Return to Avalon: Book #4 (The Legend Series)

by Kylie Stewart

After I packed up the car and set my GPS to Caliburn Estate, I noticed her hovering in the doorway.

  “I’m off. I love you, Grandma.” I wrapped her in a long hug, and she rubbed my back.

  “And I am so proud of you, my dear.” She patted my cheeks. “All my love, love.”

  After making sure everything was settled for my trip, I waved to her in the rearview mirror and started the journey to Avalon. For the first half-hour, I found myself wondering what he would say about me showing up on his doorstep with an ancient sheath.

  “Probably will think I’ve lost it,” I muttered to myself.

  My nonchalance morphed into thick tension as I turned onto the gravel drive surrounded by old oaks and pines.

  This is it.

  I noticed my hands gripped the wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white, but I had to hold something. If not, I’d fall over in terror.

  The drive opened and turned into a sweeping fairy tale. A circular driveway with a bubbling fountain in the center greeted me, and the picturesque view of Caliburn Estate’s grand front loomed above.

  Stepping out of my car, I clutched my messenger bag with the most important items and carried the box under my arm. I boldly walk up to the front steps.

  Everything about this castle-turned-palace seemed alive. The windows were eyes, and they all glowered down at me, a mere commoner, daring to enter their prestigious doors. Ghosts of the past peeked from the towers; their whispers carried through the trees back and forth to judge me.

  I can do this.

  Mentally, I coaxed myself and lifted my hand to knock on the large wooden door.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Pausing, I heard shuffling from inside, and the lock slid open. A low, creaking noise flooded my ears as the door opened and a man with thin-rimmed gold glasses and hair pulled back into a ponytail answered the door.

  He was handsome looking, but stern.

  Welcoming, but distant.

  “Hello, miss. May I help you?” His voice was crisp and from a time long since gone by.

  “Um, yes, actually.” I swallowed hard. “I was hoping to speak with the duke if he’s in?”

  A small smile crept across his thin lips before it quickly vanished, and he opened the door farther, allowing me to enter. “Come with me, miss.”

  And just like that, I stepped across the threshold into the house of the man they called The Dragon.

  ELEVEN

  Avalon

  I sensed her before I saw her.

  Vivian, John, and I sat in my office discussing possible strategies when Merlin excused himself to answer the front door. The ringing knock on the ancient timber continued to slice through my brain until the hinges creaked and the sound discontinued.

  My gaze fell upon the statue in the center of the room—Legend, she’d called him. I wondered how much she did or didn’t know.

  Merlin paused at the entry, and a small, smug smirk toyed at the corners of his lips. “A Ms. Alexandria York is here to see you, sir. I have situated her in the white room.”

  A jolt of electricity shot through my body.

  She’s here, within my grasp.

  “Thank you, Merlin.” Glancing down at Vivian, she solemnly nodded, saying nothing. This would be the defining moment when either all of our hopes and dreams came true or shattered into despair.

  Time seemed to slow as my feet dragged me along the marble floor and stopped directly outside the library.

  Exhaling slowly, I set aside all my reservations and crossed the threshold.

  “Ms. York? This is a pleasant surprise.”

  Alexandria jerked her hand back from touching the silver candelabra sitting on top of a white grand piano. She spun to face me, her blue eyes wide and wild, and in her arms, she clutched something boxy and large.

  “Your Grace.” She nodded her head in a jerky manner, obviously spooked.

  I tilted my head curiously. “I did not expect to see you here. Is there something specific I can do for you?”

  So much of me longed to reach out to her and pull her into my arms and never let her go. To be the dragon so many claimed I was and hold her hostage in my towers until she remembered. But I had to play it safe to keep her safe. So I played the long game.

  Shaking her head, Alexandria took a tentative step toward me. “I’m not exactly sure.” She exhaled and flopped down onto a chaise lounge. “I don’t really know much of anything anymore.”

