16. Will
Chapter sixteen
Will
Erm, what’s a sugar daddy?
I slammed the bathroom door shut and leaned heavily against it while I begged my heart to take a damn chill pill. Because it wasn’t like we’d never seen a shirtless man before.
Apparently, a half-naked king of legends was too much for my poor soul, though.
I mean, I’d thought he was handsome even in visions where he was fully dressed and covered in blood. I’d known how fit he was, had even seen miles of skin the other night when Dorothy had cut open his clothes.
But finding him looking like a tempting little snack in the kitchen, water soaking those stupid fucking unicorn slippers and muscles flexing as he waved a crocheted, strawberry oven mitt to dispel the smoke in the air, and all I’d been able to think was how much he looked like a tasty treat.
That was so not okay. I could not be perving on King. Fucking. Arthur. It was inappropriate and unrealistic to hope anything could even happen between us—in my head or in reality—not just because he was so far out of my fucking league but also because he was in such a vulnerable position right now after returning and finding everyone and everything he cared about gone.
He needed a friend and sidekick, not someone picturing him naked.
God, why did I just put that image in my head?
When it felt like I could breathe again, I pushed off the door and moved to the shower, prepared to douse myself in an icy torrent. The glass box had residual limescale, and I tried not to think of when the last time it had been washed was. Switching on the spray, I turned the handle to the coldest setting.
After stripping out of my clothes, I slipped into the frigid water and hoped the temperature would temper the desire coiling within me.
It helped, sure, but after 10 minutes and still feeling horny as fuck, I decided to hell with it.
Maybe I was overthinking this. Just because I had dirty thoughts about him didn’t mean I would act on them. Perhaps I could allow myself to be a perv in private and wash my secret down the drain.
So even though I knew it was wrong, I warmed the spray, spit into my palm, and let my forbidden fantasies fill my mind.
Skin mapped out in enough freckles to rival the stars arched under my exploring touch. Eyes so green, sometimes I swore they glowed, blinked closed in ecstasy as I stroked hard, naked flesh. Curved lips full of tantalizing promises formed my name on a husky moan.
It didn’t take long for my orgasm to loom. That was totally fine since I’d already been in the shower for so long, and it was only a matter of time until my family came looking for me.
My balls tightened almost painfully as I moved my hand faster, needing so desperately to come. I twisted once I reached my sensitive crown, imagining it wasn’t my hand gripping my dick, and the image of Arthur’s large, calloused hand jerking me sent me careening closer toward that sinful high.
Lightheaded from the shower’s muggy heat and forgetting to breathe, I swayed slightly. My nonjerking hand reached out to grab onto something that turned out to be the hanging shower caddy. Several bottles tumbled down, clattering loudly against the shower floor.
I ignored them, too close to falling over the edge to care.
I only had one focus in mind.
My head dropped forward as my muscles tightened in anticipation. I released the caddy and placed my free hand on the glass wall of the shower to steady myself, and my fingers curled into a fist as white-hot pleasure coiled at the base of my spine.
I couldn’t hold back my orgasm even if I’d tried, lost to so much breathtaking ecstasy that black dots peppered my vision.
But despite the splash of the shower splattering across the back of my neck, some part of my blissed-out brain registered the sound of a knock on the bathroom door. Of a soft, deep voice calling my name.
I came with a throaty moan falling from my lips. Intense pleasure clouded every last brain cell I had left, and I lost myself to the euphoria as cum pulsed from my cock and mixed with the water slipping down the drain.
Sucking in heavy breaths as my vision cleared and the post-orgasmic haze waned, my gaze lifted.
Only to land on Arthur’s utterly shocked face from where he stood frozen in the bathroom doorway.
What little air I’d regained punched from my lungs. Because despite the steam fogging up the glass in the shower, it would have been all too clear to see what I’d just done.
And as the water continued to pour down my body, washing away the last of the evidence, my already flushed face burned even hotter.
Oh. My. God. Was this happening right now? Had he... Had Arthur really just watched me jerk off?
The cool air from the room outside chilled my heated flesh, and the fog that had gathered quickly began to recede from the glass.
