“Like a virus?” I pressed, understanding his train of thoughts exactly.
I felt the evil radiating from that blade. Its bone-chilling wails still made my stomach twist.
“Precisely.”
My gaze moved from John to Merlin over his shoulder. “What do you think of this?”
Merlin’s mouth twitched downward slightly, but he managed to remain stoic. “I believe that in order to save Lancer, he must be exorcised.” Merlin nodded to John. “Galahad will have to be the one to do it since I’m merely half human.”
“I can help,” Vivian chimed in. “I know some binding spells that would render Lancer unable to use his body against us.”
Through our entire discussion, Alexandria sat next to me in silence. I knew so much weighed on her mind. Questions she longed to ask but didn’t know how. Her hesitation and fear were palpable. Our bond tied us together with a ribbon connecting our hearts.
“Alexandria.” I took her hands in mind. She lifted her chin, fighting the uncertainty that gnawed at her insides. “I want you to move into Caliburn permanently.”
She opened her mouth to reply as though she would resist my request. Yet her mouth clamped shut as her arched brows knitted together.
“It isn’t safe for you to be on your own any longer.” I stroked a hand through her hair. “I wouldn’t be able to sleep or do anything but fret over your safety.”
“But the gallery … and my clients.”
“Just tell them you are going on a bit of a sabbatical,” I offered with a soft smile. “We can create a home studio here for you.”
“Even though the rent is paid for the next few months, what will I tell Elaine?” She bit her lip nervously. “She’s stuck with Mordred and is being used against her will.”
I sighed. “It’s better that you just allow my people to move everything out of your apartment and things you need from the gallery than for you to go yourself.”
“But how can I free Elaine from him?” Panic reflected in her blue eyes. “I can’t just sit back and let her be his puppet.”
“I don’t think Elaine is too worried about you, Alexandria.” Vivian’s voice held a touch of bitterness. “She’s under Mordred’s control now. We cannot trust her.”
The pain in Alexandria’s eyes at knowing she’d lost her best friend stabbed at my heart. Her lower lip trembled. “But she’s my friend.”
“You are not alone, love,” I reassured her.
Before she could respond, the sound of a phone vibrating broke the heaviness. Alexandria swiped at her cheeks, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the slender mobile. “Hello? This is she.”
Instantly, her body became rigid, and the panic in her blue eyes flashed like lightning. I gripped her hand tighter, mouthing, “Who is it?”
She shook her head, long waves of hair cascading her shoulders. “Of course, I would be happy to.”
My heart froze.
What the hell did she agree to?
“Thank you so much. Yes. Goodbye.” Alexandria clicked the end button on her screen, and her hand fell into her lap.
“Who was that, Alexandria?” I asked, careful to curb the irritation in my voice.
She turned to me with a forced smile. “Just Morgan. She wants to meet with me to send over some info.”
“Info about what?” I narrowed my eyes, glancing at Merlin whose gaze on Alexandria’s matched my own.
She was lying.
“I’ll find out when I get there.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. “Don’t worry; I can handle this.”
I wanted to believe her. I truly did.
But I couldn’t protect her when she didn’t tell me the entire truth.
And Alexandria was not telling the full truth.
FOURTEEN
Alexandria
Two days later, I stood outside the looming glass skyscraper casting its sinister shadow. The streets weren’t overly crowded with pedestrians, being a chilly Sunday. Winter was just around the corner.
Movers had been back and forth between my apartment and Caliburn over the weekend. Avalon made me promise I wouldn’t go back to my old home without him, and I agreed. I didn’t agree not to drive into London by myself, though.
I claimed to be meeting Morgan at a local café.
I only half lied.
I was meeting with Morgan, but it would be at G.R.A.I.L. Corp. The person who called me had been the Russian receptionist I met upon my first visit to Sir Thomas Mordred’s company.
I hated lying.
I hated lying to Avalon even more because I knew he sensed a lie.
But I had to attend this meeting alone.
I needed to draw my own line of defense in this war.
Mordred would know where I stood, and that was firmly with Avalon.
It’s now or never, Alexandria.
I drew in a deep inhale through my nose and exhaled as I stepped through the automatic sliding glass doors.
I give you my strength for your days to come.
Guinevere’s voice swirled around in my mind.
The receptionist glanced up from her strange futuristic screens and motioned for me to follow her. My fingers curled into fists, desperate to stop my heart from fluttering out of my chest. Her starch gray skirt suit, five-inch Louboutin heels, and razor straight bleach-blond hair reminded me of a human robot.
Then again, Mordred did have an A.I. working for him. I wouldn’t put it past him to have humanoid bots. I shuddered.
“Right through that doorway, Ms. York.” Her stunningly white smile nearly blinded me. “Morgan will be right with you.”
“Thank you …” I made my way over the threshold cautiously.
The door shut behind me, and I scanned the room, checking every nook and cranny. A round table took up the majority of the space in the center of the room. Several blue chairs were positioned around, and a podium sat in front of a white projector screen.
A door in the far left corner caught my attention.
The handle twitched slightly, and my breath hitched.
