The Duke's Curse (Legend Book 2)

by Kylie Stewart

  Cut for cut, she left me speechless in the silence of the room. I blew out a long breath, covering my face with my hands. I couldn’t do this on my own anymore. I couldn’t trust Avalon with what was rightfully mine. I would go to hell to get her back.

  Nine

  Alexandria

  If one more person accused me, cornered me, or challenged me, I felt as though I would snap. The last thing I expected from Lancer was for him to question my feelings. I had seen the look of hurt and disbelief in his eyes when he asked me that stupid question. Angrily, I threw myself against a wall and leaned my head back. I didn’t know what to do anymore.

  On the one hand was the man I had hoped would return. On the other was a man I never saw coming. I gathered my wits and continued back from the room where I had just left. Voices could be heard from the doorway.

  I recognized the low hum of M’s and the higher, rougher edge to Avalon’s, but there was a woman’s voice as well. Heart pounding, I stepped inside. All heads turned toward me.

  “Ms. York.” M offered a small smile. I barely noticed him. My gaze firmly locked onto clear, pale blue eyes that seemed just as intent on me. She rose with such grace, it irritated me.

  Her pale, blond hair was pinned up elegantly, showing off the slender curve of her neck. She was tall and held an hourglass shape. She was beautiful, and I felt dwarfed by her. Still, I didn’t back down from her gaze. If I was who everyone said I was, then this was my estate, not hers.

  A soft twitch flickered over her full lips as if she had heard my thoughts. She broke the stare, lowering her eyes and curtseying to me.

  “My Lady, it has been so long. I see you haven’t forgotten yourself over all of this time.”

  I threw daggers at Avalon, who was caught pouring whiskey in his condition. I stormed over to him and ripped the bottle away.

  “You don’t need this the way you are.” I focused all my anger on him. He seemed to pick up on my emotions and met me glare for glare. The crystal decanter was stolen from my grasp.

  “The day you tell me what to do is when we are all free.” He snarled in warning.

  With an angry growl of my own, I won the decanter back and chucked it into the bare hearth. Avalon’s eyes went from angry to furious in seconds. He tried to intimidate me, stepping into my personal space, his nose brushing mine. I watched his jaw clench over and over, his lips pulled into a taut line. I didn’t back down.

  “You’re ill. You don’t need that junk.” My voice was even.

  He narrowed his eyes, giving me a childish face. “Do not ever tell me what to do again. Do you understand? You’re just a little girl who knows nothing about the shit she’s in. Don’t think you can play with me.”

  Rolling my eyes, I reached up and took hold of his shirt collar. I yanked him down to my level. I heard his surprise at my strength.

  “I have had enough of your shit, do you understand? You can no longer intimidate me or command me to do as you want me to. I know too much now, Your Grace. I’ve seen too much. Or have you forgotten?” I smirked, enjoying the flustered look on his face. “You will start treating me with the respect of an equal. I don’t ask it of you; I demand it of you. Do you understand?”

  I waited for his response, lifting my chin proudly.

  I heard what he longed to say, saw what he wanted to do to me, felt every fiber of his being holding back. Storm gray eyes thawed from ice to a warm look of adoration.

  “All right then.” His voice was like velvet. “Can you please unhand me, Alexandria? We do have a guest.”

  I had momentarily forgotten about the gorgeous blond woman who was sharing a grin with M. Lancer stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and brows knitted together. I ignored him. I was done trying to be anything but me. No bending to anyone’s will.

  I felt my heart flutter at the thought of the man I had grown to desire above all others. My cheeks also heated at the thought because I knew the truth now.

  I released Avalon, somewhat self-conscious of my outburst now. The stranger in the room just smiled, and she didn’t feel like a stranger. I couldn’t place her. Had I seen her before?

  “Come, Lancer, please sit. We all have a lot to discuss.” Avalon collected himself as usual and motioned to the square table.

  We all took a seat, me between Lancer and the woman. Avalon sat across from me and next to M. A hush fell over us all.

  “Alexandria, I would like to introduce you to the Lady Vivian Lake. She is a very old friend of mine. I believe she will be of great support for you.” Avalon introduced us.

