Insatiable (The Curse of Avalon Book 3)

by Sariah Skye

  I gasped. “Fuck!”

  “Morgaine! That’s her isn’t it? Like when we saw her at the Stargazer that night?” Xander fumed.

  “The one and only, unless someone else has her glamour. It’s possible, I suppose,” Bash said with a shrug. He clicked the screen off when the video was over and tossed the phone onto the end table nearby.

  “And these kids—young adults, whatever,” Mathias said, “all go to that same college?”

  “Yup. St. Cloud State. And it’s the biggest frat they have, so a lot of people were affected,” Bash explained.

  “So, it begins.” Xander’s tone was ominous.

  Mathias scrubbed his hand over his face. “We knew this was coming. We’ve been lucky it hasn’t been sooner.”

  “Or, unlucky. If Morgaine has seemed idle… chances are she’s up to something,” Rhys said.

  “He’s not wrong,” Trystan agreed grudgingly.

  “You said before she was enchanting the crowd?” Rhys asked me, and I nodded. “What was it like?”

  “It was like this heavy, heady feeling. You know how you feel when—” I stalled, unable to find the words.

  “—When you’re horny. And you’re really, really attracted to someone, and you just feel that...” Xander interjected. I tried not to notice how his eyes were fixated on my lips when I was speaking.

  “…vibe,” Bash finished after an uncomfortable brief silence.

  “Yeah. That,” I said, forcing a sweet smile.

  “Well, that’s not surprising. She was using seduction magic on everyone,” Rhys said as if it were no big deal. “Probably the same magic she used, the same spell, used to create the incubus curse.”

  “Could that be the spell Igraine told you about?” I asked Bash.

  He sighed, his fingers tapping gently on one of my ankles he held in his lap. “No. She specifically said there was a spell to summon Avalon.”

  Rhys immediately sat up ramrod straight in the chair. He moved so fast Nessie was startled, and she lowered her ears and let out a low growl. He rose his hand, scowling, probably about to silence her with magic, but Trystan punched him in the leg—pretty hard too. “Don’t ye dare.”

  Rhys waved a hand at him dismissively, ignoring the bruise probably forming on his leg. “Enough of that. Igraine wants to summon Avalon? Like… actually summon it?” He chewed on his lip nervously.

  “Isn’t that a moot point?” Mathias asked. “I mean, she’s right here, right?”

  Rhys shook his head quickly. “Oh no. This is actually pulling the actual, physical isle out of its dimension and placing it here, on Earth. Avalon is a gateway between Camelot and here, so as long as Avalon is there, there will be resistance. Arthur can’t just bring in his army.”

  “Won’t the isle physically like crush everything around if it’s here? Like Camelot?” Xander asked. “At least, that’s what you said it would do.” Bash agreed with his sentiment with a derisive laugh.

  “Avalon isn’t big. It’s a small island that floated in the sky. With the right acreage and unpopulated area, it could be summoned safely.” Rhys’ expression was impish, as his eyes darted between all of us, clearly hinting at something.

  “Oh no,” Mathias shook his head quickly. “There’s no way! I won’t allow it!”

  “Come on! It’s perfect! Wildlife refuge, the wards are already up—it’s like a match made in heaven!” Rhys insisted.

  “You want us to summon the isle—here?” Bash asked incredulously, open mouthed with shock.

  Rhys stood, and glared at him gravely. He pointed at me. “Do you want Ava to be safe?”

  Bash blanched at any insinuation otherwise. “What kind of fucking question is that? Of course I do!”

  “We all do, dammit!” Trystan agreed.

  Xander didn’t have to speak, I could feel him tense underneath me. A gentle electric shock jolted me in the shoulder. “Oops. Sorry,” he whispered guiltily, and rubbed the spot gently. I just blew him a little kiss. Hey, I nearly knocked him into next Tuesday with my magic before. A little shock was nothing.

  “As long as that magic resides within her—” Rhys pointed at me, but I waved.

  “Sitting right here, bastard!” I insisted.

  He ignored me. “As long as that magic is inside her, she is a target. You have no idea how seductive that magic is to other supes!”

  Trystan breathed out loudly. “You’re not kidding.”

