Kato strode forward and put a hand under my chin, turning my face to his. “Right now, we’re all we’ve got.” His eyes were soft with an unfathomable expression as he placed his hands on either side of my face. “And we’re all we need.”
Then, without warning, his lips were on mine. I didn’t understand what was going on. I wanted to push him away, but my arms wouldn’t obey. They circled him on their own. Kissing him was wrong. I knew it in my mind, but my heart wouldn’t obey. It galloped wildly, like a mount taken off the reins for the first time. There was no resisting it. I wanted to let everything go and live in that one perfect grain of sand in the hourglass. Except in my deepest core, I knew it wasn’t real.
At least it wasn’t real to me.
Just like Morte had made me do a half dozen times, I was reliving a memory. Only this memory wasn’t mine. And it was a thousand times worse than before when I’d just known fragments of Dorthea’s life. I had no more sap to bring me back to myself. And even if I had, would I have wanted to? My fractured soul warred with itself, one part wanting to fight since I knew this love wasn’t intended for me, while another part didn’t care and wanted to stay frozen in this moment.
Addicted to a memory.
Kato’s nail brushed across my throat—not a gentle caress, but a sharp slice.
“If you like the touch of my ax that much, I can give thee more.”
I blinked, the voice not matching the face. The green-glossed memory faded, replaced by the present. Mordred still held his ax at my throat. A trickle of warmth slid down my neck. I didn’t have to see it to know it was blood. The coppery scent filled the air. I kept quiet, worried that moving my jaw might encourage Mordred to separate my head from my neck.
Kato stepped forward, taking off his helmet and dropping it with a clang. His face was the same as in the memory, but his expression was anything but soft. “I was not aware that the dark prince liked taking his frustration out on girls.”
Mordred pulled his ax back a hair, relieving the pressure. “Are you daft, Sir Kay?” With a furrowed brow, he looked me over, then shook his head. “The maids from your land must look something foul if you mistake Rex as anything but an interfering huntsman’s whelp.”
At my offended grunt, he flicked my short, wet mop of hair. “Or perhaps a drowned rat.”
“Rex. A huntsman,” Sir Kay said slowly, eyebrow quirked high. “Is that right?”
I’d spent most of my youth trying to be one of the boys. But suddenly, it disturbed me to be mistaken for one. Or more accurately, have Kato think of me as boyish. But before I could stammer out a retort, Mordred lowered his ax and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
“Don’t let the fair face fool thee. He’s gotten the drop on me twice now. Nay, three times. If a mere lass had managed that, I’d be tempted to kill her and any witnesses just to salvage my honor and the pride of Camelot.”
“Of course you would.” Kato wiped a hand down his face and groaned.
“’Twould be a kindness compared to what the queen would do if she found a maiden had wiled her way into Camelot.” Mordred shuddered.
Kato’s face paled to match his white arm. “Good thing for us all that Rex here is just a harmless, sneaky brat, who clearly doesn’t know what he’s doing.” He emphasized each word, almost growling out the end.
“I don’t think you give him nearly enough credit. I’ve let him go twice, thinking he was not a part of the Grail Wars. I won’t make the same mistake again.” Mordred squeezed tighter, bringing his nose down to mine. “It is as plain as your face. I must be getting close, and that’s why you’re following me.”
“Get over your over-broody self. I’m not following you.” My neck hurt, and my cheeks still burned from the invading memory. Full of anger and embarrassment, my heart still racing, I stomped on the tip of my crossbow—just as Mordred sidestepped over the top of it. The handle whacked straight up between his legs.
Bull’s-eye. Guess it had great aim even without the bolts.
Mordred doubled over, letting me go.
“So.” I grabbed the crossbow and put some distance between us before he recovered. “Does that make four times I’ve gotten the drop on you?”
Kato half coughed, half guffawed.
“What are you laughing at, Sir Kay? Grab him. He might have already found the grail,” Mordred said, still grasping his…knighthood.
“With due respect,” Kato said, clearing his throat, “if your grail exists and does all you say it does, I believe your huntsman friend would have used it by now instead of…” He waved in the direction of the cross-legged prince.
“Look, I don’t have whatever this grail is you’re obsessed with. Don’t know what it is. Don’t care. This is about payback,” I said, backing away from both of them. “In the forest, you left me to rot in that poisoned trap. But if you let me be on my way now, I’m willing to call us even.”
“Yes. I think that’s an excellent idea. In fact, I think it’s best if we were all on our way,” Kato said. Nearby, there was a high-pitched wail. “Ah, son of a basilisk. It’s too late. That thing found us. We’re all scorched.”
“What thing?” I looked around, ready to run in the opposite direction of whatever was headed our way. Except what was walking toward us but a pygmy dragon carved out of emerald with a chip knocked out of his back. The tension went out of my stance. “Oh, it’s just you.”
Mortimer, the House of Emerald’s guard dragon, snapped its mouth shut, its siren wail cutting off abruptly. He sighed heavily. “That’s a lovely greeting. ‘Just you.’ Best I could hope for, considering. At least you didn’t whack me with an ax, like some people.” He stared down Mordred. “You are all hereby confirmed as absent without leave and are ordered back to the institute to see the director.” He shook his head and mumbled, “Not that you’re going to listen to me. I warned her. Can’t get an ounce of respect, I tell you.”
“What are you talking about? Who’s her? And how did you get this far from Em—oof.” Before I could finish, Kato sprinted for me at full speed. He barreled into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and forcing me to the ground.
“Don’t give us away. What are you doing here?” he growled in my ear.
“What are you doing here? And why are you squishing me?”
“I asked you first. But hurry. Hit me.”
“What?” I froze. Kato outweighed me on his own, and the armor easily doubled his weight. “Have you gone and got rabies?”
“Fight back or you’re going to screw up. Again.”
My heart pounded. If he wanted a fight, he was gonna get one.
“Get. Off. You weirdo.” There was a spot on his shin where his armor plate separated. I shoved the heel of my boot in the space as hard as I could. While he yelped and grabbed at his leg, I rolled away. “Now, seriously. What is—eeeee.” Mordred’s ax crashed down next to my head, taking off a pinch of my hair.
“Stay out of it!” Kato staggered over and yanked Mordred’s ax out of the ground. “This is a matter of honor. But I’m going to borrow this.”