Lux
Sheets of the finest silk twined around her body, barely covering her enough to keep her modesty. Not that it mattered. The man sleeping next to her had seen everything, and he hadn't found a single thing to complain about although she'd carried and suckled four sons.
She sat up, her russet curls spilling over her shoulders as she stretched. Every inch of her body felt worshiped, and if there had been better lovers than Lamorak before, they were not so much better she regretted her night with the man. Sometimes a woman needed to be reminded she was a woman.
She tugged on the sheet, hoping to wrap it around her as she moved about the room, but Lamorak's muscled thighs trapped it. Not wishing to wake him no matter how much she might enjoy another round, she released the bedding and slid from the warmth of their nest.
The stone floor was cold beneath her bare feet, and a cold draft whistled through the room, the fire lit before nightfall no longer strong enough to beat back the chill. Sneaking a look at her lover, she held her hand to the flames and willed them to be brighter. To burn hotter. But like so many times before, they did not heed her call. Magic remained barred to her- a curse of her humanity and one not even her sister Morgan could break.
Not in this life, at least. She touched the necklace hanging between her breasts. The milky white stone glowed in the darkness, and it was always warm to the touch. More than once she'd pressed Morgan to explain how this rock was going to give her the chance for revenge, but Morgan would only remind her to trust her. And she did. Just because she did not possess the ability to use magic did not mean she could not recognize it. Whatever this stone was, it was powerful indeed.
"Morgause," Lamorak called, his voice rough with sex and sleep. "What are you doing out of bed?"
She couldn't very well tell him she'd been planning on leaving, and now that he was awake, she rather thought it would be a waste to leave before he pinned her against the wall. He had promised to do so, and she believed promises were sacred.
"I was tending the fire," she purred, spinning around to face him, watching his eyes fall to her pebbled nipples. Lust burned brighter than the flames in the hearth. "But I can think of other ways to keep warm."
Pulling back the covers, he crooked a finger at her, and she went willingly into his embrace. Like before, there were no tender words shared between them, no gentle caresses. They were both there to take from the other.
"You little minx," he growled when her nails dug into his back, but from the way his eyes blackened, she knew he enjoyed the sharp pain mingling with pleasure.
Head dropping back, a breathy moan passed her lips as he enacted his revenge for her scrapes. If this was punishment, she would gladly take it often.
"Lamo-"
The slamming of a door against the wall cut off her cry, and the couple sprang apart as a furious young man stormed into the room. With his sword held aloft and his expression twisted, she almost didn't recognize him.
"Gaheris," she said, raising a shaking hand to plead for her life. When the sword swung toward her, she had the fleeting thought that magic could have saved her. Then there was nothing.
"Lux! Lux!"
Lux jolted upright in bed, her hand flying to her neck and groping upward to confirm her head was still attached. The sensation of sharp steel slicing through tendon and windpipe was all too real, and she nearly fainted in relief to find it had been a dream.
Declan's hands rubbed her shoulders, only stopping when she leaned into his body so that he could wrap his arms around her trembling form.
"Was it a Dream?"
The details of the Dream drifted away the harder she tried to recall them, but enough bits and pieces remained for her to know this was no ordinary nightmare.
"This seems to be a habit of ours," she quipped, trying to lighten the situation. "You rescuing me from nightmares. At least I have clothes on this time."
His lip twitched, and the gleam in his eye suggested he disagreed with the last part of her assessment. His good manners kept him from saying as much, but her joke eased the tension from his body.
"How did you know to come in here?" she asked, pulling away to look him in the face. His room was downstairs because of his insistence. Propriety, he called it. She called it lessening temptation.
"Something felt off," Declan admitted. "I came upstairs to check on you, and..."
"And," she pressed, eyes widening when she caught the red staining his cheeks.
"And you were moaning in your sleep."
Now, it was her turn to blush as that part of the dream rushed back in vivid, physical detail. She and Declan messed around, but things had never progressed beyond heavy petting. Yet, her body recalled clearly what it felt like to be with a man, and Declan's nearness only inflamed those sensations.
"I almost walked away, but then you started screaming. You woke up the moment I touched you and said your name."
"It was a Dream," she blurted, hoping it would make things less awkward if he knew the Dream wasn't her own. "And it's not the first time I've had it. Well, not that one. It's not the first time I've dreamed of her."
"Her?" he asked, the skin above his nose pinching together as he narrowed his eyes.
"I haven't had a name for her. Not until tonight. I knew she was the sister of Morgan le Fay, but the man she was with-" she stumbled over her words in embarrassment, "he called her Morgause."
"So, you're Dreaming of the past?"
"I guess so," she said with a shrug. "Unless they still hang out in old castles."
"Actually... But that's not the giveaway. Morgause died before Arthur and his Knights drank from the Holy Grail. Before they became Guardians."
"Her own son murdered her," Calum said from the doorway. He'd taken the time to pull on a sweatshirt and pants, but his dark hair was mussed, making him look almost boyish.
"I got the murdered part," Lux said, her hand drifting back to her throat. "That's what happened in the Dream."
Calum's jaw hardened. "I hope you woke before you saw... I've heard it wasn't pretty. Gaheris caught her in the act with Lamorak and beheaded her. He didn't kill Lamorak, leaving him to be found crying, covered in her congealed blood."
Lux shuddered. "Charming. And of course the man isn't punished. I've had other dreams about her before, and each time I'm seeing everything from her eyes. Why?"
"I don't know. Morgause isn't someone we study much. She was Arthur's half sister, and she was the mother of Mordred, the man responsible for Arthur's supposed death. No body was ever recovered, but Mordred claimed to have murdered him."
"So, they relegate her importance to being a vessel for the villain," Lux muttered, "No wonder she wanted revenge."
Calum pushed off the door frame and crossed the room. "Revenge? Against whom?"
Lux dug through the dreams she'd been having, piecing together enough to answer. "Against Arthur. She asked Morgan to teach her magic, but her sister couldn't."
"As far as I know, Morgause was completely human. She couldn't have harnessed magic. Think about the dream. Did you see anything unusual? There has to be a reason you relived that moment," Calum said.
Declan put a protective arm around Lux. "Not necessarily. Dreams are dangerous. It could be a trap set by someone. Perhaps they hoped Lux would die in her dream."
"You're right," Lux agreed, then held up a finger, "But why that? If it was the Bloodborn, she could create anything in my mind. Something that wouldn't stand out so much if I woke up without dying. Why would she have me dream as the sister of our enemy?"
Calum scratched his chin and then shook his head. "This is just another example of things that don't add up in this town. I think we're doing the right thing digging into Sweetwater's past. All of this is connected somehow."
"Hopefully tomorrow will bring answers," Lux replied with a great yawn. The adrenaline of the dream was gone, leaving her with sleepiness and a strange yearning in her middle. "For now, I'd just like to get some proper sleep."
Calum gifted her a soft smile and retreated. Declan rose as if to leave, but she tugged him to the bed. "Lux," he cautioned.
"Just lie next to me," she pleaded.
He crawled beneath the covers and looped his arm over her waist. She snuggled in, comforted by his warmth.
"Lux," his breath was warm against her ear. "Can you think of anything strange in the Dream? We should examine it to be certain."
Blinking, she fought sleep as she tried to recall. Most of what happened felt unimportant and inappropriate to remember- besides the grisly murder, of course. But there was something. A promise. An odd bit of magic Morgan gave Morgause. Her chest tightened, and a voice hissed, "He need not know."
"No," Lux answered, "Nothing at all."