Angel or Demon?
Who is Lord Christopher Templeton really?

 Uncaring about rules in general, Chris had fallen in love with Duncan the first time he had seen him.
Excerpt from THE SEX, Virtus #1

“You know, through the years, I’ve kept careful watch over you, not just for personal reasons, but also because I wanted to study up close a Virt I‘d heard only from ancient traditions, which is the rare ability to combine both positive and negative energy. And though you come from a very powerful family, no one else to my knowledge can blend these two opposite forces as easily and effortlessly as you can. I haven’t told anyone about your special talent
(Arthur Fairchild, from THE SEX, Virtus #1)
 
“My angel?” A rueful smile, full of love and mischief, crossed his lips. “You don’t know the half of him. Unlike me, he’s never been too choosy when it comes to making his body available to anyone catching his fancy, if only momentary.” He glanced at her ironically. “At least as far as men go. His restless soul has made friends with practically any pair of beautiful eyes, belonging to a pair of pants, naturally.”
(Duncan Caldwell, from THE GAME, Virtus #2)

 “I’ve always felt Chris to be different from any man I know. He’s an angel…” Drowning in images of the beloved face, Duncan sighed. “And a demon. He consumes me with desire, but then his fire gives me new life every time.
(Duncan Caldwell, from THE GAME, Virtus #2)
 

“I…I don’t know what happened there, with that burst of love, and to be honest, I don’t want to know. She needed our help, both of us, and I’m very glad I was there for her, really. But I’m still coming round to the fact she’ll be a permanent addition to my life that I just can’t deal with anything else about her, not for the moment.”
(Christopher Templeton, from THE LEADER, Virtus #4)

“But will she accept your fooling around, knowing she’s not what you really crave?” Deliberately hateful and hurtful, Carl’s tone became more acute. “Does she know how to suck your cock in such a way you won’t wish it was a man doing it? Do you really like all that wetness getting in the way of your pleasure? And what about that dastardly heat stuff that makes you fuck her even when you can’t stand her?” He sniggered. “Will she learn to cope with the fact you’ll never be interested in her cunt, just her ass?”
(Carl Strepton, from THE PLEDGE, Virtus #5)
 
“At his best, he’s charming, funny, playful like a child but loving like a man.” While at his worst, he’s passionate and hot like a demon come from another dimension.
(Ylianor Templeton, from THE HEAT Virtus #6)

Richard’s stomach caved in at young Templeton’s disheveled look. By the gods, how can anyone be so fucking gorgeous? No, gorgeous was not the right word. Sensual…that fit Christopher to a tee and explained Richard’s distraction every time the man moved around the classroom, looking as slick as a feline, whether ready to devour a victim or have sex with it.
(Richard Ellis, from THE HEAT, Virtus #6)
 

The problem was that, with one tongue sweep, Duncan wiped out his rage, erased his doubts and spun his senses into a vortex of pure, unashamed, unabated lust. He did not want just anyone. He wanted the almighty prince and him alone. He wanted to drop on his knees to beg for his forgiveness while sucking his cock dry. He wanted to give up his very life, to prove what a stupid fool he was. He wanted to have Duncan’s love overflowing him, instead of the dark, furious cloud engulfing him. He wanted…by the gods, everything he wanted was wrapped up in one person alone, and he almost could not stand it.
(Christopher Templeton, from THE HEAT Virtus #6)

 “Be careful about what you feel for Christopher Templeton.” Embracing his shoulders, she leaned closer. “I’m not going to tell you not to fall in love with him…” ‘Cause I’m too late. “Just watch it. Chris is a wonderful person who can become the worst bastard in the matter of seconds.” And she knew what she was talking about. “He tends to be…” Cruel? Vicious? Impatient? Jealous? Indifferent? “Careless with other people’s hearts…” Except that of his adored prince. “If given half the chance.” She gazed deep in his eyes. “Did I make myself clear?(Ylianor Templeton, from THE HEAT, Virtus #6)
 That he is a vain, egotistical, heartless bastard seems undeniable, but his adored prince, the only one to have stolen his heart until THE PLEDGE, Virtus Saga Book 5, gets a whole different and better side of him. Angl, Prince Duncan Caldwell, Leader of the High Council, calls Chris. But for everyone else, including the woman Chris has come to love, he is a real Demon.

