And yet she still held back. She still didn’t trust him fully.
He took a step toward her, his body reaching for hers even as his mind struggled to distance himself.
He needed a clear head. He couldn’tthinkaround her.
But before he could question her further, three figures streaked out of the forest from the west side of the lake, headed straight toward them at a dead run.
Wolfe unsheathed his weapon with a metallic scrape, but was stopped by Rui’s voice.
“No! They’re friends. It’s Ere and Sorin…and…the king’s sister, Morgan?”
Ere stopped just a couple of feet before them, almost toppling over in his bid to halt his forward momentum.
He huffed breathlessly and bent over with hands on knees, while Sorin stood steadily behind him, like an immovable fortress. Ever quiet and calm. The warrior seemed not the slightest winded by the sprint through the forest, unlike his Mate.
Morgan was also out of breath beside Ere, clutching her arms around her ribs. This was as animated as Wolfe had ever seen the woman, not that he glimpsed her much.
The king’s sister had always been a mystery.
Some said that the reason Arthur always looked so haggard was because she bespelled him. Harnessed his life force to do nefarious deeds. They were half siblings, or so the tale went, and Morgan was jealous of his superior bloodline.
Some said she concocted potions to poison him, and only the queen’s radiant goodness kept him whole. The king loved his queen, everyone “knew.” The troubadours and poets certainly sang her praises all across the lands.
But Wolfe instinctively knew it was all a lie.
He’d witnessed Guinevere’s venom and ambition first hand. At the very least, the queen and king had no love lost between them.
As to how Morgan figured in all of this, it was anyone’s guess.
Her red hair was a messy halo of waves around her face, like living fire. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips rosy red. If Wolfe didn’t know better, he would have mistaken her for an entirely different female than the one who intoned dire prophesies at the start of the tournament, and a few hours ago when she held his hand.
“So…so glad we found you,” Ere gasped, slowly straightening. “Knew you’d be here. You two should be more careful. Too predictable.”
The dark-haired man looked from Wolfe to Rui, his eyes missing nothing.
Wolfe stepped between Ere and Rui, blocking his line of sight.
“What is the meaning of this?” Wolfe demanded. “Why are you looking for us?”
He nodded toward Morgan.
“Why is she here?”
The red witch took one step closer and astounded Wolfe by smacking him hard on the arm.
“I’m right here, you big oaf. Don’t talk about me as if I’m not.”
He resisted the urge to rub his smarting flesh. Instead, he squinted blackly at her.
“Explain.”
She looked at Ere. The man nodded. And all eyes focused on the witch.
“Earlier this night, when you and the female warrior clasped my hands, you broke the spell I was under. I thank you for it.”
“You know I’m female?” Rui asked, stepping closer as well, all of them surrounding the king’s suddenly vibrant-with-life sister.
Morgan assessed her from head to toe.