered, her breath coming out shallow and quick. He could wager those same images were flickering through her mind, too.

“Damn it, Diana,” he murmured. “I thought you were dead. And that I’d missed my chance with you.”

Her eyes fixed on his. “You never stood a chance with me.”

He pressed his hips forward, brushing against her. “How long will we keep lying to ourselves? Why did you run from me?”

Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. “I didn’t. I left for the tournament.”

His grip on her wrists tightened. “With just a note for goodbye? Coward. You knew if you said farewell in person, you’d end up spending one of the most unforgettable nights of your life.

My plan was to start off as a gentleman – take you for an evening out.

After that, though…” He started tracing light circles on her palms with his thumbs.

“I would have stripped that exquisite dress off your body and fucked you all night until you’d have forgotten any plans to leave.

Letting you slip away was a rookie mistake on my part. It won’t happen again.”

Her pupils dilated, a flicker of doubt coating her tone. “You’d have grown bored of me once you had me…”

“I say we find out.”

His lips met hers, exploring them with deliberate slowness, savouring the tempting curve in the middle. When Diana drew a trembling breath, he deepened the kiss, intoxicated by the heady mix of sweetness and spice she carried.

He released one of her wrists and glided his palm along the smooth skin of her arm.

His hand slipped down to her thigh, gripping it with a hunger he could no longer control.

Years of casual encounters had numbed him to the finer art of seduction – the thrill of anticipation, the slow unveiling of desire.

Yet here he was, a novice once more, rediscovering the captivating allure of a single, breathless kiss.

She moaned, arching her back. How often had he yearned to run his fingers over her body, but ended up restraining himself, insisting it was for her own good? He couldn’t understand this overwhelming longing to claim her, nor the aching need to leave his mark on her.

The hardness straining in his trousers rubbed against her thighs, and she buried her fingers in his hair. At that moment, Constantine reached a conclusion: the best thing for her was him. Only him.

She hooked her legs around his hips, trying to flip him off. In a heartbeat, he twisted, rolling her on top instead.

“Do you trust me, Constantine?” she whispered, eyes half-lidded.

He hadn’t thought of her as shy, though he’d expected her to take longer to lower her guard. This unexpected side of Diana intrigued him. “Of course,” he said.

Then she surprised him further by reaching for the handcuffs dangling from her belt. She pressed her hips into his, leaning down for another kiss. By the time the metal clicked around his wrist, it was too late.

Diana straightened herself and fastened the other end of the cuffs to the bed frame.

“I’m sorry.” She crawled away from him.

He lunged for her with his free hand, grasping at the empty air.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Her lips were still swollen from their kisses, her hair tousled from their entanglement. Yet the passion in her gaze had faded. “I wasn’t out gathering information tonight. I was hunting.”

He strained against the cuffs, but they wouldn’t give.

“For Chosen. I planned to capture one and ransom them to the Queen, in exchange for the mirror.”

His arousal vanished quicker than if he’d jumped into an icy lake.

“Then I saw you and Amelia.”

“ And? ”

“I figured you two would be more valuable to the Queen than her Chosen. I hadn’t come up with a foolproof plan, at first…”

Constantine yanked at the cuffs again. “But it dawned on you while we were kissing?”

“No. More like while we were running through the forest. The kiss gave me the opportunity to cuff you.” She shrugged. “Shame I let Amelia get away – the deal would’ve been better with her. But I suppose the Queen would pay handsomely for you alone.”

Damn her!

“You’re about to make the biggest mistake of your life. Come here and release me!”

Diana glanced at the cuffs. “I’m afraid I can’t. There’s no point in struggling. These are from the Istanbul market, enhanced with magic.”

Constantine growled, eyes locked on her. “In the last few seconds, I went from fully aroused to furious. Unlock these right now, or I’ll break them myself. And for your sake, the bed had better be reinforced with magic as well.”

Her brow furrowed, as if she were contemplating letting him go. Then she squared her shoulders. “I’ll take the risk.”

“Damn it, Diana!”

She moved to the window and peered outside. “I’ll wait for the commotion from the escape to die down, then contact the Queen.”

“Have you lost your mind? You just shot two of her Chosen and kidnapped me. Not to mention, thanks to your actions, Amelia and—” Constantine stopped himself from mentioning Mikhail.

Diana hadn’t seen the manticore in the car, and it was probably for the best. “You really believe the Queen will trade you Hecate’s Mirror for me? ”

“That depends on how much she wants you. You said it yourself – ‘a lot’.”