Page 85 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“Ten years ago, a grody old cat showed up on our property, nearly dead. It was old, and tattered, and missing teeth and most of an ear. We saved its life and took it in. I named him Merlin because to me he looked like an ancient wizard. And even back then, I loved the old legends.” She sighed. “He was the one who set my house on fire and opened a portal here, and I had a choice—burn to death or jump through. I jumped through. He’s been harassing me ever since. He’s an elemental from here, and I’m borrowing his power.”

Reaching out a hand, she touched the flame of a candle that was burning at the center of the table. When she pulled her finger back, the flame was now dancing at the end of her digit. “I’m not really an elemental. He is. I’m just what’s keeping him alive. He said he can’t die unless I do, and vice versa. I’m his only hope at freedom. He wants me to destroy the Crystal to set him free. He says if I do, he’ll be able to send me home again.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I guess so, but I don’t really know.” She put her finger back to the wick, transferring the fire to its original spot. She folded her arms again. “Everybody wants me to destroy the Crystal. Even some weird-ass scarecrow thing in the antique store wants me to.”

“Ah. That was who you were speaking to.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “Everybody wanted me to get the necklace off so I could go and…I don’t know, melt the thing or some shit. Lancelot’s plan was once I got you to take it off, he’d distract you long enough that I could melt the Crystal. I think he has a crush on me, but I also think he needs me to destroy that thing, so he’s got both motives running.”

“I see. Is that all?”

“Merlin’s stupid plan was that if I seduced you, you’d remove it.” She snickered. “No, apparently, I just had to piss you off. Not like I could seduce anybody worth shit, anyway.”

“I would not be so certain of that.” He trailed a knuckle down her cheek. It sent her face going warm again. “Either way, the necklace is now removed. What do you plan to do next?”

“I talked to Galahad. He told me what it was like with the elementals loose. I know I can’t stand against you. And now, I don’t think I want to anymore.” Oh yeah, she was blushing something fierce, she knew it. Her face felt like it was on fire.

His hand threaded into her hair and turned her to look at him. He kissed her—slow and firm. It was missing the violent passion from before, but it was no less searing. No less demanding. It stole her breath and sent her eyes slipping shut again.

When he parted from her, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Thank you for telling me the truth, Gwen. It is a gift I rarely receive. And one I treasure deeply.” He stood and headed for the door. She watched as his armor molded over him, everything save his helm. “If you will excuse me for a moment.”

“Where’re you going?” Something close to dread twisted in her stomach.

“Hm?” He paused at the doorway for a moment. Her dread was solidified with his next words. He smirked at her, cruel and vicious. “To kill Lancelot, of course.”

TWENTY-FIVE

“What?”Gwen exploded out of the chair—almost literally, she could feel her arms start to sizzle with fire—and ran into the hallway after Mordred. She jumped in front of him. “You can’t!”

Mordred pulled up his steps abruptly as she cut him off. He eyed her with a raised brow. “I am the Prince in Iron. Believe me. I can.”

“But youshouldn’t.”Her heart was racing a mile a minute. And when that happened, her mouth followed suit. “You can’t kill him, I wasn’t supposed to get him in trouble, and it’s my fault any of this has happened, it isn’t—”

“Calm yourself.”

She could feel the walls starting to close in. This was going to give her a panic attack. Covering her eyes with her palms, she struggled to breathe. “You can’t do this, Mordred. You can’t. You can’t kill him. Please. It’s not fair.”

He brushed past her as he continued his path down the hallway. “Nothing is fair in life, Gwendolyn.”

“No!” She chased after him again. This time, when she cut him off, she erupted into flame. She couldn’t help it. “Stop. Please. Leave Lancelot alone.”

“He has been conspiring against me. You would ask me to let that stand unpunished?”

“It—it was just talk—that’s all he did was just talk.”

His smile was a thin, lopsided twist to his lips. “That is what a conspiracy is, Gwen.”

Growling in frustration, she pushed him. He didn’t budge. She might as well have been pushing a big rusty Buick. “You know what I mean!”

When she went to go shove him again, he caught her wrists in his gauntlets and pulled her close to him. Proving once more the fact that she being on fire was no danger to him. “I have tolerated Lancelot’s hatred of me for long enough that his continued existence is a manner of punishment in and of itself. He despises being forced to serve me. For the past thousand and more years, his ire has been toothless. He has been powerless to act against me. But now…with you? All that has changed.”

“But I told you—”

“Yes. And I believe you have told me all that you know. But what happens next? What happens when he whispers in your ear enough sad tales of the Avalon that once was, that you seek to try to destroy the Crystal regardless of the hopelessness in such an endeavor?” He let go of her. “I seek to keep you free of the Crystal. I do this to protect you.”

Taking a step back, she rubbed her wrists. It made sense. Everything he said, from a cruel and rational perspective, made perfect logical sense. But it was wrong. “Can’t you understand why I want you to spare him?”

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