Albion's Legacy (Sons Of Camelot Book 3)

by Sarah Luddington

  With the aid of the weed I slammed into his mind, making him flinch. The chaos I ignored and I simply called his name, a whisper along the weakening lines of our connection.

  I felt my physical body move but by now my awareness existed only among the chaos of Galahad’s consciousness. His head lay on my shoulder in the real world, while here, in the only reality that counted, I began to fight my way through the images.

  I flowed along the line of our bonding, the energy a reflection of the nature of Albion. Deep greens, textured like old oak bark and fine spring beech leaves, entwined completely flowing into and out of each other to form a strong and unbreakable rope of living energy. Surrounding this core of energy were the images The Lady tried to use to break Galahad. I saw pictures of Lancelot from a child’s memory, fractured and faded only to suddenly flare bright as Galahad fought to control what the spell tried to shatter and steal from him. I witnessed memories he must have from our bonding of our fathers together, fighting side by side or deep in conversation their hair almost tangled, the golden and the dark. Again I saw the spell warp the memories, making their faces distorted and ugly, making them wasted and giving a sense of obscenity.

  Galahad fought back, light brightening around the frozen picture and his powerful will giving life to his father inside a memory only I had of him. He drew that energy, that life, from me. I hadn’t even been aware of how I’d continued to sustain him. No wonder I was so bloody tired all the time.

  I let him continue his work on the periphery so I could find the centre of his mind. He trusted me so utterly I had nothing to fear or to fight. In fact I sensed he fought the spell as it tried to keep me out. I’d never done this before, used our connections without Torvec to help, but alone we were one now our bodies were together.

  A door suddenly appeared before me, the line of energy flowing through it but I became a physical form once more. The entrance held the heavy carved decoration familiar to the fey, curling patterns representing animal and plant life. I reached for the images. A large wild cat, like those I’d seen on the edge of the deserts in Albion, seemed to spring out of the pattern and something I didn’t expect to see - wrapped firmly into the spiralling patterns were the fey representation of a mighty eagle.

  I touched the image as I lifted the latch and from one moment to the next I became that huge bird. Through the doorway of Galahad’s mind lay a world within a world. He’d created a sanctuary, built from memories of our travels together and my own journeys through Albion. I soared over valleys and fields of sun ripened corn that looked like the large plains beyond the walls of Camelot in our adopted home. The huge muscles in my back flexed and I rose higher on currents of unseen air, my new form reacting with an instinct I didn’t understand or try to analyse. My father had explained how his dreams of the White Hart always felt utterly real and how he and the Black Wolf knew each other.

  I banked and dived toward a long silver river in this mythical land, sailing over treetops. My eyes caught every movement and it wasn’t long before I found the racing figure of a black cat, loping through the wild grasslands bordering the river. The huge black paws hit the ground with a soft thwack, the muscles under the sleek fur rolling and stretching with each stride. The round ears twitched, and the long tail curled, as he began to slow, drawing near to a bend in the river. A large rock made my talons reach out, my wings and tail drop, drawing up my head and body.

  The rock touched my razor claws and my wings beat until my balance settled, folding tight to my body. I turned instantly and watched the huge panther stop. He sat, his tail tidy around the paws and he rumbled a snarl, the green eyes flashing, red tongue vivid against the longest white teeth I’d ever seen. I replied in kind. A savage shriek of sound, my feathers puffing up.

  The black cat blurred and Galahad sat, naked, on the ground. He grinned up at me. “Welcome to my new home, King of Camelot.”

  I wished for words and my own form blended. I found myself sat on the rock, also naked. “Hello, Prince of Albion. It’s a nice home.”

  He rose and I slipped off the rock, we came together in an embrace of true friendship.

  We held each other for a long time, Galahad overwhelmed with having me in his arms. I pulled back. “This is a complex sanctuary.”

