by Kim Loraine
“I love you, Guinevere. I don’t know what this journey will hold for us, but I want to make sure you know.”
I frown. “You don’t think we’re going to survive this?”
“Remember when I told you not all creatures in Avalon are kind?”
“Yes.”
He glances over his shoulder at puts a hand on his sword. “We’ve been followed since we rounded the edge of the cliff side.”
Dread takes hold and I pull my magic into the center of my palms, ready to defend. “Where are they?”
His gaze flicks to the side and I see them out of the corner of my eye, small and vicious, with razor sharp fangs and fluid forms that seem to meld together as they move. “Imps.”
All at once, the creatures rush us from the shadows cast by the cliff. The swarm wraps around my skirts and they claw at me. My power knocks them back but there are too many. Their bites burn and make me cry out as their sharp little teeth pierce my skin. Brooks rushes to my side, Excalibur glowing in his hands.
“Enough!” he shouts, plunging the blade into the ground at my feet. His grace flows through the sword and into the ground, burning the imps where they stand. With heavy breaths, he stares at me. “Are you all right?”
Blood stains my dress from where the beasts bit and scratched. “I’ll be fine. Blasted little buggers.” I lift my skirt to inspect the wounds and find them to be small and more of an annoyance than anything else, but the damn creatures were trying to steal me away. “They were trying to take me. They pulled at me.”
I can see the fear in his eyes at the thought of them taking me from him. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“And you did. If you hadn’t used your power with Excalibur, they would’ve overpowered me.”
He pulls me closer after sheathing the sword. “I think we’d better get a move on if we’re going to speak with the Lady before night falls.” He glances at the horizon and frowns. “We’ve only got a little time left.”
The two of us step into the cave, the salt water stinging my cuts and making me hiss at the pain.
“Are you all right?” His hands are on my back, the moment I make a sound.
“The water burns where the imps bit me.”
Brooks scoops me into his arms and carries me through the water, his strength putting me at ease. “You don’t have to carry me.”
“But I will. You are my wife and if I can spare you pain, I will.”
The water is up to his knees, but the current is weak as it leads us through the cave. Soon the light of day behind us disappears and we’re gifted with only the glow of Excalibur. The mist grows thick and heavy around us.
“Nearly there,” Brooks says, setting me on my feet on dry land. “The path is clear.”
The two of us walk to the end of the path and find ourselves up against a rock wall. “There’s no way out,” I say, panic filling my voice. “We have to go back.”
We turn and begin to make our way back toward the mouth of the cave, but we’re met with water rising quickly. “Turn back,” Brooks says, pushing me to the highest point at the end of the cave. The ocean fills the small space and Brooks holds me so that my head is higher than his.
“We have to do a spell. We have to join our power and find a way to the Lady.”
The water is cold and reaches to my shoulders already. Brooks is submerged up to his chin and if we don’t get out of here, we’ll be killed. Even a Nephilim can be drowned. I drop my lips to his and kiss him desperately, taking the grace he shares with me through our kiss.
Whispered words against his mouth bring the water to a stop, but it doesn’t get us out. “I can’t free us from this prison. My magic isn’t as strong because of the water.”
“We can swim.”
I shake my head, shivering in the cold. “It’s too deep and too far. We’ll drown.”
“Then we wait for the tide to go out.”
My brave Brooks holds me close, but I know the truth. We’ll freeze. The two of us will die of hypothermia before we have the chance to escape.
“What’s that light?” Brooks asks, his focus on the corner of the cave wall. I follow his gaze and see a blue glow at the water’s edge.
“It’s not my doing.”
The glow builds, swirling until we’re pulled through the water toward it. “Hold on to me, Gwen. Don’t let go.”
We’re dragged under the freezing water and I can’t see anything other than the glow. Brooks holds me close but the force of the water pulls us apart. My lungs burn with the need for air. If we die, at least we’ll be together.
But my back hits the ground, hard rocks digging into my flesh and precious air filling my lungs. I cough until I can breathe again and open my eyes. Brooks lies on the rocks, still as death and my heart lurches.
“Brooks, wake up.” I rush to his side and stroke his face, but he doesn’t move. “Don’t die. You can’t die too.” I pound on his chest, my eyes searching his face for any sign of life.
Then he coughs and opens his eyes and a wave of gratitude washes over me. “Crying over me?”
“Now’s not the time to tease.” I rest my forehead on his chest and sigh.
He strokes my hair and helps me to my feet, the mist around us parting and revealing a body of water so still it looks like glass. “I think we found the lake.”
I nod. Grateful for whatever magic took us from the cave. “How do we call the Lady?”
The water ripples and a wake flows behind an unseen force as it moves from the center of the lake toward us. A woman steps onto dry land, her white hair moving as though she were under water.
“Lady,” Brooks says, bowing his head.
“Arthur.” The Lady holds out a hand and Brooks takes it, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.
“I am called Brooks in this life.”
She smiles. “So you are.” Then she turns her gaze to me and awareness lights in her eyes. “Guinevere. I see you have been reunited with your king.”
