Insatiable (The Curse of Avalon Book 3)

by Sariah Skye

  Trystan was a bit more reluctant. “Och, this feels like goodbye. I don’t like this.”

  I smiled. “No, no goodbyes. I promise. This will work.”

  “Aye.” But he grinned and kissed my cheek anyway, and when I turned back to Rhys, he grabbed a handful of my ass.

  “Perv,” I shot back, and he smiled uneasily, his lower lip trembling slightly.

  Rhys, Bash, and I gathered around the stone. “Ready?”

  “Yep,” Bash said, and Rhys just nodded.

  Taking a deep breath, I gripped the dagger by its hilt, and poised the tip into the palm of my hand… and stopped, cringing.

  “Here,” Bash said, taking the dagger from me. “I’ll be gentle. It’s less scary when someone else does it.”

  I nodded appreciatively. He took my palm in his, and swiftly poked the point into my hand. I flinched; it was a sharp, quick pain before it heated with blood. He gave me a remorseful look, bending over quickly to kiss the top of my knuckles in apology, and clasped my fingers shut to hold in the blood. He pierced his own palm then, wincing only slightly. “Rhys?” He offered, and the wizard stuck out his hand.

  “I hate pain, go easy— ouch!” He exclaimed; before he could finish speaking Bash already pierced his skin.

  “Better that way,” Bash said, grinning impishly. Rhys pouted with dismay.

  “We ready?” I glanced between the two of them.

  “Yes.” Mathias, Trystan, and Xander took a couple of steps back, looking helpless but determined. Beyond them, Link nodded once.

  “Now, guys.” Bash, Rhys, and I turned our hands over on the stone, leaned over, and breathed; drops of our blood tracing paths in the golden lettering of the stone as we blew. Nothing happened.

  “The magic,” Rhys whispered. “Call it.”

  Taking a deep breath, I reached for the beat in my mind; a low, droning buzz, but still there. I brought it forward, feeling a surge of warm heat gently permeate my insides, and I shivered as it traveled my body, and I pushed it through my hands into the stone. Rhys had his eyes closed, doing something similar, palms facing the stone.

  Bash appeared to be struggling. For a little encouragement, I turned my head, and grazed my lips over his—after all, Avalon was lust, wasn’t it? His mouth parted, allowing me in, and he moaned very quietly into my mouth. “Use that,” I said, pulling away, his eyes heavy as he bit his lip.

  “Oh shit, this is going to be…” he didn’t finish his statement because judging by the heavily-lidded eyes and his chest heaving and falling rapidly, he was knee-deep in the throes of Avalon lust. Oh baby, it gets so much worse…

  He found the magic and after a brief wince of pain, his shoulders relaxed, and he pushed a reflection of my magic into the stone; all three of our forces combining over it. Its light pulsed gently for a handful of moments before there was a very, very deafening crashing sound that assaulted our ears and ebbed in a low roar that continued.

  Everything around us changed. The house, the tree line, the guys disappeared, and all that was left was a bright, pure white light. The magic blew our hair backward, wind-whipped our clothes all around, but we managed to stay upright with struggle.

  “Give it more!” Rhys shouted over the noise, and we obliged. It was like pushing a wall or squeezing out of a vice to release the magic. The stone brightened and pulsed one more time, the words inscribed twisting into gold, thin strands that began to whisk around us, twisting and turning around us in a haphazard fashion.

  “What’s the rest of the spell?” Bash asked through gritted teeth. He was struggling for sure with either the pain of magic, or intensity of lust, but he didn’t pull back. I linked our arms, putting my palm over his hand.

  “We can do this!” I said. The magic spun and twisted around us, it was loud, bright and threatened to knock us over, but we remained resolute.

  “Love, and pure heart!” Rhys shouted.

  “How—how do we show that?” Bash said confused.

