Siege And Seduction

6

He shook his head. “No way in hell.” He had managed to locate clothing but still had his bare feet exposed. Even his damn feet are sexy. I launched another rock, this time envisioning his ruggedly handsome face as my target. The stone shattered against the wall, and I enjoyed a small sense of satisfaction. Undaunted by my boiling temper, the man took another step closer. “You and I got off on the wrong foot. Let’s start over. My name is Knight,” he offered graciously with an exaggerated bow. My first thought was, who the f**k cares? However, I reminded myself not to let my anger blind me to the possibilities of escape. It wouldn’t hurt me to talk to the man. He might be of help or at least a good source of information. Continuing my target practice, I threw another rock. “And who exactly are you, Knight?” His head c****d to the side precisely like a dog, and I snickered under my breath as he spoke. “I’m not entirely sure who I was, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve been Merlin’s eyes and ears.” I paused and turned back in surprise. “You don’t know who you are?” “No, I don’t know who I was. I don’t remember anything before my time with the Red Caps.” His voice lowered a fraction on the last words as he forced them out with palpable distaste. “You were a wolf the whole time you were with the Red Caps?” “Yes.” “So maybe you’ve always been a wolf. Maybe that’s who you were.” He arched a brow. “I may not remember who I was, but I recall other things. I wasn’t originally a wolf; I just can’t remember the details.” “Well then, do you know who I am?” Beneath the heavy beard, his lips pulled back in a lazy smile. “You’re Morgan Le Fay, Morgana, Lady of the Lake—enchantress and sorceress extraordinaire.” I lifted my chin in approval. If he’d heard the stories about me, it might give him a healthy dose of respect. Respect was power. I was happy to garner any power I could in the situation. “And what did you plan to do here before your miraculous metamorphosis? Spy on me? Track my every movement and report back to Merlin?” “You make it sound criminal. I was just going to make sure you didn’t need anything and be here to keep you company.” He peered up at me innocently from under his thick lashes. It was the very look that coined the term “puppy-dog eyes.” No doubt he had become well-versed in using the look to get what he wanted as a dog. I crossed my arms over my chest. “So you were here to keep me from escaping.” “Yes, if that was your plan. This place isn’t exactly an eyesore. Is it so terrible to be here?” “You know why I need to leave,” I ground out. “There’s no way you can find the cauldron. It hasn’t been seen by anyone in our lifetime or long before. The Hunt and countless others have spent centuries looking without success. Why waste your time?” “And that’s the exact reason I’ve never told anyone my plans.” My anger ignited. “If it’s so impossible, I suggest you forget what you heard,” I warned, stepping closer. Knight slowly began to walk a circle around me, and I pivoted to keep him in my sights. “Why do you want the cauldron?” he asked, his amber eyes narrowed. “I hear you have a monumental grudge against Queen Guin, but my understanding is that the cauldron brings life and doesn’t take it.” Wanting to show Benji that his posturing didn’t faze me, I held my ground as he continued to edge around behind me. “I’m not telling you why I want the cauldron, and now that I know who you are, you’re not going to trick the information out of me. If the cauldron is only capable of life and healing, why would it matter to you and Merlin if I found it?” “Because we know you, know what you’re capable of. There’s no way your reasons are purely benevolent.” I glanced at him behind me. “You know me, do you? Aside from my grudge against Guin, what else have you heard about me?” As expected, he spouted an exhaustive list of my exploits. “You were Merlin’s apprentice as a teen after your mother was killed by Merlin’s twin sister, Mab. At Court, you were known to trick men into sleeping with you and even got yourself banished for your role in the death of your half brother, Arthur. You have attempted to kill Queen Guin on more than one occasion. Most recently, you led a rebellion of Unseelie against the Seelie Court and caused the deaths of dozens of humans in the process. In order to achieve your rebellion, you sent a young man by the name of Ronan to infiltrate the Wild Hunt and provide you with information. And as your coup de gras, you killed the Erlking Alberich with your bare hands. Have I left anything out?” His voice was cold and clinical while he recited each of my transgressions. He paused his pacing and stilled at my back, making me feel like the target of a firing squad as my final verdict was being read.

I was surprised at the stir of feeling his words provoked. I had thought myself past that kind of weakness. Doing what I had done on so many occasions before, I squashed each of the treacherous emotions. “I see you’ve been paying attention all these years, despite your inability to talk. I suppose you know all there is to know about me, which likely means you won’t be helping me out of here. I don’t need your help, anyway. I’ve spent lifetimes managing on my own. Working with someone else would only be an added aggravation.” With a ghost of a glance in his direction, just long enough for my defiant gaze to touch his, I walked away from Knight and all he represented. The rumors. The manipulation. The lies. Nothing he said should have surprised me. My descent into villainy had begun early on, long before I’d even met Guin. I’d been only ten when the world began to chip away at my softness and paint me in shades of corruption and depravity. I could recall it well—the first steps of my fall from grace. It was the year Merlin’s twin sister, Mab, came to our home to unleash her wrath upon my unsuspecting mother. Regardless of the centuries that had unfolded since, I remembered that day as if it had just happened. I’d been forced to forget once, and I would never allow it to happen again. My mother had fallen deeply in love with Merlin almost as soon as they’d met. From that moment on, he was a regular part of our lives for years. He stayed with us whenever his work allowed, and he became like a father to me.