A pang of loss runs through me. I have, but I’m still not whole. “Yes, I have.”
“We’ve come to ask a favor, Lady,” Brooks says. “The scabbard. Excalibur isn’t at full power without it and if anyone should know where it is, you should.”
Sadness washes over her. “It was in my keeping all these long years, Arthur. I held it until your return.”
“Was?” I ask.
“It has been stolen. My coven has joined forces with Lucifer and I’ve been cast out for refusing to do his bidding.”
“Your coven?” I wasn’t aware the Lady of the Lake was a witch. “I thought you were fae.”
“I choose to live in this world because there was too much evil on Earth. After the fall of the angels I left the earthly plane for this one, along with my sisters.”
“Where are they now?” Brooks asks.
“Dead, save one. Nimue still lives. She’s still here in Avalon, terrorizing those who refuse to join her.”
Something about her story makes my chest tight with worry. “Forgive me, Lady, but may I know the names of your other sisters?”
“Morgan and Calista. You’ve known them both, Guinevere, and both have worked hard to see to your downfall.”
I feel sick. Calista, the witch who cursed my sisters and I, and Morgan, who took Lancelot from me. “There are four of you?”
“Just as there are four of your coven.”
I frown. No, that’s not right. “There are three.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “Some things are hidden until they come to the surface. Just as I held Excalibur under the water’s surface until the angels needed it back, so does your sister hide under magic.”
I’m confused but now’s not the time to argue with her. “How can we find Nimue? Surely she’s the one that stole the scabbard.”
“Nimue will show herself after the Beltane fires.”
Brooks takes my hand and squeezes and I know what I have to do now. “My Lady?” I say.<
br />
“Yes, Guinevere?”
“I have some news, regarding Lancelot.”
She smiles at his name, and I want to cry.
“What of him?”
“He’s dead.”
Her brow furrows. “Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you properly.”
I don’t want to say it again. It hurts too much. Brooks holds my hand tightly and speaks before I have to. “He died before we came to Avalon. It’s how I got the sword and my memories returned. He was infected with demon blood. But fought it until the end. When he died, he left Excalibur for me to find.”
“No. You’re mistaken.”
Oh the poor woman. She sounds just like me. “I know it’s hard to accept. Lancelot was such a good man. He shouldn’t have suffered a fate like this.”
“No, Guinevere. You’re mistaken because Lancelot is not dead, nor is he a demon. Far from it, in fact. He’s safe in my home on the lake.”
My stomach drops and lightheadedness takes hold. “What did you say?”
“I said, Lancelot is safe, in my home, and most definitely alive.”
Lancelot
My arms shake with effort as I pull my entire body off the ground until my chin lifts over the beam that runs across the length of my room. I’ve been trapped in this castle since I was spirited away to Avalon, and the only way I can keep fit is to exercise my muscles using what I have. A dull sword sits in the corner next to a dummy I use for combat practice. Sweat runs down my bare chest as I complete my final set on the beam and I drop to the floor, breaths coming in heavy gasps.
The Lady assured me she would return soon and supply me with everything I need to go back to my Gwen. My body and blood healed, I have a duty to the angels and to my love. I can only hope Excalibur still waits for me and the Gwen is safe with Brooks. I run my fingers over my jaw and stare out the window of the castle on the lake. I spent my childhood here, playing at the shore, but now it feels more like a prison.
All I can think about is Gwen, taking her and making her mine after we do our duty. I can’t let her slip through my fingers again. Every night I dreamed of her, prayed for her safety, replayed the moment she finally said she loved me over in my mind. Those words got me through the hours upon hours of spells the Lady used to pull the demon infection from my blood. If it weren’t for Gwen, I might have given in.
The echoing bang of the doors to the Great Hall opening and closing catches my attention. She’s back. I pull my tunic over my head and take the spiral stairs two at a time, desperate to have some news, some promise of freedom.
“Lady, what news have—” I stop dead in my tracks at the sight that greets me. Guinevere stands before me, soaking wet, pale, shocked, and the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. “Gwen?” I breathe.
“Lancelot?” Her voice breaks but the simple sound of my name on her lips hits me straight in the chest.
I run to her and catch her up in my arms, holding her tight and claiming her mouth with mine without a second thought. She’s here. She’s mine. And I’m never letting her go again.
“I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry.”
Tears stream down her cheeks as she holds my face in her hands, staring at me as though she can’t believe I’m real. “You’re really all right?”
I nod. “The Lady took me before I ended my life. She cleansed my blood. She saved me.” I cup her cheeks and run my thumb over her lower lip, needing to take her in. “How I have longed to see you all these weeks.”
Her brows draw together. “Weeks? We came to Avalon only a day after you left. It’s been two days.” Then she shakes her head and murmurs, “Fairy magic.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re together now. We can be together.”
The sound of a throat clearing tears my attention from Gwen and my chest tightens at the sight of Brooks…holding Excalibur. “Lance, it’s good to see you.”
“How did you get that sword?” I ask. The Lady told me she’d sealed it with a spell. That no one could pull it free of the roots.
“I claimed it.”