But Arthur continued to just stand there with his hand on the doorknob, as if so surprised by the situation that he’d forgotten how to move. His green eyes were full of dark shadows and electric, red sparks as he took me in from the dew drops of water gathered on my lashes, to the rapid inhale and exhale of my bare, heated chest, to my cock, which gave a traitorous twitch at his perusal, then all the way down to the shower drain, where my release had thankfully disappeared.
“I...” My voice broke, and I finally snapped out of my own shock and snatched a washcloth to cover my junk. It only seemed to accentuate the outline of my cock as it adhered to it, and I cleared my inconveniently dry throat. “Did you need something?”
The sound of my voice seemed to break him out of his frozen state, and his body jerked. His grip on the doorknob tightened, and the metal in his hand whined in protest. And his eyes... Damn, those eyes zeroed in on mine with laser-sharp focus. A beast who looked ready to devour his prey.
I just couldn’t tell if he was angry or hungry.
“I’m sorry, I was waiting for you to be finished so I could use the shower, but then I—” He licked his lips, attempting to look anywhere but at me. His eyes accidentally found mine in the mirror, and his cheeks warmed before he quickly dropped his gaze to the floor. “I heard a crash and knocked to see if you were all right. But you didn’t respond.” He drifted off as the reason why I hadn’t responded was left unspoken in the air between us. “It wasn’t my intention to invade your privacy. I’ll just wait and let you... finish your shower.”
“No, no, it’s... it’s okay.” It was so not okay. But what was more awkward? Having him leave because he thought I wasn’t finished masturbating? Or was it worse to have him in here while we both pretended nothing happened? “You can shower. I’m finished here anyway.”
He hesitated. Then he took a step into the bathroom. “If you’re sure.”
I so wasn’t sure. “Yep. One sec and I’ll get out of your way.”
After one final rinse under the spray to make sure nothing lingered, I shut off the shower and tied the towel hanging on the wall around my waist. Arthur shifted aside to let me pass, but as was my luck, and the fact that we were both avoiding looking each other in the eye, I almost bumped into his body as I tried to skirt around him. We both mumbled apologies as we did that awkward which-way-are-you-going-so-I-can-go-the-other-way thing that only seemed to happen in movies.
Finally, his hands gripped my arms, and with unfair strength, he lifted me out of the way. I mumbled another apology as I hurried into the bedroom, but I felt his gaze linger on my back before the bathroom door closed. It was silent for several heartbeats, and I wondered what he was doing.
But then I heard the shower finally start.
Hopefully, he didn’t try to run off after this shower.
My brain played the mortifying morning over and over on repeat, unable to think of much else until I reached into my bag for some clothes. But... they were gone. All that was left in there was a single pair of socks.
What in the world?
But then the water shut off in the bathroom, so I quickly yanked the towel back around my waist and snatched my phone off the charger. As I turned it on, though, I saw a message from Otto.
Otto: Kitchen is clean. Enjoy your shower?
That little shit.
He’d totally taken my clothes!
Me: Bring me back my clothes right now or you’ll be walking around with no eyebrows for a week!
Otto: *devil grinning emoji* Whaaaat? I have NO idea what you’re talking about!
Closing my eyes, I drew on my magic, picturing the clothes Otto had been wearing earlier. I grinned as I worked my magic, and in the next instant, his clothes, shoes and all, smacked me in the face.
Otto’s resounding shriek from downstairs, followed by the rest of the family’s shouts of alarm and displeasure made it totally worth it.
Me: Everything okay down there?
Otto’s reply was instant:
Otto: I hate you so hard right now.
Otto returned my clothes, dumping them unceremoniously on the floor by my bed, looking entirely put out as he snatched up the ones I’d summoned from him. He’d worn an apron to come retrieve them, and I muffled a snort as he whipped around and strode off with his butt in full view.
Gerry, who had been loitering in the hallway in his human form, paused to watch him walk away with an appreciative leer, and I raised an eyebrow at my familiar.
I still didn’t know how that happened.
He’d simply grinned a smile full of sharp teeth and followed after Otto.
I quickly hauled on some clothes before Arthur could come out.
I didn’t want him to think I’d been waiting for him out here naked. Especially not after earlier.
But as I dug through the garments, it became clear Otto hadn’t returned something important, and I cursed him out as I quickly dressed without any underwear.
