Fountain of Secrets (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  The knight was King Arthur.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  A HORSE GALLOPED past and grazed her shoulder. She fell on her back on the frozen ground. The stars shone above her. A massive black horse came into view, and the tall man looked down at her. He looked regal, and somehow familiar, though she had never seen him before. He spoke, but she couldn’t hear him for the other voices calling her name. His face grew blurry. She blinked and saw it was Jake, not King Arthur.

  Over his shoulder, she saw the others watching with wide eyes. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Rhonda said.

  “Kendall, can you hear me?” Jake patted her face.

  She grabbed his arm and sat up. No battlefield. No King Arthur. No snow.

  Jake continued to frown. “That was a little too real,” he whispered in her ear.

  She couldn’t yet speak.

  “Was it Arthur?” Alice asked.

  She nodded, and there was a gasp.

  “What did he say?” Sandy asked.

  Kendall tried to stand, but her legs felt numb. “Help me up,” she said to Jake.

  He put a hand under each arm and lifted her to her feet. “You’re cold.”

  She was still unsteady, so she clutched his arm. “I need to leave,” she whispered.

  Jake took charge. “Kendall’s encounter with Arthur has left her weak. She needs to restore her energy. Then she’ll explain her vision.”

  There were disappointed groans as Jake led her away from the garden, finally carrying her after she stumbled twice. He carried her inside the house to their room, where he shut the door and set her on her feet. “Talk about starting off with a bang, but I thought you’d drag it out a little more. The whole thing didn’t last a minute. They might feel cheated.”

  Kendall grabbed his arm for support. “It wasn’t an act.”

  “That was real?”

  She nodded and moved slowly toward the bed.

  He helped her to the bed and took off her shoes. “Your feet are cold.”

  “It was snowing.”

  “Huh?”

  “I was on the battlefield. It was snowing. There were horses and knights and swords.”

  Jake lifted that sexy brow.

  “I saw him. I saw King Arthur.”

  The other brow rose.

  “He said something to me.”

  “He talked to you?” Jake’s surprised look turned a bit dubious. “Is this retaliation for the dead-presidents thing? I had to build up your reputation.”

  “No, I’ll owe you for that. King Arthur rode his horse right up to me and looked into my eyes. He said something to me.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t know. I was yanked back into my body.”

  Jake stared at her. “How do you know it was King Arthur and not some other sword-toting knight on horseback in the middle of a battlefield?”

  “I felt him. I know it was him.”

  “Damn. Has this happened before?”

  “A few times, but more like what you saw when I touched Raphael. Like a vision. This time it felt like I was there. You didn’t see anything?” He had been holding her hand.

  “No. You flew backward like you’d been checked by a hockey player and lay there with your eyes open. At first I thought you’d hit your head on a rock and died.”

  “Then you wouldn’t have to work with a skirt anymore.”

  Jake’s eyes narrowed. “That’s a dumb-assed thing to say. You know how I feel about you.”

  Did she?

  “So when Marco said to find Arthur, he meant the Arthur,” Jake said.

  “It would seem so. He mentions Arthur, and then we end up here, where Arthur supposedly lived.”

  “And now you’ve had a vision of Arthur. What did he look like?”

  That was an odd question to ask. “He’s hard to describe. He reminded me of Nathan in knight garb.”

  Her answer seemed to trouble him. “We need to know what King Arthur said. Hell, I can’t even believe I’m saying that.”

  She almost felt sorry for Jake. He had gone from being a complete skeptic to facing ghosts and things that even made her jaw drop in shock. “I can’t just summon him. I didn’t summon him this time.”

  “That’s what those mediums on TV do. You’re more real than they are.”

  “That’s not the kind of gift I have.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I need a damned course in your gift.”

  “I think this is happening because of the place. It’s strange here, just like the castle.”

