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

by Kylie Stewart

  He hesitated, and I could see the warring emotions reflecting in his gray-green gaze.

  “I was cursed, and I still am, but thanks to you”—his large hand curled around mine on the table—“a bit of that has been lifted.”

  “What do you mean cursed?” My brows knitted together, and I leaned back slightly. “How so?”

  Avalon exhaled deeply, locking his eyes on mine. “I am the legend you molded, and I am the legend of this land. I am Arthur Pendragon.”

  Without warning, a small chortle of laughter escaped my lips at his admission. When the serious faces of those surrounding me didn’t change, my heart sunk into my feet.

  They’re not joking.

  Turning around to look at each and every one of them, I tried to speak, but no words came to mind.

  “I know this is a lot to take in, Alexandria.” Vivian spoke in a soft tone. “But it is all true, and you are also cursed, which is why Lancer has been keeping you in the dark about who you really are.”

  Who I really am?

  “Wait ... what?” Panic sliced down my spine. “Who I really am? I’m me, aren’t I?”

  “You are, but you also share someone else’s soul.” Avalon soothed my hair back away from my face.

  My eyes searched the expanse of his for any signs that he could be lying to me—that this was all an elaborate hoax.

  I found none.

  “Whose soul do I share?” My voice hovered just barely above a whisper as I found breathing quite hard right now.

  “My wife, Guinevere.”

  His words blindsided me.

  And then a slice of hope cut through the darkness of confusion. This wasn’t the first time I’d heard these admissions. Sure, I didn’t remember them the first go-around, but everything they’d said was true.

  Merlin had magical powers.

  Vivian was a priestess of the lake.

  John had actually seen the face of God.

  And Avalon …

  No.

  Arthur Pendragon took the Duke of Avalon title from the tale of old.

  Now I understood who spoke to me in my dream. It had been her, Guinevere, warning me that I couldn’t forget. Nodding to myself, a small piece of my very messy puzzle slotted itself into place.

  “I believe you.”

  A collective sigh of relief went around the room at my acceptance of all they’d said. Avalon’s hand tightened around mine, and he pulled me into an embrace.

  “I’m so glad you do.” The relief in his voice was evident. He nuzzled his nose into my hair, and a shiver slid down my spine. “I was so afraid I’d lose you again.”

  I smiled and drew back to look at Avalon. “I don’t know why I do, but I feel as though I’ve been told all of this before.”

  “You have.” Merlin chuckled. “You just handled it better this time.”

  A comfortable silence settled over the kitchen as we finished lunch. I took the time to really try to wrap my mind around everything I’d been told.

  Basically, I’m living a fairy tale.

  The Duke of Avalon is actually Arthur Pendragon, and I’m sharing the soul of his adulterous wife.

  Right.

  One by one, people left Avalon and me to ourselves at the large table.

  I caught him staring at me from the corner of my eye, and I set my napkin down.

  “So do I call you Arthur or Avalon now?”

  Avalon chewed his lower lip, drawing my attention to his mouth.

  Have we kissed before?

  Heat crept up my neck at the thought.

  “You may call me whatever you feel more comfortable with.” The answer came across with caution, as though he didn’t want to be too forward.

  “Did I call you Arthur before?”

  My pressing paid off, and Avalon turned toward me, his gray eyes clouded with memories. “Yes, you called me Arthur when we were alone.”

  The way he looked at me and sitting so close to him, I could really see the man underneath the hardened façade. Avalon was the most handsome man I’d ever seen.

  Lancer had a rugged sex appeal, where this man—I picked up my mug of tea to swallow down the urge to lean in for a kiss—oozed old world charm and grace.

  “Alexandria.” His voice wavered slightly.

  I turned toward him, setting my mug down on the table. “Yes?”

  “We were together before you lost your memories.” He gently took both of my hands in his, and my heart sped up. “We were together as a couple. I loved you, and you loved me.” His fingers played with the ring still weighing my left hand down. “I thought the ring on your finger would belong to me, not Lancer.”

  My throat stuck together, and my chest seized at his admission.