  He looked around and began to lead me by the hand to the river. The grass was soft and slightly damp from dew. “I need somewhere complex. She is pushing hard to control and change me, the more complex the environment the harder it is for her to find a way in.”

  “Severus says you are weakening.”

  We sat on the grass, near the water. “I am. I know it.” He waved his hand around. “This is held together with more difficulty each day but it’s all the defence I have.”

  “You now have me,” I said, our fingers locked together.

  His hair was short even here but not the patchwork I’d seen in the real world. He looked healthier and calm. In fact he looked beautiful with nothing to distract from the strong features and dark eyes.

  We were quiet for a few moments until I thought of something. “An eagle?” I asked.

  He grinned. “It’s how I’ve always thought of you. A regal and mighty avian, a warrior, protector and profoundly loyal.”

  I laughed. “I think you credit me with too much. Why do you feel like a great black cat is it better than a wolf?”

  “It’s not like I have a choice, Holt. I am not the wolf cub everyone calls me. I am different to my father and my mother,” he said. “I’m not sure I want to be. I wish I’d been the son they wanted, but I’m not. The panther has come to me because I am not the pack animal my father was. I am a different warrior.” He looked so sad.

  “You’ve been remembering your father?” I asked gently.

  “Only thanks to the memories I have stolen from you because they help to keep The Lady’s spells busy.” He grew quiet again. “He was a remarkable man.” Galahad looked out over scene he’d created, a melancholy marring his handsome face.

  “He was,” I said, a familiar lump forming in my throat.

  “Does Severus know how to free me from the spells?” Galahad asked, changing the subject.

  I shook my head. “He doesn’t know and to be honest I don’t want to ask Torvec.”

  Galahad grimaced. “I don’t blame you. Severus is exhausted and I don’t mean physically. I can sense how terribly hard he is finding every connection Torvec produces for you and I.”

  “How come we have never met here?” I asked.

  Galahad stared out over the river once again, a crystal clear rushing bubbling mass over rocks. “To be honest, Holt, and I’m sorry, but I don’t entirely trust Torvec. I didn’t want to let him in here so I had to keep you out as well.”

  I sighed heavily and separated our fingers, so I could pick at the grass. The loamy earth even smelt right. Galahad’s gifts were many and I didn’t think he understood himself at all. If he thought he was only a warrior he was sadly mistaken.

  “I don’t blame you for being worried. I think you did the right thing. I don’t know how far to trust him either.” My truthful words made me very sad for the dragon’s wasted life.

  “That’s one of the reasons I tried to hide the effects of the torc from you.”

  “Which is why you’ve been distant and weak toward me?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I couldn’t explain.”

  I closed my eyes and allowed a wave of relief to take over. “It’s fine, I’m just glad you trust me now.”

  “Now I am in your arms. I can feel the heat of your body. I am safe.” He took my hands back into his possession. I looked up into his face and the dark intensity stole my mind.

  “Galahad...”

  “I have an idea that might help to burn the spells out of me or at least weaken them.” His voice had dropped, deepened, held me captive.

  My heart beat a wild tattoo in my chest.

  “I just have one consideration,” Galahad said. “I do not want to make the same mi
stakes our fathers did. I know you love Severus. I can see it and feel it. I am not surprised; he is a very special man. If this will endanger your relationship then I would rather lose my mind than hurt you.”

  I considered the implications. I’d thought about them every time I’d connected with Galahad over the last few months and been forced to leave him repeatedly. I’d spoken with Severus about it and the strange confusion of emotions I’d felt. I’d considered the options from all angles and I knew the truth in my heart – I couldn’t leave Severus, I couldn’t give him up but I wanted Galahad, I needed him and that would never go away, never leave me.

  “He knows how I feel about you, Galahad. He said to me that he loves me because of the love I hold for you. It is a part of me and to deny it would be a lie,” I said.

  “I can never make you as happy as he does. I will never get in his way,” Galahad promised.

  “We will make him the centre of our world and when you are ready to move on you will,” I said.

