Morgan shook her head. "No, you would not have, as no one knows he's here, with the exception of me, of course."
"Then he's been in my dreams?"
Morgan nodded. "Only because you failed to use the protection I offered you that would have kept him out."
"I didn't trust you."
She laughed. "You still don't."
"No," I agreed. "No, I don't." I took a breath. "What does this Vaelen want with me?"
"Aside from your body, is that what we all want?"
I swallowed hard. "I wasn't aware—"
"—you have orgasmed to his fingers inside you. I've seen as much in visions."
I frowned. "I think I would remember if he'd—"
"—you were asleep."
"Oh."
"And to answer your question—you, as Lioran, are the perfect face for the Northern Rebellion. With your magic, your growing fame, your abilities… the North wants to recruit you to their cause."
"Carlisle?" I started.
She nodded. "Of course, and others. The rebellion is still somewhat hidden at the moment, but it exists. Before they can make any move, though, they need to become stronger, to gain more recruits. Thus, they need Lioran."
"But if Vaelen has…"
"Fucked you with his fingers, then he must know you're a woman?" she finished for me with a laugh. I nodded. "Yes, obviously."
A swirl of emotions gripped me, a mass of anxiety, confusion, and anger. On the one hand, the thought of this stranger, this Vaelen, slipping into my dreams, seeing me at my most vulnerable, set my pulse racing with simmering anger. It felt like a violation, a robbery of my privacy—my being laid bare.
But something deeper, some wild whisper within the core of me, flickered in response. An unwelcome surge of heat unfurled low in my belly as I imagined him thrusting his fingers inside me while I orgasmed.
I wanted to feel disgust, to recoil from the thought of a stranger’s touch—violation veiled in allure. Yet betrayal lurked in my shadows, and I was unable to deny the thrill of being seen, known in some unconscious capacity.
Morgan's whole aura was one of astute amusement. "The thought of him spreading your thighs, slicking his fingers with your juices, makes you wet, doesn't it?"
I looked at her but couldn't answer. There were just some things I wanted to keep to myself.
"Does that mean Carlisle and all the Northern lords and ladies know my truth as well?"
"I don't know. But I would not assume so. Vaelen is secretive. I imagine he has kept your truth to himself for selfish reasons."
"What is Vaelen to you?"
"A thorn in my side. A nuisance. Someone who interferes in things that don't concern him."
"But not a danger? Not an enemy or a threat?"
She cocked her head as she considered it. "No." Then she paused and turned to face me. "But back to Merlin and Arthur… Consider what you know of both men. Has Merlin told you everything about your mission? About your origins?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. The Riddle of Blood trial flashed through my memory—the revelations Merlin had kept hidden, the truths he'd parceled out like a miser counting coins. "No. He's withheld significant information from me."
She nodded slowly. "As I suspected. And Arthur—is he truly the tyrant Merlin describes? Or have you glimpsed something more intricate and nuanced about him?"
