Microsoft Word - LadyPendragon

by test

  A cold, numbing sensation began to flow through her veins. She took a shattering breath, and fixed her gaze on Collin. She didn’t want to admit what she had seen. It had to have been a figment of her overactive imagination. She was sleep deprived. Once she’d gotten a few hours of rest…all would become clear to her.

  “Molly, what is it? Are you okay?” she groaned, as he sat her down gently on the edge of the bed. He knelt by her side, and gripped her hand. She shuddered. A shiver ran up and down her spine.

  “I feel as if someone just walked over my grave. “ She tried laughing, but failed miserably.

  “Maybe I should add some logs to the fire,” he began, falling silent at her raised hand.

  “No, no. I’m warm enough. I’m just a little rattled, that’s all. “

  “Rattled by what’s going on between us?”

  She hesitated.

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  Perhaps, she should tell Collin to run. If he stayed with her…she might lead him to his downfall. She couldn’t bear finding her one true love only to be the reason why she lost him.

  She couldn’t take watching everyone she loved die.

  “Did you have a vision?” he asked softly. His voice had dropped to the lowest pitch.

  She closed her eyes. Even now, he could understand everything that was on her mind. It was almost as if they shared some form of telepathic bond. Slowly, she nodded her head.

  Understanding lit his eyes. He stood up, and turned away for the briefest of seconds, before he turned back to her. Resolution had commandeered his features.

  “Can you tell me what you saw?” She bit her lip. Tears started to well in her eyes. She shook her head.

  “It wouldn’t be good for me to tell anyone. I fear I must keep this vision to myself. “ He bit the inside of his cheek.

  A storm had begun to rage inside of him, and she could see him fighting against it.

  Obviously, one part of him wanted to nag her until she admitted what she had seen. The other side of him knew that he could not press the issue…if he did, he’d crack the trust that they had forged between them. The muscle in Collin’s temple pulsed as he flexed his jaw. She clutched the fur bedspread beneath her. The mattress sank in beneath Collin’s added weight. He nudged her and remained shoulder to shoulder with her.

  “Maybe,” he began. He stopped to clear his throat. “Perhaps, one day in the not so near-off future, you’ll be able to trust me enough to share what you foresaw with me. “ His voice held just a dab of wistfulness. She swallowed against the urge to speak. Right now, she needed him to have his say. “I’ve learned a lot since the fateful night of our first meeting. I must admit back then I was more than just a little cocky. “ She snorted. “Okay…I was a pompous ass,” he admitted. She laughed. She couldn’t argue with him there. “But you literally opened a whole new world to me…a world I don’t want to ever leave. “ Love overflowed in his voice, and it rocked her to the core.

  She looked at him then. The finality in his tone surprised her.

  “You do know that we’ll have to return to the future, don’t you?” Her question hung in the air. Uncertainty glittered in his eyes.

  “Merlin…” he started.

  “Don’t say it. “ She heaved another heavy breath. “If push comes to shove, I can figure out how to get us back to our own time. I’m pretty good in a pinch, you know. You just need to have faith in me, that’s all. “ She nudged him playfully.

  “Well, that’s just it, isn’t it? This is part of your time. You belong here, Molly, just as much as you belong in the twenty-first century. You are in all aspects a woman of time. You’ve seen and done things that I can only dream about. If we do get stuck here—”

  “Collin, you’re part of a bigger purpose as well. You were meant to come back with me…but once we retrieve the Avalon Diaries, we will have to return to our own time. This new timeline that has been created is ever changing…I can’t begin to predict what will come next. I want you back in the twenty-first century. I want you back where you’ll be…. “

  “Be what? For God’s sake, Molly, finish your thought. “ Fervency gleamed in his eyes.

  He gently grasped her chin, and brought it toward him. She looked up into his eyes, and pursed her lips into a flat line.

  “I don’t want to finish what I was about to say. It’s better left unsaid, considering the circumstances. “

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  “Molly, I’m a big boy. You’re going to have to trust me with what you were going to say eventually. Like you said, I’m here for a reason. Merlin knew it…and now you’ve begun to realize it. But I can’t go wandering around in the bloody dark. I need you to share what you know with me. “

  “I want you back in your own time so that you’ll be safe. “

  His eyes grew thoughtful at her admission. He wrapped his arms around her.

  “Is that what your vision foretold?” She tried to look away, but couldn’t. His gaze seemed to reach straight down into her soul.

  He’d only keep bringing up the subject. She had to let him in on what she’d seen, even though it had been strangely vague in nature.

  “It wasn’t exactly the clearest vision that I’ve ever had. “

  “Okay…so just tell me what you gleaned from it. What sort of emotions did it stir within you?” She had to take another deep breath. Right now, Collin was arousing the deepest emotions imaginable within her. Her heart raced at every single one of his words.

