Page 92 of To Charm a Dark Prince

In just a dozen seconds or more, he had a perfect muffin tray in his hands. He turned it over and shrugged. “I do not understand, but very well.” He handed it to her.

“Thanks.” She smiled. “I promise to bring you one when I’m done.”

“I look forward to it.” His smile back down at her was filled with such hope and tenderness that it broke her heart.

If he only knew.

Well…he was going to know pretty soon, if she actually got away with her scheme.

She headed out of the room without saying anything else, worried that her voice might crack if she did.

Now she needed the sleeping powder.

Which meant it was time to wait until nightfall.

Letting out a shuddering breath, she went back to her room, intending to sleep through as much of the day as she could manage. Eod stayed beside her, and honestly, he was the only company she was in the mood to deal with.

She hugged the dog as she buried her head in the pillow, and dozed off with one question repeating itself over and over in her mind.

Can I go through with this?

TWENTY-SEVEN

Gwen was pacing around her room, working up the nerve to do what she knew she needed to do. It was past dinner, the knights would all be asleep. And Mordred…well, if she was lucky, he was in his chambers.

If she wasn’t, she’d have to wait another night.

And she wasn’t sure she’d have the resolve to go through with it if she waited. This felt wrong. This felt evil. She felt like she was using him.But he needs to be stopped. This has gone too far. The Crystal has to go.

Maybe if she honestly didn’t like him, it’d be easier. But the problem was…she liked Mordred. She actually cared about him. She felt for him. She wanted him, sure—but there was more than that.

If things had gone another way, she could see them together. The idea of her trying to take the grumpy rusty monolith on a picnic made her smile despite herself. But that was a future that wasn’t going to happen now.

She had to betray him if she wanted to save Avalon. If she wanted to save all those trapped inside the Crystal. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a second before letting it out in a long rush.

She put on the nicest dress she had in the wardrobe, ran a comb through her hair, patted Eod on the head and told him to stay. The last thing she needed was the dog getting in the way during a…well, personal moment.

It was past midnight when she left her room and headed toward Mordred’s. The knowledge of what was going to happen was twisting her stomach into knots. She felt as though she were crossing a point of no return.

One way or the other.

When she approached Mordred’s room, she stopped. The guards that stood on either side of his door could have been mistaken for props in a museum if it weren’t for the fact that their heads turned to watch her.

Standing in front of them, she did her best to hold her head up high, but she knew she was blushing. “Do I really need to explain it?”

The two guards looked to each other, then turned their heads back straight. It was clear they weren’t going to stop her. Or ask what she was doing. Thank God.

Opening the door quietly, she stepped in, and shut it behind her with a click. The room was enormous—far larger than hers, although she shouldn’t have been surprised. Two of the walls were filled with hand-painted murals of scenery, and several of the others had large, somewhat faded tapestries hanging from them, displaying battles and wars. An enormous canopy bed dominated one wall, and a fireplace the other.

It took her a second to find Mordred. He was in a large chair in front of the fire, his head propped up on his hand. He was staring emptily into the fire. He didn’t react to her entrance.

She could have snuck around his room, searching for the powder, and then snuck back out. But the guards would tattle on her if she didn’t spend…at least a little time in the room. Her cheeks went warm.

No, there was no way around it. It was already too late.

Taking off her boots, she put them by the bed. Barefoot, she walked up to the chair, taking a moment to marvel at the sight of him. Damn it if he wasn’t perfect—chiseled out of stone.More like sculpted out of metal.His strong jaw. His broad shoulders. And even the damn claws made her more intrigued than frightened.

She wondered if he’d use them in bed.

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