  “I love you still, and I am doing my best not to push you one way or the other.” He shook his head. “Just know, you mean the world to me, and anything you ask of me I will do.”

  Our gazes met. Electricity sparked in the air between us. My belly tightened, and I clenched my thighs together to stave off the urge to jump his bones.

  Avalon seemed to be having much of the same issue. He reached up and caressed my cheek, running his thumb over my skin tenderly. I melted into his touch, closing my eyes and leaning forward.

  How dare anyone take away my memories of a man such as this?

  How could Lancer lie to me and treat me like a possession while Avalon all but worshipped me at my feet?

  “Alexandria.” His lips whispered against mine, and I parted my mouth to encourage him to kiss me.

  I needed him to kiss me—to solidify all these emotions and wake me with a kiss. He’d breathe his truth into me, and I’d take everything I could. But the kiss never came.

  The sound of stampeding feet in the hallway and a door crashing open into the kitchen broke us apart. Avalon jumped to his feet, putting himself between the intruder and me.

  “For fuck’s sake, Isaac, you scared me.” He exhaled a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

  The red-haired man name Isaac shook his head. “You have to come quick, sir. There’s trouble outside of Merlin’s line.”

  Immediately, the sexual tension in the room dissolved into a dangerous mix of anger and protection.

  “Who’s here?” Avalon’s voice held an animalistic edge to it. One that I would find very sexy if it wasn’t directed at potential danger.

  Isaac swallowed and tried to catch his breath. I could barely understand what he was saying through his thick Scottish brogue. “Lancer is pacing like a wolf with two men.” His green eyes flicked over to me. “He’s asking for her.”

  The blood in my veins turned ice cold, and I froze.

  Lancer is here?

  He’s asking for me?

  But how did he know I’d be here?

  I’d told him I was going to see my grandmother.

  Instinctively, my hand reached out and gripped Avalon’s forearm. His skin vibrated with energy, and the heat shocked my fingers.

  He turned back to me and cupped my face. “You will stay inside, and you will let me handle this.”

  Before I could say a word, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I won’t let them take you away again.”

  Vivian came into the kitchen and took her place by my side. “You go ahead with the boys. I’ll stay with Alexandria.”

  “Thank you.” Avalon nodded to the priestess, but our eyes met again.

  At that moment, I knew no other man would fight for me the way Avalon was about to. The fire and rage in his gaze cut through to the darkened parts of my memories and shed some light on the truth.

  He’d done this for me before.

  And I got the sickest feeling in my gut that this wouldn’t be the last.

  THIRTEEN

  Avalon

  Electricity rippled through my body as I followed Isaac down the hall to the main entrance. Merlin stood just outside the doorway flanked by John and David. Pushing through the line of men, I narrowed my eyes at the scene before me.
<
br />   Lancer stood fully armed in black, the sickening purplish aura oozing off him. The rage he emitted was directed wholly at me, and my hands balled into fists.

  “You said you’d stay away.” I barely recognized the demonic hiss to Lancer’s voice. “She’s mine, Avalon. She doesn’t know who you are.”

  Two men stood on either side of Lancer, and John put a hand on my shoulder. “They can’t cross the barrier Vivian and I put up, but you should know”—he paused, swallowing hard—“the one on the left is Sir Gareth, and the one to the right is Sir Bedivere.”

  Merlin growled, his stance widening. “How can they acquire knights without Vivian?”

  John glanced at me and grimly admitted, “He’s made a deal with someone far more powerful than Vivian.”

  “Shit.” I gritted my teeth and allowed the pulsing energy to radiate off my skin until my own white and gray armor covered my body.

  That aura.

  That unmistakable smell of despair and hatred.

  “Mordred’s made a deal with the devil,” I spat. “He’s sacrificed my knights’ souls for his own devices.”

  “Give me my fiancée, Avalon.” Lancer took a step forward. “Give her to me now.”

  Pressing my hands together, I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer, and then the high-pitched song pierced the air.

