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And there was only one person in that orbit—his trusty knight.
Lancelot was his laconic self, but one of his arms stretched across the back of Arthur’s seat, his fingers brushing idly in Arthur’s hair, as if he didn’t know he was doing it. He sat hip to hip and thigh to thigh with Arthur instead of giving the man his space as he usually did. But neither man moved away, though there was plenty of space on either side.
No one did anything untoward. Not that Annie could glimpse in the rearview mirror. But they practically vibrated with tension. The sexual kind. It was hard to miss. Went with the“well-fucked” look on Arthur’s face, and the possessive hunger on Lancelot’s.
Annie smirked to herself.
It seemed that the two men had reached some sort of understanding. Even if they weren’t buddying up like best friends, at least they weren’t avoiding each other anymore.
The ice had thawed.
By late afternoon, they all checked into a sweet bed and breakfast in the heart of town. Annie had initially booked four rooms, but when she signed them in, she asked for only three.
She wasn’t above meddling a little after all.
“Do you want to check out the site of the castle ruins or hunt down dinner instead?” she asked the group at large.
“I wish to see the castle,” Arthur spoke for the first time since they left London.
“There is still enough light. I need…to see it.”
The look on his face said that he didn’t reallywantto see it, but it was something he was forcing himself to do. He was determined to face his past.
Annie well understood. Merlin had to do the same thing before he could live in the present and plan for the future.
“Let’s go then,” Annie said agreeably.
“It’s close enough to walk to. Just a mile and a half over yonder hill.”
She grinned.
“Always wanted to say that.”
They set out in companionable silence. Annie didn’t mind. If she knew her men—Merlin and Wolfe, anyway—those two were all talked out after the awkward lunch they had back at the hotel.
Awkward, but making progress. With Rui and Annie’s help, steering them into fits and starts of conversation, they actually exchanged words beyond the most basic pleasantries.
They stayed away from the past, of course. They might have faced their individual pasts and made peace enough to fall in love with their Mates, but their history together was still a sore wound. Healing, but not yet fully mended.
The good news was, they had plenty in common in the present. Both were warriors plucked out of the Dark Ages into modern times. Both were dragons living amongst men. They liked working with metal and wood in Tal-Telal’s workshop. They liked building things with their hands, creating structures that would be useful and lived in.
It was a far cry from the lives they used to lead, with Wolfe as a dragon slayer and Merlin as a dragon-slash-sorcerer-for-hire.
Now, even though they didn’t converse, they strode side by side together on the pebble-paved road.
Annie felt like her heart could burst with happiness, for she felt vicariously the joy Merlin felt. He was at peace with his sons beside him. They didn’t have their issues all sorted out, but at least they were willing to try.
Before long, they arrived at their destination. The site was currently closed to tourists, thankfully. They could use the privacy. And given that a storm was fast approaching, no one was out and about.
Annie’s group decided to brave the elements, of course. What’s a little weather for three dragons, a fire witch, an immortal king and his trusty knight?
Here, the group split up. Wolfe and Rui started off in the direction of the abandoned ruins of ancient Roman baths. Merlin strode toward the back of the castle where a forest used to be. Now, there were only mounds of earth covered with grass and clovers.
Annie knew why he was retracing these steps. She’d seen it in his dreams, in his past. There used to be a cavern in the forest. Deep underground within the cavern, the she-dragon used tohold Merlin captive there, chained upon a rock. She spent years torturing him, carving pieces off of his dragon body to siphon his power slowly, excruciatingly.
He’d been a ruined, maddened mess when Rui brought him back to the Celestial Realm. Even the magical beings there couldn’t heal him properly.
But Annie’s love did. His own strength and determination did. And he was ultimately stronger and better for it.