  She clutched the long box to her chest. “I don’t even really know why I had to come here of all places.”

  Carefully, I sit on the couch across from her, keeping my itching hands away. “Well, why don’t you explain why you thought here would be a place to come?”

  Alexandria regarded me carefully, her gaze sizing me up.

  “Perhaps, I can ease your mind.” I held my palms open and face up in her direction. “I will only tell you the truth, for I assume that is what you came for?”

  Her mouth parted slightly, and she blinked back her surprise. “I found these in my closet.” She leaned forward, digging into her purse tucked at her side that I hadn’t seen due to the large box across her body. “I need you to tell me if I made them.”

  I didn’t need to see what the small, receipt looking papers were. They were slips of sale for the statues, but I took them nonetheless.

  Alexandria was leaning forward when I risked a glance back up at her. “Please, tell me the truth. I need to know because it feels like pieces of my memories are missing.” Her lower lip trembled. “Like I’m missing someone.”

  Emotion stuck in my throat, and I forced it down. “I did commission you to create the Eros and Psyche statue.”

  The knuckles of her hands turned white as she gripped the box for dear life. “And Legend?”

  “I purchased Legend from you at your gallery showing last spring.” Exhaling a deep sigh, I continued. “Would you like to see them?”

  Wordlessly, Alexandria nodded and set the box down.

  Standing, I led her down the hall and into my office, which also happened to be the library. Vivian, John, and Merlin all stopped talking when we arrived.

  “Everyone, this is Ms. Alexandria York, the woman who created Legend.”

  Alexandria wasn’t listening to me as I introduced her. She stared at the massive statue before her in shock. Her hands immediately reached to touch and study, her mouth open in awe. When her fingers grazed over the broken sword I’d had repaired in her absence, she hesitated.

  “You were angry and broke this, weren’t you?” She barely spoke above a whisper.

  “Yes, I did.” Stepping forward, I rested my hand on her shoulder. “But how do you know that?”

  Clear blue eyes studied mine, and I fought the urge to kiss her. To pull her to me and promise her I’d never leave her side again.

  “Because I was here when it happened.”

  That revelation seemed to knock Alexandria off balance. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, backing away from me. The sound of panicked breathing filled the space, and Vivian reached out to steady her.

  “Easy now, child.” The priestess gently guided Alexandria to a chair and sat her down. “Breathe in and out slowly. I know this is a lot to process, but you must remember.”

  “That’s what the woman in my dreams told me.” She sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself. “She said I had to remember. But I don’t know what or why.”

  My heart broke seeing the woman I loved shatter her mind just so she could fit all the pieces back together again. I stayed back and let Vivian speak with her instead.

  “Tell me, what dream did you have?”

  Alexandria’s cheeks turned red, and a shiver raced down my spine.

  One of those, eh?

  I’d had one or two of my own.

  “I-I woke in a bed in a castle overlooking the sea on a rocky crag. But I wasn’t in my body. I was out of it, watching.” Her eyes flicked back to me. “You were there, but you had blon
d hair and green eyes. And a woman touched you and kissed you, and you touched and kissed her back, but I could feel everything.”

  Guinevere.

  So she did encourage Alexandria to seek me out.

  “She told me, ‘What the mind forgets, the heart remembers. What the eye refuses to see, the body recalls.’ But I have no idea what that means.”

  Vivian glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with Merlin.

  He simply nodded.

  “What did you feel when the man who looked like Avalon kissed you?” Vivian’s line of questioning made my stomach knot, and I shifted uneasily in my spot.

  Alexandria sniffed, her cheeks never losing their pink glow. “It felt like I’d kissed him before. He felt familiar.”

  A part of my soul soared.

  So even with the blood bond severed and her memories erased, her soul knew mine.

  Vivian smiled. “And when you woke up, what did you do?”

