21. Arthur
Chapter twenty-one
Arthur
What was a coconut?
A s we continued back, we caught sight of Merlin’s Cave once more. But with the impending storm, the weather didn’t bode well for visiting the beach and cave. Besides, we were exhausted after the events of the day, and I, for one, looked forward to resting.
So as we left to meet back up with Dorothy and Nana Joanne, Otto scouted around online for a place to stay the night, and to see if the weather was better tomorrow.
That was how we ended up at the most ridiculous place.
“Welcome to Camelot’s Castle,” the man at the front desk greeted warmly as our group approached. “Do you have a reservation?”
Minerals and precious stones of all shapes and colors sat in glass cases, and vibrant pieces of artwork were displayed all around the room.
Through a door just beyond the desk looked to be a dining area of some sort. A few people could be seen chatting amicably as they sipped tea and ate biscuits.
“Yes, we called not long ago. Last name Towers?” Vincent said, dragging his suitcase beside him. Out of all of us, Vincent looked like he needed sleep the most. Dark shadows surrounded his somber eyes, and his skin seemed paler than normal.
The man glanced at an object on his desk, and I thought it looked awfully similar to a television. “Yes, I see your reservation here. For four suites, correct?”
“That’s correct.” Vincent made grabby hands toward Will who just rolled his eyes. He passed his dad his credit card to pay for our stay.
While the man handed Vincent four keys and instructed him how to reach our rooms, I moved down to where a round, wooden table stood in a large, open room. My fingers brushed over its polished surface, and when someone sidled up beside me, I didn’t have to look to know it was Will.
“Ah, the infamous Round Table,” he said, tapping the wood. “Is this like the one you sat around?”
I shook my head, lost to my memories. “No. Despite its name, my round table was not actually a table.”
Will seemed confused. “Then what was it?”
“It was a circular arena where all my knights could eat, train, and gather to strategize. I had far too many knights to sit at a table like this. However, I was gifted an actual round table by Guinevere’s father as a wedding gift.”
“Huh, I didn’t know.”
Vincent called us over then and handed Will one of the keys. We made tentative plans to meet up later for dinner and all separated our own ways.
When we reached the room number that coordinated with our key, Will hesitated, glancing back at me.
“Is something wrong?”
He cleared his throat and unlocked the door. “No, sorry.”
When he pushed into the room, I followed after, my gaze catching on a large bed off to the side.
One bed. There was only one bed.
My heart thrummed in anticipation of what that would entail as I passed Will, moving to inspect the rest of the room. There was a wooden wardrobe against the wall, as well as a really large television hanging on the wall across from the bed. We also had what appeared to be a small balcony overlooking the castle ruins in the distance. A door led to a small bathroom with a tub and a shower, and I spotted tiny bottles of what I assumed were soap. When I exited the bathroom, I found Will leaning against the closed door to our suite, simply watching me.
Slowly, I padded across the room, taking in the hesitation warring on his face and wondering why he looked so worried. “Will, are you all right?”
Was he scared I’d lose control of myself and hurt him?
“Yeah,” he said, clearing his throat and pushing away from the door. “Want to watch something on the TV?”
“All right.”
He grinned, and that hesitation from earlier seemed to disappear. “What are you in the mood for? Action, comedy, horror?”.”
Definitely not horror. “I think I’d prefer a comedy tonight.”
Grabbing the remote, he switched on the TV and started flicking through the movies offered on this television, barely pausing to read the titles.
When Will stopped on an image with a man in armor, seeming as if smacking his own head, he snorted. “Oh my God. This is perfect.”
“What is perfect?”
After choosing the image, Will grabbed me by the arm and nudged me toward the bed.
But when music started playing, I glanced toward the TV and saw white words form across the surface, though I couldn’t read them.
After removing my sword and sheath, and ensuring there was a gap between them with a piece of leather so that they stayed visible and wouldn’t get lost, I carefully set them aside by the foot of the bed. Swallowing thickly, I crawled onto the bedding and leaned back against the pillow, and Will followed after to come sit by my side. I was so distracted by the fact that he was here with me in a bed that I almost forgot about the movie.
“Okay, I have Reese’s, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and Oreos,” Will said, pulling out several crinkly packages from his duffel bag on the floor beside him, and laying them out on the bed between us. I picked one up, studying the image of a round black and white cookie. But the best treat out of them all were the Reese’s. The mixture of soft chocolate and what Will explained was peanut butter was heavenly.
Before I knew it, I’d already eaten 10.
While snacking, I listened to the movie, but when it spoke of coconuts, I got confused. What was a coconut?
When I turned my head to ask Will, I discovered his face so very close to my own. I sucked in a sharp breath, inhaling the scent of storm clouds, which always clung to him.
