Even the rules of the game, ones that allowed an immortal to supposedly win the entire competition by claiming a victory in the final round alone were a farce. Just one more way for the gods to show everyone else who was in control.
No one said anything for a long moment.
The enchantress and Kel were the first to follow the Korrigan back inside the mansion. Elena and her new wolf friend trailed behind them soon after.
“What do you think?” Briana glanced at Nessa.
The huntress glanced back at the spot where Maeve had offered them a glimpse of the prize. “If there’s a chance it could be real… We could bring Arthur back. Restore the balance of power in Avalon. We could be free.”
Briana frowned, her gaze considering.
A knot the size of Camelot’s round table lodged in Lucan’s throat. “You’re not thinking of staying?” She didn’t have the kind of training for something like this. He wasn’t sure even her brothers did.
Her brows scrunched together. “You’re not?”
Lucan didn’t answer. He had no interest in becoming another god’s puppet or using the Gauntlet to slip Rhiannon’s leash. Even if he believed the latter was possible, fantasies of freedom could undermine his already fragile control. Or worse, they could make him forget his responsibility to safeguard Excalibur.
Although he had his doubts that the prize was real, he couldn’t risk Arthur’s sword falling into the wrong hands. Any one of the immortals present could be seduced by Excalibur’s power and drag all of Avalon down with them.
But Elena was right about him needing a supply of blood. If he was strong enough he could go a couple days, maybe three, without it. Any more than that and he chanced losing himself to the wraith who wouldn’t hesitate to satisfy its hunger from the closest source.
How long had it been since he’d fed last? Twelve hours? Eighteen?
Nessa cleared her throat, and Lucan realized his gaze had locked on Briana’s neck.
He shook off his sudden preoccupation with blood, and focused on the bigger problem. “You can’t stay here.”
Determination squared Briana’s shoulders. “If there is even a chance—”
“Don’t be naïve. That sword is probably no more real than the sunlight.”
She met his eyes but not without taking a soft breath, the pulse beneath her jaw quickening a fraction. “It’s not your call.”
“Don’t make the decision to stay because you’re angry with me.”
“Angry?” she echoed, her voice turning glacial.
“Ooookay.” Nessa took a couple of steps back. “I’m gonna go and see if Elena has turned the wolf into puppy chow yet.”
He waited until Nessa and the Fae were out of earshot before continuing. “What happened in the alley—”
“There’s no point in rehashing it. You made yourself perfectly clear.”
Lucan searched her face for the raw emotion he heard in her voice, but found only stubborn resolve. “I never wanted to hurt you like that.”
Wildness brightened Briana’s eyes, and he knew she was close to letting her feline half to the surface. “It’s over with, right? We have other things to deal with.”
He forced himself to nod. “Getting you home comes first.” If Tristan wouldn’t be happy to hear about what happened in the alley, the gargoyle would destroy Lucan for letting her enter the Gauntlet.
“I’m not your responsibility.”
“I promised your brother—”
“That you would make sure I kept my clothes on,” she shot back, tugging at the shirt she wore. “Job well done.” She said nothing about how close they’d come to sliding her pants all the way off, or that those clothes hadn’t stopped him from touching her…everywhere.
“I told your brother that you would be safe with me. What part of the Gauntlet sounds safe to you? It’s a death match.”
“That’s not what Maeve—”
“Come on, Briana, you’re not that stupid.”
She flinched as if he’d struck her, but he made himself keep going. Saving her life was more important than sparing her feelings. “Do you think Kel would hesitate to cut you down at the first opportunity? He betrayed his king on the battlefield, leaving him vulnerable. If he could stab Arthur in the back, what would stop him from driving a sword into yours?”
Crossing her arms the same way her brothers did when they weren’t about to be swayed, Briana waited.
“Or the Fae or the Korrigan,” he pressed. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to be at that creature’s mercy, a slave to his whims? Because that’s exactly what would happen if a competition took us close enough to his territory that he could access the dark magic there.”
She tipped her chin up. “I know the risks. I can handle myself.”
“You’re good with a sword and are one of the best trackers I know, but that doesn’t make you qualified for something like this.” He exhaled a harsh breath. “You weren’t even supposed to be here. If you hadn’t gotten out of the car in the parking lot and attacked that Fae—”
“The Fae that almost killed you?” Her eyes narrowed dangerously, the glow of her eyes entirely feline. “Not that it matters anyway. I’m here now.” And not damn well leaving, according to her tone.
“You don’t have to be. It’s too dangerous for you to stay.” Why couldn’t she see that? “Your brothers—” he began.
“Are not here.” Her expression softened. “You know as well as I do all of them would stay if they were in my place.”
There wasn’t a doubt in his mind of that. Her entire family was far too devoted to finding the daggers, not even realizing that Rhiannon would take advantage of that loyalty until it no longer yielded her results.
All too aware that he was rapidly losing the fight to get her far away from here, he went with another approach. “By staying, you make us competitors instead of allies.” The wraith snarled in his head, disliking any claim that Briana was the enemy.
Her shoulders stiffened. “If that’s your preference.” She turned away, and on instinct, he grabbed for her wrist.
“Briana, wait.”
Slowly, she faced him, staring down at the hand that held her. “You really want me to go?”
Something flickered in her eyes, making him wary. He nodded, releasing his hold on her.
“Then give me a reason.” Vulnerable and still so damn beautiful it stung to hold her gaze, she looked at him the same way she had centuries ago. “Give me a reason to leave with you, Luc.”
He didn’t have the luxury of telling her what she wanted to hear. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Tell me what you really felt in the alley.”
A cold fist closed around his heart, squeezing tight. “We’ve already been through that. It was just a spell.”
She stepped toward him, her expression hopeful, and it was killing him. “And right now, here, you feel nothing for me?”
“I want to keep you safe.”
“Why?” She searched his eyes, but he refused to let her glimpse anything that would hurt her later. And he would. He had before and nothing had changed since then.
“I promised Tristan,” he finally said. It crossed his mind to lie to her, to take advantage of the spell that must still be lingering in her system, but admitting feelings he could never act on would be far worse than watching her be disappointed in him all over again.
“Right.” Briana wanted to cringe when her voice cracked.
She’d known where they stood, had felt every word they’d exchanged in the alley slice into her heart. And still she’d let herself hope, even if it was for just another few seconds, that maybe he’d changed his mind, realized he’d made a mistake.
“I’m staying.” Her words were careful, controlled.
“Then you’re a fool.”