  “A pleasure to meet you, Alexandria.” Vivian turned to me again, and that warm look on her face was infectious. “I have heard so much about you.”

  “Oh?” My eyes flicked over to Avalon. “Just what have you heard?” I turned back, curious to what she would say.

  A musical laugh escaped her lips. With a wink, her eyes sparkled. “That you are indeed suited for the quests ahead of you.”

  “Well, I’m glad you all think so.” The tone of my voice was sharper than I’d intended. “All I’ve ever heard is how useless, mistrusting, and weak I am.”

  Vivian’s brows arched and focused across the table at Avalon who just shrugged.

  Arse.

  “So tell me. Are you cursed too?” I decided to push this meeting along. The large grandfather clock chimed in the silence after my question.

  “No, I am not. I am, however, not of this station.” Long, perfectly manicured fingers played with an onyx pendant hanging from her neck. “I am the person who was able to grant Avalon this chance.”

  The sound of blood rushing in my ears once again temporarily drowned out the bodies in the room.

  The person who was able to grant Avalon this chance?

  My mind swam, no, sifted through everything I had been learning.

  Avalon had been alive for a century and a half. Avalon seemed practically immortal due to the curse. Suddenly, my hands gripped the table as I felt the earth shift from under me. Avalon had been dealt a fatal blow. Slowly, as if my eyes were nearing the peak of Everest, they rested on Avalon’s chest. Beneath his shirt lay a scar; a scar that would lead to his heart—the blow that would have killed him.

  He awkwardly cleared his throat, and his hand subconsciously rubbed over the spot where I fixated. A hand on my shoulder brought me back to the present. Tight, forest green eyes tried to offer me a shore to stand on, but the tide was too overwhelming.

  “You brought Avalon back from the dead?” The words fell from my lips and reverberated around my body like a chill.

  Vivian took a moment. She seemed a bit wary of my reaction. She turned her full attention toward me and only me then she took my right hand in hers. My feet were back on earth again.

  “How much do you know, Alexandria?” The grave tone in her voice didn’t help my unease.

  “I know I am the reincarnation of Avalon’s first wife.”

  I couldn’t believe I was living this life.

  I couldn’t believe this was my truth.

  I didn’t want to give truth to the lies.

  “Go on,” Vivian urged.

  I looked at Avalon, whose face twisted in almost regret. There was no time for a private conversation.

  What had he left out?

  “I know that Avalon has been alive due to a curse. He was forced to walk a thousand years watching his love from afar. Then, when he could go after her, he only succeeded three times.” Licking my lips, I caught Avalon’s hands balling on the tabletop. His head hung so I couldn’t see his face. “Isabelle, Anne, and Katherine were the women, but they were all killed. He always lost them.” Fear licked my bones.

  Was I next to die?

  “What else?”

  “Lancer is a reincarnation. I just found that out. M has been cursed as well. That’s all I know.” When I looked up at Vivian, her face was vexed. Irritation registered over kind eyes, and she glowered at Avalon.

  “You haven’t told her a damn thing
, Knight. You told me she’d be prepared. I cannot do what I must with her in hysterics.” Vivian rubbed her temples, her elbow dropping to the table. “There is more, Alexandria, so much more.”

  “W-what?” I choked.

  Lancer’s grip went from just a hand on my shoulder to his arm around my shoulders.

  “Avalon withheld the truth of whom and what you all are from you.” She sighed. “I cannot keep cleaning up your mess.”

  “I know.” Avalon’s voice was small as if being scolded by his mother. My gaze traveled back to his face. He looked so young, so afraid. “I didn’t know how.”

  “How to what?” I demanded. Anger reached its apex in my soul. “What didn’t you tell me, Avalon? Do you always intend to lie to me? Have you always lied to me in every lifetime?”

  My last question struck a nerve as he visibly winced. There was no quick lash back at me. There was no snarl or look of utter hatred. Gray eyes looked at me with a sorrow that rocked my core.

  I’m sorry.

  You lied to me again.

  Our gaze locked for a solid minute before Vivian’s hand broke us.