  “Not just you guys—that’s just you, but everyone else? Even humans!” Rhys continued. “Tell me, you noticed men paying attention to you more than usual?”

  “If you mean like, at all then yes, more than usual,” I said, clearly recalling the jewelry salesman yesterday, and not trying to recall the gross incubus who attacked me.

  He overturned his hands and his eyebrows shot up, as if to say, see? “You’ll always be a target.”

  Mathias groaned quietly, pressing his fingers against his temples. “What will the isle do for Ava once it’s summoned?” He asked calmly but with menace.

  Rhys’ eyes sparkled with mischief. “Do you recall me telling you before, how the isle would float around? It’d come from person to person, healing or sending soldiers peacefully on their way? That it was really just a portal—a gateway?”

  “Oh shit!” Bash stood up quickly, snapping his fingers at Rhys. Luckily I’d moved my legs just in time. “You’re telling me that Ava would be able to go back and forth between the isle, and wherever, at will?”

  “Now you’re getting it!” Rhys praised. “Hey maybe you really are a genius!”

  Bash blinked slowly, stone-faced. “I am going to let that one slide.”

  “So like, if I’m in danger—” I swallowed nervously, trying not to think about last night, “—I’ll just be able to poof! Go home?”

  Rhys nodded quickly. “Brilliant, huh? At least while you and Avalon are in the same realm; I don’t believe it would work if you were, say, in Camelot. But, maybe it would with enough energy; no one has ever needed to try it.”

  “Okay well,” Mathias said, the voice of reason. “How do we do it?”

  “Ah, well… that’s complicated,” Rhys said, more reserved this time.

  “There’s a spell,” Bash said thoughtfully. “Do you have it?”

  Rhys shook his head. “Alas, no. But it was recorded in several different forms; I can’t believe they’d still be around anymore.”

  Defeated, Bash sat slumped back down, taking my legs in his lap again, trailing his fingertips over my calves while he thought. “All Igraine said is that it would be ‘close’.”

  “Helpful,” Trystan said sarcastically. Bash grunted in agreement.

  “What sort of forms would it have been written in?” Mathias was obviously getting irritated. “Did you see them?”

  Rhys shook his head. “It was kept secret, even from me just in case I went rogue.”

  Xander grunted scathingly. “I can’t believe that’d ever happen…” I nudged him gently in the ribs and he chuckled evilly.

  Rhys nodded vigorously. “I know, right?”

  “So, who would know? Lachlan?” Mathias asked in exasperation. He stormed across the room and rose a fist at Rhys. “If you don’t start coughing up info—”

  “I’m trying!” Rhys insisted. Mathias just shook his head.

  “Try harder.” It wasn’t a suggestion from Mathias; it was a demand.

  “Only the witches of Avalon!” Rhys blurted uncomfortably.

  “Wait… then why doesn’t Igraine know?” I asked, confused.

  “Igraine and Morgause were imprisoned while Morgaine was head priestess of Avalon,” Rhys explained. “They wouldn’t have known; just by hearsay.”

  “And, none of the witches that are there now would know? They’re all totally different witches than the ones that served under Morgaine!?” Bash gripped my legs so hard, his knuckles turned white; when I protested he quickly released. “Sorry. Getting tense.”

  I glanced over at Mathia
s who wore about the same expression of doom, and I got a pretty good idea where Bash was getting that tension from.

  “There is one. Nimue. But she was a traitor. Somehow she was…different.”

  “Where the hell is Nimue, then?” Trystan had been fairly quiet, absorbing the information but even he was losing patience.

  “I wouldn’t know. I never, ever met her,” Rhys answered with chagrin.

  “So… basically what you’re saying is we’re exactly where we started?” Bash pounded a frustrated fist into the arm of the sofa.

  “No! We have Ava. We have the sword—”

  “—and, no way to know how to use it,” Mathias groused.

  “Hey, she said it was close. All I know is, when the spell was recorded—I know of three times at least—they were given to various people or supes for safe keeping. Years ago there were people, even secret societies devoted to carrying the summoning spell of Avalon and keeping it out of harm’s way. It’s been so long, I’m sure they’ve disappeared or died off, but… there has to be something. Some say the Avalon spell was the true holy grail; there are several different versions of it,” Rhys explained.