A very tall, very serious looking man appeared. His blond hair matched that of the receptionist with piercing pale blue eyes. Thin gold rimmed glasses settled on his Roman nose, and his jawline was razor sharp.
His gaze met mine, and we paused. Something strange flickered in gaze, like recognition.
“You must be Ms. York.” He shifted the paperwork tucked under his arm to the podium.
“Yes?” I arched a brow.
He knew who I was?
“I have heard quite a lot about you.” Thin lips twitched at the corners. “You are a bit of a celebrity behind closed doors around here.”
I squared my shoulders, lifting my chin. “Oh? And who are you?”
He paused for a moment, analyzing me from head to toe before answering. “I am Dr. Ivan Tristan, head scientist for G.R.A.I.L. Corp.”
I swallowed hard.
So this man had to know all about what happened to Lancer, the black blade, and Mordred’s plans. A lump stuck in my throat, and I struggled to swallow past it.
“Don’t worry, Ms. York. I have no intention of experimenting on you.” His half attempt at a smile sent goose bumps skittering across my skin.
Before I could reply, Morgan burst through the door I had entered. “Oh, good, you are here.”
At first, I thought Morgan was speaking to me, but her gaze went over my shoulder to Dr. Tristan. The scientist’s eyes narrowed coldly on the woman but didn’t say anything.
“Alexandria, thank you so much for coming on such short notice.” Morgan’s forced smile wasn’t lost on me.
“Of course.” I relaxed slightly but not completely. “I had to sneak past my guards to get here.”
Morgan opened her mouth but quickly snapped it shut.
“Yes, Ms. York. It appears you have an army of guards willing to do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
That voice.
The room grew twenty deg
rees colder, and ice slid through my veins. My heart thundered in panic, and my mouth grew insanely dry. I momentarily squeezed my eyes shut and counted to ten before turning toward Mordred’s bitter tone.
How had I not seen it before?
The way he stood, arrogant and legs braced wide.
The way his blue eyes clouded with bits of gray, cold and steely.
Even the full head of blond hair fell with the same part as Avalon.
Stand them side by side, and father and son couldn’t be disputed.
Sir Thomas Mordred was handsome by all accounts, but the poison in his soul marked him as ugly in my eyes.
“Ah, so you’ve finally been privy to the truth.” The smile that snaked across Mordred’s lips reminded me of the first few times I met Avalon.
It hurt.
“Dear old Dad spilled his guts, didn’t he? I see it all over your face, Alexandria.” His gaze grew hungry. “Fear looks beautiful on you.”
Morgan’s hand rested on my shoulder, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. I had at least one ally in this room.
“Why did you invite me here, Thomas... or should I call you by your true name, Mordred?” A righteous anger replaced my fear, remembering what this sick man did to his own father’s wife. I used the anger to control my panic and quell the shaking in my hands.
Mordred chuckled. “You may call me what you wish, dear.”
“I am not your dear.” I spat venom. “Not after what you did to Guinevere.”
That comment erased all amusement from his face. “He told you about that?”
“No.” I took a step toward him. “I had a vision, a vision of being dragged through a castle and used as a worthless toy.”
Mordred’s face paled slightly. “You’ve had visions?”
“Yes, Mordred.” I halted only a few feet away from him. “I know what you did to her, and yes, I know how your sorry existence began.” I waved my arm in the space between us. “There are no more secrets between Arthur and me. None.”
His head tilted slightly to the left, and he wore an inquiring expression on his face. “My, my, Alexandria. You have changed so much since I first met you at your art show.”
“I have had many good reasons to change.” I imagined burning him with my gaze. “You being the reason for every one of them.”
Silence crept into the space between us.
Mordred’s usual self-assured manner faltered at my resistance. I refused to allow him to intimidate me. I refused to be used by him in any way.
“Why did you come here if you know the truth?” The sincerity in his voice put me on the defense. “If you know what I’ve done all these years, why walk into the lion’s den as a lamb served on a silver platter?”
I unfurled my hands, relaxed my shoulders, and took one step closer. “Because I am not a lamb, Mordred. And you have plans for me that you won’t break from.” I took another step, watching his eyes widen at my boldness. “You are so determined to ruin your father that you would keep me alive longer than needed.” I placed my hand on his arm. “That tells me a lot about how twisted and wounded you truly are.”
He retracted from my touch as though I shocked him. “You know nothing,” he snarled.
A smile graced my lips. “I know enough about the Pendragon men to know the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Turning on my heel, I walked back to Morgan. “So why am I here, Mordred? I know you have slept with my best friend, pitting her against me. I know you have created a monster in Lancer.”
Mordred glanced from me to Morgan and then back at me.
He smoothed down the front of his suit jacket. “I am going to give you one last chance.”
I frowned. “One last chance? For what?”
A sinister grin lit up Mordred’s face. “A chance to live a normal life.”
I stumbled over my words. “A n-normal life?”
“Oh, yes.” It was his turn to stalk me. “Leave Avalon behind and join Lancer. Join us.”
“Why would I do that?” I stood my ground. “I want nothing to do with you.”
