The Duke's Curse (Legend Book 2)

by Kylie Stewart

  I love Avalon?

  I had to think about that for a moment.

  Sure, I cared for the man—we were connected, after all—but love? I thought back to our dreams. The desire, the seduction, the passion that raged between the two of us until we drowned. I thought about how the thought of never seeing those eyes again made me sick. He had been the only person left standing for me to run to. Of course, I cared about him after all that we had been thrust into—but love?

  “I don’t know ...” All I could muster was honesty. “I care about Avalon, but I don’t know if I necessarily love him.”

  “Do you love me?”

  That was easy. Yes. Of course, I loved Lancer. I just wasn’t in love with him.

  He was the first man I had ever given myself to. He was the only one who had me. I dreamed of a life together sometime after this nightmare—at least, I had. That was before he pushed me away right into the arms of Avalon.

  “I care very much for you still, Lancer.” I said cautiously.

  I saw M glance at us in the rearview mirror.

  The tall, sandy-haired man took my face in his hands and kissed me with everything he had. “Allie, don’t do this. I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt.”

  “I have to, and you know it.” I rested my forehead against his. “I have to do this, Lancer. It’s not fair for Avalon to be locked in time like this. He needs to be set free. Besides”—I exhaled—“unless the curse is broken, we can’t be free. You know this.”

  “When did you get so strong?” His eyes were so intense. I’d never seen them practically glow a soft green.

  “I had to.”

  We still had a connection.

  But someone else made my heart pound.

  Avalon.

  “We are here.” M parked the car around the corner of G.R.A.I.L.’s building so the cameras wouldn’t catch Avalon’s Aston Martin.

  “I should go.” I gathered my purse, with Pridwin tucked inside, and I reached for the door.

  Once again, a hand stopped me.

  “Come back to me,” Lancer whispered.

  “I promised I would.”

  M gave me a quick nod. I exited the car. M shut the door, and I focused on smoothing down my lilac sundress.

  Closing my eyes, I counted to ten.

  Come back to me ...

  Those words echoed in my head. I didn’t hear just one voice or see just one set of eyes—it was two—and I didn’t know if I had the strength to choose between them.

  G.R.A.I.L.’s building was a stark contrast to Caliburn Estate. Where the old fortress screamed of ancient secrets and oozed history, G.R.A.I.L. Corporation’s skyscraper looked like something from the future.

  Its design was sleek with glass on every square inch possible. I stepped in front of the double doors, and they slid open for my connivance.

  Always have an eye for an exit ...

  Automatically, I scanned the minimalist lobby. All of the colors were black and silver. Everything was sharp-edged and manufactured. I walked up to the front desk agent.

  “May I have your name, miss?” I was taken aback by her Russian accent.

  I recovered quickly. “I am here for a meeting with Sir Thomas Mordred and his assistant, Ms. Le Fey.”

  “Ah, of course. Ms. Alexandria York.” She smiled back brightly and tapped a few items on the keyboard. Well, where the keyboard should have been. It was a see-through board that glowed with a variety of buttons. Her fingers flew over the confusing design in seconds. “They will be right out to meet you.”

  “Thank you.” I stepped back and examined the floors above me.

  I could see people walking, stopping to chat, and rushing along the glass balconies. The center of G.R.A.I.L.’s building was hollow. That meant the shape was more of an angular circle. I hadn’t seen anything quite like it.

  “Ah! Finally, Ms. York.”

  That voice sent a chill down to my bones. I did my best to stay calm and focus on the task at hand, so I turned with a bright smile.

  Just pretend you know nothing.

  “Sir Thomas.”

  The blond man strode over with a bounce in his step. He carried the same cane with him as he had at my art show, but he didn’t limp. Suspicion lurked in the back of my mind.

  “You have no idea how thrilled I am to see you here.” He opened his arms for a hug.

  Seriously?

