"Who?"
His eyes gleamed.
“The woman Arthur has scoured Logres to find. The ghost who vanished, leaving our golden king in shambles. Distracted. Obsessive. Furious.”
How in the hell did he know? Arthur's furious search for the white-haired woman was not known to the knights. So how did…
Because Kay makes it his business to know everything that happens in Camelot.
He took a slow step forward. “And now that very same woman is standing inmychambers.”
He was close enough to touch me. And when he did, I felt my stomach turn.
His fingers slid into my hair, slow and deliberate, combing through the strands as if appraising fabric—savoring his control over me. I clenched my jaw. My skin crawled, but I didn't move. I wouldn't give him the pleasure of flinching.
Let him take what satisfaction he could from my body.
He would never touch what mattered most, and that was my heart and my soul.
-GUIN-
"This is just getting better and better," Kay murmured, his voice thick with satisfaction.
His eyes gleamed in the dim light of the chamber, drinking in every detail of my true appearance with obvious pleasure.Then abruptly, the smile slid from his face like melting wax, replaced by an expression of cold command.
"Say something, girl. Don't just stand there like an imbecile."
"I don't know what you want me to say." The words came out harsh and bitter, nearly spat at him through gritted teeth. My hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at my sides, nails digging crescents into my palms as I fought the urge to strike that smug expression from his face. Every muscle in my body was coiled tight, trembling with barely restrained fury and something that might have been fear—though I refused to acknowledge it as such.
I was still reeling from the surreal nightmare of finding myself here, serving myself up to Kay like some sacrificial offering. The thought made bile rise in my throat. How had it come to this? How had I allowed myself to be maneuvered into such a vulnerable position by this bitter, twisted man who wielded cruelty like other knights wielded swords?
Kay's lips curved into a cruel smile, clearly pleased by my discomfort. He leaned closer, his breath hot against my face, smelling of wine and something bitter.
"Tell me why Arthur is so taken with you. What did you do to him to cause him to lose his fucking mind?" His gaze traveled down my body with insulting deliberation, lingering in places that made heat rise to my cheeks—not from embarrassment but from fury.
"Did you bewitch him with your cunt? Some magical trick to ensnare the mighty king?"
"No."
Clearly, Kay didn't know I had pulled the sword from the stone. It made perfect sense that he wouldn't. Arthur, with his growing paranoia and fear of challenges to his power, would never have allowed that particular detail to spread beyond thosewho had witnessed it—Nimue, himself, and me. That secret, at least, remained mine.
Kay began circling me again, each step deliberate and menacing. The sound of his boots against the stone floor echoed in the chamber like a slow, methodical heartbeat.
"Then what is his fascination with you?" His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "What spell have you cast over our mighty king that has him acting like a lovesick fool?"
"I was not aware he was acting like a lovesick fool."
He chuckled without humor. "I've known Arthur since we were boys, and I've never seen him so... distracted."
"I don't know why." I struggled to keep my voice steady. In truth, I had asked myself the same question countless times. What was it about me that had captured Arthur's attention so completely? Was it merely the sword's acceptance of me, or something more?
Kay stopped directly behind me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His rancid breath stirred the hair at the nape of my neck, sending an involuntary shiver down my spine as bile rose in my throat. I still couldn't believe that this awful specimen of a man was going to be my first...
It will be over quickly,I promised myself.And remember, it's this or Arthur knowing your secret, which would mean your death.
And having relations with Kay was still better than my own death.
Not by much.