I was totally hexing off Otto’s eyebrows later.
About 10 minutes after, Arthur helped me carry some of my family’s bags downstairs since we wouldn’t be staying here tonight. I kept peeking at him out of the corner of my eye to gauge his reactions, but Arthur didn’t act fazed as we made several trips from our room to the car.
So maybe I was simply overthinking what happened.
Or maybe he just had a really good poker face.
Either way, I could follow his lead and pretend nothing had happened. No one would suspect a thing.
When we reached the kitchen where all but Otto and Gerry had gathered to eat Arthur’s burnt food, the room went silent.
Okay, perhaps I couldn’t pretend after all.
Nana squinted at me, then at Arthur, but then back at me. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Will,” Dorothy said before I could reply, concern in her tone. “Are you all right? You’re looking awfully red.”
My face warmed even further, which didn’t help my case. “Yeah, just hot in here, you know?”
She frowned, looking down at the light jacket she wore, then out at the overcast sky. “No, I don’t.”
Otto stomped down the stairs then, saving me from this conversation as he came into the kitchen. His damp hair was sticking up in the back, and a slight flush warmed his face and neck as he snatched a handful of burnt bacon off the plate and stuffed it into his mouth like an animal.
“Jesus, what’s gotten into the lot of you?” Dorothy asked again as Otto next grabbed a carton of orange juice and chugged.
When he was finished, he tossed the empty carton into the garbage. “Nothing.”
As he moved to grab more food, I sent a little bolt of electricity to my fingers and aimed the current straight at Otto.
It... might have been a little stronger than I intended, and Otto went flying backward into the hutch with all the tea cups and china.
Tea sets and fine china crashed down over his head, shattering and scattering across the kitchen floor. Dorothy, my dad, and Arthur rushed to help, and devious amusement filled Otto’s gaze even as his muscles jerked and a small saucer smacked into his head. “W-what’s g-g-got your briefs in a-a bunch?” he wheezed with a grin.
I flipped him off, which only served to make the rest of the room more interested in the conversation. “I expect them returned to me by the end of the day or else you’ll get more than a little zap.”
His smile grew as Arthur helped him stand, and Otto grabbed more bacon like nothing had happened. “I have no idea what you mean.”
“We’re so not getting that deposit back,” my dad muttered to himself, swirling his hands in a sweeping motion. All the broken pieces skittered back from where they’d dispersed until they sat in one large pile in the middle of the kitchen. While he grabbed a broom and dustpan from the side of the fridge to dispose of the evidence, Dorothy turned around with her arms crossed.
“Is there something we should know about?” Dorothy asked, glancing between me, Otto, and Arthur. Though, Arthur seemed as clueless to this conversation as she was.
“Nope,” Otto and I said together.
Dorothy sighed and started clearing the table of empty plates. “Well, hurry and eat up. We need to check out of here by eleven if we don’t want to get another fee.”
Nana waved around a knife coated in jam. “It will be fine. Besides, Willie here is loaded.”
“What does loaded mean?” Arthur asked, edging closer to me so the backs of our hands nearly touched. My power hummed, as if it enjoyed his presence.
“That he’s sugar daddy material,” Nana replied unhelpfully around a mouthful of biscuit.
Arthur’s confusion only deepened, and he frowned. “Erm, what’s a ‘sugar daddy’?”
Nana spoke before any of us could stop her. “A wealthy man who lavishes his partner with money and gifts in exchange for companionship or sex.”
I jerked in surprise when a sting of pain zapped up my arms as Arthur’s curse crackled along his palms. But almost as quickly as his curse had appeared, it dissipated, and Arthur took a small step away with apology in his eyes.
What in the world caused him to lose control in the first place?
“Back to your original question,” my dad said, unaware of what had just occurred while he sipped from a coffee mug, “loaded just means someone has a lot of money.”
“If you have so much money, then why did your credit card decline at the shop with all the animals?” Arthur asked, sounding accusatory.
I jabbed a finger into his chest before thinking better of it. Because damn , those pecs. Quickly dropping my hand, I said, “If you’re talking about the taxidermy store, it’s because you were trying to buy a bear head that was ￡2,000! But to answer your question, my bank isn’t aware of how much money I actually have, so my credit line is still really low.”