  “I went to my closet and managed to find those receipts, the sketches, and even a letter from Avalon from my gallery showing that came from a bouquet.” Alexandria looked over Vivian’s head and met my gaze. “I found things that I’d tucked away for myself before I forgot, but I don’t know how I forgot or why.”

  So many questions swirled in her cerulean eyes. Eyes that once looked upon me with eagerness, trust, and love now stared in confusion.

  “When I met you at my engagement party …” Her voice trailed off, and she played with the large diamond ring on her finger. “You felt familiar.”

  My chest constricted. “How so?”

  I took Vivian’s place, kneeling in front of Alexandria, and carefully grabbed her fidgeting hand.

  She watched my fingers engulf hers, and she gave my hand a soft squeeze. “When we danced, everything made sense. As if we’d danced so many times before.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “And then I overheard Lancer talking, and I found his diary. And now …”

  John’s arms crossed defensibly over his chest at the mention of Lancer. In another life, another time, Lancelot was Galahad’s father. I knew this issue must press on him as well.

  “What about Lancer?”

  My thumb brushed across the back of her knuckles, and she gave a soft gasp.

  “They told me I had an accident. That I’d fallen off a horse and smacked my head, but that’s a lie, isn’t it?” Alexandria’s other hand covered mine, and she held it tightly. “They made me forget something important.”

  Sharp tears pricked the corners of my eyes, and I fought to keep them at bay. But how could I?

  This girl, this woman somehow managed to find her way back to me. And even if she didn’t have all the answers yet, her soul knew.

  My eyes slipped shut as I collected myself.

  “Yes, they made you forget, and yes, they lied to you.”

  Alexandria stiffened. “And you knew this at my engagement party?”

  Shame washed over me.

  Guilt.

  Regret.

  I wallowed in all three.

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her tone reminded me of so many encounters last year. Her unwillingness to give in easily, her stubbornness—her pride.

  “Because I had to protect you at all costs.” I met her accusing stare with my own. “Because I vowed to keep you safe no matter what it took. Even if that meant losing you, Alexandria, no matter the price.” I dared to reach up to caress her cheek. “I’d do whatever I had to do to keep you alive.”

  We just stared at each other for what seemed like hours.

  She didn’t completely trust me—her mind wouldn’t allow her to—but her soul was frantically searching every inch of her body, desperate to remind her why she wanted to trust me.

  Vivian finally rested her hand on Alexandria’s shoulder, breaking us apart. “Alexandria, did you bring something here with you?”

  Alexandria blinked for a moment, and then it dawned on her. “Oh, yes, I did.” She stood, and I did the same. “It’s back in the room I was waiting in.”

  “Then let us go retrieve it.” Vivian offered her a warm smile, and I could see the tension melt off Alexandria’s shoulders.

  The five of us exited my office and made the short trek back to the ornate gallery. Glancing at my pocket watch, I noted that the other knights would be back soon. They’d all gone out to do some scouting, and I expected a full report upon their return.

  “Here.” Alexandria picked up the box and handed it over to Vivian. “Morgan met with me and told me to give a strange poem to my grandmother. This is what she gave me and told me to bring it here.”

  A loud ringing in my ears brought my focus directly on the box as Vivian opened the lid. My hands shook, and I gripped my left wrist with my right hand, begging my powers to listen to me. Transforming in front of Alexandria on the first day wouldn’t make a good impression, but the powerful Aria wouldn’t stop.

  “Avalon, are you feeling well?” Merlin asked, sidling up beside me.

  “I have no idea what’s going on.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “Sinfonia is trying to make me transform.”

  Merlin chuckled. “Are you sure it’s Sinfonia or is it Excalibur?”

  “What?” I arched a brow in his direction. “Exi knows better than to act a fool.”

  “It would be hard to blame him for wanting to go home.” Merlin’s head nodded toward Vivian and Alexandria, and my heart stopped.

  My sheath.

  The sheath I’d lost so long ago, making it possible for Mordred to mortally wound me.

  “How the hell?”

