Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled. “I was just getting some air.”
“Oh, and who …” Lancer’s voice trailed off, and a strange flurry of emotions crossed over his face in quick succession.
Shock, anger, irritation, and then he settled for pleasantly surprised.
“Avalon, so glad you could make it.” Lancer closed the space between us and wrapped his arm around me possessively. He then held out his hand to shake my stranger’s hand. “You didn’t RSVP.”
Wait, Avalon?
My brain whirred to life, and everything clicked.
This man raised Lancer?
But he can’t be older than thirty-five.
“I didn’t think I had to, Lancer.” Avalon shook my fiancé’s hand while I gawked in horror. “We are family.”
Avalon is a Duke.
He’s nobility, and I didn’t even address him properly.
My face heated, and my stomach roiled in shame.
He probably thinks I’m not good enough for his charge.
I looked at him like I wanted to jump him, for God’s sake.
“You must be Alexandria York.” The sound of my name slipping over the Duke’s tongue made me stutter.
“Y-yes, Your Grace.” I curtseyed quickly, keeping my head down. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t recognize you.”
Avalon chuckled. “No worries. I don’t get out much.”
I stole a quick glance up at the man they called The Dragon. He winked at me, and my face flamed again.
“Shall we go back inside?” Lancer rubbed my shoulder, removing Avalon’s jacket. “I don’t want you to get sick, Allie.”
“Right.” I followed Lancer back inside, relishing the warmth of the ballroom. Still, Avalon’s scent lingered on my skin.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Avalon re-don his jacket. A part of me pouted, enjoying the way his biceps flexed against the thin cotton of his shirt. The black vest beneath clung to his core, allowing my mind to come up with what could be underneath.
Stop it!
“Before I forget,” Avalon began, “I have something for your bride.”
Lancer stiffened next to me, and I shot him a curious glance.
He softened at my questioning gaze and smiled. “Oh?”
Avalon pulled out a black velvet box from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. “I wish you all the happiness in the world. And since you are going to be Lancer’s wife, you will be family.”
Curiosity took hold, and I accepted the box gratefully. “Thank you, sir, but you didn’t have to.”
“I did.” Avalon’s stare turned harsh as gray eyes flicked back to Lancer, but I chalked it up to my imagination.
Opening the box carefully, I gasped. “Oh!” My gaze met Avalon’s. “They are gorgeous, but I …” My fingers feathered over the ruby necklace encrusted with diamonds and matching earrings. “This is too much.”
Lancer exhaled through his nose as if irritated at something, but I ignored him.
Avalon shook his head. “It’s the least I can do.” His soft smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Please accept them.”
The sadness reflected in his gorgeous eyes took me aback. “Of course, I will. Thank you.”
He seemed to relax, only to stiffen when Thomas and Elaine surrounded us.
“The Duke of Avalon, gracing us with your presence.” Thomas stuck his hand out. “You must be a very special girl, Alexandria.”
Avalon’s jaw clenched, but he took Thomas’s hand and shook. “Thomas.”
My best friend regarded me carefully, her gaze dancing between Avalon and Lancer.
Why does everyone seem so cautious of Avalon?
The soft cry of a violin drew my attention to the orchestra playing a slow waltz version of “Love Me Like You Do.”
“Lancer, would you mind if I danced with your bride?” Avalon asked, his gaze once again falling on me.
The grip on my shoulder tightened, biting into my skin before he relented. “Of course. That is, if you’re okay with it, Allie?”
My fiancé looked at me, and I nodded. “That’s fine.”
With a smile, Avalon extended his hand, and I took it. “My lady.”
I left Lancer standing with Thomas and Elaine watching me step onto the dance floor with The Dragon.
Avalon gently steered me into his arms, his steps light.
He placed a hand on my waist and lifted the hand he held. Teasingly, he asked, “Can you waltz?”
“I can.”
“Perfect.” Avalon led me gracefully around the dance floor—our movements completely in sync. Every twirl brought a smile to my lips, and for a moment, I forgot where we were.
I became just a girl, in the arms of a man.
Nothing broken or forgotten.
Everything seemed right in the world.
I found solace in the arms of a Dragon.
FOUR
Avalon
At the very last minute, I decided to go to the engagement party. Every bone in my body railed against me going and watching the happy couple in love. To face the woman I loved and know she loved me just as much—only she didn’t remember.
I chose to hang out on the terrace off the ballroom and watch Alexandria and Lancer make the rounds. My imagination took me to a different time where I’d be the man by her side, proudly introducing her to the royal family and others worthy of her time. Not these overstuffed politicians and charitable donors.
How can Lance even consider this an engagement party? I scoffed. It’s like a networking gala.
A commotion behind me caught my attention, and there she was.
In a blue blur, Alexandria stormed toward the balcony with my sister guiding her.
I hadn’t seen her in four months, and my God, how did she get even more beautiful.
My throat tightened. My chest ached.
She is all I breathe.
She is all I feel.
She’s all for me.
And I couldn’t have her.