 
Christopher is an extremely handsome male specimen who by his lover's confession could have anyone he wants as he is tall, elegant, desirable, and has a lithe body that exudes sex from every pore. He loves Duncan with all his heart, yet is annoyed when he wants to bring another woman, Ylianor into their bed, and their already steamy relationship. Christopher has a very jaded view of women, and Ylianor in particular believing them to be unpredictable and fickle, and is under the impression he does not need one in his life. Once Christopher has been left with Ylianor for a while at Blue Oasis, he sees her in a different way, she is not the clinging vine he thought she was originally, and thinks he might have misjudged her. That does not mean his view of her as an interloper has changed, no, he had already made up his mind to loathe her being there, even though he only wants what is best for his lover. A lover of Arthur Fairchild, his former leader, it is interesting that Christopher decided to keep it in the family by being Duncan's lover also. He has a secret resentful streak in his personality he has to try and keep in check, hoping that his lover will not notice. He does have a kind nature, but it is hidden beneath jibes and insults about the woman in Duncan's life.

A handsome man with a huge ego in many ways, Christopher could never imagine anyone being in their bed but Duncan, and he hates to share his love with someone else, especially another woman. He normally likes to keep them at a distance rather than get involved with them and finds it awful that his lover might actually fall for Ylianor. This is set to break their relationship up as he cannot make compromises and is pretty much stubborn about the fact he sees Duncan as his, and his alone. Love is a serious thing where Christopher is concerned, and his obsessive ways have got worse since his lover let Ylianor enter their bedroom. Christopher is capable of hurting men with his cruelty, and Ylianor has felt the sharp edge of his blade at her throat before, so there is no love lost between them both. His feelings for hurting others could be blamed on his Virt, his power, but could it be that, or just an excuse to use his power and jealousy to fuel his deep seated hatred?
(Sandra, Romance at Heart review of THE FESTIVAL, Virtus #3)

“Some Virts are so uncontrollable and dangerous, I’m not sure any amount of training could curb them.” His gaze swung to young Templeton. “Like yours, my dear boy.”

Chris blushed violently. “You mean…you knew about…the other side, too?”

Lord Fairchild nodded. “I’ve always known.

”“Then, since you seem to know so much, please explain it properly.” Chris raised his chin defiantly, the blue-gray eyes brimming with suppressed fire.
Lord Fairchild chuckled. “You know, through the years, I’ve kept careful watch over you, not just for personal reasons, but also because I wanted to study up close a Virt I‘d heard only from ancient traditions, which is the rare ability to combine both positive and negative energy. And though you come from a very powerful family, no one else to my knowledge can blend these two opposite forces as easily and effortlessly as you can. I haven’t told anyone about your special talent and even your father ignores the full extent of your—”
“He never cared for me.”
(Excerpt from THE SEX, Virtus #1)