  I raised a brow. “I think…”

  “Guys, if you can hear me, think amorous thoughts!” Rhys commanded. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with the most insane, most intense feeling of lust I’d ever, ever had. Every pore tingled, every nerve on fire and my heart raced, waking up my core with desire. I glanced at Bash who clearly was feeling the same, I tried not to focus on the bulge in his pants. On second thought…

  One hand still remaining on the stone, I bit my lip, breathing heavily, smiling coyly at Bash’s handsome face… his heavily lidded steel-blue eyes and sultry smirk. I grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him into me forcefully, crooking a leg around his waist and groaning quietly—hopefully it couldn’t be heard beyond the magic—feeling his hardness against me. Hungrily he grabbed my neck, and slammed his lips over mine, our mouths a tangle of hungry, amorous lust, desire, and…

  “I fucking love you, Ava,” he said, briefly separating to grin at me.

  “I love you, Sebastian,” I replied, my lips brushing over his.

  “It’s working!” Rhys said. I dared to glance at him, he was clearly fighting his own struggles of unrequited desire—for who, I didn’t know, the Gods help us all if it was Trystan—but the magic around us grew brighter and begun to spin into a heady mist; the mist I recognized from the shores of Avalon. The air began transforming into a light, warm fog that tingled our skin and thrust outward over the clearing and trees, both shadowing with how it normally looked and how I recalled the isle looking on the times I traversed through the woods.

  “Pure of heart!” Rhys commanded. “Hurry!” He was looking ragged and tired, but his magic never faltered; neither did Bash’s or mine, even though Bash was beginning to pale as a siphon. He was probably taking in way more than he anticipated and it was exhausting. I didn’t focus on anything but the extreme lust, and tried to push the immediate thoughts of stripping off that tight shirt and pants, and ravaging him here out in the open.

  “Heart!” Bash nudged me; biting his lip so hard he nearly drew blood. He was clearly having the same thoughts. Soon… I thought.

  “What do I do for heart—?” But Excalibur thrummed at my side, making it clear what I needed, and I grabbed it. Willing the blade into a long sword, the blade glowed and formed all of its runes and emanated brightly. Without really thinking why, I plunged the blade into the earth at my feet.

  The force of the magic knocked us on our backsides, but I still clung to the sword; Rhys and Bash both channeling the magic with one hand, gripping my elbows for support with the other. Breathing hard, I glanced between the two of them, and they both nodded as the magic warped and twisted around us. They put their free hands over mine, and together, we pushed the sword all the way into the earth, up to its golden hilt.

  Everything began to ripple and churn around us, the green of Wild combining with the mists and tree line I remembered from Avalon, but neither overtook each other; rather they melded and combined a new area with trees young and old; cricked and nubile. Behind us, a river of water formed and began surging around the property, pooling into a large pond, and snaking through the land, careful not to uproot or bother any tree or anything else that was already there. The magic rippled and twisted, crackling and changing until everything was encompassed. I didn’t know how far it went, but after a moment everything just… stopped.

  Even though it was the middle of the night, everything around us was bright as day, but still completely overcast with cloud cover and mist.

  “Shit… this is just like…” Rhys stammered. “But not.”

  The house still lay in the distance, the trees were the same, just mixed with the ancient of Avalon, a low fog trailing over the ground, coming up from the water that now surrounded everything. It felt like Avalon and also looked like home.

  “Is this it?” Bash asked. We still channeled the magic, but it was much less now, and we were beginning to wane.

  “I’m… not sure. I think so, but where is everyone?” Igraine, Morgause and everyone should be here.
<
br />   We are here, dearest one. Complete the spell by touching the ground. That is it, Igraine’s voice echoed in my mind.

  I didn’t reply. I just took the magic remaining my hand and pushed it into the ground, feeling the cool earth and fog of Avalon twist up and encompass me, before shooting outward in one, final blast, knocking us over and flinging us backward. My head thunked against something hard—I think it was Bash’s leg—and everything went dark momentarily and then, silent.

  Breathing roughly, I cringed, my ears trying to adjust to the absence of noise.

  I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. Slowly I opened my eyes and peeled my upper body off the cold ground. With a fleeting glance I noticed Bash right behind me, clutching his stomach, trying not to wretch. Rhys was composing himself, smoothing out his clothing and appeared dizzy.

  “Hello, Ava, dear.” A familiar voice trembled, and I looked upward, finding the body attached to the gentle hand on my shoulder.