  “Aleah?” he asked quietly.

  “I couldn’t tell you.”

  He closed his eyes briefly and nodded. “I knew. I just... I couldn’t ask. She, The Lady said she’d had Aleah murdered because I had no right to marry.”

  “I am sorry.” We spoke softly and intensely, our heads close together; he saw the truth of her fate in my eyes.

  “I know. It’s alright. You respected her?” There were tears in his eyes.

  “We did.”

  “Thank you. I couldn’t love her enough, Holt.”

  “You will find the right woman, Galahad. And in the meantime Severus and I will be there with you, every step.”

  He leaned in and we kissed.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Galahad gradually lay me down on the soft grass and moved his weight over mine. The kiss grew and swept everything else away. His naked body covering mine, his scent, it just dissolved all thought. When he let me up, pulling back only slightly he gazed into my eyes with a desire I’d never seen in him before. The intensity came from a sense of peace he’d not felt with me or Aleah.

  “Make love to me,” he said, his hips grinding into mine. I felt his erection, strong and solid, over my lower belly.

  I examined his face and he meant it, the peace within him wanted more but I could also see his true desire.

  “That’s not what you really want,” I said.

  An amused smile made his eyes shine. “Oh? What is it I really want?”

  “You want to make love to me,” I said, feeling slightly breathless at the thought. That’s not how things worked between Severus and me.

  “I do. But I don’t want to cause you pain because of your memories.”

  “The Mer-King,” I whispered, my hands moving up his back and my body becoming tense.

  He kissed me softly, covering my lips, cheeks and eyes. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I made a decision, I wanted Galahad and there was nothing in my past which should stop us being happy. I began to kiss him in return.

  “You won’t hurt me. Make love to me, Galahad. I want to feel you moving through me. I want to be possessed.”

  He groaned and suddenly I felt him change from the tender lover to the furious desperate owner. Hands grabbed my wrists and lifted my arms over my head, pinning me down to the soft grass. His weight shifted so one thigh slipped between mine and his hips pushed hard, hurting me with breathless pleasure. Teeth grazed my neck and when I whispered approval, pushing up into his body and fighting his power over my arms, he bit me hard on the throat. I sighed happily, the pain lancing through me with the delicious intensity building a fever in my blood.

  I fought his hold, the biting so hard I began to writhe against it despite loving the sensation. I wanted to attack him in return but he wasn’t going to let me and I didn’t fight hard enough to free myself. His strong body held me down, forcing me to his will, and just about fulfilling every fantasy I’d had about Galahad. That dark strength owning me was all I wanted.

  He became almost brutal, so different to the softer loving submissive arms of Severus. Unlike the last time we’d had sex, Galahad almost rage blind with his own twisted desires, this was simply him. In normal life Galahad moved through the world with perfect manners. He rarely swore, only killed when he had to, and tried to remain polite despite the circumstances. With me in this moment all I experienced was the wild animal pouring through his soul. That great savage black cat.

  “You’re hurting me,” I finally cried out, the skin on my neck tearing under his teeth.

  He grunted and I felt him slowly lick the wound. “Then tell me to stop,” he said.

  I gazed into his eyes. A smear of blood marred the scarred cheek. He looked so utterly at peace with himself.

  “Aleah couldn’t make you happy could she?” I asked him gently.

  He sucked in a hard breath and his face twisted with memories best left in the dark. “No. The few times I tried to lose control she panicked. I couldn’t blame her but it just made me want you and your strength all the more.” His gaze shifted to the wound on the base of my neck. “You’re still bleeding. Do you want me to stop?”

  My hips flexed upward into his. “Mark me as you will,” I whispered, surrendering to him completely.

  He smiled and kissed my lips with gentle tenderness. “My will, thank you,” he said, still soft.

  He lowered his face to the wound and licked it again, sending waves of shuddering pleasure through my core. His large hands tightened further on my wrists and he moved from my neck to my chest. He rubbed his smooth, beardless face over the springy red-gold hair, his tongue playing with my nipple for a moment. When his teeth sank into the muscle just to the side of that particular pleasure centre, I almost melted.