Keeping my distance, I slunk into the shadows and picked up snippets of their conversation. Morgan must’ve sensed me because she stared right into the darkness and met my gaze. Soon after, she left Alexandria alone.
I met the love of my life once again.
Now, I held her in my arms, moving around the dance floor effortlessly.
If only she knew just how much my heart longed for hers. If only she understood the strange mixture of pleasure and pain that came from touching her. If only she remembered just a fragment of me.
“Avalon?” her voice interrupted my thoughts.
Tilting my chin down, I stared into her brilliant blue eyes.
Oh, Alexandria, my love, my life, my world.
But I couldn’t say any of that.
“Yes?”
I waited on bated breath.
She worried her lower lip between her teeth, and I longed to kiss her. One kiss, and maybe like so many fairytales, she’d wake up. But I wasn’t a fairy tale.
I’m a myth.
A legend.
And she was very much awake.
“This might sound very strange, but I feel like I’ve met you before.” She hurried along before I could say anything. “I know we haven’t, but dancing with you …” Her voice trailed off.
“Dancing with me feels natural?” I finished for her.
Alexandria nodded, studying my face intently.
She’s trying.
Dear God, she was trying so hard for me without even knowing.
I blinked quickly and tore my gaze away from her.
The beast inside raged to just steal her away. To kiss her within the safety of Caliburn, to reintroduce her to Cam, who missed her just as much as I did. And I’d make love to her like a dying man because, without her, I truly was dying.
“You’re very young to have raised Lancer.” Alexandria turned our conversation to a safer topic. “I’m surprised.”
A smile graced my lips, and I spun her gently, pulli
ng her back against me. Our bodies briefly touched, sparking heat between us. Her feet almost stopped moving, but I urged her on. “I’m older than I look.”
She seemed emboldened by my teasing. “I wouldn’t guess a day over thirty-five.”
“Are you flirting with me, Ms. York?” my fingers at her waist tightened. “Because I’d be flattered if you are.”
Her face turned bright pink.
How I’d missed that color.
“Forgive me.” She bit back a grin. “I’m just not used to dancing with a man they call The Dragon.”
Fuck.
She’s unchanging, unconditional, and irrevocably mine.
The violin cried along with my soul. “Dragons can be tamed, you know?”
“Oh?” Alexandria smirked. “How so?”
The music faded, and the crowd around us burst into applause. I snapped to attention, unaware that we had an audience. Lancer clapped, but his stare bore my skull with daggers.
“Come, I should return you to your fiancé.” The word left a bitter taste on my tongue.
Alexandria pulled my arm, halting my steps. “How do I tame a dragon?” Her question came from a place of innocence this time. She was genuinely intrigued.
I tapped the end of her nose with my finger. “Become its treasure.”
She blinked, confusion crossing her face.
We walked off together, and I handed her back to Lancer.
“You two sure made quite the pair,” Morgan said, looking smugly over Alexandria’s head to Lancer. “You dance so well, Alexandria.”
Alexandria blushed. “Thank you.”
Lancer leaned down and pressed a passionate kiss on her lips. “That’s my future wife.”
Another piece of my heart joined the pile of ashes growing in my chest. No wonder breathing was becoming so hard. Choked on the death of love should be inscribed across my final resting place.
“Well, I should be off.” Merlin would be wondering why it was taking me so long. “Congratulations to both of you.”
“Thank you.” Lancer reached forward and shook my hand. “We appreciate you coming.”
Alexandria wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “Thank you for the necklace. I’ll cherish it forever.”
I allowed myself a moment to lose myself as I wrapped my arms around her small frame. “I hope to see you again, Alexandria.” She smelled so good, but I released her.
Morgan’s eyes shone with tears, knowing how much this killed me.
Swallowing down the lump forming in my throat, I spun on my heel and strode out of the ballroom. I blindly raced across multiple hallways and lobbies before I came upon the front doors. My shoes clipped down the stone steps to the car waiting for me, but a voice stopped me.
“Avalon!”
Why …
Slowly looking over my shoulder, I looked up the steps at Alexandria’s flushed face. “Yes?”
She traced over the final steps, coming to a halt two above me so we were the same height. Her hands clasped together so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
My brow quirked. “Go on.”
“Since my parents were killed in an accident, and my grandmother is the only relative I have left, I was wondering.” Her blue eyes glittered. “Since you and Lancer are practically brothers, would you give me away?”
I sucked in a breath, completely shell-shocked by the request. “You want me to give you away?”
Don’t make me, Alexandria.
Please.
She nodded. “My father isn’t here, and neither is my mother. I know it would mean a lot to Lancer.”
Of course, it would.
The rubbing of salt in the wound.
Yet I couldn’t blame her. She knew nothing and remembered nothing. To her, this was reality. And making her happy had become my life’s purpose.
I plastered a smile on my face. “I’d be honored.”
She flung her arms around me once again, and this time, there wasn’t anyone else in sight. Taking advantage of the moment, I pulled her down to me, resting one hand on the back of her head.