“If you leave Avalon, I will lift the curse from us all.” He had my attention. “If you refuse, and Avalon dies, you will live forever in his place. That petty blood contract that Merlin put on you is such a shame.” Mordred reveled in my trapped position. “You know if you just gave up your memories, you could be a normal woman.”
“I don’t trust anything that you say.” I glanced over at Morgan whose face had paled.
“You are smart to do so.” Mordred encroached on my personal space. His finger hooked under my chin and forced me to look at him. “You would also be smart to let my father suffer on his own as is his fate.”
Instead of backing away from Mordred like my body tried to force me to do, I whispered, “I’m the last one, aren’t I?”
Mordred nodded, mock pity echoing in his voice. “Yes, and what a gorgeous end you are. Years of being reborn and finally, in this golden hour, you are the last of a long line of chances.”
“How is that possible?” All blood drained from my face, and I felt faint.
Mordred offered a smarmy smile. “When a woman is born who refuses to leave Arthur’s side, even to follow him into death, that is when this game comes to an end.” He shrugged his shoulders. “That is what I was told, and it is true in you. You wouldn’t dare leave my father’s side. You love him, don’t you?” He stalked closer. “You have dreams of marrying him and having a family with him and living long and happy with him, don’t you?”
My voice trembled. “Y-yes.”
He rolled his eyes. “So endearing, but so telling.” Mordred tapped the tip of my nose with his index finger. “I also know you are the last because my father almost slipped away into an endless slumber. Such a shame you and Morgan conspired against me and saved him, but that just proves everything I’ve worked for is coming to a climactic end.”
“Everything you’ve worked for?” I narrowed my gaze. “What exactly do you want, Mordred?”
The man stood silently for a moment before he shrugged. “Absolute power.”
I searched his harsh eyes, cold and almost inhuman. I looked for any sign of humanity, any chance to get through to the man within the monster. The difference between Avalon and his son were clear. Avalon chained his beast and didn’t allow it to control him while Mordred had become his own demon. Nothing would save him, and that pained me for some strange reason.
“I refuse your offer.”
Mordred growled, releasing me. “Suit yourself.” He spun on his heel and motioned for Dr. Tristan to follow. “Just remember, when you are staring your end in the face, I gave you a chance to live a normal life.”
The thought of my own death hovering in the near future caused me to sway off balance.
Morgan caught me and glowered at Mordred. “Just leave and don’t torment her anymore.”
With a casual wave, he left us alone.
Once he left, I leaned my weight on Morgan for support.
“Are you okay?” She helped me into a chair.
Am I okay?
No, I was not okay.
My enemy just told me point blank that his only mission was to end Avalon and me. All of us.
“I need to go home.”
“What are you going to tell Arthur?” she asked, worry etching her face.
I licked my lips, forcing my pulse to slow. “The truth.”
FIFTEEN
Avalon
I waited for Alexandria to return that afternoon. Her little Volkswagen pulled to the front of the estate and parked in its usual spot. I rose from my seat by the window, letting the curtain fall back into place.
So many questions rolled over in my mind.
Where did you go?
Where did you honestly go?
Were you hurt?
Who did you see?
By the time I reached the bottom of the grand staircase, she had closed the door behind her.
Her gaz
e rose to meet mine.
She didn’t need to say anything.
My jaw clenched against anything my tongue wanted to say. I longed to lash words at her for lying to me. I needed to punish her for putting herself in danger.
I couldn’t do that anymore, though.
Not to her.
We were equals.
“I’m sorry.” Her lower lip quivered, her purse slipping from her shoulder to drop on the marble floor.
Wordlessly, I went to her. I embraced her tightly, hands carding through her long tresses. She shook beneath me, and I backed a step away.
Taking her face in my hands, I kissed her deeply. “What happened?”
With a shuddering breath, she spoke. “I’m the last one, Arthur.”
My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean you are the last one?”
“After me, there is no more.” Tears slipped from her eyes. “I’m the last chance.”
So everything Merlin and Vivian feared was true. My strange illness, the fact Alexandria loved me and wanted to stay with me—it all made sense. Even immortals have ends, and even curses couldn’t last forever.
I swallowed hard. “Who told you this?”
Alexandria’s eyes looked at the floor then back at me. “Mordred.”
Rage shot like a flame through my blood.
I gritted my teeth against the things I wanted to say. She didn’t need me to berate her. She knew how dangerous going to see that man was.
“Why did you go there?” I kept my voice as gentle as possible even though it was near fucking impossible.
“The phone call a few days ago, that was his receptionist.” She took the handkerchief I held out for her. “Morgan stayed with me to make sure nothing happened, and there was a man named Dr. Ivan Tristan.”
“Tristan?!” My heart sank to my knees. “Tristan is working for Mordred?”
Alexandria nodded. “He is the lead scientist, so he must know everything.”
“He is also one of my knights.” My tone gave away the pain I felt.
She gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. “I thought I knew that name!”
Resurrection: A Historical Adventure Romance Novel (Legend Book 3) Page 10