“He could have just used his other credit card to buy you the bear head,” Otto whispered conspiratorially to Arthur, making those green eyes widen in mock betrayal.
“Other credit card?”
“Aren’t we in a hurry to get out of here?” I deflected like a boss as my wallet whimpered in my pocket at the excitement in Arthur’s eyes with the knowledge he could buy more stuff. Like a fucking bear head. Then I frowned when I didn’t spot a certain demon. “Where’s Gerry?”
By the time we’d cleaned up breakfast, Gerry had come down, freshly showered. He was most delighted about the burnt bacon, saying it reminded him of home. Arthur had barely hidden his pleased smile.
Once we’d packed up the rental with all our shit, though, we’d hesitated.
Because there was another issue we’d completely forgotten about.
“How are we all supposed to fit?” Dad asked, gazing from the seven of us to the tiny car barely capable of seating five.
“I think four people will need to sit in the back,” Dorothy said thoughtfully.
Dad and Nana looked at each other. “Shotgun!” they shouted at the same time.
“Haven’t you ever heard of respecting your elders!” Nana said, jabbing her cane into his foot.
He cursed and jumped back. “It’s just that I have long legs!”
“Ha! You’re just as tall as I am!”
I sighed, tuning them out as their argument turned to who had called shotgun first. I glanced at Arthur. “I think they forgot that Nana’s the only one who can drive the car.”
Gerry, in his demon form, curled up on the dashboard, smirking smugly.
Once my dad and Nana remembered she was the only one able to drive a stick shift, Dad hopped into the front seat. Though, not before offering it to the rest of us. But we knew Nana’s driving skills and much preferred the safety of the backseat, even if it was cramped. Even Arthur turned down the offer, though it seemed it was more so he could stick closer to me. So Dorothy climbed into the backseat after Otto, followed by me and Arthur.
The drive to Salisbury took longer than planned, mainly due to Arthur’s insistence to pause and see anything and everything along the way. Though, he was most displeased when I told him that no, we couldn’t stop at the wildlife park he saw an advertisement for.
Arthur plastered his face against the glass, staring wide-eyed at the scenery passing us by, and I couldn’t help but find him... cute. “This is so much faster than a horse.”
“Just a little bit,” I said, unable to stop watching his wonder.
“It’s incredible.” He shifted to get closer and accidentally pressed against the button to roll down the window. He jerked backward, and I coughed as I got a mouthful of his hair.
But then he tapped the button again, and his eyes warmed when the window rolled further. “Magic,” he breathed.
“Again, this isn’t magic,” I countered as he rolled the window all the way down and then back up again.
“But what is magic if not accomplishing something that seems impossible?”
And I... couldn’t deny how what he’d said made sense.
“Fine,” I acquiesced. “I guess I can see how this seems magical.”
He grinned.
We parked the car in the designated lot and, after buying tickets online, skipped the signs for the visitor’s center, and headed directly to Stonehenge. My new, leather satchel was a comforting weight, and as we headed down the path, I patted it, feeling the book The Thirteen Treasures of Britain stored within.
We hadn’t known what to do with the Chessboard since it was so large and heavy, but before we’d taken off, Nana had pulled out her book of spells and found one where we’d be able to store and retrieve an item from within another object. It had limits on what could be stored, but we’d found we could place the Chessboard inside the book from The Magic Shop. So now, instead of a drawing of the Chessboard on the page, a realistic image was now displayed. It would make keeping the rest of the Treasures safe easier when we found them.
Gerry had switched back to his humanoid form for this, but he still garnered lots of looks in his leather outfit.
Nana complained on the walk, stating she didn’t sign up for cardio today, and Arthur volunteered to help aid her. She “accidentally” smashed his foot several times with her cane, and I would have believed her apologies if it weren’t for the smirk on her face after each time.
As Stonehenge loomed nearer, Arthur sidled up closer to me, his hand falling to his side where we’d carved an invisibility rune over where his sheath and sword met. We couldn’t exactly have people see him walking around with a sword, and he wasn’t comfortable leaving it behind. So this was our compromise. The sword and sheath would remain invisible as long as the rune remained connected. Plus, after learning of the sheath’s magical properties, I was inclined to make sure Arthur never took it off.