  “Fuck, yes,” I cried out.

  Galahad rumbled a growl and bit harder, closing his jaws and pulling at the skin. It gave, the pain perfect for me. I felt the heat of blood spilling over my flesh. Galahad shifted , covering me and rubbed his chest against the wound, the blood smearing his pale skin.

  “Again,” I demanded.

  “My pleasure,” he said. He brought my hands down and pushed them under my back, so his weight would keep them pinned under me. Escape would be easy but part of the thrill would be the enforced, willing, endurance. My chest rose and fell in time to the pounding of my heart. Galahad put a hand under my jaw and twisted my head up and back, straining my spine. I groaned. He chuckled darkly.

  He licked the smooth skin of my flank, this side almost unscarred. He licked again, along the lowest rib and pressed his mouth against the flesh. I pushed against him, I couldn’t help myself. I pushed hard and he repeated the extraordinary tearing bite. When the blood flowed he pressed his head against the ribs higher up and groaned, his hot breath mingling with the hot blood. He rubbed up my flank, the bite on the edge. When he released my neck I brought my head back and he kissed me, deeply.

  “My desires are so dark,” he murmured, partly hiding his face as if still shamed despite my acceptance.

  I kissed him gently. “What do you want?”

  He licked the rough skin on my jaw. “Everything.”

  I chuckled, a wicked sound. “I don’t think we have time for everything even here,” I said.

  He rubbed against me again, smearing more blood over his own skin. “Let me fuck you,” he said at last.

  “I love it when you speak so honestly,” I told him.

  “I want to fuck you hard.”

  A small flash of the rape took my breath. Galahad saw the fear in my eyes. “Holt,” he said, his own horror making him rear away from me.

  “No, Galahad, it’s fine, really...”

  He kissed me, devoured me and I lost the fear under the onslaught of his love.

  “Now,” I told him eventually.

  He groaned in relief. My hands were released from behind my back and he rolled me over. He pushed my arms high over my head and hard into the ground, and using his own legs he widened
mine. I was more than ready. I used the strength years of training gave me and lifted my hips off the ground. Galahad didn’t fumble this time. The pressure grew and I relaxed.

  “Oh, fuck, Holt, I love you,” he gasped the moment I gave way to his desire.

  I couldn’t say anything, my forehead pressed against the soft grass, trying to accommodate all of Galahad du Lac. It was magnificent. The moment he moved I groaned and it all came together.

  For the first time we were truly one. Through the magic of our bonding, our tested love and heartbreak we became one. Galahad swept into and through me. Unlike the sex I’d shared with Torvec, the deep true love of our connections made this a spiralling wonder of emotion and sensation. A spiritual perfection with hedonistic and brutal desire at its core. Honest at last. I finally knew who Galahad du Lac was and what he really needed from me. No wonder we’d fallen apart so many times, we’d been constantly tested in ways that prevented us from being honest.

  He cried out and I felt him reach the wonderful peak of his desire. His weight drove me to the ground, his teeth buried in my shoulder and I came hard, gasping, fighting him and loving him.

  The moment the passion stopped, his love began. His hands relaxed where they held me and he brought them down. He didn’t want to leave my body but he rolled us onto our sides and cradled me, kissing the sore bites. I merely trembled in his embrace, trying not to humiliate myself by weeping.

  “It’s alright, Holt. I pushed you a long way,” he murmured.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too,” he said.

  I felt the world around me begin to dissolve. “I don’t want to leave,” I said, beginning to fight in his arms.

  “We can’t stay.” Galahad’s arms tightened, holding me.

  My eyes opened and I found Galahad lying on top of me. He woke with me, his eyes clear of spells. He looked just like the man I’d met inside that world he’d created to protect himself. We kissed, sharing the same comfort we’d found previously.