“Claimed? No. Give it to me. Gabriel charged me to wield it.”
“Lancelot,” He drags a hand through his hair and swallows hard, not relinquishing the blade. “The sword is mine.”
“And it seems you have Arthur’s wife as well,” the Lady says, a hint of malice in her voice. “Couldn’t wait to repeat history, Guinevere?”
“We’re trying to stop the apocalypse,” Gwen says, not bringing her gaze to mine.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask, releasing Gwen and stepping back from her.
Brooks stiffens in my periphery, his jaw tight and his gaze on her. I know that look. It’s the expression of a man who fears he’s about to lose everything. Has he had her?
“I…it was—” she stammers, glancing at Brooks then back at me. He reaches for her hand and I know the truth. I stop her, not wanting to hear more even though it was me who asked.
“Wait.” My heart aches with the knowledge that I drove her to him. I look at her, so beautiful and sad, and I wonder at the choice she made. “I can’t hear any more. Not now.”
“Lance—” Gwen starts, but the Lady holds up a hand.
“Come now. The two of you must have need of rest after the trying journey to my lake. I’ll have you remember there is no magic used in my home unless done by me. You’ll do well to remember that.” She takes Gwen by the elbow and tugs her away from me. “Let me show you to your chambers. This reunion was more than you planned for.”
Gwen glances over her shoulder with a desperate plea on her face. But she’s not looking at me. She’s staring at Brooks. “Not yet,” she whispers, tears shining in her eyes.
Dread curls in my gut. Why would she beg him to do anything? He nods as the Lady leads her up the stairs and takes my love out of my sight. Then I turn to Brooks, to the man who has likely stolen my love from me. “What are you playing at?” There’s pure venom in my tone.
“I’m not playing at anything. We nearly died trying to get to the Lady.”
“Have you had her?” I clench my jaw at his posture, defensive and cold. “Tell me.”
“Yes.”
It hits me like a sword straight to the chest. “Couldn’t wait to move in? Tell me, is a grieving woman something that arouses you?”
“We were both grieving. We both lost you.”
I laugh, harsh and bitter. “You? Until this very moment you tolerated me solely for Gwen’s sake.”
He looks down, his countenance filled with confusion. “Things have…changed.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…it’s far more complicated that we can discuss at the moment. I don’t want to explain without Gwen present. The three of us. As it should be.”
His gaze locks on mine and a strange sense of familiarity hits me. Memories wash over me. The connection I shared with Arthur, our fierce friendship, the tension between us that had nothing to do with competition, and the one time we took things beyond our boundaries.
“This is too much. I’m only just coming to terms myself.” Brooks’ gaze burns with warring emotions.
“Try.”
“Did you ever think that your relationship with Arthur was more for him than for you? Did you know he was in love with you?”
“I knew. It was impossible not to know.” The truth of the matter is I felt something for Arthur, but it was eclipsed by my love for Gwen. And when he ran from us, from the possibility of something we three could’ve shared, he severed our bond. “But I never shared that with another soul.”
“Because you’re a devoted man.”
I swallow hard. “I was devoted to Gwen…and Arthur.”
He clenches his fists and takes a long breath. “You need to know something, Lance. Before things go any farther.”
I brace myself, preparing for the impact of what he’s going to tell me. “Go on, then.”
“I married her last night.”
All the ai
r leaves my lungs. He’s taken her from me. She’s given her heart to another—again. A bitter laugh escapes me. “What is the point of all this? Why tell me now? Why come for me?”
“We thought you were dead.”
“So, you didn’t come to Avalon for me.”
He shakes his head. “We tried to summon you, tried to track you with magic. You didn’t exist any longer. It shattered her, and I picked up the pieces.”
I grit my teeth. “I can’t hear any more of this.” I take the stairs and head for my room, but Brooks is right there, on my heels. He grips my forearm and pulls me toward him.
“Don’t let your pride get in the way of what you want, Lancelot.” The two of us stand in the hall, an inch between us, electricity running like a live wire through me where he touches my arm.
“It’s not pride. It’s self preservation.” I wrench my arm free and place my hand on my door. “You should take the chamber at the end of the hall. As far from me as possible.”
Then I open my door and stride into my room, heart hammering, body more aroused than I want to admit.
Chapter Seven
Gwen
The Lady stares at me as I eat in my chambers. She’s eerily beautiful, but right now, she’s creeping me out. “Have you never seen a person eat?”
A soft smile softens her features. “Your heart is strange.”
“Excuse me?” I nearly choke on my roasted chicken.
“Perhaps it’s not your heart, but your soul. Most people have half of their true soul. The other half split off and given to another. True fulfillment and happiness comes in the form of their soul mate. Yours is…wrong.”
My chest tightens. “That’s because I was cursed. I’m damaged.”
“Perhaps.” She hums and takes a drink from the wine goblet in front of me.
“Sure, I wasn’t drinking that anyway,” I say, sarcasm dripping from my voice.
With a shake of her head, she sets the glass down in front of herself. “No, you shouldn’t be. Not when there is life depending on you.”