4. Constance

Constance

Soaked in the blood of her sister and holding a wailing infant in her arms, Constance ran through the woods. Her blue gown, which matched her eyes, was stained an unnatural color. Her perfectly groomed hair was now unkempt, matching the wildness in her eyes.

Cain had instructed her to remove the child early to ensure its weakness. Its blood would've granted Constance immortality and allowed her to elevate to a member of The Society. But the slimy, deformed little thing took its first breath moments after being cut from Sadie's womb.

She hesitated, looking at its tiny horns and tail, and became startled when a servant gasped behind her. Constance immediately wrapped the baby in her cloak and absconded. In her haste, she dropped the dagger meant to pierce the child's heart.

A fresh snowfall began as they reached the tree line. Though her leather boots and cloak were designed to keep her warm, a chill ran down her spine. Wolves howled in the distance, making her painfully aware that she'd left her younger sister bleeding in the snow.

Constance shook the unwelcome guilt that threatened her out of her head. This was her chance to live more than her mundane existence, and there was no undoing what had been done.

When Cain approached their cottage and asked for Sadie, Constance became irate. What did her sister have that she didn't for the handsome lord? As the eldest, she was the beautiful one—the one bred for society. Her sister was a sow.

"I'll give anything to become The Winter Maiden," Constance blurted.

"Anything?" he asked with a devilish twinkle. "Even your sister's life?"

"Absolutely. She's your servant now. Do anything you want with her," Constance said without hesitation.

"What if I want you to serve me?" His lip quirked cloyingly.

"I don't serve anyone." Constance crossed her arms.

His eyes gazed over her curves hungrily.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Lord Cain."

He nodded and held her gaze for several minutes. When he finally broke eye contact, Constance felt dizzy. Cain casually crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Do you know why our father skipped me and chose my younger brother? "

"No, my lord."

"Give me your sister, and I'll make your dreams come true."

When Sadie sauntered up to the punch table at the Offering ball with a brilliant smile on her face, Constance's jealousy flared. When her sister declared she had been chosen as the Winter Maiden, that was the end of everything.

After Lucien threatened her and kicked her out of the castle with the gold, she returned home to her mother.

"That wench was chosen by the prince. She stole my future!"

"You've returned with a dowry."

Constance turned toward her mother with a disgusted look. She picked up one of the gold coins and threw it back into the chest with a huff.

"The heifer's weight in gold. But that bitch will be bathed in luxury that should've been mine."

Eliza Winters shook her head and clicked her tongue. "With this money, we can buy you a new wardrobe. We'll purchase a carriage and move away. We'll hire a new servant, and you can be introduced into society. I'm sure we'll find a nobleman for you to marry."

"Lord Cain promised to elevate me, Mother. We only have to wait a few months."

Even though it was winter on the mountain, the babbling brook remained unfrozen. The freezing water trickled down to the village where residents pulled fresh water from the spring. Constance dropped to her knees and unwrapped her cloak.

The baby blinked up at her with dark eyes. Its head was full of dark hair. The little cherub pout was all Sadie's. Constance had wanted to be the Winter Maiden but never wanted a child. She didn't want this one, either.

"My sister fucked up my entire life. Are you going to punish me now?" she mocked.

The baby's serpentine appendage coiled tightly around Constance's wrist. The very touch seared her skin with an intense, burning sensation. She could barely suppress a yelp at the agonizing pain.

With a mixture of panic and determination, she tried to pry the tail loose, but it was as if the baby's grip was made of steel. The tiny creature seemed to delight in the agony it inflicted as it tightened the coil.

As the seconds ticked by, Constance felt the heat of the tail penetrate her skin, leaving behind incinerated flesh. She needed to act quickly before the damage became irreversible.

In a desperate attempt to break free, Constance grabbed the baby's tail with her other hand and yanked with all her might to untangle it from her wrist and dropped the baby onto the bank.

"You fucking brat," she wheezed.

The baby's wails were deafening .

"Will you shut up!" Constance screeched at the wailing child.

The child's face contorted, and its skin cracked and became an inferno, burning Constance's hands and making her shriek. The tiny horn nubs grew longer, and the already dark eyes became pitch black.

Constance took the damned thing and thrust it beneath the surface of the icy spring water. Her heart beat wildly as hysterical laughter bubbled within her.

The child continued to thrash and wiggle as steamy vapor rose from the water's surface.

"What do we do now?" she hissed to the man standing over her shoulder.

"It's too late for the ritual. It's already found its demonic form. You can keep the child and raise it as your own."

The laughter broke free. The muscles in her cheeks hurt, and she thought she cracked a rib, as it hurt to breathe. Cain's hand cracked across her face, hard enough to make her vision go white. She greedily gasped for breath as she finally came back to her senses.

"Not the maternal type?" he asked with a mocking grin. "Even demons have mothers. Your sister gave birth to the one in your hands."

"Kill the little beast," Constance said. "Give me what you promised."

He became pensive for a moment. "My brother's spawn is strong. It infected the water with poison that would kill all the crops, livestock, and humans in the village with a plague. Are you sure you don't want to witness the destruction this little one can bring firsthand?"

"I couldn't care less," she seethed.

"This child was destined to bring The Society out of the shadows and bridge the gap between our worlds. With the right nurturing of animosity, cruelty, and neglect, it will destroy the world. And you killed its mother."

"I don't care about this damn world as long as I get to spend eternity with you."

Constance's eyes widened in astonishment as she beheld a mesmerizing sight—the baby's skin was a vibrant hue of red, as though nature had imbued it with the essence of flora, giving it an ethereal glow. Little droplets of water quickly evaporated off its burning skin.

"What do we do now?"

"Give me the child, Constance."