Duncan shook his head in amusement. Even if he had his pick of women beckoning him, it was nothing compared to his blond lover’s power of attraction, he mused, watching him talking and gesticulating excitedly to a couple of men.
“Chris knows just about everybody here.” Ylianor’s eyes flashed in amusement. “I had no idea he was so popular.”
“My angel?” A rueful smile, full of love and mischief, crossed his lips. “You don’t know the half of him. Unlike me, he’s never been too choosy when it comes to making his body available to anyone catching his fancy, if only momentary.” He glanced at her ironically. “At least as far as men go. His restless soul has made friends with practically any pair of beautiful eyes, belonging to a pair of pants, naturally.” He creased his forehead in mock concentration. “How did you phrase it?”
“Spreading his energy around.”
He laughed. “Couldn’t have worded it better myself! It’s part of his charm and that’s why I love him.” He could not help adding as he averted his gaze, unwilling to display the depth of his feelings.
As if I didn’t know already. Her soft voice scolded gently.
I know you do, but sometimes it feels so private, I don’t want anyone to see it, not even you. “Chris is so private, I’ve never really talked about him to anyone.”
“You’re the one who brought me inside your love, remember?” Green eyes flashing in challenge, Ylianor sent him the memory of his passionate declaration to Chris.
Duncan nodded in acknowledgement. “And I’ve shared my feelings with you. What more is there to say?”
“That’s just the point. You flood me with everything that moves you about him and I think I understand them now.” She smiled briefly at her sarcastic comment. “But since you don’t want just sex from me, I believe I’m entitled to know, from a rational point of view, your opinion on Chris and on what links you.”
After a moment’s thought, he moved closer. “Fair enough, although there isn’t much you don’t already know. I’ve always felt Chris to be different from any man I know. He’s an angel…” Drowning in images of the beloved face, Duncan sighed. “And a demon. He consumes me with desire, but then his fire gives me new life every time. I feel…” Words failed him. “Well, you know exactly how I feel about him. And it thrills me to know he’s a dangerous fire people love to play with, even if most get burned by it.” He grinned. “I guess the risk adds to his charm. That’s why one thing my angel will never fall short on is lovers, though none of them means anything to him.”
“Except Arthur.”
(Excerpt from THE GAME, Virtus #2)

 
Taking Chris’s arm, Duncan led him to a small and quite empty room, pinning him to the wall as soon as he closed the door. “What sick game are you playing with her?”
“Game? I—”
“Be very careful with what you’re about to say, Angel.” He threatened softly. “If I find out you’ve hurt her in any way—”
“I did more than that, lover.” The blue-gray eyes shone in challenge. “But she loved it. That’s for sure.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Then ask her. I believe it’s no problem for you to find out right now.”
Taken aback, the prince released him, hesitating on his next move, wondering if concern for his princess’s strained expression was getting the better of him, driving him into something he had vowed h would never do, interfere in the private matters of the two closest to him.
Somehow the angel understood it and took immediate advantage of it. “Yes, I played that game, though the gods know how you sensed it since she obviously didn’t tell you.”
“She didn’t have to. I read it on her face something wasn’t right.”
“And pray, do tell, why did you think I had anything to do with it?”
“Because this evening, you dared her to try you and she did.”
(Excerpt from THE FESTIVAL, Virtus #3)

 “In order for a Fitting to be most successful, the newly made leader should perform a pledge to testify of his taking formal power.”
“You want me to pledge Chris?”
James nodded. “So you have adjusted to the idea.”
“Oh, I have.” But Chris? No way!
“And my son?”
“Well, we’ve talked…” And fucked. “About it without getting very far, I must admit.”
“What about your adopted sister?” Raising a curious eyebrow, Lord Templeton leaned forward. “She’s the only woman he’s ever talked about, not at great length, still enough to make us believe—”
“Us?”
“His mother and I. We think she’s the one.”
“Then you’ll have to convince two people, not just one.”
“Would she dare refuse a Templeton?” Aghast, mouth open, he drew back abruptly.
Already has. “It’s not a question of refusing anyone. You’re giving them a very short time to make up their minds.” Especially now that they’ve come to a balance of sorts for the first time ever. “Three days aren’t enough to decide if you want to spend your life with a person.”
“Nonsense!”
(Excerpt from THE LEADER, Virtus #4)

