Page 13 of Captivated
He released my lips so he could press his forehead to mine. His breath panted across my face, his body shuddering against me. “My queen. My love.”
“Come inside,” I whispered, stroking the beloved planes of his face. “I need to know you’re safe.”
One of the other men stepped up and took his sword so he could more easily hold me.
“Bors,” I cried, reaching for him. “You made it.”
He looked more like a tattooed motorcycle club member than a former knight, and I loved it. He stepped up close and wrapped both me and Lance in his arms. “My queen, I kept him alive as long as I could, hoping you’d be able to call us.”
I kissed the scar on his forehead. “Thank you, my love.” Blinking away the first happy tears of my entire life, I met my third Blood’s shimmering honey-amber eyes. “Oh, Mordred. Thank the goddess you made it too.” I untwined my arm from Lance’s neck so I could reach out for him. Mordred took my hand as Lance carried me across the blood circle, while I touched the other two knights.
Inside Shara’s circle, they’d be safer, at least. Though the battle was far from over.
“That’s all for today, folks,” Kevin said loudly to the onlookers. “I hope you enjoyed the show. Come back again next week!”
I didn’t think the crowd would buy it, but I didn’t really care. Closing my eyes, I pressed my face to Lance’s throat and just breathed. So good. I wanted to wallow in his scent and cement our bond immediately, but first, I reached out to Shara.
:Are you okay? What did Arthur do to you?:
She didn’t answer right away, which made my heart rate quicken with dread. I tightened my focus on our bond, reaching toward her. If she needed healing…
:I’m fine,:she finally answered, her bond steady and sure, though thinner, as if she’d taken a hit and needed to conserve her strength.:Where did that ring come from?:
:Guinevere gave it to him on their wedding day.:
:That’s the key to his power and the curse. There’s something very malevolent tied to it. It drained my power like a leech before I could disconnect from it. So now it’ll be even stronger.:
:Great.:I sighed internally.:I’ll see if I can find out more about it and where it came from.:
:That ring sustains and protects him. Take it, destroy it, and I believe the curse will end.:
She sounded tired and achy. In our bond, I felt her Blood gathered close, soothing her with touch and blood. Guilt twinged. We couldn’t risk damaging Shara, or we’d all die. She was our queen and protected us all.
:I’m tired, not hurt,:she replied tartly, giving me a gentle mental shake.:We held him off, so this was a victory, not a defeat. Take your Blood. Celebrate. Then we’ll come up with the final battle plan to end this for good.:
Take my Blood.
Goddess above, when had Guinevere ever actually lived long enough to taste Lancelot’s blood again? Meanwhile, here he stood, holding me in his arms on the sidewalk in front of the tower.
“Kevin, can you take care of replacing the glass? And deal with whatever media questions come up?”
Grinning, he pulled open the door and Lance swept through with my other two Blood on his heels. “Replacement glass has already been ordered. I’ll hold all questions until tomorrow morning, but if anything urgent arises, I’ll call Gina.”
“Thank you, Kevin. Without your help…”
He inclined his head, a very old-fashioned gesture that fit him well despite his youth. “My pleasure, Your Majesty.”