Our gazes were fixed on the large megaliths positioned in a circle, and even from a distance, power hummed in the air, becoming stronger with each step closer.
It was a similar feeling to the Tor, except here, the magic felt... familiar. Like the lingering effects of my magic after I’d cast a spell. And I had to wonder if it felt that way because I was related to Merlin, who had supposedly magically transported the stones here. Who had buried Uther Pendragon, Arthur’s father, here beneath the monument.
“I’m sorry,” I said, unable to even imagine what this situation must feel like for him. “I’m sure this isn’t easy, coming to the spot where your father is buried.”
But Arthur just shook his head. “It doesn’t bother me like maybe it should. But my father didn’t care about me,” he said, a bite of disgust and resentment in his words. “I was simply the price to get what he really wanted. To get who he wanted.”
I knew how the tale went. Still, I remained quiet as we walked, allowing Arthur to speak.
“When my father met my mother, Igraine, he desired her instantly, thinking she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. But she was married to another man, and my father couldn’t have her. So Merlin offered to disguise him as my mother’s husband for one night. He told my father that Igraine would become pregnant, and Uther would need to give the baby to Merlin as payment for my father’s night with her.” His green eyes slid my way, the tiniest hint of red in his gaze, and his hand brushed mine with a static of crimson, crackling energy. “ Me . I was the price so my father could sleep with a married woman.”
My stomach soured as the tales were confirmed. One vile pact made between members of our blood.
“So no,” Arthur continued, holding my gaze as the red cleared, “I don’t need your sympathy, Will. I don’t hold any warmth for the man who sired me.”
We were silent a while longer as we continued on, the sounds of my family chattering following after us.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” Arthur asked as the power in the air buzzed in our ears.
“Nope,” I muttered in return, my head feeling a little fuzzy. “Just gonna wing it.”
The ancient stones released a pulse of magic as we stepped up to the low-sitting ropes blocking us from getting closer. My insides squirmed, and I wasn’t the only one affected, either. My family giggled together, almost as if stoned. Some of the other guests sent them disapproving looks as Dorothy tried to shush my dad, only to accidentally spit on his face. This only made the two of them laugh harder.
I started to worry we’d be kicked out before I had the chance to look around, because my dad, Dorothy, and Nana started singing “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll,” though, they didn’t seem to be able to remember all the lyrics and were currently making up some of their own.
Otto had sidled up to Gerry, a goofy-looking grin plastered on his face. He pressed his nose nearly to Gerry’s, staring into the demon’s eyes. “Bro,” Otto breathed, making said eyes widen. “Your eyeballs are glowing.”
And they were. There must have been something about the magic here that affected his control because his orange eyes gleamed supernaturally. Gerry’s head twitched slightly, like the magic here grated on him.
It didn’t only bother Gerry, though. Arthur’s expression was pinched, and I spotted the slight flicker of red as his beast seemed to squirm in agitation just below the surface.
Better make this quick then. Because I definitely didn’t want to risk Arthur losing control of his demon right now.
I just needed to get to the stones.
“Dad?” I called, my voice thick with magic.
My dad popped up at my side, a lopsided grin curling his lips. “Is there a Treasure here?”
“I think so. But I can’t look around with all these people here. I need a distraction.”
He saluted me. “On it!”
Then he was off, moving to whisper in the others’ ears. He nudged Gerry, then he gestured wildly to an area of grass several yards past where they were standing. Gerry grinned devilishly.
Well, that couldn’t be good.
Before I could storm over and find out just what they were doing, Gerry’s form began to shift and change until he looked like some horrific, hellish tiger. Screams filled the air as people spotted him, deserting Stonehenge as they ran to get away from the massive pussycat.
Gerry roared and bounded after a few stragglers, including a couple of security personnel, and they shouted in alarm, sprinting away across the grass.
I guess I couldn’t be picky since it had worked.
Quickly, I crossed over the rope and rushed toward the monument. Closing my eyes, I let the magic tug me forward among the megaliths, waiting for something to call to me, to show me what I was supposed to do. The first several stones I touched didn’t respond much to my presence. However, when I reached a couple lying flat on the ground over a partially buried stone, a jolt shot up my arm, almost causing it to go numb.