“Can’t you think of anything else beside sex?”
“Of course not, Chrissy. What else would you have me think about now that my mate is with child, bloated and fat like an overgrown pig?” Once more, he addressed the prince. “Don’t you find it ironic Chrissy should have it so good with two leaders in a row? I mean Arthur literally ate out of his hand when he wasn’t ramming his ass.” He licked his lips. “Doesn’t it bother you, Duncan?”
“Why should it?” Prince Caldwell’s tone was even, though not enough to fool Chris. “The angel is a free man, and he can do whatever he wants.”
“Sure, but he was your phase mate, and now you’re all over one another—”
“What we do is none of your business.” Chris could not help the aggressive tone, which he managed to control exclusively with an effort. As usual with Carl, it was not worth his time or his energy to get mad.
“Hey, Chrissy, no need to get so touchy.” Uncaring about the emotional turmoil he was stirring, Carl maneuvered his horse so as to divide Chris from Duncan, coming between the two. “It’s only natural I should be curious, considering all the news I heard at the Hall.” The slow movement of the horses kept them so close together Carl had no trouble staring directly in the blue-gray eyes. “I mean how can you, of all people, tolerate to pledge so below your station? You, a pure blood Templeton, one of the noblest and oldest families, tied to a mere—”
“I didn’t pledge.” Chris would have ended it there had Duncan not incinerated him on the spot with a fiery gaze. “To a servant’s daughter. She’s a Caldwell to all effects and purposes. That’s enough for me.”
“Really? I still can’t get over it.” Amused, Carl shook his head in disbelief. “Well, servant or no servant, I never thought I’d see the day my dear Chrissy pledged, and you’re hardly the type for it. You’re too much like me—”
“I’m nothing like you,” Chris cut in viciously.
“Yes, you are. We both know what you really like, and it isn’t cunts. I thought at least you wouldn’t make my same mistake.” Carl looked him up and down skeptically. “Wonder how much pressure your father had to exert to get your cooperation, or was it a trade-off with the council seat?” His eyes gleamed coldly. “Let’s face it. She’ll never satisfy you.” For once, he was speaking seriously and without traces of sarcasm. “Women will never understand us, our true nature I mean.”
“Wrong again.” Smugly, Chris raised a defiant gaze. “Besides Duncan, Ylianor is the only other person who truly understands me.” It was getting harder to maintain a measure of self-control. “I chose her, and I don’t regret it one bit.” The particular emphasis that charged the words was meant for Duncan and Ylianor, had she been close enough to catch them. After the black eyes flashed in agreement, Chris turned back to Carl. “It may be hard for you to fathom, but I pledged because I wanted her, not just any woman.”
“Ha! As if I could believe you.” Carl nudged his horse forward. “I know how much you hate women, remember?”
“She’s Ylianor Caldwell, not just any woman, and that makes all the difference.”
“But will she accept your fooling around, knowing she’s not what you really crave?” Deliberately hateful and hurtful, Carl’s tone became more acute. “Does she know how to suck your cock in such a way you won’t wish it was a man doing it? Do you really like all that wetness getting in the way of your pleasure? And what about that dastardly heat stuff that makes you fuck her even when you can’t stand her?” He sniggered. “Will she learn to cope with the fact you’ll never be interested in her cunt, just her ass?”
(Excerpt from THE PLEDGE, Virtus #5)

