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dark-haired, aristocratic demi-Fey who broke my heart when I was a teenager.
quickly hand the jewel over to the woman. “You dropped this.” She grabs my arm. “Alix? Rein?” Her accent is one I don’t recognize. I stare at her in confusion. “No, that’s not me. I’m sorry.”
Thankfully, I have my passport with me. I reach into my bag and pull it out. He stares at it so long that my heart pounds. “Nia Melisende?” he asks. “I’m American,” I say hopefully. He flips through the passport, then hands it back to me. “Have a pleasant day,” he says, sounding bored.
So that’s what happened to Raphael Launcelot, the beautiful demi-Fey who broke my heart.
We met at a château during our summer trip. And after we kissed, he never spoke to me again. I also remember hearing him call me trash after Mom fell down the stairs drunk one night. He is, in fact, a million times better looking than Jules the waiter, which is endlessly frustrating.
“No, you’re confused,” I say slowly, as if talking to a little child. “I don’t have magic. I’m fully human. My dad is a boring finance guy named Walter, and my mom…well, you’ve met my mom.” “But you do have magic. A rare form of magic. You’re a Sentinel.”
Raphael leads us off the ship toward a stone archway. He shoves his hands in his pockets, not even looking at me. Viviane glides along next to him.
Right. Now Tarquin hates me. I haven’t had enough sleep for this. “So, they’ll be the Pendragons Viviane mentioned when she said she hoped they’d cut me down fast.” “Did she really say that?” asks Tana. “They’re all absolute tossers.” Serana glowers after the
“Ignore her,” whispers Serana. “Her name is Ginevra, and she’s a Pendragon agent from MI-13. Direct descendant
of Arthur and Guinevere. Awful snob.” The door creaks open, and Raphael is standing there, looking stunningly, frustratingly hot. I’m utterly unsurprised that he was spending his time with someone described as an awful snob. But I’m also
Darius clears his throat. “The Dream Stalker, grandson of Queen Morgan. There are rumors that the Dream Stalker can not only control dreams, but also the weather.” Wrythe blanches. “We don’t speak of the Fey prince. Are you a moron?” His words echo off the vaulted ceiling. Darius shrinks in his seat. “Don’t ever think of him,” Wrythe continues. “Don’t speak about him. Don’t bring him
“To stop the encroaching death, we need you.” “Because of my Sentinel powers?” “We don’t need a Sentinel. We need you. The Lady of the Lake. Do you know there hasn’t been one in thousands of years? Not since Nimuë. And things didn’t turn out well, did they, after what she did to Merlin.” Tana smiles brightly. “But I think it’s you. I keep seeing
“It stands in the lake, with a bridge leading out to it. Nimuë was a powerful water Fey, back in the days of primal magic. As Lady of the Lake, she was an envoy between the Fey and humans. From her tower, Nimuë gave Arthur his sword, forged from Avalon Steel. And she gave Merlin and Arthur their torcs, too, from the same sacred metal.”
“Because I wanted to kiss you, and I’m not supposed to. And you make it hard for me to stay in control of myself. You destroy my self-control, Nia.”
Of course it would be him—the Dream Stalker. It makes sense. Dreams are woven from our worst fears and greatest desires. And that’s what his voice has always been in my mind. My heart is beating wildly out of control. I’ve been hearing his poetic, dark, and often absolutely filthy thoughts since I was about eighteen. Oh, gods, sometimes I
“The shadows are closing in. Death hunts you. During the trials, the darkness will start to envelop you. If you don’t survive, we all die. England is lost. Scotland and Wales, too. The rot will creep from the Cliffs of Dover all the way to the highlands. It starts during the trials.”
Raphael slashes the mage’s throat. My vision blurs as he kneels by my side and curls his powerful arms around me. “I’ve got you, love. Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”
“They’re not my powers,” he murmurs. “I’m just the conduit.” “Well, if you weren’t such a good conduit, I’d be dead.”
“Was she at Avalon Tower, too?” “Her name was Alix, and she had just fallen in love for the first time. And now, she’s gone.” The name sparks a memory. “She was the other Sentinel. The one who died.” “Yeah.” Nivene’s voice turns to a whisper. “I never realized how good she was at what we did until she was gone.” “Disrupting the veil?” “Being a Sentinel is about more than disrupting the veil, Nia. MI-13 Sentinels were always in charge of watching. Keeping everyone safe.
As I think about her, the prince’s dark voice whispers in my thoughts. The shadows play in the quiet, stony solitude of my chamber. The cold night speaks to me, whispering of my final kiss. The goddess of death, her wicked tongue blessing mine… “Fuck off, Talan.” I shiver,
I’m desperate for you. Desperate the way a starving man craves fruit. I’ve dreamt of this for years, and I want to taste every inch of your skin.
“Ugh. What’s with all the killing, Launcelot?” Maertisa sighs. “I’ve heard tales, but I had no idea you were so bloodthirsty. Fine. I’ll tell you what. We go to the boat together. Once there, we release our hostages at the same time and call it a draw.” Raphael considers this. “Okay.”
Serana nods. “Of course you are. No one is stopping my Aqua Bitch.” By the
“Nia Melisende,” he says. “I want to welcome you again to the Agents of Camelot. You are an Avalon Steel knight.”
The House of Morgan… “Mordred.” My voice shakes. “You’re alive.” “I am.” “Did you send that boat for me?” He takes a step closer. “I wasn’t interested in you at first. But now that I’ve heard about the trouble you’ve caused for Auberon, my curiosity is piqued.”
“Your son can’t free you?” “I have no son.” My blood pounds hot, and I can’t feel the cold anymore. “Auberon. King Auberon.” His smile twists. “Is that what people think? They think that bastard is my son? No. Auberon belonged to Nimuë and Merlin. Merlin, that duplicitous, traitorous fuck, was the one who cursed me.” I clear my throat. “You murdered King Arthur, and all those people in Avalon—”
Mordred flashes me a dark smile. “Oh, I know. And you are going to help me do it, Nia.” Mordred stares at the sky, looking lost in thought. “I see things
in dreams, and sometimes, I dream of you. There’s a silver-eyed man you want to rescue from Auberon.” His sharp gaze lands on me. “And I’m the only one who can help you, my daughter.”