Arthur was beside me in an instant, breathing hard as he stared down at the Altar Stone.
Knowing I needed to move faster before the authorities showed up, I squatted before the ancient rocks. I glanced around me again once more to make sure Arthur and I were truly alone, satisfied to find we were.
Heart hammering wildly, I placed my palms low on the two that were resting on top of the Altar Stone. Almost instantly, the megaliths began to shift aside, revealing more of the underlying slab, and my breath caught as another pulse of magic rang through the area, coming from the dirt where the stone was mostly obscured. At my touch, a tremor shook the area, and the Altar Stone slowly rose from the ground. Dirt and plant roots coated its gray surface, and it shifted to rest atop the other two megaliths.
Arthur met my gaze, and I pointed to the newly revealed soil. “You might want to stand back. This is about to get messy.”
He frowned down at the dirt, stepping back. And as another scream drifted our way as Gerry chased after a couple in matching T-shirts, I closed my eyes.
It was easier to reach for my power, most likely thanks to all the magic surrounding me here. I let my arcane energy sink into the ground, seeking out what we needed, and I winced as my magic bounced off... something solid, maybe a couple yards deep.
My muscles burned with strain as I pictured several cubic yards’ worth of dirt rising.
When I opened my eyes, the earth from where the stone had lain hovered over Arthur’s head. His eyes were wide with alarm, and I winced as it came crashing down on him.
He spluttered, spitting out dirt as he climbed out of the loose soil. When he scowled at me, I grimaced.
“Sorry.”
Arthur muttered something to himself as he brushed off his face and shirt, returning to my side.
But his words cut off when he saw the rectangular stone box with a rounded head at the bottom of the hole. The box was made from pale stone, and images had been carved into its lid.
Arthur swallowed as he stared down at his father’s coffin, and his curse started up at his fingertips.
“Arthur, are you okay?” I asked with concern, especially when his curse ascended up his arms. Arthur fixated on the sarcophagus with a lost look, and I bit my lip as I moved to stand beside him.
“Yes, I just—” Arthur growled as he struggled to find the right words, and he spoke next through a mouthful of sharp teeth. “It just feels... wrong to be here.”
I nodded, eyeing the crimson snaking out from his pupils. “Do you want to leave while I do this? I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and the others could keep you company while—”
But he was already shaking his head. “No, I want to be here.” He swallowed harshly, and his jaw set. After a deep breath, he added, “I need to. I’m in control. I’m sorry.”
I nodded again, though I wasn’t sure I believed him. “Okay.” Eyeing the tomb, I frowned. “I think the Treasures are inside.”
Arthur didn’t say anything to that.
I groaned, knowing what I had to do next. “Wish me luck.”
That, of course, was a pointless thing to wish for.
Dangling myself over the edge of the excavation, I closed my eyes and dropped.
I landed hard on the stone coffin, and a sharp jolt rang through my bones at the impact. I forgot to keep my teeth closed, though, and I winced as I bit into my tongue. The sharp tang of blood filled my mouth just as Arthur poked his head over the hole.
“Are you all right, Will?”
I gave him a thumbs up. “Dandy.”
Arthur frowned in confusion, but I ducked away from him, turning my attention to the task at hand.
I apologized to whatever deities were out there for what I was about to do.
The carvings in the stone were intricately detailed. In the center was a circular design, reminding me of what Stonehenge must have once looked like. In the center of that circle were three connected swirls.
A rune. One I’d Seen before in my visions. The one designed into my ring.
I hesitated a moment longer, really not wanting to do this, but we didn’t have a lot of time. So I steeled my nerves and moved my hand closer, and the rune flared gold. The moment I touched the familiar symbol, the lid began to crack down the center.
I yelped as I fell down into the coffin. A cloud of dust rose, making me cough as the results of hundreds of years worth of decay smacked me straight in the nose. And when the dust subsided and I opened my eyes, I found myself face-to-skull with Uther Pendragon.
Well, what remained of him.
His skeleton still wore a red robe adorned with gold thread. Pinned to his right shoulder was a gold pendant with a roaring dragon.
But clasped in his hands were two items that seemed to pulse.