  “Sinfonia, Excalibur, I call upon you both!” As I pulled my hands apart, a hilt appeared in each palm, and the sibling swords materialized.

  “What?” Lancer glowered at me, eyes void of green and encased in black. “How do you have them both?”

  Swinging both around my wrist, I smirked. “My wife was kind enough to give Sinfonia back to me.”

  Onyx eyes widened at my use of the word wife.

  “Alexandria is not yours!” He clenched his fist, that monster of a weapon Mordred created for him to wield appeared, and the miasma thickened around him. “She belongs to me.”

  Before I opened my mouth to retort, a female voice cut through from behind me, startling us all.

  “I belong to no one!” Alexandria came to a halt just next to me. Her chest was heaving as if she had just run the length of the hall, and her entire body trembled in fear. “Is this what you are, Lancer? A monster?”

  Lancer leaned back slightly, his mouth open in shock at seeing Alexandria back on my side.

  “Tell me the truth, Lancer,” she demanded. “Is this even real?” I watch as she pulled the engagement ring from her finger, flashing it in the afternoon sunlight. “Do you even love me, or are you using me?”

  “Of course, I love you, Alexandria.” For a moment, the black disease vanished from his eyes, and the sickening aura around him lessened. “I want us to be together forever. I need you by my side.”

  The pain in his voice hurt my heart, knowing everything he said I felt equally.

  But there was a difference between him and me—he sold his soul, and I’d restored mine.

  “How could you lie to me!” Her animalistic scream caused us all to step back. “You made me forget everything over the past year! How could you do that to me if you loved me?”

  Lancer’s head hung low, his shoulders slumped. “I just wanted to protect you …”

  “Protect me from what? From who?” Alexandria stepped down, and I reached out to place my hand on her shoulder.

  “From him!” The human lost to the demon as Lancer’s eyes shot black, and he pointed a shaking finger at me. “Every time you choose him, you die! I can’t allow that to happen. Don’t you see? He’s poison.”

  Alexandria turned back to regard me carefully. “Is that true?”

  Inhaling deeply, I nod. “It is.”

  Her blue eyes widened but then hardened in understanding.

  “Alexandria.” Vivian appeared in front of us all, standing between the gap. “We should let them handle this.”

  “Alexandria,” Lancer barked. “Come home with me.”

  She shook her head, rich mahogany hair catching in the sun. “I’m sorry, Lancer, but I can’t go with you.”

  That was it.

  The thread that held Lancer’s control snapped. With a wild dash, he crashed against the barrier, threatening to break through.

  “Get her inside,” Merlin said to Vivian, his hands rolling a golden ball of light back and forth. “I have a feeling this is going to get a bit ugly.”

  As Lancer continued to thrust his demonic sword against our line of defense, I caressed Alexandria’s face gently. “I will protect you.”

  “I know.” Her whisper calmed me, and I allowed her to escape with Vivian back behind the castle walls.

  “Finally, a fight!” Isaac rolled his shoulders, and his own armor appeared over his body. “This is more like it.”

  By knighting my men with Sinfonia, I’d been able to give them all her gift of protection. Now, David and John matched Isaac and me with the tight but flexible armor. Merlin would be fine just as he was—as a son of the devil, he knew what Mordred’s deal would cost my men.

  “Come out here and fight me like a man, Your Majesty.” Lancer taunted as the barrier, though cracked and worn, continued to hold.

  “As you wish.” With a smirk, I rushed the trio with David and Isaac hot on my heels.

  I clashed with Lancer’s blade, using Excalibur and Sinfonia together. Quickly shouldering Lancer and knocking him off balance, I swung Sinfonia around and barely missed his side.

  “She’s mine.” His snarl sent a shiver down my spine.

  He didn’t sound human.

  “Your Majesty!” John’s warning came just in time as I leaned back to miss Sir Gareth’s dagger flashing before my eyes.

  Growling, I looked at my former knight and noticed his eyes were also pitch black.

  “John!” I retracted Excalibur and focused all my energy on Sinfonia. “They’re all possessed.” Lancer rushed once again with more force than I expected, and my feet slid back in the soft grass.

