“What is her importance to him?”
She shook her head and prepared to lie through her teeth. “She has no importance to him, but to me. He kept her alive because of me. I am the one who is important to him. Otherwise, he is a beast with no heart. The boy was right. The chief is a berserker.” She knew what a berserker was, thanks to the few Viking series she’d seen on television. “I’ve seen him fight. He killed all your brother’s men by himself. He howled while he killed them and foamed at the mouth. He even gnawed on his sword. It was like he was possessed by the devil.”
Leofric looked worried. So did the nearest ten men who heard her.
“We go on!” Leofric shouted to them. “Find your courage, men, and move on!”
Camelee was happy to have planted the seed of fear in them all, even Leofric. She wished she knew if Alric had gotten away. She would have to wait and find out.
“My second act of revenge,” Leofric whispered against her hear, “will be to get you good and fat with my babe tonight. We will not stop until I am empty.”
She was going to throw up. Oh, she had to get those images out of her mind before she exploded.
She traded his images with Wolf’s and immediately her thoughts of violence became tender. Wolf kissed her slowly, exploring her mouth, her neck. She wanted him to kiss everything, every part of her. If she lived through this, she would offer him all.
Leofric remained quiet when he realized she wasn’t listening to him. She didn’t care if he killed her, if he tried to rape her, she would kill him first.
“What language is it that you are speaking,” Leofric asked. “’Tis close to ours, but there are differences.”
“I come from the east, from a large village called Manhattan.”
“Manhattan,” he echoed. “I like the sound of it.”
“Shocking,” she mocked under her breath.
“He could not tame you,” he remarked silkily and moved closer. “I will.”
“He doesn’t try to tame me. He’s man enough to take me on the way I am. You should try it.”
“You will find that Kristiansen’s way of taming you is different than mine.” He dragged her in closer and groped her breasts while licking and kissing her neck. “I will break you.”
What a sick s.o.b. he was.
She decided to keep her eyes on the path behind them to forget the monster touching her.
“What are you looking at?” he demanded.
“I’m watching for him. He’ll come. You took something of his. He’ll come.”
“Let him,” the monster said behind her. “I have men everywhere. We will finally be rid of him.”
Camelee hoped he couldn’t feel her heart beating. Would his men ambush Wolf? Were they hiding in the trees? Oh, how could she warn him? Would Alric make it back to tell him? She fought not to tremble. If Wolf died…she couldn’t finish the thought. Did she feel like screaming because he was the only person she had ever truly cared about? Or because she was terrified of living here for the rest of her hopefully short life with Leofric?
She fought to keep from trembling in Leofric arms. If Wolf didn’t come and anyone hurt Hild, Camelee was going to push Leofric to kill her.
She prayed Wolf lived through this and came for her and the little girl.
*
Charles Lancaster, akaKing Arthur Pendragon, smiled at Viviane, one of the Sisters of Avalon as they prepared to leave his apartment in NYC. Now that the enchantment was lifted and everyone’s memories were returning, he could return home to the magical realm, not to live there permanently, but to remember and rest. The earthly realm was his home. His children were all here. The love of his life was here.
“How can we find Guin?”
Viviane looked up at him and smiled. “Leave that to me.”
She held up her hands and said a few words and a rift appeared in the air.
“We will bring Morgan to where Merlin tells us.” Viviane stepped through the rift.