  “Considering that we traveled from one to the other in a way that defies physics, then I’d say they’re definitely connected. We need Marco. If we can unravel that tangled mess in his head, maybe he can explain this King Arthur connection.”

  “We should call Fergus and see if we can talk to Marco.”

  “I called Fergus’s cell phone earlier,” Jake said. “No one answered.”

  “There has to be a connection since he mentioned both Arthur and the Fountain of Youth,” Kendall said.

  “We don’t even know what the Fountain of Youth is,” Jake said. “It could be a well or a chalice or neither. The fountain in the Chalice Well Gardens can’t be the real Fountain of Youth, or thousands of people would be eternally young. Hell, we don’t even know if the fountain is the relic we need. Marco’s not all there sometimes.”

  “His mind seemed clear,” Kendall said.

  “We need to ask Arthur what the hell he was saying.”

  “The group is planning to visit several King Arthur sites… Camelot, Tintagel, and Merlin’s cave.”

  “Merlin… I’ve been thinking all this time that Marco reminds me of Moses. Maybe I’ve had the wrong white-haired guy.”

  Kendall had been thinking the same thing. She would have thought that was insane before now, but the bizarre was looking more and more credible. She rubbed her head. She did feel as if she’d smacked it on something hard.

  “Let me see,” Jake said. “Looks like you bumped it. You scared me. You sure you didn’t get a concussion or something?”

  “I’m fine, just drained from the vision. I get so tired of this.”

  “It has to be tiring having these… things… these visions mixing with reality.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Can I get you anything? Water?”

  “Rest. Thank you.”

  He pulled the covers over her.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To brush my teeth. Why? You want me to stay?”

  “I was afraid you were going to steal the chalice.”

  He brushed back her hair. “Not yet. Sure I can’t get you anything?”

  “No thanks. But I would be eternally grateful if you would give the group an update for me. I know they’re dying to know what happened. Tell them I’ll let them know after I’ve rested.”

  “How grateful?”

  “I won’t kill you if you snore.”

  He chuckled and leaned closer, not touching her, but so near she could almost feel his skin. She expected him to go for something Jake-ish, but he just kissed her head. “I’ll be back.”

  After he left, Kendall touched the spot on her forehead that still felt warm. She fell asleep with her fingers touching his kiss. And she dreamed not of Adam as she so often did, but of Jake and her and King Arthur.

  She was in another time, another woman’s body. Her heart beat quickly as she ran to where he was waiting behind the crofter’s cottage. No one went there because the small stand of woods was said to be enchanted. She glanced back at the castle and saw a shadow disturb the light from the lantern in their bedchamber. He had returned early from the meeting with his knights. Feelings of guilt almost caused her to turn and run back to him. He would be looking for her as soon as he had bathed. She hurried on, planning to tell her lover that she could not stay. They must put an end to this madness, this betrayal. But when she saw him standing there, eyes dark with passion, her heart melted and reso
lve fled. She went to him, let him unlace her gown, let his lips touch her neck and, as her gown dropped, her breasts.

  He made love to her with passion, leaving her heart and loins sated. “I love you,” she said.

  “And I you, my queen,” he said, lips grazing her skin.

  Jake stood at the back of the house, studying the window of the Upper Room. He’d told Kendall he wouldn’t steal the chalice. He hadn’t said he wouldn’t try to find it. But it wasn’t easy with so many people in the house. The chalice must be in the Upper Room or in the locked room at the end of the hall, where he’d heard a man’s voice. He knew where everyone in the house was staying. He’d checked the rooms out earlier while everyone was eating dinner. Sandy and Alice were sharing a room. The odd couple, they were complete opposites. Alice, interestingly enough, was messy; Sandy, neat and tidy. Rhonda had her own room with stacks of romance novels and two bottles of wine. Halle was all business with her laptop and travel guides. She was breaking the rules. There weren’t supposed to be any electronic devices used on the premises. Larry’s room was filled with books on every subject from enlightenment to outer space.

