The Duke's Curse (Legend Book 2) Page 9

  Father, you see this. I know I have faltered in my steps, but she doesn’t deserve this. I beg you; free me so that I may free her from his hands. I trust that you and only you can make this work. You are all I have left. I am knocking, I am seeking you out, and I demand you open the door you have seen fit for me to walk through!

  A surge of energy shot through me.

  A white light blinded me. I squinted into the dim light of my room, slowly sitting up. The ring on my finger burned, and I reached down to take it off. There was a small crack in the gem.

  “So this was your way of winning.” I sneered.

  I will win. You can’t hold that fragile hope forever, Avalon. I’m still alive—I am you—you are me.

  Cold washed over me as I heard his response in my head.

  “What do you want from me?”

  I only wish to live, just as you.

  “But you are dead. You died! You were torn from me!” I scrambled off the bed only to fall, clutching my head as the pain rang loud and shrill in my ears.

  Man killed me. You hold onto me. You are your own vice, Avalon. I am a King. I am divinely anointed. I am you.

  “No!” I screamed, unable to hold back the overwhelming urge to vomit from the feeling in my head. It felt as though something was twisting; something was happening I couldn’t explain. It devoured, consumed me—drove me to insanity.

  My cries alerted M. The lithe man burst in and laid his hand over my head, speaking in an old tongue I had almost forgotten.

  Until you kill me, I will be here. Be careful when you look in the mirror.

  His voice vanished, and I was left crippled in M’s lap.

  “Dear God, boy, what happened?” M never called me boy. He hadn’t in centuries.

  I knew what happened, but I couldn’t say it. The old man, the dead were haunting. He was possessing. He was trying to win Alexandria for himself.

  “M, h-he was able to overtake me in my dreams. H-he tried to cage Alexandria there. He’s in my head.” Squeezing my eyes shut, my body felt as though it had a thousand eyes watching. “He’s here.”

  “How here, Avalon? That is impossible.” M adjusted his glasses, helping me sit up.

  I took a few moments to calm my breathing. Standing, I walked slowly, stagnantly to the mirror. Glaring at my reflection—I saw him. He glowered back at me with a wicked grin.

  Balling my fists, I didn’t even think. Cocking back, I let it fly. Glass shattered and the mirror was no longer. My hand dripped with blood, but the release was a welcomed distraction from the agony in my brain.

  “Sir?” M waited for me to explain.

  “This is what I know of Arthur.” I raised my hand, watching the blood drip down my arm. My gaze flickered over at the twisted shards on the floor. “He is my death, and I am his.”

  Eleven

  Alexandria

  I sat twirling my hair absently as Elaine babbled on about the next event planned. The heat of July was abnormal, and I sighed ignoring the stickiness of my shirt clinging to my skin.

  I was trying my best to listen to what my friend was saying. She waved a hand in front of my face. I obviously hadn’t done a good enough job.

  “Earth to Allie! What is with you lately?” Elaine’s nose wrinkled up, and she sniffed. Green eyes were sharp to examine my face.

  “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about finishing the sculpture this weekend.” I forced a smile, grasping to try to figure out what the last thing she had said was.

  My friend shook her head. “No, you’re not fine. Ever since you started working for that man, you’ve been ... different.”

  “Different?” I played with the diamond bracelet on my wrist, arching a brow. “How so?”

  “Well, for one, Lancer texts me asking how you are. Don’t you speak with him yourself? It’s like he knows something I don’t.” Her lips twitched into a frown. “You’re not doing the dirty with Avalon, are you?”

  That caused an instant morph of my face from passive to aggressive.

  “No, I am not! Why does everyone think so?” I snatched my purse, standing from the café chair. “I would never do that with an employer one; two, he’s a duke, and three, I can’t bloody stand him.”

  Elaine crossed her arms over her chest. “And where does Lancer fall on that list?”

  Was she really doing this?

  “Elaine, what are you talking about? Lancer has his own priorities right now.”