  “I saw someone’s tomb. There was a body suspended on a glass-like dais. It was the home of a fallen warrior. “ She stopped to drag in another cleansing breath. “There was another warrior kneeling in front of the dais, paying homage to the fallen hero. “ At that she had to look away. She knew if he saw the look in her eyes, he’d jump to the conclusion she had somehow come to. She couldn’t bear it.

  “I think I know the rest. “ His voice became soft and a little uncertain. He squeezed her shoulder gently. “You don’t have to shelter me from the truth. I always had a feeling that I might not return. “ Resolution lined his features.

  “Stop it!” she cried, covering her face with her hands. “I don’t want to think about it.

  The timeline is ever changing…that much has already been made clear to us. We just have to be careful, that’s all. “

  “How can we be careful?” he laughed hollowly. “Merlin has trained me in the ways of the ancient warriors. Come what may…I’ll be ready. We can’t shirk away from the battles that lay before us. “

  “I will protect you, Collin. It’s my fault that you’re here. “ Silence engulfed the room.

  She could feel his rioting emotions coursing off of him in suffocating waves.

  “Your fault?” he echoed. “I think not, sweetheart. You forget what happened to bring us back to this time. I bought your Avalon Diaries from the man that I set up to steal them. I instigated it all. In truth, I am the one that is responsible. If only I hadn’t been so greedy. I had an insatiable urge to know everything about you…I couldn’t settle for anything less. The Diaries were the only way for me to truly get to know you…you were a formidable woman to be reckoned with…and I knew you would not allow me into your life any other way. “

  “Collin. “ She shifted on the bed, tucking her one leg up underneath her. “You don’t understand!”

  “Do I need to?” He touched the side of her cheek; she pressed herself against his hand.

  “Yes. “ Her decision was final. No matter what…before they entered into a solid romantic relationship, he had to know everything. Merlin wasn’t here to advise her against it. If when Collin knew everything he ran away from her, then she would have to deal with the fall out. There was no other way. She had been hiding things from him for far too long. Honesty was the only way.

  “You know of how Lord Cardan’s followers had begun to kill off the members of The Order, do you not?”

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  He remained silent. “Yes. “ One word and yet it held so much meaning. His eyes held hers, as she took another deep breath.

  “Two of those members of the High Order were closely related to you. “ He inhaled sharply. “One was your father…” At this, he closed his eyes as if to steel himself for her other revelation. “The other was your grandmother, Adria. “

  “Why are you telling me this?” His voice became hoarse. He’d scrunched his eyes shut…she could tell she was causing him unbearable pain.

  “Because, Collin, you need to know…you must go into what lies ahead with both of your eyes open. I had thought that keeping the truth from you would be for the best…both for you and the stability of the timeline. As the old saying goes, what you don’t know won’t hurt you. “

  He had gone suddenly rigid. “I’m only sorry that I didn’t tell you before. But…you can’t breathe a word of what I tell you to anyone else, least of all Branden or Adria. It can only cause heartbreak for the both of them. “

  “I understand. Go on…you said there was more to the story of my life. “ A hard cynical edge trickled into his voice.

  “At the time of your birth, our world…that is, the High Order, was in immense upheaval.

  We were essentially battling for our own existence. Trouble stood at our every door. We could not take one step without coming face to face with evil itself. “ She reached for both of his hands and drew them into her lap. “Adria and I had to make a decision concerning you when your father was murdered. Your mother didn’t know what Adrian was…he’d never told her…I suspect he believed that your mother wouldn’t be able to handle it…and unfortunately he was right in his suspicions. When we told your mother, she went crazy. She certainly didn’t deal with the news in the way that we’d wished. “ At this, Collin curled his lips, and a hardened glint entered his eye. “You can’t hate your mother…I think she truly acted in what she believed to be your best interests. Even though, she acted toward us in a purely puritanical way. I could barely believe that she was of Scottish descent. It boggled my mind. “

  “My mother…” he scoffed. “Let’s just say my dearest mother, wasn’t the most maternal woman on the planet. My nannies raised me. Mother was too busy attending all of her cherished social functions. It was all about keeping up appearances to her. “ His eyes dimmed, and a chord inside of her snapped.

  Her jaw dropped open. “I didn’t know…that is to say…” She clapped her hand over her mouth. She should have allowed Branden to raise Collin as he’d wanted to…but no…she’d thought his place was at his mother’s side. “I’m sorry, Collin, so very sorry. “

  “What happened to my magic? Or was I born without any?” Now the time for her reckoning beckoned to her. She licked her lips. “And I suppose that neither my grandmother nor grandfather gave one hoot about what happened to me, eh? Figures. “ He coughed.