  Jake went back inside. Later tonight when everyone was asleep, he would search the two rooms.

  Halle was still up, moving around the kitchen, her face flushed.

  “Everything OK?” Jake asked.

  “Jake, I didn’t see you go out.”

  “Just getting some fresh air. I have a headache.” He’d given the group a brief update on Kendall’s vision but didn’t answer too many questions since he was more concerned with finding out which room the Blue Chalice was kept in. He didn’t want to wait until the caretaker returned.

  “That’s what I’m doing. My head’s throbbing. Lizzie just called. She eloped with her boyfriend.” Halle grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from the kitchen cabinet.

  “Sucks that she didn’t let you know ahead of time, but at least she’s alive.”

  Halle gave Jake a puzzled look. “She claims she left a message at the house. I shouldn’t be surprised. She was desperate to marry this guy. He’s had cold feet because his first wife was an angry bitch.” Halle sighed. “I guess I’m happy for them since I set them up. I might not be psychic, but I can spot a good match a mile away. Take you and Kendall. You two belong together. It’s obvious you’re in love.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. The way she looks at you, the way you look at her.” She sighed. “It’s energizing… and depressing at the same time.” She laughed. “I’m just jealous. It’s hard to find love like that nowadays. Everyone’s so busy and worried about their own interests.”

  Love? “She’s definitely special,” he said. It was alarming how special she was. He’d never felt this way about a woman, and it made him uneasy. “Can I have a couple of those?” Jake asked. He might need them after all.

  Halle handed him the bottle, and he shook out two pills.

  “Is Kendall OK?” she asked.

  “She’ll be fine after some rest.”

  “I’ve never seen any psychic experience so real.”

  “She’s good,” Jake added. Good enough to convince a complete skeptic. “Who’s in the room at the end of the hall?”

  “That’s the caretaker’s room.”

  “You said he isn’t here?”

  “He left to visit his sister in London right after we got here. He said he’ll show us the Blue Chalice when he returns.”

  Then who was using his room? “I can’t wait to see it. Well, good night. I’m going to turn in.”

  Jake went to the bathroom and waited until he heard Halle’s door close again. Then he crept toward the last room. The caretaker might not be here, but someone was using his room. He tapped softly on the door and then heard a thump coming from his room. He hurried back and opened the door. A lamp had been knocked over on the bedside table. Kendall was tossing on the bed, moaning. Jake bent over her and touched her cheek to wake her.

  Eyes closed, she grabbed his head and pulled him to her. Her lips were warm on his, feverish. “I love you.” He froze, but she kept kissing him. She muttered something, but it was muffled against his lips.

  “Kendall?”

  She shot off the bed and he jumped back, only his quick reflexes saving his groin from her knee. She came at him again. He spun her against the wall, pinned her hands, and wedged her legs apart so she couldn’t kick him in the balls.

  “For God’s sake, it’s me.”

  “Jake.” She stopped fighting. “I’m sorry. I woke up and saw you hovering over me…” Her chest was heaving against his.

  “You were dreaming?” A hell of a dream from the looks of it. He released her arms.

  The moonlight flickered in her eyes, and even in the dark he saw her flush. “I know,” she said, staring at him.

  There was a breathy tone to her voice that made him think things he shouldn’t. God, she smelled good. What was it about her skin? He didn’t try to move and she didn’t either. “What was it about?”

  “You… me.”

  It was a struggle to keep from pressing closer to her. “What were we doing?”

  “I could show you.”

  His throat was as tight as his groin. “Show me.”

  Her face lifted and he met her mouth. Her lips were full and hot, giving as good as she got. He pushed her shirt up and cupped her breasts. But after days with her stuck in his head, he needed more. “Take your clothes off,” he said, but he couldn’t wait for her to start. His hands were quick as he stripped her down to the cross necklace nestled between her breasts. He stroked and nuzzled until he was ready to burst, but he couldn’t stop touching her. He moved lower, and, when she gasped, he went back for another kiss, leaving enough space between them for his hands. Hers were busy too, all over him, under his shirt, touching his back and his stomach. She hooked her thumbs in his waistband and pushed his sweats down a couple of inches. Her fingers teased until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Don’t play games,” he growled in her ear. He was too far gone. Too many dreams and imaginations and too little sex had his control shot.

