The Darkest Knight (Guardians of Camelot #3) - Victoria Sue Page 0,5

except it wasn’t his sword, and Charles cut through the woman as if she were nothing.

Silence. The dust blew away on the breeze, taking the woman and what seemed little sanity he had as if it had all been a fantasy.

Or maybe his sanity was the worse illusion of all.

Chapter 2

“Kay?”

Kay jerked at Charles’s voice, his brain trying to process too many things. “Where’s she gone?” he whispered.

“Who?” Charles repeated in apparent confusion as he sheathed his sword. He had a sword, Kay thought almost absentmindedly. Where had he got that from, and where was the woman? Or was she the Ursus?

He shook his head, trying to clear it, and felt a warm hand clasp his arm. He didn’t need to ask who it was, and he didn’t seem to have the strength to shrug it off. “Where are your keys?” Charles’s voice was gentle, and Kay simply got them from his pocket and handed them over.

“We’ll see you back at the house,” Charles said to the others and steered Kay back to his truck, giving no one a chance to disagree.

“You have a sword.”

Charles nodded and glanced down at his empty hip. Kay frowned. It had gone. “You had a sword,” Kay repeated a little defensively, wondering why his mind was focusing on that when he really wanted to scream and fling his arms around his Tresor. He was back.

“They must have thought I needed one,” Charles said gravely, continuing to walk Kay back to the truck.

“They?” He was sick of Charles’s cryptic comments.

“I will explain all I can when we get home.”

But that was the trouble. All I can wasn’t likely to be much, and how long would Charles consider it home for? A month? A week? A day? “How did you know?”

“That you were fighting?”

That I needed you. But of course, Kay didn’t say that.

Charles was silent for so long, Kay wondered if he wasn’t going to answer at all. “I think everyone will need to hear it.”

So why bother telling me? Was he being sensitive?

“No, I need to hear it.”

“We will be back at the house soon.” Charles spoke so reasonably, like he was soothing a fractious child, and Kay wanted to scream. For a moment he even thought about getting out of the car and telling them all to go to hell, but what good would that do? Mel would call him an ass, but surely he deserved a little more? Or maybe not. If Charles wasn’t his Tresor, then none of it mattered.

Kay stayed silent until they eventually turned onto Ditmas Avenue, and thought about the woman. Had he been imagining it? Was his mind playing tricks, or were the Ursus doing so? Like a cat with a mouse. Penned in and given no quarter.

Kay rubbed his head, glad when Charles pulled into the yard, not surprised that Lucan had arrived first or that Tom greeted Lucan at the door. He didn’t resent their relationship, just wished for his own. He didn’t understand what was happening to him.

Kay jumped down from the seat and followed Lucan, aware of Charles behind him. Ali’s Nissan GTR pulled in next, and Kay smiled as its owner peeled out like some sort of movie star. They always seemed to gravitate to the kitchen. Gawain, Lance, and Mel were already in there. It seemed the Ursus had been quiet tonight.

“If we have any more instances, Gawain and I will go,” Lance said as if answering his question. He looked at Charles. “You’re back.” Kay didn’t think Lance sounded exactly thrilled, and maybe even a little suspicious.

“Just in time,” Charles retorted and looked at Kay. “What did you mean about a woman?”

“What woman?” Lance asked.

Kay wasn’t sure where to start. “I’m not even sure she was real.” He looked at Charles. “You didn’t see her?”

“Was the Ursus attacking someone else?” Charles frowned.

“There weren’t any humans there,” Ali said authoritatively. “I just saw you and the beast.”

Kay felt the flush starting in his neck as Mel drew out the chair opposite him and sat down, passing him a mug of coffee. Kay took it gratefully, thankful for another second to decide what to say.

“What did you see?” Mel said gently, and the kitchen fell silent.

“A woman,” Kay admitted. He swallowed. “She looked identical to one I saw in the same place fifty years ago to the day. Her pimp had beaten her the last time, but this woman, the Ursus was attacking her as I ran up.” Mel nodded as if