  “Alexandria, focus on me. Only me.” The woman became very old all of a sudden. Not in looks but in her voice. “I am going to tell you a story, one that you’ve heard for years.”

  “Years?” I could barely hear my voice.

  “Yes. It is a story about a legend.”

  My heart ceased, and my head flew to Avalon. His fear infected me. I didn’t want to hear this story. Somewhere deep inside me, bones cracked, ghosts screamed, and blood boiled. In the deepest recesses of my mind, I saw things flash before my eyes that weren’t my memories. I heard voices.

  “Alexandria, Alexandria, I need you to focus on me, not him.” Vivian turned my head back to her. “Are you ready for this?”

  My mind screamed, NO, but my head nodded yes.

  “There once was a man who ruled these parts. He held power and kingdoms. He was married to a great lady and had the strength of many, many noble friends.”

  “Stop.” I held my free hand up before Vivian could continue. I turned my cold glare to Avalon’s terrified face. He didn’t want me to know anything about my past. I could smell it. I could taste it.

  Rising, I folded my hands in front of my stomach, clasping in a way that would have normally been foreign to me. But I was watching myself. It was as if I could see all of us from where I hovered, and another being had taken my place.

  Shoulders squared and chin jutting proudly, I made sure my eyes held Avalon’s prisoner. He couldn’t run from me this time. I wouldn’t allow him to anymore.

  “I want you to tell me. I deserve to hear the truth from your lips, Your Grace.” I felt Lancer’s hand rest on my back, steadying my shaking form.

  “Alexandria,” Avalon started, but I was quicker.

  “Do not lie to me! Tell me the truth of who you are!” I slammed my hands down on the table, and I leaned forward. “You owe it to me, Avalon. After all we’ve been through.” Memories of me tangled in the arms of a stranger blurred my vision. “After all we’ve shared.”

  I sensed Lancer glaring at Avalon and me with my last statement. M had rested against the back of his chair, visibly uncomfortable. Vivian was stoic—waiting for Avalon to grant me my request.

  Avalon’s chin quivered. His chest rose and fell ragged, gasping for air. The expression on his face begged me, pleaded with me. I would not relent.

  “Who are you?”

  “Alexandria, please calm down. You must understand this is hard for all parties involved.” His voice trembled, and his confidence was gone.

  “Who are you?” I raised my voice, hammering my hands on the wood, tears stinging my eyes.

  I knew.

  Oh, how I knew.

  I knew he was the man from my dreams.

  He was the man of my dreams. Only, he could never know that.

  He cowered from me against his chair. My frustration overflowed, and I crawled onto the table. I heard everyone stand and felt Lancer’s hands try to grip my waist, but I pushed my way across and stared eye to eye with Avalon. I felt the tears slip down my face.

  “I know you ...” I kept my voice to a hush as the tension built brick by brick between us. “Tell me the truth. Show me your darkness in the light.”

  He shoved his chair back to stand. Every bone in his body was ready to defend. Every muscle rippled with the fear of his truth. Gray eyes grew wild and wide as raven hair fell over them. My breath hitched.

  Quickly, I imagined him with emerald eyes and buttery blond hair. I had already told him that I knew his secret. I had promised to keep it between us. I had promised myself I wouldn’t allow it to ruin what Lancer and I could have. Yet this man, this beast, had stolen me in my dreams. I yearned for him over anyone else.

  It was a lie.

  It was all true.

  I hate him.

  You have feelings for him.

  Shaking my head, I lowered my voice to a dangerous level. “Tell me the truth.”

  Avalon inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled. As he spoke, I felt everything in my heart seize.

  “I am Arthur, Arthur Pendragon. I am the once and would-be future King of England. I was leader of the Knights of the ‘Round Table. I was married to you in your first life; you were my queen.” His face twisted in agony as he reached to catch a strand of my hair and let it slip through his fingers. “Guinevere ...”

  When he spoke that name, I felt the air rush out of my lungs. Without proof, I knew he was speaking the truth. All he had already told me, and what I had seen—he was who he said he was.