  The silver hair, the wise smile…

  “Igraine,” my voice trembled, and she held out her other hand, firmly helping me to my feet.

  She nodded, tears forming in her eyes, she let them fall openly down her gently weathered cheeks.

  “You’re… you’re really here.” I sniffled, overcome with emotion.

  “We are.” With a brief gesture, Morgause appeared behind her, and all of the witches appeared in their clearing, wearing the familiar white, gossamer robes.

  “Welcome to Avalon,” Morgause said, with a big smile.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Bash still struggled at my feet, and before I reacted any further, I quickly bent over at his side. He waved a hand at me, nodding and smiling awkwardly, telling me he was fine. “I just need a minute. Go… see your family.”

  “But… you guys are my family,” I said emotionally, gently brushing my fingers over his rough cheek.

  He beamed, placing his hand over mine and squeezing gently. “We are, but so are they. Meet them for real, this time. Go on.”

  Nodding, I allowed him his time to compose but didn’t want to leave him alone just in case. I snapped my fingers urgently hoping to catch one of the guys’ attention. Xander was first to notice and I pointed at Bash; he understood and quickly darted to his friend’s side. “You okay, man?” I heard him ask.

  Satisfied he was being tended to, I stood facing Igraine and the witches for the first time—for real. I pinched my inner arm briefly just to make sure it was real.

  “Yes, it’s real, dear child.” Igraine didn’t wait any longer, she dashed towards me, and wrapped her arms around my upper body. “Oh you are so brave, no one could have done this all better.”

  The tears began streaming down my face openly. “I can’t believe you’re really here!” I glanced up briefly. “Is everyone all right?” Through my blurry vision, I could barely make out the forms of the other guys, Mathias commanding them to hold back, not wanting to disrupt the reunion.

  Igraine chuckled. “We are fine. So are your animals and property. It’s just a bit… different now.”

  I breathed a relieved sigh. “Oh… that’s good.”

  Another body encompassed me, a delicate finger brushing the hair that loosed from my bun out of my eyes. “We are so proud. Everything went just as it should. You truly are a priestess of Avalon,” Morgause titled her head against mine, sniffling and voice shaking.

  “I—what?” I stood upright. “Priestess?”

  “With you here now, officially, you’re now the highest ranking. The Highest Priestess of Avalon.” Igraine motioned behind her, and all the witches I knew from before, in all their various beautiful individual selves, slowly lowered to their knees.

  Laughing uncomfortably, I shook my head. “Oh… no. I don’t…”

  “It’s true. You brought us back, you will save us all from Arthur. It’s what you were meant for,” Igraine said.

  I stood motionless, stunned for a few heartbeats. The daylight earlier began to fade into dusk, basking everything around in a dim glow. I gasped, everything was beautiful and surreal.

  “Are you okay?”

  Spinning around, Mathias, Trystan and Xander stood with concern and unbelievable restraint.

  “Go,” Igraine urged, with a laugh. “We have plenty of time to catch up.” Her eyes landed on a crumbled form behind Link.

  “Is that…?” she asked carefully, and I nodded.

  “She gave herself up,” I said quietly.

  “Can you—” Link inquired, and Igraine nodded. Two witches came forth and picked Morgaine up from the ground. She stumbled groggily but went willingly with the witches into the forest.

  “She will be out of trouble with us, I promise. We are prepared for the likes of her, now,” Morgause insisted, her eyes narrow at her back-stabbing sister.

  “That is good. Well if there is nothing else, I take my leave.” Link offered me a polite smile. “Well done, Priestess. Well done, indeed.” And with the crash of broken glass and purple smoke, he was gone. I shook my head, not wanting to even deal with that tonight.

  “Ava?” One of the guys beckoned softly. Mathias was nearest, so I flung myself at him first. The other two snuck in, wrapping their arms wherever was free; I was completely squished into an incubus sandwich.

  “Damn that was scary,” Mathias muttered, as he kissed my forehead.

  “You did good though, all of you,” Xander said solemnly, tipping his head into my neck. Trystan pressed his hard body behind me, snaking his arms across my waist… dangerously close to the ebbing desire deep inside my belly that hadn’t been quelled when the magic was over.

