He lifted his head, and she realized the lights were coming from the Tor. Balls of light circled above Saint Michael’s Tower.
“What’s that? A light show?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I DON’T THINK so,” Kendall said.
The front door banged open, and Alice and Halle came out. “Do you see them?” Alice gasped.
“I do,” Halle whispered.
Kendall’s skin felt icy as she watched the lights. There were several, all different colors, just as the woman at the gift shop had described. Blue, red, orange, and green. They danced in the sky for about thirty seconds, and just like that, they vanished.
Rhonda and Larry stood in the doorway, staring with their mouths open. “I’ve heard about the lights, but oh my,” Rhonda said.
Jake and Kendall stepped out from behind the bush. Alice looked over and saw them. Her eyes were bright with awe. “First, you see King Arthur, and now the lights… It must be you causing these things to happen.”
Kendall tried to deny it, but she knew they had made up their minds. After a few minutes, everyone but Kendall, Jake, and Halle hurried back inside, saying they needed to record the events and meditate.
Halle walked closer. “Are you sure you didn’t have anything to do with that?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Maybe it’s because you summoned King Arthur.”
She didn’t tell Halle she hadn’t summoned King Arthur. In fact, she suspected it was the other way around.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this,” Halle said, looking at the Tor.
Kendall didn’t. She felt the same cold she’d felt in the cave when the shadow hovered over her. She didn’t know what the lights meant, but it wasn’t good.
“You two are out late,” Halle said, as if just realizing that they had already been outside.
“I felt like taking a walk.”
“Barefoot?”
“Uh…”
“When she’s barefoot,” Jake said, “it helps her pick up sensations from the earth.”
“Ooh, I never saw Lizzie do that. Maybe it was your meditation that drew the lights. If you’ve recovered from your vision, could you tell us more about it? Jake gave us a quick update earlier, but after seeing the lights, no one will be able to sleep.”
Kendall didn’t feel like talking, but if she spent some time with the group, she wouldn’t be in the bedroom with Jake.
“Sure.” She told them about the battle and her glimpse of King Arthur. She didn’t tell them he had spoken to her. The group was ecstatic, and again, she felt a comfortable sense of belonging and acceptance. She didn’t have to hide or pretend. Then the guilt set in. She was lying to them. Not about the visions. She wasn’t telling them everything about the visions, but what troubled her was she was here under false pretenses, and these people believed in her. Kendall had always hated people who preyed on others’ beliefs.
The group broke up. Kendall hung out till everyone had left. She dreaded going to the room. She wasn’t sure how to act with Jake now. Or Nathan. Would he know what she and Jake had done? She felt as if it were written all over her face. She’d always been easy to read. Adam had tried to teach her a poker face. He said it came in handy at times. He was right. On the rare occasion when she shook someone’s hand and knew they would be dead the next morning, it was best to keep a blank face. But she still hadn’t mastered the art of hiding all her emotions. When she passed the bathroom, she heard the shower running. Please let it be him. She could get into bed and fall asleep first.
Halle had followed Kendall down the hall to the bedrooms. “Are you sure you’re up to the events for the next couple of days? I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done so far. This is better than I expected.”
She felt a sense of excitement and dread. “I’ll be ready.” Before now, she really believed he was just a myth, perhaps loosely based on some historical king or kings named Arthur, but after that glimpse on the battlefield, she was cutting to the front of the believer line.
Jake wasn’t sure where he and Kendall would sleep since there were two beds. He didn’t know whether she would expect him to sleep in another bed or be insulted if he did, since they’d just had incredible sex. Short, but mind blowing. Her bed, he decided, and turned off the shower.
He had considered going back to the hotel, but he wasn’t ready to face Nathan. He wanted more time alone with Kendall so they could figure out where to go from here. It wasn’t like picking up some girl in a bar. He worked with Kendall, respected her, admired her. He… He stopped there before his thoughts got him into quicksand.
After drying off, he put on his underwear and pants. The bedroom door was unlocked, which pissed him off. He was trying to protect her. If someone was sneaking around outside, she needed to be more cautious. She was too damned tough for her own good. Sure as hell too tough for his peace of mind.
She was in bed, but she wasn’t asleep. He heard her breathing change when he walked in. She’d chosen the bed farthest away from the wall where they’d had sex. What did that mean? He didn’t ask. He turned off the lamp and got into bed beside her.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting into bed?”
“You have your own.”
“I like this one.” He snuggled next to her, sharing her pillow.
She lay tense, staring at the ceiling. “You should have said something. I could have taken the other.”
“Then I would have liked it better.” He pulled her close. “Don’t panic. I’m not going to try anything. I just want you next to me so I can make sure you don’t sneak out to meet King Arthur”—or Lancelot—“or find the chalice by yourself. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“This bed is small,” she said.
He didn’t mind. “I know. If you leave, I’ll wake up. So what would you rather talk about first… sex, Lancelot, or those lights?”
His eyes had adjusted to the moonlight, and he saw her cheeks darken.
“We’re going to have to talk about it sooner or later.”
“Lancelot?”
“That ties in to the sex. Are you sure you want to start there?”
She looked alarmed. “The lights.”
“What were they?” he asked.
“I don’t know, but it’s not good.”
“You thinking aliens?”
“Aliens?”
“Circling lights in the sky… We have everything else weird and bizarre, might as well throw in some aliens. Now about Lancelot and the sex.”
“What does Lancelot have to do with it?” she asked.
“You called me Lancelot.”
Her green eyes widened, lit by the moonlight through the curtains. “I did.”
“Yeah. Sounded like you were getting it on with him. Is that who you were having sex with? Him, not me?” That thought pissed him off.
“No. I don’t know why I said his name. It was you.” She frowned. “But we were dressed in strange clothes. Until… until we weren’t dressed.”
“Are you saying you were dreaming of us making love, but I was Lancelot? Like some kind of dream fantasy?”
She blushed again. “I guess it’s because we’re here where they once lived.”
“Does that mean you were Guinevere?”
“That was just in the dream. After I woke up, I thought you were an intruder.”
“I believe you. I’ve got a couple of bruises to prove it.” He grinned. “You’re good.”
She looked startled, and he couldn’t resist adding, “At both. And the second… way better than good.”
She drew in a quick breath. “Back at you,” she said, shocking him.
“Is that an invitation?” he asked, his body already taking it as a yes.