  She didn’t say anything, just watched me stand there as a few other patrons tried, unsuccessfully, to act as though they weren’t interested. They must have heard Avalon’s name.

  Shit.

  A tap on my shoulder caused me to jump. When I turned around, a short, balding man with a camera was standing behind me. His camera wasn’t a normal digital one. It was like the ones shoved in my face at the first event I attended with Avalon.

  “Are you Ms. Alexandria York?” His voice was broken Cockney. I felt myself start to shrink. In the blink of an eye, all eyes were on me, and the whispering started. I could feel the judgment being passed.

  They were wondering if I was sleeping with him.

  Was I more than just an artist for him?

  Why had he taken me to events?

  Why was I keeping such close company with a duke?

  I shot Elaine a look, pleading for help. She just stared back at me with a blank expression. What was wrong with her?

  “Yes, I am. Why?” I tried to sound irritated instead of scared as I faced the paparazzi.

  “Is it true that you are engaged to the Duke of Avalon? You’ve been spotted a few times in public now, and you are rumored to have private quarters at his estate?” The idiot snapped a picture of my shocked face.

  I clammed. “N-No.”

  “No to what?” He snapped another. I saw a young woman take out her iPhone and start recording.

  “I’m nothing but an artist for His Grace. That is all.”

  Come on, Alexandria. Get it together!

  But I couldn’t.

  “So you do not have quarters there?”

  “I need to leave, please.” I started to shove past him, but he tried to push back.

  “Is it true you were once engaged to Sir Lancer Rivers? Did you know the duke was his guardian? Is there something more between the three of you?”

  He screamed the last sentence as I ran down the street as fast as I could.

  Away from the accusations.

  Away from the lies.

  But most of all, away from the truth.

  I sought solace in my room the rest of the day. Elaine knocked on my door when she returned home soon after me, apologizing for just standing there, but I pretended I was asleep. A few hours later, my phone buzzed, and she had sent a photo from the Daily Mail’s website.

  Elaine: So sorry I didn’t say anything, Allie. I was in shock too. I am going out on a date. I’ll see you soon. Love you.

  My stomach lurched. There was my shocked expression between Lancer’s and Avalon’s with a title that read:

  Artist, Fiancée, or Future Duchess of Avalon?

  Oh, God.

  When Lancer saw this, it would damage his polished career. When Avalon saw this, he’d demand to know why I was speaking or even seen with paparazzi.

  Not a second after the thought flew from my mind, my phone started to ring. Who would it be first? I checked the ID—Lancer.

  “Hello?” I swallowed, tension sticking thick and cloying in my throat.

  “What the hell is this that I’m seeing, Alexandria? I’m in the tabloids?” Squeezing my eyes shut, I knew Lancer was in a raw mood. He only used my full name but on two occasions—when he was angry or when we were having sex.

  “I was cornered by a photographer at a café Elaine and I were at this morning. I didn’t say anything to him. I couldn’t.” My words came out rushed. I didn’t like having to defend myself against the lies. “I swear, Lancer, he brought you and Avalon up, not me. I didn’t even acknowledg
e it when he did.”

  “Well, it’s enough. I have journalists and the press ringing me up every second because my former guardian is a duke. Plus, I was engaged, according to them, but I never was.” I could almost see him rubbing his face. “Allie, I think we need to distance ourselves for a while.”

  My heart went from where it belonged in my chest to the floor of my bathroom. I froze, expressionless from my muddling around in nervousness to staring at my reflection in utter shock.

  “You ... you want to distance ourselves?” Fear turned to rage. “I won’t let you!” The choked sob wasn’t lost on Lancer as I heard him sigh.

  “We are two different people now, Allie.” His voice was torn, just as crushed as I was. “Plus, now Avalon is in the picture, and I just don’t ...”

  “You don’t what? You don’t trust him or me? Which one, Lancer? Because if it’s me, just say so.” My voice grew bitter. I couldn’t help it.