  “No…don’t say such a thing…they both loved you more than you’ll ever know. Even now, I fear Branden is concocting some way of keeping you here with him. Elves are very family oriented. They take one of their own to a whole new level…Branden didn’t want to let you go. But Adria and I…we told him you couldn’t be taken away from your mother. We were wrong. “

  “They should have just taken my mother to their magical realm, it would have shocked the hell out of dear old, India…she didn’t even want me to call her mum when we were in public you see…said that it made her feel old beyond her years. “ Molly’s heart fell…now she knew why Collin had grown up to be so…insufferable. He couldn’t help the way that he’d been raised.

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  “I’m sorry,” she said again…she’d never be able to apologize enough to him. “As to what happened to your magic…Adria and I decided to bind your powers after your father was killed.

  If you were to live with your mother unprotected, you had to go off the magical radar. You see…magical beings that use white magic are in a sense, a homing beacon for any and all sorts of magical creatures…good or evil. “

  “All the more reason for me not going with my mother. No wonder I was always attracted to any and all things magic; it was like a magnetic pull for me. “

  “Collin, we made a bad decision. I can see that now. “

  “Okay, so how can I get my magic back?” She hesitated. She couldn’t tell him that he had to make a selfless sacrifice. That would be giving him too much information.

  “You need to find your true path…” She couldn’t give him any more than that…if he knew the true reason he’d want to throttle her. She’d denied him his birthright. One lone tear trickled out of its watery prison. “Adria died when you still a baby. After that…my life took on one path. The path of the huntress…I wanted to find the things that had already taken far too much from me. “

  “And then I came back into your life,” he mused.

  “Yes, like a veritable force of nature. “ She smiled. “I must admit, at first I viewed you as a thorn in my side. “

  “Well, you are like the rarest rose. “ She chuckled.

  “Flattery…well, let’s just say it will get you everywhere. “

  “So, basically, I’m an elf with no magic. “

  “Well, you’re only part elf to be fair…but yes, once you come into your own powers, you will be a force to be reckoned with. But don’t go casting Adria’s legacy aside. She gave you quite a big magical legacy as well…” she sighed.

  “We can do this…you know. Maybe, just maybe, this was always supposed to happen. “

  “You mean to say…” She stopped. She still couldn’t believe that her father and Merlin were both dead.

  “Merlin always said that everything happened for a reason…so…. “

  “I get what your saying, Collin. We’re meant for each other…I have the right personality to deal with yours. “

  “What exactly is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

  “It means that we’re basically two peas in a pod. “

  He laughed.

  “I like your way of expressing yourself. “ He glanced toward the empty bathtub in the corner of her bedroom. Leaning toward her, he brought her so close that she was just a hairsbreadth away from his luscious lips.

  “We can’t…you need to think about everything that I told you…I don’t expect you to want me the same way that you did before. “

  “Molly, let me just say this. I’m not perfect…and you’re probably a better person than I can ever hope to be. Just because you’ve told me who I am…doesn’t mean that I’ll just change the way I feel for you. “ He pounded his hand against his chest. “Nothing can change the way that your heart feels, and right now, my heart tells me that I love you. “

  Whoa. How could she recover from that earth shattering revelation? He’d struck her momentarily speechless. A thrill raced through her as he kissed the side of her mouth. She wrapped her arms all the way around him. Just before he claimed her lips with his, he grinned and rolled his eyes.

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  “Be damn the bath,” he growled, pressing his lips hungrily against hers. That was it. She was lost, and there would be no returning from this moment. Not that she wanted to anyway.

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  Chapter Eighteen

  Molly raised her eyebrow as he nibbled at her earlobe. A shiver ran through her and a bright flash of light illuminated the room.

  “Bloody hell,” Collin muttered, whirling around to stare at the steaming marble tub.

  “I thought I said be damn the bath. “ He crossed his arms, and stared at her with an angered expression that quickly melted away. She raised her arms high above her head, and smiled at his raggedly drawn breath when her clothes simply vanished from her body.

  “I’ve decided that I could use one anyway,” she said, smiling coquettishly at him. She loved getting a rise out of Collin. It would never cease to entertain her…though what she had plann
ed for after the bath would entertain both of them, much, much more.

  “I was actually looking forward to the excitement of taking your clothes off,” he grumbled. Agile as a panther, she slipped out of his arms and moved toward the bathtub.

  “Pity then,” she murmured, reaching for his hand. She caught it and began to pull him toward the steaming tub. Sometimes magic did have its benefits. She knew what she was doing to him, but she couldn’t help herself. Her world was crumbling around her, but she still had the magic of Collin to keep the rest of the danger at bay. At least for the time being, and they had precious little of that. “Why don’t you simply join me?” she asked, watching him crinkle his eyebrows. She snapped her fingers, and laughed when his clothes simply melted away. “Has anyone told you that you’re like a piece of art?” she whispered. His eyes blazed as they drank in the full length of her. If they were going to commit to each other in every way, they had to come to each other with nothing between them.