  I fell to my knees, struggling against the sharp pain in my body from repressing the magic pleading with me to give in.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Alexandria’s voice sounded so far away.

  “Give him the sheath,” Vivian instructed, and soon, the figure of Alexandria stooping down to my level came into my view.

  “Take this,” she said gently. “It’s yours, isn’t it?”

  Unable to trust my voice, I merely nodded. Grasping the soft leather, I heaved a sigh of relief as the pain subsided and the struggle ended. Breathing heavily while trying to catch my bearings, I glanced back at Alexandria. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Though I didn’t know it would affect you like that.” Her lips twitched into the slightest hint of a smile.

  I smiled back. “There’s a lot you need to know. I don’t know if you will ever remember us as we were, but I am willing to tell you about your missing memories if you would like?”

  Her smile grew wider. “I would love that, thank you.”

  “Good.” As I stood, the faint sound of Alexandria’s growling stomach caught my attention.

  Her face turned bright red, and I chuckled. “Let’s all sit down for some lunch and get things sorted, shall we?”

  Holding out my arm, she surprised me by stepping into my touch. My hand rested against the center of her back, gently guiding her toward the kitchen. The longer we walked, the closer Alexandria leaned into me. Before I knew it, I’d wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

  “Forgive me,” she whispered. “I just haven’t felt this complete in a really long time.”

  That stubborn lump formed in my throat again, and I swallowed past it, clearing my throat. “I feel the same way.”

  Alexandria paused, glancing up at me with a strange mix of fear and excitement in her gaze. “We were close, weren’t we?”

  Such a simple statement rocked me to my core.

  All I could do was smile through watery eyes and lean down to press my forehead against hers. “We were everything.”

  TWELVE

  Alexandria

  Everything about this situation should have sounded the warning bells. Some logical part of my brain should be screaming this was illogical. Yet a part of my heart and an aching in my core drew me closer to this dark-haired duke.

  The way my hand fit inside his. The scent of whiskey, peppermint, and l
eather wafting from him seduced my senses. The warmth of his arm around my shoulders, making me feel safe. The soft, low melodic flow of his voice rumbling from his chest.

  Everything about Avalon put me at ease.

  Once we all settled around the large wooden island in the huge state-of-the-art kitchen, a kindly maid named Orla set about getting lunch ready. She seemed kind and very happy to see me.

  How much did I forget?

  And how many people were included in that?

  Vivian and Merlin revolved around each other in a mixture of affection and irritation, which I found extremely adorable. John and Avalon spoke in low tones about the other men being back soon, and I happily swung my legs, watching the scene from a barstool.

  Did I used to do this with these people before I lost my memory?

  Avalon caught me staring at him out of the corner of his eye, and he stopped talking to John to flash me a dashing half-smile.

  Dear God.

  My heart tried to beat itself right out of my chest.

  He’d said we’d been each other’s everything, so we must have been lovers.

  My cheeks flamed with heat just thinking about kissing Avalon, let alone having sex with him.

  Finally, a simple lunch of ham sandwiches, crisps, and saladwas served along with mugs of tea. I gathered my wits and dared to ask the question that’d been burning a hole in my mind since I dreamt of Avalon.

  “So if I’ve lost my memories, but you all remember me, something happened to single me out?”

  Vivian set her teacup down and nodded, a mournful expression crossing her face. “Yes. Merlin had to take your memories of Avalon away from you. Essentially, he erased them.”

  I sat there staring at the blonde lady and the man sitting next to her. “How did you erase my memories?” Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling very hungry.

  A warm hand covered mine, and I turned toward Avalon’s gentle gaze. “Merlin is a wizard, of sorts, and deals his hand in magic. Vivian is a priestess of the lake.” He nodded toward John across the table. “John’s an exorcist and has seen the face of God.”

  “And you?” I gulped, trying very hard to understand the magic and myth being tossed around me nonchalantly. “What are you?”