  “It’s not fair for me to watch you with him as though you’re his. I can’t do it. It hurts.” His pause weighed heavy on my heart. “I want all of you, and you won’t let me because you feel some duty to help that bastard.” Something on his end had been punched. I heard the cracking and thud over the wire.

  “I’m sorry. I never thought I’d see you again. I never thought you would want me back.” Tears burned as they streaked down my cheeks, and their salty taste invaded my mouth. “I don’t know which time hurts worse. The last time or this time.”

  “It’s not forever, Alexandria.” Lancer’s voice was tight. “Just for a while.”

  “I need you, Lancer!” Despair gripped me, rattling me in my fragile cage. “You know I need you, and you know I care for you. You always leave when it gets hard.” The last sentence was me lashing out. “If you want to go. Go. But this is the last time, Lancer Rivers. I was just told my entire being was a lie. I don’t even know if my parents knew.” I inhaled. “Either way—you did, and you do now. And you are leaving me alone.”

  I felt his guilt as he stayed quiet.

  What could he say?

  “So go. Just go. I need time to understand what is happening. Forgive me for wanting to not be cursed.”

  “Alexandria—” I didn’t let him finish.

  “Good-bye, Lancer. Again.”

  I hit the end button on my phone and stared at the black screen. I was void of all emotions. I was empty. I glanced up at a picture of my mother, father, and me together. Old wounds tore open at their nearly healed seams.

  I sobbed.

  I screamed.

  I broke.

  Everything I had was ripped away from me. Everything I wanted wouldn’t stay. I had never felt so alone.

  Elaine had questioned me and then practically gave me away at the café. Avalon had been so strange in our dream the other night. This, though, this was the most unfair of all. Lancer didn’t want me enough to stick through a tabloid rumor. He’d rather defend his pristine reputation than defend us.

  Was there ever a chance for us?

  My heart skittered out of sync.

  No.

  I curled up at the foot of my bed. My eyes grew swollen with the strain of so many tears. I nearly ran through a box of tissues. My hair was wild and a mess, but I didn’t care.

  Besides my grandmother, I realized for the first time in my life—I had no one. My parents were gone. Lancer walked away again. My best friend questioned my motives.

  I had spent so much time on my career and accomplishments that I had lost touch with old friends. I never went out with Elaine when she did; I worked.

  I was alone.

  I choked on a breath as the revelation hit home. This entire endeavor meant nothing if I had no one. Who was I anyway? I was an artist—but who was I, the person? Who was Alexandria York? I had no idea.

  So I did the only thing I could. I frantically packed a bag, locked my door, and drove. I drove as fast as I could, and between my rabid, twisted thoughts, the hour flew.

  I heard the rocks sputter as I stomped on the brakes and looked up at the looming stone fortress in front of me. I slammed my car door and saw M standing in the doorway.

  “Ms. York, what a ... Ms. York, are you all right?” His smile quickly fell and turned into that caring father figure.

  A father figure.

  He had been with Avalon all this time. I saw the way Avalon respected him. I saw how M got away with murder with what he said to the former King. He saw M as a father figure too.

  I almost fell into M’s arms as fresh sobs of loss erupted from my body. I didn’t have a father figure. No one would walk me down the aisle. No mother to put me in a wedding dress. I cried on M’s shoulder as he patted my back.

  “I need ... I need ...” I couldn’t speak. I was hysterical.

  “Hush, Alexandria, it’s all right. Whatever this is, we’ll get it sorted.” He shut the doors, ushering me inside.

  “I’m sorry.” That was all I could say. I stood shivering, but I was not cold. Reality had sunk in. I was alone. I was going to either sink or swim.

  “M, what is going on? It’s late.”

  His voice.

  I spun and looked up the grand staircase to the only thing I had left. His face was annoyed, but when he saw me, it turned into one I didn’t recognize. Sick as he was, he was down the steps like a bolt.

  “What happened? Is it the Mail? Do I need to make calls?” Avalon rubbed my shoulders. “You’re shaking.” I looked up at him with empty eyes. “Alexandria, what happened? Please say something, anything? Were you harmed? Did someone threaten you?”