  The tension in the room was electric. I didn’t speak for a few moments, searching his face as tears cascaded down my face. The truth of who I was, what I was, stabbed me over and over in my heart. A sob escaped, and I fell to my knees. Covering my face with my hands, I lost it.

  I shared the soul with a lecherous woman. I was a woman who had turned on her husband for her husband’s right-hand man. I was a woman who had been sentenced to burn for her sins. I sucked in air, trying, but a sorrow so ancient had overtaken me.

  Strong, warm arms wrapped around me, and I hid my face in his chest. Lancer rocked me gently, shushing me, running hands over my hair. It did nothing but turn my stomach.

  Here we were again.

  I understood Avalon’s unwillingness to let go of me now.

  Lancer had loved me first, yet I had met Avalon before. Arthur had taken me in my dreams and wormed his way into my heart, while Lancer had left me and taken a piece of me with him. Avalon challenged me, and I, in return, challenged him. We sparred, warred, and there was such a thick wanting between us. Sexual desire pooled in us both, yet we knew the pool was boiling hot. One would be burned. One would win; one would lose. That was our endless game. That was our curse.

  Finally, I gathered the strength to look up at Avalon. I was expecting to meet cold eyes, an emotionless face, and body language that screamed for me to stay back. The man I saw was none of those things.

  A stray tear managed to escape his storm-ridden gaze. His face was tragically beautiful as it was full of regret, fear, and self-loathing. That body I had seen just moments ago was screaming for me to run away from him.

  I sniffed, carefully pushing away from Lancer. Caressing his face, I reassured him I was all right then I stood and walked to Avalon. I kept space between us. I batted tears away from my face with the back of my hand. I lifted my head proudly.

  “May we have a moment?” The shifting of feet grew farther away until the door shut, leaving Avalon and me alone.

  “Alexandria ... I ...”

  I didn’t allow him room to speak. Closing the gap between us, I watched as my hand rose and fell, just as it had done the first time. His head spun, keeping it down-turned like a punished dog.

  “That is for lying to me!”

  I heard a low growl coming from his lips. With a snarl, he bit the hand that fed him hope. I felt my feet s
camper backward until we hit a wall. His fingers were curled around my throat, not quite choking me but still uncomfortable.

  “This is for fucking with my head!”

  We were gridlocked. My chest rose and fell as I scratched at his wrists to release me. I felt his hold loosen until his hands fell to my shoulders, then my arms, to my hands. Avalon captured both, kneeling in front of me with his forehead resting against my fingers.

  “I beg of you to forgive me. I couldn’t bear it if you hated me the rest of your life, Alexandria.”

  I sucked my teeth. “Are you asking because you feel as though now that I know who I am, I will become her? That I carry her hate forward with me? That her sins rest on my shoulders?” I scoffed. “Oh no, Avalon. She is gone, and I am here. You have to stop these feelings. I am not her.”

  “You don’t understand, Alexandria.” Avalon rose to his feet, cupping my face in those gentle paws of his. Thumbs caressed my cheeks. “I have fallen in love with you, and as you may have guessed, I hate you for it.” His chest heaved. “I’ve told you this. You have broken me.”

  There he was. That smoldering heat rising between us made it hard to see right from wrong. In his eyes, I saw flashes of the man he once was. I saw those sins that haunted him. I saw a man of passion and chivalry. I was his lady.

  “When you see me, do you see her?” My voice was tight.

  His eyes softened. “Only you, God, only you. You are so different from any woman I have ever met. You are good; you are pure, Alexandria. So fucking pure I don’t dare lay a finger on you for fear I would ruin that light.”

  “But you have. You have touched me, Avalon.” My heart raced.

  Without my permission.

  Everything around us melted away, and it was just his eyes—those piercing, steel eyes that spoke to my soul.

  “It was just a dream. Even you said so.”

  “It wasn’t just a dream.” I spoke too quickly. The flash of hope over his face told me so.

  “It was a moment in time neither of us can take back.” He brushed the hair away from my face, trailing his scalding fingertips down my neck.

  “I meant what I said.” Swallowing, I blinked. He was too much and not enough at the same damn time.