Darling Read Online Free Page A

expected!” Constantine
teased, amused to see her twitch in chagrin. “You are right, of
course.” His easy smile faded away. “She cannot stay
sheltered forever, can she?”

    “Mistress
Cassandra is your true match, my lord, for a reason. She can survive
our dreamland of terror and nightmares. She is capable of taking the
burdens of managing this world by your side.”

    “Can she
really? She is not afraid of what goes here because I keep much of it
away from her. I constructed this house to be the antithesis of our
reality. She is all smiles and happiness, untouched of mortal
concerns, living in beauty, thinking she knows how this world works.
If she only knew. . .”

    “Mistress
Cassandra is ready to move forward with you, my lord.”

    Constantine allowed
himself the luxury of hiding his face behind his gloved hand. The
partial obscurity gave his words the freedom to tumble forth.

    “I do not want
to let her go, Lady Lenore. I want to keep my darling all for myself.
Once I make her my Beloved, she can no longer hide away in these
rooms or stay attached by my side. She will have to fully face the
world trapped inside this kingdom and I am deathly afraid she is not
strong enough to do so.”

    Lenore understood
what Constantine secretly feared. “Mistress Cassandra’s
love for you is eternal, my lord. Truly living among us will not
change that.”

    His mouth curled.
Arm falling back down, Constantine remarked, “Eternity is our
birthright, yet Nephilim keeps their sovereignty over us by enslaving
us to these cruel, delicate humans. Cassandra has the power to slay
me, to make me a shadow of the man I am now, and all in a handful of
years.” Constantine whispered in bewilderment, “Love is
truly a terrible thing, is it not?”

    “Yes, and
entirely worth it, my lord.”

    “I hope you
are right, Lady Lenore, for all our sakes.” The hallway
darkened before returning to its normal length. He bowed slightly to
his subject. “Thank you for your generous counsel, Lady Lenore.
You may assist our little darling now. I have promised to entertain
her and I shall keep my word.”

    Even if it tortures
me to the point of madness.

    4

    Cassandra sat next
to her lord, ensconced in a luxurious sedan that meandered its way
towards the center of town. Curiosity tempted her to pull back the
velvet curtains, to see what peculiar events were happening outside,
but one peek at Lord Constantine’s foreboding expression
promptly killed the urge.

    He has warned me not
to look out unless he has given me permission. I do not want to upset
him further.

    She sighed and
continued to stare straight ahead. Their driver remained a shadowy
outline behind the privacy curtain. Cassandra wondered what he
thought of her and her lord. Did he too see her as a nuisance?

    Perhaps it is better
that I am not seen out with my lord very often.

    “Does my
company not please you, darling?”

    She shifted in her
seat towards him. “Of course it does, my lord. Why do you ask?”
The corners of Cassandra’s plump mouth turned down. “You
heard my thoughts.”

    “Fears are
amplified beyond the castle. That and,” his gloved hand found
hers, “you have yet to speak a single word to me.”

    Cassandra lifted her
arm and rubbed her cheek against their entwined fingers. “I
have been afraid that you were angry with me.”

    “Do you fear
such a thing often?”

    She bit her lip and
shook her head. “Not often.”

    “But the fear
you feel often centers on me, does it not?”

    Her cheeks bloomed
in embarrassment. “I am truly sorry for the way I acted
earlier. You have always been so kind to me and I repay you with bad
behavior. I do not know what came over me.”

    “You were
already forgiven, my darling.” Lord Constantine leaned down and
whispered in her ear, “You are very beautiful this evening. I
am pleased to see you wearing one of your new gowns.”

    Cassandra preened.
“Did you notice my hat as well?”

    The