  I bit back down the truth of knowing this man was the cause of Avalon’s pain, and I hugged him back. If I had my way, I would stick him right now with Pridwin and be done with it.

  “And of course, you have met my assistant, Ms. Morgan Le Fey.” Mordred motioned gracefully to the woman at his right. Never a raven hair out of place, she always made me feel extremely plain compared to her beauty. Then again, she was a technical ancient Princess.

  “It’s great to see you again, Morgan.” I made the first move as to not seem awkward.

  “As it is you, Alexandria. We are so excited that you wish to commission a piece for G.R.A.I.L.” After exchanging quick pecks on each other’s cheeks, I looked back at my mortal enemy.

  “Where would you like your commission and what would you like?” I smiled brightly. “The bigger, the better!”

  Mordred laughed. Had I been anyone else, it would have sounded warm—but I knew better. This man wanted Avalon to suffer. He wanted me dead.

  “I am so glad you are eager to start.” His words grew bitter. “Tell me, how much longer do you have at the piece over for that troublesome duke?”

  Without meaning to, I felt my body tense.

  “A month left. As soon as that is over, I shall start here.”

  Morgan’s black eyes examined my face carefully. I saw the warning she conveyed.

  Don’t get emotionally invested.

  I chuckled. “It will be good to get out of his house. He acts like an old man.”

  “I am so sorry you must work for such a—excuse my words—blatant arse.” Mordred winked.

  I took the hit in stride, laughing along with the snake.

  “Well, then please, charm me. And do tell what you have in mind for me here?” Though, I honestly didn’t want to know the answer.

  “Of course.” He brought Morgan and me around the wall that separated the front desk of G.R.A.I.L., and I found myself in a sea of people.

  Different stations were set up with the same see-through boards and monitors that the secretary had. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  “It’s like stepping into the future, isn’t it? I know it’s overwhelming, but here at G.R.A.I.L. Corporation, we have goals that are far above and beyond any this world has seen.” Mordred slid his arm around my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgan suck her breath through her teeth. Obviously, she loathed him outright.

  “And what are those goals? To be the richest?” I tried to make it sound like a tease, but the truth underlying his statement made my stomach sick.

  “Oh no, Ms. York. We strive to help every man and woman.” His voice laced with compassion. “We want to bring new biotechnology into the home to help those who cannot help themselves. Do you know we are researching how to re-animate a person suffering from paralysis?” He waited for my reaction. “It’s mind blowing what we are able to do here. And I need something mind blowing from you.”

  “Oh? I shall do my best.” I forced a smile. My interest was fading. Just how far did his biotechnology run on black magic? I suspected they ran intertwined as one. “Where would you like your piece?”

  “So glad you asked!” Mordred clapped his hands, scattering people from the middle of the main floor. “I need it here, in the center of this area; a sculpture to captivate one’s imagination and make people face the realities of today.” Mordred became expressive, using his hands, and the obsession of his word could be seen in his aqua eyes.

  “Like what?” I pretended to play along with him.

  Mordred straightened his shoulders, and a sinister smile crept over h
is full lips. “I want you to re-create the slaying of the beast.”

  Gray, black, and fire flashed through my brain.

  “What beast?” I swallowed hard, stepping closer to Morgan for support.

  Mordred’s perfect white teeth glinted like fangs. “I want you to sculpt a dragon being slain by a woman.”

  I felt the color drain from my face. My vision became blurred, and I leaned on Morgan for support.

  “Ms. York!” Morgan steadied me and in heels, no less.

  “Oh my, are you all right?” Thomas’ eyes grew critical of me.

  I had to make this right. I had to be as over the top as I could. I was an artist; we could use any emotion. I used my fear.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine ... it’s just ... that is exactly what I was thinking of. Only, in mine, it was a man.” I raised a hand as I gushed, “I love the thought of it being a woman. A woman conquering in a man’s world.”

  “Yes! Yes! The beast of the past being slain by the promise of the future.” Mordred took my hands; a look a heat in his eyes that made my flesh crawl. “You and I shall be partners in this endeavor.”

