Heart of Darkness

Constantine knew he would get a visit soon after the incident he arranged and he knew the visit wouldn’t be pleasant at first. So he was surprised when Skender came to him calm and collected. He didn’t like this. What did it mean?

Skender teleported right into his parlor and made himself comfortable. “Some shades attacked my mate.” He spoke calmly.

It was harder to fake when he was calm. “You know I have nothing to win from making shades attack your mate. I said would keep them away.”

“I know. Then who could it be?” Skender wondered.

Well, this was not how he thought things would go. He would have to be careful not to be too obvious.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Then you need to find out. We made a bargain.” He reminded, his eyes still silvery from fury.

“You are not upholding your part, so why should I uphold mine?” Constantine asked.

Skender tilted his head, his eyes darkening and glowing at the same time. “Then I should uphold my part of the deal.”

Constantine tried not to look too surprised. This easily? What was this man planning?

“I will kill your father, but you will have to lure him out.”

“He doesn’t trust me.”

“Then do it through provocation. If you are going to rule over the shades after your father’s fall you need to be the one challenging him and defeating him. Isn’t that how it was traditionally done and why you needed the prophetic blood? Otherwise, you can’t earn your subjects’ respect.”

“What are you suggesting exactly?”

“I am saying I will do the killing but you will be the killer.”

Right. And that way he would avoid war between the shades and demons. Of course, he came here with a plan but Constantine didn’t care. His goal was to kill his father.

Constantine went ahead to do what he traditionally planned to do in the beginning when he only wanted his father’s throne. To challenge him and then defeat him using the prophetic blood that he decided to share with the rest of his men who would fight beside him.

He called his father for a challenge of power. His father could not refuse or it would be a sign of weakness.

“Are your men trustworthy?” Skender asked him as they waited to meet.

“Yes.”

“Good. Then you will do all the fighting. Kill off all of your father’s men. We don’t want any witnesses left.”

Constantine was confused.

“No one is supposed to know I am here.”

Constantine nodded. Just what was he planning?

“What is the way to ensure he is dead?”

“Remove his head,” Constantine said. Just to be safe. “What is your plan exactly?”

“Just do as I say. Fight as usual. Fight your father. I don’t think you are afraid of death, are you?”

“No. But I want to see my father dead before I die, thank you.”

Skender smirked. “Don’t thank me yet. You have a lot to do and it seems like your father takes the attack first approach to surprise you. He is here.”

What?

Before she could think, Skender vanished leaving him to fend for himself. Did he lure him perhaps? Was he tricked?

God, he wasn’t sure. Everyone was already in their animal form fighting outside.

“Here you are.” His father appeared in the parlor, the only one who didn’t shift yet. “What are you doing Constantine? I thought we didn’t do this anymore?” He walked around the couch watching him carefully. “Now I am killing off your men for your stupid mistakes.”

“They are no stupid mistakes,” Constantine said.

“No? What will you do now when you have no one by your side?”

“I will fight you and get everyone on my side once I defeat you.”

His father threw his head back, a pearl of evil laughter coming from his lips. “You think you can? Even if you found the prophetic blood that you have been looking for you wouldn’t be able to kill me.”

He knew?

His father went to sit down. “I knew you were ambitious. I liked that about you but I didn’t think you were a fool.”

The shattering sound of glass interrupted them. The fight outside was slowly moving in. They could hear them fight on the roof and soon walls and doors were being broken.

His father shook his head. “You know I always believed in the ‘you can’t get another father but you can get another son.'”

“I know,” Constantine said. His father never showed him love so it was obvious. He had only taught him what he knew. To care about power and now he would pay for it. Either he would lose his life or his son.

Suddenly everything fell silent outside and his father stood up proudly, sure that it was his men who won. “It is your turn now, son.” He said with disgust and as Constantine was about to shift blood to fight, blood splashed on his face.

Startled, he wiped it away and found his father’s headless body slowly falling to the ground. Blood spurted from his neck and next to it stood Skender holding the head with his clawed hands.

Constantine was horrified for a moment.

“Sorry for the interruption. It was taking too long and I have things to attend to.” Skender said.

The silence in the room became eerie as he didn’t reply.

“I know. It is scary. He looks a lot like you.” Skender said. “It is like seeing your own head severed.”

He put the head on his table.

Constantine let out a breath when the shock wore off. He stared at his fathers head. Finally, after many years of waiting, the old man was dead. For a moment he had prepared himself to die thinking that Skender had tricked him.

“Don’t be relieved. It is your turn now.” Skender said and before Constantine could comprehend what he meant he was grabbed by the collar and Skender flew away with him, breaking through the roof.

This was bad because he couldn’t shift into a flying animal and fighting up in the air would cause him to fall. Either way, he was doomed already.

Skender didn’t only release him to fall. He threw him down so the impact would be harder. His body crashed through the roof again and into the marble floor in his parlor. The pain paralyzed him as every bone in his body broke, wounding his inner organs.

Skender came right after him, landing gracefully. He loomed over him with a threatening look that he couldn’t quite see because of the pain that darkened his vision.

The demon crouched, bringing his face closer. “This is for what you did today and for trying to fool me. The only reason I am keeping you alive is for you to now uphold your part of the deal. Keep your puppets away!”

Constantine couldn’t speak through the pain but he could hear him. It didn’t matter. Even if he died now, at least his father was dead.

Skender sighed. “Anyway, enjoy your rule, and don’t take this to heart. It has to look like you really fought with your life on the line to make it look believable. You will look like a hero.” He smirked.

The cunning demon. He had planned it all. By keeping him alive and making him keep his part of the deal, he would prevent war and make the shades stay away from demon mates. Constantine would have laughed if he could. Perhaps he should just let himself die instead of living this empty life where he would keep his puppets from getting him killed.

“Once you heal, perhaps we can have some wine to celebrate.”

Yes. He could use some wine right now.

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