Chapter One
Simon stared out of the large, arched windows of his beautifully furnished office. The unobstructed view of Charleston Harbor along the picturesque coast of South Carolina did little to soothe the beast inside him. He could feel the creature he had become centuries before moving under his skin, straining to break free.
He had been called many things over the years. Bastard was just one of the words used to describe him. While correct, it was not the only one that could be associated with him.
He had been born in 1709 to an unmarried servant of a Count in Worcester, England. By the age of eight, he had learned well at his father’s hand what it truly meant to be called the bastard son of a Lord. But, that was nothing compared to the other word that could describe what he would