“Your parents would be very proud of you.” As I whispered in her ear, the beating of her heart grew faster and faster. “Lancer is the luckiest man in the world to have you.”
Alexandria gave me a curious look, but I cupped her face in my hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead. My eyes squeezed shut, and I let my heart break into a million pieces.
I love you.
Then I left her standing on the steps, staring at me in surprise.
Merlin glanced in the rearview mirror before gliding the car away from the curb and into the flow of traffic.
“Are you all right?” he asked gently.
The tears streaming down my face answered his question.
Alexandria York killed me that night.
I’d given her away already.
I couldn’t do it again.
FIVE
Alexandria
I remembered going home to my own apartment after the engagement party and was sure I’d undressed, hung up my dress, and got ready for bed. So why I woke up with the sun streaming in on my face, gulls calling, and the waves crashing against the shore had me scrambling. But I couldn’t move.
Instead, I watched, frozen as I—me—rolled over in bed and came face to face with the Duke of Avalon.
Internally, panic set in.
Did I go home with him?
How did I get to his house?
My brain scrambled, grasping at straws when he reached over and stroked my face. “How did you sleep, sweetheart?”
Oh, shit.
Why am I here with you?
Once again, though, my cries went unanswered.
“Perfectly well.” Awake me leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Avalon’s lips. Trapped me rattled the bars on her cage, begging to be heard.
I could feel everything, taste everything, and it became too much.
Let me out, let me out, let me out!
“Today, I must go with Merlin and sort out a matter in court.” Avalon smiled brightly, and that was when I noticed the difference.
This version of Avalon didn’t have jet-black hair. No, his hair caught the sun and dazzled a brilliant golden. And his eyes glittered such a vibrant green.
But it’s him.
I know it’s him. I can sense it.
It’s his face.
He has the same eyes even if they’re a different color.
“Well, I hope it doesn’t keep you away for too long.” My legs slipped out from the bed, a sheer white chemise falling to the floor when I stood. “I shall miss you.”
Why the hell did I talk like I belonged in Pride & Prejudice?
The cold flagstone sent a chill up my body, and I wrapped myself in a cloak I picked up by the bed.
Wait a minute.
For the first time, I turned to survey my surroundings and realized every furnishing, every candle, and even the wooden four-poster bed dated itself to medieval.
What?
“Whatever shall you do without me?” Avalon rolled out of bed naked, and I squeaked internally.
Holy crap, he’s hung.
Stop it!
Why can’t I talk?
What is this?
Avalon enveloped me in his embrace and kissed my neck. He walked us over to the open window, and we stared out over the ocean.
Where are we?
“I love you, my queen.” He peppered kisses along my shoulder. “Anything you want, I shall give to you.”
My giggles echoed off the high ceilings as I snuggled under his chin.
“And I love you, my king.” Our hands intertwined, wedding bands flashing in the sunlight. “You hold my heart, Arthur.”
Arthur?
No, no, this is Avalon.
Time seemed to slow, and suddenly, my own eyes pierced me. It felt like I was trapped in a moment in time, a fly on the wa
ll, but there was no escape. And I’d been caught.
Her gaze sharpened on me, and her hands gripped Avalon—or Arthur’s—shoulders possessively.
“You must remember.”
Her voice echoed around me.
“How? What is this?”
“What the mind forgets, the heart remembers. What the eye refuses to see, the body recalls.” She pulled Avalon down into a deep kiss, and I felt the passion, the heat, the need.
Once more, she glowered at me. “You must remember. You have to remember.”
Avalon’s chin tilted and his eyes found mine.
I gasped, pinned under his intense gaze.
“Alexandria.”
He knows my name.
Oh, my God.
He knows who I am?
“How, how can I remember?” Desperation settled in my chest. “Tell me how.”
Avalon merely offered a gentle smile and leaned down to kiss the version of me in his arms.
My body jerked roughly against the mattress, and I shot upright in bed, gasping for air. Every muscle trembled, and my fingers shook as I folded the duvet down.
No castle walls, no four-poster bed, no naked, handsome, drop-dead gorgeous duke to fend off.
I pushed hair away from my face. “What the hell was that?”
My gaze drifted along the far side of the room, lingering on pictures of family and friends. For a strange reason, my closet door suddenly seemed very interesting.
Climbing from the bed, I stalked toward the double doors and pulled them open slowly. The large walk-in greeted me with rows of organized dresses, skirts, blouses, and trousers that hung neatly. Lower racks held shoes of varying make and purpose while the uppermost shelves stuffed away old boxes and papers.
One of the box’s lids dipped inside, inviting me to step farther into the closet. My fingers found the beaded string for the light in the center of the closet, and light flooded the room.
“Ugh.” I blinked several times, realizing my mistake too late.
Once my eyes finally adjusted to the soft yellow glow, I reached up to tug the box down. The unsecured lid slipped and hit the floor without a sound.
Kneeling, I sifted through the old papers and sketches until my hand hovered over a black sketchbook I swore I’d lost or misplaced.
This is the one I bought for the showing last year. I shook my head with an amused grin. So this is where I put you.
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