As the scene played out, my gaze slid over Will’s face, studying the slope of his nose, the curve of his lips, the glow in his eyes. When he chuckled at something one of the actors said, I caught the dimple in his cheek.
He popped another black and white cookie in his mouth, and when his tongue darted out to lick some crumbs off his lips, I couldn’t look away.
For so long, Will was a fantasy I thought my cursed mind had conjured up. That hadn’t stopped me from dreaming of him, fantasizing about him, wondering who he was.
When he turned his head to look at me, I couldn’t move. Didn’t want to move.
And when Will didn’t pull back, despite the fact our faces were close enough that our noses nearly brushed, I stopped breathing.
“Will?” I asked, the movie forgotten as I stared into those beautiful, blue eyes.
Will nibbled on his bottom lip, making heat pool in my stomach. “Yes, Arthur?”
“May I kiss you?” I whispered, fearing if I spoke too loud, I’d lose my nerve.
Those dimples appeared in his cheeks as he grinned. “I’d like that.”
With a trembling hand, I cupped his face, surprised at the light scratch of his stubble against my palm. Then, slowly, I leaned forward and captured his mouth.
I’d waited 1,500 years wondering what Will’s lips felt like, and now I knew.
His lips pressed so sweetly against mine, soft, warm, and hesitant. They were everything I’d always imagined, and I knew I’d never forget this moment for as long as I lived.
He tasted of chocolate cookies, and I sighed against his mouth, thinking how this, how Will, was by far the most incredible thing in this modern age.
Will stroked his tongue along the seam of my lips, making me gasp and allowing him to delve inside. And at the first brush of his tongue along mine, I knew I was done for. I’d do anything he asked of me as long as he kept kissing me like this.
Our breaths mingled in the air between us when we finally parted for breath, each inhale and exhale causing our chests to brush. He was so warm , and I basked in that heat, letting it spread to every dark and forgotten part of my soul. Needing to know that this was real. That he was real.
I dove forward, needing his mouth back on mine, and he came willingly. I moaned into his mouth as a hint of magic tingled over my lips through the kiss. It pulsed between us, making my heart race and my blood thrum. I ached for him to be closer, needing him so desperately I thought I might lose my mind.
Will hummed low against my mouth, the sound so sinful my toes curled.
The beast within me purred, and I got the sense it liked Will. Enjoyed the way his magic felt curled around us.
Will took the lead in the kiss then, and he shifted on the bed until his legs straddled my hips. He swallowed my next moan, and I grabbed his shirt with my desperate hands, needing him closer more than I needed to breathe.
Will obliged, melting against me as his fingers wove through my hair, tugging lightly.
I gasped at the sensation, loving the way my scalp tingled. Will watched my reaction before doing it again.
“Does that feel good?” he asked breathlessly.
“ Yes .”
He smiled, his face slightly flushed. “Good.”
But I was done talking.
Closing the distance once more, I melded our mouths and Will chuckled.
And then he did something magical.
He rocked his hips.
I groaned in sweetest agony as his hard cock rubbed against mine through our clothes. I’d never experienced anything quite like it.
“Is this okay?” Will murmured intimately, his lips brushing mine.
Grabbing his hips, I encouraged him to do it again, causing both of us to let out moans of pleasure. And when he yanked lightly on my hair at the same moment he thrust his length against mine, a near inhuman growl filtered from my throat.
This only seemed to spur Will on, and he moved faster, almost wildly against me.
It felt so good. Too good.
In one move, I flipped us so Will’s back rested against the downy pillows, and I had to simply stare for several moments while I caught my breath, basking in how incredibly beautiful this man was.
And he desired me. Me. I could hardly believe it.
A mischievous light gleamed in Will’s eyes just before his leg slid between my thighs, gliding over my aching cock.
Delight filled his face when I moaned, unable to help myself when I thrust forward, chasing that sinful feeling. But I needed more. I needed to devour his sounds on my tongue and explore every part of that snarky mouth.
But just before I could claim the remaining distance and seal our mouths again, a fist slammed on our door, making us jerk apart.
“Will?” Vincent called through the door, and the beast growled in frustration at his timing.
Will groaned, seeming just as annoyed as me. “What do you want?”
“Open up!”
Muttering curses, Will untangled himself from me, and I frowned at the loss of his body against mine. I wasn’t keen on anyone seeing me like this, especially with the erection I didn’t know how to hide. I was half tempted to go out there and make Vincent leave myself, but Will was already up and moving toward the door.
I watched as Will adjusted his cock in his pants, helping to hide his hard state of arousal, and I nearly moaned at what an erotic image that was.
He must have sensed it because he smirked at me, and I snatched up one of the pillows to cover my lap.
Then he whipped open the door, glaring out at his... entire family.
No . No, no, no! I wanted to smack my head back against the wall in frustration.
“Can I help you guys?” Will asked, attempting to barricade the door.
