Page 125 of Secrets of Avalon

Melinda takes Ares’ hand, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor. I watch as they take their places in the forming lines.

"Hawke, would you dance with me, son?"

I turn and smile at my mother. She’s saved me from dancing with anyone else. "It would be my pleasure."

As we step into the circle, I catch Melinda's eye across the floor. She gifts me with a brilliant happy smile. The music swells, and as one, we begin to move.

I guide my mother through the steps with practiced ease, but my attention keeps drifting to Melinda. She moves easily, the dance pattern is an easy one to catch onto. Ares, ever the showman, elicits delighted laughter from my queen.

I’m paired with Wraith’s sister for this turn. She glances up at me and smiles, but it’s sad. “The feeling is amazing, is it not, King Stormblood?”

“It is, Queen Sahsa, but why do you look broken-hearted?”

“Because if we don’t find a way to fix what was broken my children will never know the joy of a soul mate bond. No one's children will.”

She speaks the truth and it is a painful one. I myself never thought I’d have it, though I thought I’d likely be executed for going mad as well.

I give a quick bow before Queen Sahsa steps to the next partner in the reel. As she twirls away, a pang of longing shoots through me. The pattern repeats, partners changing in a whirl of color and movement, yet through it all, my awareness of Melinda never wavers. She's the center of my universe, the sun, the rest of the dancers mere planets orbiting around her radiant presence.

Each time she laughs, the sound carries to me over the music, sending a shiver of pleasure down my spine. Her happiness is infectious, and I find myself grinning, even as I execute the steps of the dance with practiced precision.

As the music builds to a crescendo, a pull tugs at my chest, an almost physical need to be near her. My skin tingles with anticipation, every nerve ending alive and hyper-aware. The final notes of the song approach, and I know that soon, very soon, she'll be back in my arms where she belongs.

With a final spin, the crowd parts like a veil, and I find myself face to face with Melinda. Time seems to slow, the world narrowing down to just the two of us. Her cheeks are flushed from the dance and wisps of hair frame her face. Her eyes, bright with exhilaration, lock onto mine, and I'm lost.

In that moment, the need to touch her, to hold her, becomes overwhelming. It's as if every fiber of my being is crying out for her. I pull her into my arms. Her body against mine ignites a fire in my veins.

I kiss her hard. Her lips part beneath mine, soft and inviting, and I'm undone. I slide one hand to cup the back of her neck, fingers tangling in the soft hair at her nape. My other hand finds the small of her back, pressing her closer, eliminating any space between us.

As I deepen the kiss, plunging my tongue into the warm sweetness of her mouth, the rest of the world fades away. There is nothing but her. Her warmth. The soft press of her body against mine. The intoxicating scent of her skin. Our bond sings with my desire for her and hers for me.

I trace the curve of her spine with my fingertips, relishing the small shiver that runs through her. It's a heady sensation, knowing I can affect her this way. Melinda's hands tangle in my hair, pulling me even closer, as if she shares my desperate need to eliminate any distance between us. Our tongues dance a reel all their own.

When we finally part, both breathless, I rest my forehead against hers. The Great Hall has fallen silent, but I barely notice. All I can see is the sparkle in Melinda's eyes, the flush on her cheeks, the smile that seems to light her from within.

"I love you." The words are woefully inadequate. How can three small words possibly encompass the vastness of how I feel for her? This woman who has changed my world, who has become my world.

Melinda's smile widens, and I swear I can see the reflection of my own love and adoration in her eyes. "I love you too, my king."

I am not just a king crowned. I am a man completely, irrevocably in love, and there is no power in all the realms that could make me let her go.

I lean in close to Melinda's ear. "Later, I plan to show you just how much I love you, my queen."

Her eyes dilate and she offers me a sultry smile that makes me want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to our rooms. But I don’t. We can’t leave yet.

Melinda’s hand is soft in mine as we make our way back to the high table. We’re almost to our seats when we come face to face with Julius Darkwood. His cold and calculating eyes lock onto Melinda. Every Instinct in me screams that he’s a threat, and I turn us away, stepping forward to go around him.

A fearful shout pierces the noise of the room. “He has a blade!”

Time slows, each heartbeat stretching into an eternity. I see it all in agonizing detail. Darkwood's body collides with Melinda's. Her fingers are wrenched from mine as she stumbles. For a split second her eyes, wide with shock and fear, meet mine before she’s pushed backward into the panicked crowd.

I’ve lost her.

"Melinda!" I lunge for her.

From the corner of my eye, I catch a blur of motion. Kellan vaults over the tables, his face a black mask fury. He races to reach her too.

The scrape of steel against scabbard sounds across the room. Guards rush forward from every direction. Two grab me up from the ground and pull me backward. “Your Majesty, we must get you to safety.”

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