Page 28 of To Love a Dark Lord

Swallowing the rock in her throat, she put her hand in his.

But she loved him.

And in the end, that was all there was to it.

TEN

Galahad donned his armor and summoned his golden dragon. He had wished never to do so again in his remaining years. But fate had other designs for him, it seemed.

Zoe stood by the door to her home, leaning against the jamb, concern etched on her delicate features. “Why must you go?”

“She is searching for Mordred. I must ensure she does not free him.” Letting out a breath, he turned back to the house and decided he wished for another kiss goodbye.

“You assume she will find him. And you assume she has the means of destroying the Crystal.” Zoe shook her head. “You have proof of neither. Why are you so concerned?”

“If there is one thing I have learned about Lady Gwendolyn, it is that the impossible seems to follow her wherever she goes.” He leaned down to kiss the Gossamer Lady.

She met his embrace, her hands resting upon the golden armor that covered his chest. “I hope you are wrong.”

“As am I. But I cannot take that chance. None of us can. If he is set free…I loathe to imagine what will follow. None of us will be safe.” Summoning his helmet, he turned back to his dragon. It glimmered in the setting sun, all shades of gold, amber, red, and yellow. The beast was restless, his claws digging into the dirt.

“In that, I fear I must agree with you.” It was Zoe’s turn to let out a weary sigh. “But she is a smart young woman. Empathetic to those around her. She will listen to reason.”

“She is also fighting to save the man she loves.” Galahad climbed atop his dragon, settling into the ridges on the animal’s back. “Which is what worries me.”

Zoe could not argue with him on that front. She simply nodded, and waved farewell as he kicked his dragon, spurring the animal into action. It was eager to go, leaping from the ground and taking off into the sky with a heavy beat of its metallic wings.

Galahad knew what it was like to be separated from his true love. How many times had he sat up at night, exhausted but unable to sleep, wishing for his Gossamer Lady?

How many times had his mind and his heart dueled for supremacy? One begging him to kill Mordred and free his lady love, the other half reminding him that he had sworn an oath to the Prince in Iron.

Never mind the curse that kept him obedient.

He had never reached a conclusion, so the matter had never been tested, unlike Lancelot.

But in his weaker moments, he had come close to attempting to kill Mordred, if it meant a chance to see his Zoe again. In the darkest moments of the night, the answer seemed so simple. But in the clear light of day, the certainty had always fallen away.

Gwendolyn was under no such oath. She was a woman of honor but had no code to guide her. She was also far younger and perhaps found it hard to believe the horrors and atrocities Mordred was capable of performing.

She was also a witch. The extent of her powers was likely unclear even to her, let alone the rest of them.

No.

She was dangerous.

She would have to be convinced.

And if he could not convince her? She would have to be stopped.

At all costs.

Gwen didn’t know where Mordred was taking them. These were his dreams—and while before he hadn’t seemed to have any control over them, something about that seemed to have changed. The world melted away from them as the scenery shifted. They were no longer in the woods, surrounded by trees and Arthur’s knights. They were standing inside the ruins of Camelot.

“Somewhere familiar. Somewhere without distractions. We will both need to focus, for this to work.” Mordred turned to her, and she watched as his armor melted away, his gauntlets dissipating. Palms up, he asked for her hands.

She didn’t hesitate. It was so strange to feel his skin against hers. She was getting so used to the metal. “Mind clueing me in on what we’re doing?”

“I am trapped within the Crystal. But you are in the waking world. You are my link—my tether. I can use your awareness of Avalon to see outside my prison.” He grasped her hands and gently pulled her closer. “In theory.”

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