Page 65 of To Charm a Dark Prince

“I like having rights. And pants.” She paused. “And electricity.”

“We would have the latter, if we were not closed off from the worlds around us.” Lancelot shot a look at Mordred. “But who is to say about the former.”

“Careful, Lancelot. You can still serve me as my knight without a tongue,” Mordred warned the other man.

“Could we not?” Gwen shut her eyes. “It’s been a long day and I don’t think I want to listen to more fighting.”

“Hear, hear,” Percival interjected.

“I did put you through your paces today.” Mordred’s tone was coy, almost teasing. It was clear what he was insinuating. “You will wake up sore on the morrow, I imagine, if not as sore as I would wish.”

Her cheeks went warm. Damn her stupid blushing. She took a sip of the mead. She liked it. A lot. She’d have to be careful with that. “Great.”

“And you have another session of training tomorrow afternoon,” he reminded her. “I would take your rest where you can. I recommend you not go riding with Lancelot again in the morning.”

“The lady can do as she likes,” Lancelot replied stiffly. “Unless you are commanding her to do otherwise.”

“I am doing simply as I said—recommending.” Mordred’s reply was just as curt.

“Knock it off, both of you.” She glared at each of them in turn. “I’m not going to be fought over like you’re idiots in high school.” She decided she was going to need more mead to survive the dinner, and, reaching for the jug of it, refilled her mug. She didn’t miss Mordred’s small smirk.

“As the lady wishes.” Mordred paused for a second. “You do look lovely tonight. I suspected that dress might suit you nicely. I am pleased to see I was right.”

“Thanks.” It was weird to think that he had spent the time picking out clothing for her. “Did this come from storage, too?”

“No. I sent some servants to the city nearby. Well. To us, it is a city. To you, I am certain it would be rather disappointing.” He shrugged idly between bites of food.

It still sounded interesting. “I mean…I’d still kind of like to see it.” She smiled. “If that’s all right.”

Mordred considered it for a moment. “Very well. I will take you there on the morrow then. It may be good for the townsfolk to see that I have not sealed you away.”

“Yet,” Lancelot added. “And I thought she was meant to rest tomorrow?”

God, she wanted to scream. She drank more of the mead.

Mordred glared at the knight. “A trip to the city is quite different than riding into the wilderness.”

“Nope. Both. Stop.” She picked up a knife. “Or I’m gonna stab the both of you.”

Lancelot lifted his hands in a show of playful surrender. “Mercy, my lady.”

“I beg for quarter,” Mordred added.

“Smarmy assholes, both of you,” she muttered as she put the knife back down.

“Tell us more of Earth, Lady Gwen,” Galahad interjected before either of the other two men could spark up the argument again.

Thankful for the distraction, she was more than happy to talk about how the world had changed. Technology, warfare, social changes. Discoveries, landing on the moon, and the like. She realized as she talked how little she actuallyknew.When they asked her to dig deeper, she often found herself struggling to remember details or not knowing them at all. She was nineteen, and even though she loved history, she found there were big parts that were missing from her understanding of things.

But she did her best, and they hung on her every word. Even Percival, who looked like the grumpy asshole of the bunch, was listening intently as she talked. And ate. And drank.

And maybe drank too much.

By the time dinner was over, her head was a little fluffy and the world felt just a bit morefunthan it had before. She didn’t think she was drunk, but she was definitely buzzed. And Mordred seemed to see it, with his knowing little smile and the devious glint in his rust-colored eyes.

“I think I should probably go to bed,” she said, rubbing a hand over her brow. “Note to self—I like mead.”

Mordred chuckled. “That it seems you do. I shall escort you back to your room with your permission, my lady.”

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