  “So, start searching for the grail again, or secret societies devoted to it?” Bash appeared thoughtful, nodding slowly.

  “A good start,” Rhys praised.

  “How did Morgaine get the grail—or the vessel—that held the magic, anyway?” Xander asked.

  Rhys grew quiet. “Ah, well. I’m afraid that was my fault.”

  “Yours?”

  “I was entrusted with keeping it safe, since I was essentially it’s maker. Or the one that made it more powerful. An extensive spell.” He blew out a whistle. “But I was… tricked.”

  “Tricked?” I asked.

  “Seduced, rather. Morgaine and I were lovers for quite a while,” he admitted, definitely sounding shamed.

  I gagged. “Oh shit that’s gross…” I shuddered violently, trying not to think about him with my mother. “I’ll never look at you the same way again…” Xander cringed, Trystan swore in Gaelic and Mathias just never stopped glowering at him.

  “So that part of the legend is true,” Bash mumbled.

  “Yeah, well, she just used me to get the grail and then I was captured in it for the first time. It’s strange magic.” Rhys sighed.

  Rubbing my palms over my face, I groaned. “I’m so confused.”

  “Me too,” Xander said sympathetically, absentmindedly twirling a tendril of my hair around his fingers.

  “I have an idea,” Bash said. He gingerly pried my legs off and set them carefully on the couch. “Are we done here? So I can—”

  Mathias waved him off. “Go. See what you can find.”

  Bash kissed me quickly on the cheek before he left. You could see the wheels turning in his head as he tore away up to his room.

  “So, we just need to summon the isle then. No big deal,” Trystan said dryly.

  “What about the sword?” Xander asked.

  “Excalibur? Well, if you can get it activated, it doesn’t matter if you know how to use a sword or not. It just… does it for you. It’s brilliant! The dragon that crafted it at the time was the best there ever was. I don’t even think there’s been another like him in years!” Rhys said.

  “How do we activate it, then? Or can we not, since it still belongs to Arthur?” Mathias wondered.

  “How did my dad ever use it, then?”

  “It was just a sword to him, mainly. As much as I hate to say it, he was a brilliant swordsman,” Rhys said sourly, wrinkling his face in a grimace. “But, if Arthur turned evil, the sword deactivates to prevent it from causing more damage. Now it belongs to no one.”

  “Why would he give it to Lachlan, anyway?” Xander wondered.

  “They really were true friends years ago. If Arthur thought he was going to die, he could have just given it to him for safekeeping,” Rhys said. “Or it was some sort of trap, I don’t know.”

  “Is there any truth to that sword and the stone legend?” I asked.

  “Yes. Originally the sword was for Vortigern, but he went dark, so… a spell was cast to shove it in the stone until someone with a true heart tried to wield it,” Rhys said. “Which eventually was Arthur, but…” We all knew what happened after that.

  “So… how is Ava supposed to use it? Does she have a true heart?” Mathias questioned. I shot him a dry look and he half-smiled cautiously. “Of course she does, but according to the magic rules… or whatever.”

  “Whatever the hell that means…” I quipped sardonically.

  “Depends. If she used it for a good deed, it might be enough to trigger the magic to activate.”

  I laughed wildly. “A good deed! What the hell is this, seriously? Am I trying out for sainthood!?”

  “Well it’s my best guess, unless you know any weapon-forging dragons out there?” Rhys said with a grunt.

  “We’re going to have to go after those incubi too,” Xander said dryly, clearly not thrilled with the prospect. “If we can find them, perhaps we can... encourage them to tell us the whereabouts of Morgaine.” Xander’s beautiful black eyes glittered roguishly at the word “encourage.” Which really meant “kick their asses”, and I could get behind that.

  “Oh yeah. We’re going to try to find a couple of attractive incubi on a college campus with hundreds of other attractive men and girls wearing beer goggles.” Trystan rolled his eyes. “That won’t be hard or anything.”

  “Well…” I began, still raking my fingers mindlessly on the back of Trystan’s neck. He reached around and covered my hand with his, shooting me a molten hot, heavy lidded stare.