  “Of course.” I nodded back.

  “I told you she was the perfect woman for the job, Morgan.” Mordred let me go, and I got a moment to study his face. He was tall and lean. He was handsome, and the way he smirked bothered me. It was arrogant, cunning.

  “Now, I would like to show you something that I believe will inspire you even more. May I?” If I didn’t know any better, I would think Sir Thomas had a raging you-know-what with all this talk of slaying dragons and his rise to power.

  I stomached his pompous attitude. “I would be honored.”

  A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “Morgan, guide us to floor eight. Room 666.”

  “Yes, sir.” The woman looked me up and down as if she didn’t know if I was actually for Avalon’s side or not.

  Trust me—he makes me ill.

  Me as well.

  I almost giggled at our silent conversation but held it with a smile. I latched onto the pretense of excitement, rather than nerves, and followed them onto an elevator.

  Never in my life had eight floors taken so long. The silence that fell over us once we were caged in the metal box was uncomfortable. When we were let off, I stepped onto a deep purple carpet and stopped.

  Morgan placed a hand gently on my arm, reassuring me all was still well. I was grateful she was there. I wouldn’t be able to do this otherwise.

  I fell in step next to Mordred as he took the lead. The halls were dimly lit and had the feel of a hospital. Reaching into his pocket, Mordred pulled out a card key on a string and flashed it in front of the pad on the door.

  “What I am about to show you, Ms. York, will truly inspire you.” With a grin, he pushed the metal door open and waited for me to enter.

  I stepped into my fate. Morgan stayed close behind me. Silently thanking her, I looked around for an exit. There was none.

  The room we had stepped into was cooler than the hallway. It appeared to be some kind of control room with computer screens humming in the background. A circular table took up the center of the room with a small podium closest to us. Everything was clean and smelled like it had been sterilized.

  Mordred pulled a flat, purple and blue square-shaped device out of his breast pocket. It was small and fit snugly into a slot located on the podium. He stole a glance at Morgan and me.

  “This is the future.” Clapping his hands together, he stepped back. “Ren, your assistance is required.”

  There was a pause before the podium lit up and a shimmer of blue and silver morphed into shape. I gasped. Morgan said nothing beside me. She just silently glowered at what, or should I say who stood on the podium.

  “Yes, sir. How may I be of service?” The being spoke.

  It actually spoke.

  It had a female voice.

  Eyes wide, I stepped forward and tried to ease the pulsing adrenaline that had overwhelmed my system. This couldn’t be real. We didn’t have the technology to do this yet.

  “Is she real?” I forced myself to speak.

  I gawked at the silver and blue colored woman. Her eyes followed mine. She had real expressions; a mature female body covered in a suit as if she were an employee at G.R.A.I.L. With a small smile, the glowing woman turned to me.

  “You must be Alexandria York. Your father was William York, and your mother was Rose York. You are an artist. You currently reside in London. You will turn twenty-six on September twenty-third of this year.”

  Mordred just chuckled as the strange being rattled off information. I shot a silencing glance his way.

  This was insanity.

  My mouth fell open in shock. “How does she know all of this?”

  “This is Ren, and she is an A.I.” Mordred stood next to the small being. “She is the eyes and ears of my company. She oversees everything that happens in my labs and is constantly circulating the databases attached to my company. Isn’t she a wonder?”

  Morgan gently tapped my arm, warning me not to press too hard.

  Crap. This was no good.

  If this A.I. could see everything that happened within these walls, how the hell was I going to smuggle out a sword?

  “Is she real? Like does she have human qualities?” I leaned down to eye level with Ren. She just blinked back at me with a frozen smile.

  “Yes. She was created from human DNA. She has thoughts and feelings that are her own, but her main objective is serving me.” Mordred watched me, taking in every detail of this synthetic human.

  “Why did you create her?”