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Rhys kidded. Igraine and Morgause both laughed and hugged him like old friends. I caught a glimpse of his wide smile, especially when the other witches who he clearly recognized greeted him. Some a little friendlier than others. “Don’t wait up!” He wiggled his eyebrows, linked in the arms of a blond and redheaded witch, and they disappeared into the woods.

  I snorted. “Better than peeping on us,” I said.

  “Do you want to take a look around?” Morgause asked, bidding us further into the… property? Isle? I didn’t know what to call it.

  “I’m going to, you know—” Trystan pointed upward, and he shifted into his eagle form, his clothes shedding along the way as he swooped into the sky.

  “Yes, let’s.” I said, Morgause and Igraine motioning Mathias, Trystan, and Xander into the once familiar woods. I hung back momentarily for Bash, who was still doubled over on his knees. I was pretty sure he’d lost his dinner, and his face was pallor; purple collected under his steel eyes.

  “You okay?” I asked carefully, rubbing his back gently.

  He nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.” His lips spread into a flirtatious grin. “I’m fucking still horny as hell though,” he said lowly, his tone rumbling with desire.

  “Yup,” was all I could say through clenched teeth; every nerve was still on fire especially the ones between my legs. Groggily, he stood and clutched me by the elbows, pulling me forcibly into his hard body, his eyes hooded, searching mine. His lips hovered over mine and we breathed in each other’s air, sultry and heady.

  “Think we can escape yet?” He asked with a grin, barely brushing his lips over mine, my belly pooled into a mass of molten desire.

  “Soon.” I threaded my fingers with his and followed everyone else into the new Avalon.

  It was like something out of a medieval fairy tale, a land preserved by magic and time. Wild had been completely morphed into Avalon from the foggy air, to the gentle warmth. Wandering through the new area, we were relieved to see nothing had been destroyed as was promised; the barn and gardens were still intact. In fact, the gardens that had been beginning to wilt in the autumn season had perked once again and flowering brightly; Trystan confirmed this on his fly-over as an eagle before.

  Igraine, Morgause, and the rest lived in humble wooden cottages in the center of the property. They were rickety but suffic
ed; Avalon didn’t have any real weather to contend with. Xander seemed relieved, but Igraine assured that over time, Minnesota’s weather and Avalon would merge. She said she was looking forward to seeing snow again. I just grumbled. However, we assumed it wouldn’t be extreme like we were prone to having, and for that I was grateful.

  Mathias took one look at the cottages and shook his head. “We will get someone in to fix these, you shouldn’t have to live like this.” Igraine protested outwardly, but you can tell they were pleased. Several of the witches admired him with their roving eyes but Igraine shook her head warningly. I don’t think they all knew of our unusual situation yet. Well, they’d better learn.

  Wild was now surrounded completely by a lazy river that pooled into two large ponds on the west and east sides of the property. Sammy had already discovered the west one and was swimming happily in the tepid water.

  “Well, at least we don’t need a pool anymore,” Mathias had quipped.

  “Och, Sammy—be careful!” Trystan raked a hand over his face as Sammy took a nosedive into the water, growling happily and splashing.

  “I guess he likes it!” I giggled as the other animals had begun to emerge. Foxes, birds, deer, and raccoons—the normal residents of the area—gathered at the pool, curious by the new developments. A howl resonated in the distance; Nessie was making her presence heard. She’d been a bit distant lately, like the other dogs, weirded out with all the new… changes. But Trystan assured us she was fine.

  “So... what now? Where is the portal into Camelot?” I inquired. “My father has been taken hostage, he’s scheduled for execution in two weeks.”

  Igraine’s face fell. “I am sorry. There is a cave not far, it contains the other spell for opening the portal. Time moves a bit more slowly there than it does here, so hopefully he’ll be okay for the time being.”

  “I’m sorry, Ava,” Morgause said sadly. “How did you find out?”

  “Mordred.” I quickly regaled the story of Nimue and Arthur, the portal in the table—everything. All the while I tried to remain composed, but I was clenching my legs together tightly, trying to subside the tingles that ebbed there. I’d about had enough of waiting.