As usual, you got it all wrong, sleeping beauty.
In spite of his snort, Ylianor felt he wanted to fool around.
And the wonderful thing was the leader playing along. He came to my office with the excuse of Brome and Tarek’s controversy—
While in fact, I wanted to show him who was the most powerful.
Yes, she had seen exactly how things had gone. But she was having so much fun in the retelling, she did not dare breathe lest they stopped.
So he tried using sex to prove how dominant he was—
But the leader enslaved me to Brome and Shydan. I got so pissed off—
He’d have blown up the entire Hall, had I not…curbed him a little. There was no disguising Duncan’s affectionate tone.
I was really dumb. Chris waived in response.
Not to mention furious, Angel. Clearly, Prince Caldwell was enjoying the exchange. This is precisely the way Virtus gets into your head and makes you doubt me. That’s how it makes your demon side take over. Now his tone was very serious, And that’s an act of defiance against me, the person who turned you into the angel you are. Which is why I couldn’t stand-by and watch as Virtus plunged you in that black vortex that sucks you up, whenever you allow your anger to control you—
If I could, I’d get rid of the demon side—
And you’d be wrong, Angel.
Ylianor had the sensation Duncan wanted to kiss Chris. Which at the moment was out of the question.
The demon side gives you the strength to be a better angel. It’s also the source of your intoxicating fire, the very foundation of your Virt. One can’t survive without the other, and I’m perfectly happy you have the princess to handle that side of you. Now he would have grinned, if given half the chance. Only you should never—ever—let it become stronger than the angel side. You should never let it swallow you up, like it had when we first met in Black Rose. This time, I had to be extra harsh in order to help your angel re-emerge from the void Virtus had thrown him into.
I understand, lover. That Chris was touched far beyond the mere words was crystal clear. And like I said, it won’t ever happen again—
Hush, Angel. Don’t make promises you might not be able to keep. Impossible yet true, it seemed like they curled around one another. Just promise me you’ll be more aware of it next time and ask for help if you think you can’t handle it. Then they drew back. It’s the reason I asked you to lead a course on anger management.
And I told you I wasn’t the right person for it. Chris laughed. ‘Cause I can’t even learn to manage my own.
(Excerpt from THE PRINCESS, Virtus #7)

“Need I remind you that, before the phase started, you couldn’t find the guts to tell me what you really wanted from me?” Challenging, Chris pressed him. “You were so unsure of yourself that I had run out of options. I had tried talking to you a thousand times before we got to Belleview, but you always changed the subject when you didn’t turn away outright.” His blue-gray eyes flashed. “Remember?”
“I didn’t think you were ready.” On the defensive, Duncan took a step back.
“I know you didn’t, but I was, and I gave you every sign I was.” So Chris went a step forward. “I told you to go ahead in a thousand different ways, except you wouldn’t let me—”
“How could you have possibly known?” Mechanically, he repeated the same objection he had told himself every time he had caught the signals Chris was talking about. Fuck! There had been a million of them. Too caught up by conventions, he had not given them any credit.
“I just knew.” Self-assured, like with everything that had to do with sex, Chris held his gaze. “Like I knew you were the person my life would revolve around from the moment I saw you here…” His gaze swept the hills around Black Rose. “On these very hills. And I would’ve had sex with you that first time, if I hadn’t been too taken by the excitement of having found my missing half.”
There was no way Duncan could doubt him. Thinking back on their history, it seemed clear Chris had always been ready to take their relationship that one-step further. Which testified, as if there was any need, how outer worldly his angel truly was.
“So you see, Carl was my only means to get through to you.” He was really close now. “I figured a little competition would make you bolder and go for what you craved.” So close their lips pressed together. “And it worked like a charm, even if I should’ve felt offended you’d ever think I’d have sex with that sleaze bag, rather than you.”
All right, so he had been wrong that time. “But you didn’t have so many qualms the second time around.”
“How could I when just seeing him reminded me of you?” Chris took a deep breath. “Like I told sleeping beauty, he came along at the worst possible time in my life.” Slowly, he started walking away.
And Duncan followed.
“After two years, just when I thought I was finally over you, it was enough to look at Carl for all my misguided convictions to crash down on me, and I was right back in that terribly black pit where you had thrown me the day you kicked me out of Black Rose.” Again, Chris halted to blaze misty blue-gray eyes on him. “Seeing him and remembering the beginning of our phase was one and the same. And if I had sex with him, it was just because I expected you to jump out of every corner, out of every tree, and claim me like you had in Belleview that first time.” Longing for proximity, he approached steadily. “It was all I hoped for every time he touched me. And every time he screwed me, I’d just close my eyes and imagine you’d come get me.”
(Excerpt from THE PRINCESS, Virtus #7)