  “Strike with Sinfonia, and then I can exorcise them!” John hollered back. Sir Bedivere kept both he and Isaac busy with his mace.

  “Merlin!”

  I only needed to call out for him once, and the crafty magician appeared at my side. “I’ll keep him occupied. David has Gareth.”

  “No, Arthur is mine—” Lancer tried to force his way past Merlin, but the threat of the fire glowing on Merlin’s palms kept him still. “No!”

  Moving quickly, I swung hard. I’d only have one shot at this, and if I could render Bedivere useless to Mordred’s cause, I’d have one more knight. And if Lancer had any sense, he would call off this attack and leave.

  John and Isaac held Bedivere’s attention until my blade sliced along the side of his blackened armor. He howled like a wounded animal, falling to his knees as crimson blood flowed from the wound. Sinfonia sang loudly, and John gripped either side of Bedivere’s head, chanting in Latin, challenging the demon within.

  “Dammit!” Lancer screeched but was helpless to stop us.

  “You have no power in this man. His soul belongs to God and to God alone. I cast you out in Jesus’ name and bind you to hell where you belong.” John continued to hold Bedivere as the man clawed and writhed. Inhuman sounds coming from his chest.

  I’d seen my fair share of exorcisms over the centuries, but this had to be the most intense by far.

  “You won’t win.” The stranger possessing Bedivere laughed manically. “Bind me wherever you will, holy man, but this isn’t over.”

  My feet shifted as Gareth retreated. Obviously, the possessor in him was unwilling to succumb to the same fate.

  “Hurry, John,” David urged, adjusting his shield and watching Lancer like a hawk.

  “Go!”

  I’d never seen John so angry, in this life or his last. Whatever silent conversation the demon and priest had, had obviously incensed him. Bedivere slumped to the ground lifeless, and John staggered backward, his chest heaving.

  My eyes narrowed. That demon took too much ou
t of John. It couldn’t have been normal. And to confirm my fears, the priest stalked to Lancer and gripped him by his hair. “You have damned yourself by following the lies of Mordred. You ignorant, vile, vengeful …”

  Before I could step forward, Merlin put a hand on my arm and shook his head.

  “This is a fight between a father and son.”

  Ah, how could I forget?

  “You could have had everything, and you threw it all away for vanity!” The pain in John’s voice gripped my chest. “How could you do this?”

  Sir Lancelot.

  The knight I believed to be the purest of heart.

  How wrong was I?

  For it so happened his son, Galahad, would take that seat at my table.

  “As I follow Mordred, so you follow the lies of a dying king.” Lancer’s hand snaked out and gripped John around the throat. “You defy your own father and follow that son-of-a-whore.”

  Isaac and David tensed beside me, and I shook my head.

  Merlin was right.

  This needed to be between father and son.

  “My father died a long time ago.” John’s voice strangled under the chokehold. “He died when he betrayed my mother. He died when he betrayed his king. And he should have stayed dead.”

  The two men stood like that for a long while before Lancer finally threw his son back and scoffed. “You’re not my son. You’re a traitor.”

  John caught his footing, refusing to bend, and I noticed the shimmering in his gaze. “And you are damned.”

  Finally, Merlin released me and stepped between the two men, clearly speaking to the entity behind Lancer’s façade. “Go back to your hole, you worthless scum.” His hands balled at his sides. “And tell dear old Dad that he won’t win. Not this time.”

  Lancer’s lips turned upward into a sadistic grin. “We’ll see about that, son of the Prince of Darkness.”

  With one look exchanged between them, Gareth and Lancer retreated, leaving Bedivere with us.

  “Quickly,” John commanded, shaking his head free of the exchange we’d all just witnessed. “Get Bedivere inside. We need Vivian to purify him and then dress his wound. By morning, he should be fine.”

  David and Isaac acted immediately, picking Bedivere up, and followed Merlin back into the fortress. I chose to stay with John for a few minutes. Resting my hand on his shoulder, I offered him a wry smile. “You did well, expelling the demon possessing Bedivere.”