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When Sebastian heard the name Mordred, his blood seared in his veins. He felt his muscles tensing up, his senses honing like a master hunter with his eyes on his prey.
“Morgan and I were lovers many years ago. But she became increasingly possessive and dominating. I, being a young man, wanted the opposite of what she gave me. I sought accolades and found them in Camelot. Morgan was very angry with me for leaving Avalon.
“I never knew about Mordred until he came to this realm seeking me. She never told me she was pregnant. Mordred is a powerful wizard, but he forsook magic and became one of my elite twelve. I loved him, and I believed he loved me, though I could be wrong. His mother was able to manipulate him. I knew he was trying to fight it. I saw it in him every day. It wore him down, but he wouldn’t use his magic against her. Finally, she was able to cast her magic on him. He fought me at a battle and delivered to me a blow that would have killed many other men, but Viviane, Morgan’s sister took me back to Camelot and nursed me back to health. When I was well, I left Avalon again. I came back here to have a life of my own.”
He told him about meeting with Merlin and the brooch. Of meeting Cynthia and having Kes.
They reached the building and the king smiled at the doorman when the man gaped at Sebastian carrying a lifeless Noelle inside and through the lobby behind him. “Too much to drink,” Lancaster quipped with a wink to the doorman, who watched them all go to the elevator.
Sebastian didn’t like them. Elevators. Who would invent such a thing? A box, usually too small for the amount of people that could cram into one, suspended by cables lifting you up and down while everyone breathed the same air. He preferred the stairs and took them often at the hospital.
They finally got off on the top floor. Lancaster let him into a luxurious apartment, decorated in lights and garland made of leaves, holly branches along the mantel and mistletoe in the doorways. In the left corner was a giant spruce, lit up and mesmerizing to Sebastian. Christmas in his home was always festive. But never warm.
He laid Noelle down on a huge gray leather sofa and leaned over her for a moment. “Wake her up. Now.”
Lancaster mumbled something and she opened her eyes. She rubbed them and then bolted up. “Where are we?”
“At his place,” Sebastian told her softly, calmly, fighting the dark inside. Fighting the fear that the beast was awakening. “There was no choice. I think we have to listen to him if we want to get out of this alive.”
“Why is my life in jeopardy?” she asked, breaking his heart a little.
“It pains me greatly to say this but ’tis because of me. I’m connected to all this somehow.”
She pulled off her hat, sending a floral scent wafting through him. He breathed her in. He had to explain himself to her. He wanted them to get to know each other better. How was he to do that with some crazy witch after them?
She rubbed her forehead. “Don’t feel bad. I’m a journalist. I like a good sto—that’s what makes this so hard. I can’t—”
“I know.”
“And this guy!” she went on, pointing at Lancaster as, it seemed, her head cleared. “Who does he think he is? What did he do to me?”
“He thinks he’s King Arthur,” he confided quietly. He couldn’t help but stare into her eyes. “It does appear he can perform magic. Yours was a harmless spell. Don’t worry. You were safe in my arms.”
She looked a little at a loss for what to say. He understood. Then she blushed a few shades lighter than her hair. “Thank you.”
He gave her a tender smile and his voice dipped. “There is no need to thank me for the privilege of protecting you.”
She looked into his eyes and made the spell Arthur had used over Starbucks look amateurish. He felt his heart slow, his blood warm. He wished he were holding her again—kissing her captivating lips—
“There will be time enough for that later.” Arthur pulled himself closer on a cushioned ottoman. “We must discuss our options.”
“Oh, we have options?” Noelle asked.
“Of course,” Lancaster answered her. “You aren’t my prisoners. You are free to leave whenever you wish. Only know this. Those knights will return. They don’t give up. You’ll likely end up getting him killed.” He motioned to Sebastian.
“Charles!”
They all turned to the sound of Roldan Simeon. He’d appeared in the apartment without a sound.
“She’s gathering forces. The knights must have told her they found you. They are coming.”
