Page 48 of To Charm a Dark Prince

Silver eyes twinkling in mischief, he left her there alone. The moment he was gone, she realized she had been enjoying his company. It had done wonders in filling the silence. And more importantly, it had drowned out her thoughts.

And her single, burning question.

What am I supposed to do?

* * *

Gwen woke up in the middle of the night to someone knocking quietly on the door. Well, she assumed it was the middle of the night. The fire that had been burning was now little more than coals. And she was in that groggy who-the-hell-am-I, what-year-is-it state of groggy as she sat up. “Yeah?”

“Someone is…eh…insisting on seeing you, my lady.” It was one of the guards on the other side of the door. “I’m afraid he’s going to ruin the woodwork. May I let him in?”

Furrowing her brow, she blinked away her sleepiness and sat up. “Um. Sure?” If it was Mordred or Lancelot, she was going to have to—

The door clicked open. A scrabble of nails, and then a giant dog jumped onto the bed, tail swishing excitedly.

Laughing, she almost fell back over. “Oh, it’s just you, buddy. Hi, Eod.” She chuckled and ruffled the dog’s ears. “All right, you can sleep up here.” Honestly, she would be happy to have the extra warmth. And the company.

The door clicked shut as the guard closed it again.

Flopping back down on her side, she settled in. Eod seemed more than happy to curl up next to her and let out a long, exaggerated sigh as he did the same thing. Slinging an arm over his furry side, she shut her eyes. “You better not have fleas.”

A few stray kicks to the side notwithstanding, she slept better that night than she had the previous one. And maybe Eod scared off Merlin, because she didn’t wake up to getting lectured by the asshole cat. It’s not like he’d have had any new instructions for her—the mission was still clear.

Get Mordred to take the necklace off permanently, so she could try to blow up the Crystal. She was assuming the second part. But she didn’t know if she agreed with its destruction in the first place. What if Avalon really was better off this way?

She’d have to do some digging. Find out some more information about Avalon. Once she had all the information, she’d make up her mind for herself whether or not the Iron Crystal should exist or not—cat be damned.

Research. She liked doing research. It wasn’t a good plan, but it was something.

With a sigh, she got dressed, brushed her hair, and decided that she was going to have to ask about having a bath. She knew people in Ye Olde Times didn’t shower, but she was not going to be stinky if she could help it. Eod followed her downstairs, leading her to where breakfast was set out on the large table.

She figured she’d eat a quick meal—half of which would go to the dog—then go find Lancelot by the stables for their ride. Then, she’d—

“Good morning.”

With a squeak, she whirled. For a guy who was as big as Mordred and was always wearing armor, he could movesilentlywhen he wanted to. “Damn it!” Her heart was instantly racing. “Don’t startle me.”

His expression was flat. “You cannot burst into flames. I see no harm in it. Though I suppose having you faint at the breakfast table would be quite rude.”

“Look, it’s not my fault I have anxiety.” She took a deep breath and tried to settle herself, taking a step away from him. He could be so very intense. “I didn’t choose to be like this.” She went to grab herself a buttered fruit-and-something pastry-something that wasn’t a muffin, an action that also served to put a few extra feet between her and Mordred. “I get panic attacks.”

“So you have said. What does that mean, and what inspires them?”

“It means I get these moments where I, well, panic. Sometimes, for a good reason. Sometimes, for no reason at all. I can’t breathe, everything gets too close. I feel smothered. I usually then pass out, yeah.” She sighed. “They ruin my life. So please don’t make fun of me for it. People’ve been doing that ever since I was a kid.”

His expression smoothed, some of the hardness softening. “Forgive me. I did not mean to offend. Have you never attempted to control them?”

“Oh, sure. But it’s not as easy as it sounds. And my parents don’t believe in medication for it, so if I’m living with them, I can’t very well go around their backs.” She shut her eyes.

He stepped back up to her, closing the distance between them. With the crook of a claw, he lifted her head up to look at him. “Do you miss your home?”

“A little.” She felt caught in those molten rusty eyes of his. “Maybe. How’d you guess?”

“The look in your eye when you said it.” His hand rested on her shoulder. It was clear the next words were a struggle for him to say. “Forgive me for my harsh moods yesterday.”

“It’s all right.” She smiled faintly. “I guess being as old as you are is gonna come with some emotional baggage.”

He huffed a laugh. “I suppose.” He paused. “Perhaps, in time, Avalon could become your home. Perhaps this place could be what it was you sought in the city with your friends.”

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