  I watched his gray eyes search my face for any sign of life. The panic I set off in him, the genuine concern, the way his tone softened—it cracked me in half all over again.

  My voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m alone.”

  “You’re alone? What do you mean?” He smiled softly. “You’re not alone, Alexandria. What happened?” Strong hands cupped my cheeks, thumbs stroking my skin.

  I tried to hold back the tears by biting my lip. “I’m alone! My parents are dead. My best friend thinks I’ve changed and Lancer ...” I couldn’t even say it. It hurt to lose him again, even though I knew there was only room for one in my heart now. If I didn’t say it, it wasn’t real, right?

  Avalon narrowed his eyes, and his brows furrowed.

  “What did Lancer do?” The steel in his voice wasn’t missed.

  “He doesn’t want me ... he said we needed to be distanced ... he doesn’t trust me because of you.” I rested my head on Avalon’s chest. “You are the only thing I have left.”

  Avalon’s heart skipped a beat in my ear before it went back to pounding at that steady pace I had grown accustomed to. Arms that secured me in every way wrapped me in an embrace that both protected and comforted.

  “I have nothing, Avalon. I have it all, but what is it worth if I have no one?”

  His lips kissed the top of my head, his cheek resting there as he rocked me. Hands stroked through my hair, slowly easing the pain in my chest. This man, who I had constantly pushed away, was the last person standing with me.

  “I know how you feel.” His voice was husky, laced with emotion. “I have felt that way for centuries.”

  “How have you survived?” My hands gripped his shirt. I felt if I let go, he’d disappear from me.

  He paused.

  I waited.

  “Hope. I have held onto hope that someone like you would come find me.” Avalon slid back to see me, pressing his forehead to mine. “And you did. You came so unexpectedly, and so fierce that it stumped me.”

  The soft glow in his eyes wasn’t missed. He had never looked at me like this before. My heart cautiously began to beat again.

  “I’m scared, Avalon. I’m so scared of what we have to do.” Shaking my head, I added. “I can’t lose you.”

  His usual stern mouth spread into a wide, genuine smile. I sucked in a breath. He was so handsome. I had always known that Avalon was a good-looking man,
but right now, he was perfect.

  Before I could say anything, he leant down, and my feet disappeared from under me. I didn’t protest and wrapped my arms around his neck. M just stood, smiling as Avalon walked back up the stairs.

  “You are ill; you shouldn’t be lugging me around.”

  “Oh, hush. You weigh nothing.” He paused halfway down the hall. “You make me better.”

  I felt the heat in my face and tried to ignore it. I played with the dark strands of his hair. It had grown so long since we’d first met. I didn’t know what to say.

  He didn’t take me to the room I normally stayed in. He brought me to his. If I wasn’t so exhausted from crying and the emotional stress my body was under, I would have argued against it. But I honestly didn’t care. All I knew was that I didn’t want to be alone.

  Avalon tossed me a normal black t-shirt and a pair of boxers.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t take advantage of you in this state.” It was only half a tease.

  I changed in his large bathroom and threw my hair up into a messy ponytail. I splashed cold water over my cheeks and eyes, trying to rid my face of the red blotchiness.

  I decided that would have to be good enough. I walked back into his room. What I saw stopped me in my tracks.

  He looked so young and so normal. Sporting black shorts, he walked aimlessly around his room, shirt off, and unruly hair doing as it pleased. I stood awkwardly in the doorway until he noticed me.

  “What?” My eyes fell to the scar on his chest as he turned toward me. I watched his muscles tense the closer I came.

  “May I?”

  Avalon’s jaw clenched before he nodded and looked away almost in shame. I reached out and gently traced the outline of the wound that killed him. It branded him.

  “Does it bother you?” His voice was low, like liquid silk. “I can put a shirt on.”

  Fingertips ran along the expanse of his chest, brushing over the light dusting of hair that made him seem all male.

  “No. It’s fine. Does it still hurt?” I had wanted to know for a while now. It seemed like a good time to ask.