  “Why not?” He rested his hand on my shoulder. “She is my eyes and ears. Think about this. Corrupt governments ousted, terrorists stopped in their tracks, all because of this one A.I. Do you know what that would mean?”

  I didn’t like the way he pushed into my personal space. I attempted to take a casual step back, shaking my head.

  “It would make one a hero?” I guessed.

  “No. It would make us safe against the dragons that are only out for themselves. We would be able to slay demons—the political ones, for that matter. The world could have no war, no famine, and no debts. Alexandria.” Mordred pulled the chip from the podium without warning, and Ren disappeared into thin air. He shook the chip in his hand. “We could have perfection.”

  I took a moment to consider my thoughts before answering. “Why are you showing me this? There has to be a reason?”

  His brows furrowed, a slight frown forming on his face. “I only showed you because I thought this would be something of interest for you. You are an artist. You strive for beauty and perfection every day.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “And sometimes, Sir Thomas, an artist’s job is to find beauty within the flaws we are given.”

  A flicker in his eyes told me that I had hit a nerve. He could try to lure me to the dark side, but I wasn’t so easily tricked. His talk of world peace and perfection was utter nonsense. I understood what Mordred was striving for all along. If he couldn’t be King of England, he’d place himself as Savior of the World. His own God.

  “When I am finished with the Duke of Avalon’s piece, I shall contact you.” I flashed him a smile. “I’m so very excited.”

  “Of course. Morgan, please see Ms. York out.” He bowed slightly, but his face was tight when he rose back up. “We are through here.”

  He strode out before either of us moved.

  I exhaled, covering my heart with my hand.

  “How fast can I get out of here?” I looked at Morgan, but she shook her head. I shot her a confused look. She motioned, and I followed her out of the room and back to the elevator.

  Once we were locked inside and alone, she pulled a vial out of her dress pocket. Placing it in my hand, she spoke in a rush.

  “Take this to Merlin. He can undo the spell I have locked onto it. After that, make sure that Vivian purifies it and blesses it.” Her voice shook. “All that is
left is for you to reunite the sword with Avalon and then it is up to him.”

  The small vial rolled around in my palm before I shoved it into my purse’s interior.

  “How can a sword fit inside that?”

  “Don’t ask questions. The less you know, the better.” Morgan looked up at the floors ticking by.

  “Won’t he notice it’s missing?” I suddenly became very aware that Morgan was putting herself in grave danger by helping us.

  She shook her head whispering, “Not right away. There is another sword, one that is a duplicate of this one.” The elevator hitched. We waited a few moments before speaking again.

  “A duplicate?”

  The second floor passed us by.

  “You’ll know in time. Now, go.” Morgan plastered a smile on her face as the doors opened and led me right out the front door of G.R.A.I.L.

  “Morgan, thank you, I can’t—” She cut me off.

  “Just go. Go and make sure that my brother gets well.” She swallowed. “So that I may know my assistance wasn’t in vain. Good day, Ms. York.”

  With a nod, she sauntered back inside the building.

  Not wasting another moment, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Lancer’s number.

  “Where are you?” I walked back to the place where they had dropped me off.

  “Same place. Door is open. Are you all right?” Lancer’s voice sounded both tight and relieved.

  “I’ll speak with you when I get into the car.” Hanging up, I made sure I had rounded the corner before I sprinted toward the car waiting for me.

  Once inside, M rolled us away from the curb, and we were well on our way back out into the country.

  I pulled out the vial, handing it to Lancer.

  “This is the sword?” He arched a brow. “Are you sure Morgan isn’t kidding us?”

  “No—that’s it.” M’s voice was firm.

  “She spelled it and said that you would have to be the one to unlock it.” M’s eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. He nodded silently.

  “Did he suspect you? Were you threatened?” Lancer continued asking questions.

  “I don’t think so, and no, I was never threatened.” Leaning my head back on the leather seat, I sighed. “He’s pure evil.”