  She shoved his pants down and grabbed his ass with both hands. She was rubbing against him and making little moaning sounds. He kicked off his boots and clothes, put a hand under each thigh, and lifted her.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and sank down on him. Part way in, he couldn’t stop now. He drove into her and then he did stop. He leaned his head against hers and closed his eyes, willing himself to last. But he’d never ever felt anything like it. His whole body was on fire. His head felt strange. An image flashed through his mind, a woman and a man in the forest. Her arms were open to him, long blond hair covering her breasts as her gown slid down her body and fell at her feet.

  She wasn’t moving, and he remembered how touching sometimes affected her. Hell, he wasn’t sure it wasn’t affecting him too. It felt as if he’d done this before. With her. “Are you OK?”

  She nodded. “Intense,” she said in a strangled voice. Her muscles clenched around him.

  “Ah, damn.” He couldn’t stop. He pounded into her, fingers digging into her thighs, teeth grazing her neck, her ear. God, he could eat her alive. When the moment came, he felt like a bomb had gone off in his body. She dug her nails into his shoulders and gave a soft cry.

  They stayed there, her back against the wall, heads together, bodies locked, for what seemed like minutes. It was as if time had stopped. He could have stayed here forever with her in his arms. When he felt himself softening, he pulled out. He grabbed a tissue on a nearby table and handed it to her.

  She took it and held it between her legs. He took another tissue and cleaned himself off. “I’m sorry about your back.” She probably had a wall burn. He should have carried her to the bed. “Sorry I didn’t have a condom. I’m clean. I swear.”

  “I’m on birth control.”

  Hell, he hadn’t even thought of pregnancy. That was how much she affected him. He tossed his
tissue in the trash and pulled her into his arms. He wanted to carry her to the bed now and go to sleep in her arms, or maybe go for another round, but she felt rigid. “Are you OK?”

  She nodded but didn’t speak. There was still no light in the room. Just the moonlight coming in the window, but when he leaned back, he could see that she looked stunned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “Sorry,” he said again. Not for what happened. Sorry she was stuck with the mess. He would do it for her if she’d let him, but that would be damned awkward.

  She pulled out of his arms and picked up her clothes. While she dressed, Jake pulled on his sweats. When she was finished, he moved closer and touched her arm. She looked at him like a startled rabbit and scampered toward the door. “Bathroom,” she muttered, and disappeared into the hallway.

  Jake sat on the bed, his mind and body blown. This was the closest thing he’d had to an out-of-body experience. It must be something to do with her abilities, but he’d never felt anything that even came close. He hoped Nathan didn’t find out how incredible she was. Or did he already know? That might explain his obsession with her. Jake was still sitting there, staring at the door several minutes later when he realized what she’d muttered against his lips. She’d called him Lancelot. And then he realized she should have already gotten back.

  Kendall sat on the toilet in shock. Holy crap, they’d finally done it. Her head and body were buzzing like a hive of bees. What was she going to say when she went back inside? Wow, that was the most incredible thing I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Or Let’s try the other wall and see if it’s as good.

  She leaned over, elbows resting on her legs, head in her hands, waiting for the buzzing to stop. It didn’t. The dream must have triggered her emotion, killed her inhibitions. It had felt so real, like she was really there. This wasn’t her first experience with sex, but the other times had been nothing like this. Most of them had been uncomfortable because of her sixth sense, all that skin rubbing together. And once when a condom broke, it had actually hurt her mind. But Jake… She’d felt his sensations along with hers, making it super intense, but in a good way. A really good way.