  “Lassie, unless ye want me to take ye in the bedroom right now, ye need to stop that,” he said, challenging me with his sexy grin to refuse.

  Xander grumbled quietly, and Trystan smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, bro. I forgot—”

  “It’s okay.” He waved a hand dismissively. I didn’t know that it was, really, but the playful grin he flashed me said he was trying to be, and that’s all that mattered.

  Mathias was pulling a Bash and was intrigued by his phone. “According to their website, the frat where the guys were reported, there’s a party there tonight. Huge. Girls get free admission—how lovely,” he grumbled sarcastically. “I say we start there, and just do what we always do. Prowl, wait for something to happen, root ‘em out.”

  I snorted loudly. “I’m sorry, but you think you’re going to infiltrate a frat party and think you can blend in?” I burst into a fit of giggles. “There is no way!”

  Xander shot me a suspicious look. “Have experience with frat parties?”

  Rolling my eyes, I poked him forcibly in the arm. “Hey, just because I didn’t regularly get laid, doesn’t mean I didn’t try.” Xander stifled a grin; I knew he was about to say something incriminating. “Don’t you dare…” Xander shrugged and feigned innocence, but kept his mouth shut. “Besides, Summer claimed they were good places to pick up women. Don’t ask me why. But I guarantee you, you guys show up and those incubi, cursed or not, are going to go running for the hills and you won’t have a snowball’s chance in hell to find them,” I insisted. “Seriously, these guys are nineteen and awkward, skinny… you’ll stand out.”

  “What do ye propose then, luv?” Trystan inquired expectantly.

  “Use me as bait.”

  Xander stood so fast he nearly knocked me on the floor but Trystan was quick and pulled me into his lap before that happened. I grinned appreciatively at him, and then glared at Xander who was visibly pissed at the notion; his eyes were thunderous. Literally. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely not!”

  Mathias growled lowly. “I have to agree, it’s too dangerous.”

  Scrambling out of Trystan’s lap who tried to keep me captive, I stood and glared at everyone. “It’s a good idea! I can deal with it, and you guys will be there!”

  Xander breathed a long sigh. “Avie. Do you want a repeat of what happened yesterday? I sure don’t.” His
tone trembled with despair, and I softened.

  “No, of course not,” I said, reaching to grip one of his hands in mine. “But we’ll be ready. You all—” I pointed at everyone, “will teach me the stunners. I won’t leave your guys’ side, and we’ll bring Rhys for good measure.”

  Rhys’ face perked. “Yes! Do that! A little college action—”

  Resting my hands on my hips, I glowered at him. “If you’re included, you will not go off on your own. And if you do, and I find you, I will kill you myself.”

  He bit his lip and grinned awkwardly. “Of course… I was just… kidding.”

  Mathias scrubbed his hand over his face. “The idea has merit.”

  “Och, ye can’t be serious?” Trystan chimed in. “Besides, one of us has to be at the club tonight, just in case.”

  “Right…” Mathias leaned over the kitchen counter, gently pounding his closed fist on the tile, pondering. “Link is well equipped to handle everything. I’m calling him now. He should be okay. And only one of us needs to be there.”

  “I’m not staying back!” Xander protested. “This is what Link and Naomi are for—they did just fine last night! We aren’t going to be there every night, it’s impossible.”

  “I know… but so early in its opening and after last night…” Mathias sighed. “Well let me discuss things with Link. Maybe he’ll have a solution. In the meantime,” he motioned to Trystan, Xander, and I. “Get cracking on that stunner. You aren’t getting anywhere near that party unless you’re packing,” he ordered. My eyes began to thin, but his face pulled into a pleading expression, and I remembered where his heart was coming from. “Okay…” I relented with a sigh.

  Rhys suddenly appeared wounded. “What do I do in the meantime? Do I get my swag on or—”

  Trystan shot him a scathing glance. “Just stay out of the way.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  The weather outside happened to be on the cooler side, with a slightly chilly breeze even though it was mostly sunny; only giant puffy, marshmallow clouds hung occasionally in the bright blue sky.