“I’m sorry,” I wheezed through the particles wafting from the casket, prying Uther’s fingers away from the first item. The skeletal fingers were stiff and unyielding, and I winced when one snapped off. Fuck, I was so totally going to Hell. Well, at least I had Gerry to show me around when I got there.
Finally, I pulled away what seemed to be a small... child’s toy. It looked like the Chariot with two wooden wheels situated on the side of a small carriage. At one point in time, it must have been painted a bold red, but the color had faded with age. It was intricately crafted, though, probably by a skilled woodworker.
I had no idea how it worked, though.
Next, I reached back down and snagged a worn, leather strap of some kind. It took me only a moment to realize it was the Halter of Clydno Eiddyn.
“I got them!” I called out to Arthur, cringing as I tried to stand, only to step on Uther’s leg. It cracked beneath my foot, and I sent out a prayer of apology before shifting to the stone walls of the sarcophagus to make sure I didn’t desecrate any other part of an ancient king. Though, to be honest, I didn’t know why I cared, considering what an absolute dick the guy had been when alive.
Stuffing the Chariot into my pocket and tying the Halter around my wrist, I reached for the edge of the hole. But I was too short.
I was about to propel myself up with magic when a hand reached down and grabbed mine. In the next second, I was hauled out of the grave and onto my feet.
Arthur caught me when I wobbled, and I shivered at the warm feel of his body aligned with my own. A little thrill moved up my spine at the way he fit against me, and my cock perked up in interest.
But standing over his father’s desecrated grave was so not the time to get a boner.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, stepping to the side of Arthur.
He watched me with a curious expression before glancing back down at his father’s grave.
His jaw ticked as he stared down, and I felt even worse about the state I’d left his father in. A siren wailed in the distance, and I cast my gaze out through the stones, spotting Gerry bounding around the grass.
“Arthur, we need to leave,” I said gently, wishing I could have given him more time.
Because even if he said he didn’t miss his dad, it surely brought up unwanted emotions.
With a nod and one final look down, Arthur spun on his heel and moved to stand beside me.
I made quick work of shifting the dirt of Uther’s grave back in place, probably too quick, if I was being honest. But we were lacking in time, so I set the Altar Stone back flat on the loosened soil and shifted the other two monoliths back on top of it. I regarded their positionings, wondering if anyone would notice the disturbance in the ground, but there wasn’t much else I could do now. I just had to pray it was enough.
Arthur kept close by my side as we rushed from Stonehenge, spotting my family farther up the path.
We’re done here , I sent through my bond with Gerry, watching him jerk to a stop and spin to look at me. Time to change back.
In the next moment, he shifted back to his regular demon form, bounding toward the others.
When we reached my family, we didn’t stop. Instead, we urged them toward the car park.
On our way there, a white, blue, and yellow police car pulled up, and a couple of officers climbed out. They didn’t pay us any mind, though, as they rushed out away from the signs directing to Stonehenge.
“Did you get what you needed?” my dad asked, voice a little slurred, though I could see him coming back to himself with each passing second now that we’d put distance between Stonehenge and ourselves.
I nodded and pulled out the wooden toy.
Nana was suddenly peering around my arm, making me jump. “What’s it supposed to be?”
I frowned down at the toy, turning it over in my palms, feeling a warmth radiating from it. “I think it’s the Chariot.”
She snorted. “A bit small, isn’t it?”
“That’s what she said!” my dad shouted, and Dorothy giggled behind her palm, her dazed eyes fond.
After studying the item for another several moments, I finally pocketed it again. “Well, we can figure out what to do with it later, I guess. I also found this.” I held up my arm for them to see the Treasure wrapped there. “It’s the Halter.”
My dad raised his hand. “Nice.”
I raised my brow but high-fived him anyway.
I really needed to get them out of here.
Turning to ask Otto a question, I paused. Because he was currently holding Gerry in his arms, petting his head like a house cat. Gerry didn’t seem to mind though, if the happy twitching of his tail was any indication.
We waited in the car until it was safe for Nana to drive, watching as two more police cars joined the first. We overheard them talking about animal tracks, and Gerry grinned proudly in his spot in Otto’s lap.
Then, once it was clear, we headed out, following signs for Salisbury. And as we drove, I couldn’t help but feel a whole lot better about this quest now that we possessed multiple Treasures.