“Hope we weren’t interrupting anything,” Vincent said, squeezing past Will and into our room with the others in tow. When he noticed the movie we were... watching , he snorted. “Now that’s funny.”
Will slammed the door shut behind the others and crossed his arms over his chest.
Nana Joanne hobbled over to a small couch, and Otto smirked as he sat down beside her. “Do you know what day it is?”
Frowning, Will glanced at each person before his eyes lit with understanding. “Seriously?”
“It’s tradition,” Vincent crooned, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed. But then he seemed to think better of it and moved to the ground beside Otto.
Gerry, who’d paused to watch the movie, wrinkled his nose. “What’s that smell?”
“For fuck’s sake,” Will muttered.
Will’s family stayed much later than I appreciated, and by the time the clock on the wall read past 11 in the evening, I was ready to throw them out.
But even though I wasn’t happy they’d interrupted Will and I earlier, it hadn’t been all bad. We’d shifted around the furniture in the room so we could all sit around a small, round table and play DnD. Will had weaved a story of us happening upon a city of thieves where we ended up losing all our coin to pickpockets. I’d had to dissuade Nana Joanne from burning the whole city down to the ground, and in the end, she’d only set one person on fire. And we’d gotten back our gold. So... I was pleased.
We’d had Chinese food and beer delivered to the hotel, and the room was littered with empty takeout boxes. Gerry was currently finishing off some kung pao chicken, animatedly telling Otto a story of when he’d earned his very first snow globe, and Otto crunched down on a fortune cookie, which were definitely not like any cookies I’d ever had, while he listened.
Dorothy had kept close to Vincent’s side all night, sneaking murmured words in his ear and painting soft, loving fingers down his arm in comfort.
But while she and Nana Joanne had borrowed the Chessboard for a game of real chess, Vincent had snuck out onto our small balcony to look out at the grounds below.
Draining the remainder of my beer, I threw my bottle in the bin and moved to stand by Vincent’s side.
He didn’t look at me, and I didn’t speak as we listened to the others laugh and chatter in the room. The moon hung large and bright, surrounded by twinkling stars glittering in the sky. I found Hercules among them remembering that night on the roof when Will had found me sulking.
“How do you do it?”
I glanced over to find Vincent gazing up at the stars, a solemn look in his eye.
“Do what?”
“Move on.” He swallowed, his throat bobbing. “Forget the lives you’ve ended.”
Ah. Now I understood.
I set my hand on his shoulder, making him look at me. “I’ve never forgotten the first man I killed. I never even knew his name. But I do remember the way my heart wouldn’t stop racing for days. How no matter how many times I washed my clothes, I couldn’t fully remove his blood.” I swallowed as the ghosts of his screams echoed in my ears. But I refused to dwell on them, having dealt with enough ghosts for one day. “I’ve fought many battles and killed many men, Vincent. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s that there’s a difference between killing because you want to and killing because you have to.”
“How do I overcome this guilt?” he asked, desperate for an answer I couldn’t give.
I shook my head. “I don’t think we ever really do,” I said regretfully, watching as that hope in his eyes dimmed. “But, I think, if there’s anything I learned today, it’s that the only way to move forward is to recognize our mistakes and forgive ourselves.”
He seemed to mull that over, watching me with solemn eyes. “And have you? Forgiven yourself?”
I was silent for a long moment as I tried to figure out what to say. “I’m trying.”
“What are you two up to out here?” Will said, appearing in the doorway. He was leaning against the frame, arms crossed casually over his front. I remembered how good he’d felt against me, the slide of his leg between mine, his hands slipping under my shirt to brush against my skin.
Vincent cleared his throat, and then his hand covered mine as he sent me a wobbly smile. “Thank you. You’re a good man, Arthur.”
After he left, Will stepped forward and took his place at my side. Together, we looked out upon the castle ruins, barely visible in the dark.
“Is he okay?” he asked, not specifying who. He didn’t need to, though.
“He will be. Ending someone’s life is never easy. Even if that person was already gone.”
Will sighed and leaned heavily upon the railing. When he looked at me, he grinned. “Thank you. For talking with him about it.”
Resting my hip against the balcony’s rail, I turned my body to face him fully. “I’m not sure I helped.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Will watched his dad pull Dorothy into his arms and kiss her cheek. “I think you did.”
With a wave goodbye, Vincent and the others slipped out of the room.
“He’s got a good heart, your dad.”
“That he does.” Will smiled again, and his gaze darted down to my mouth before flitting away again. “We should try to rest for a couple hours. You know, before we head out to the cave.”
But I didn’t have any intention of resting right now.
With a tug of his shirt, I yanked Will flush against me, making him gasp. Turning us, I pressed him up against the railing, not leaving any space between us.
Leaning down, I skimmed my lips over his neck, “Or...”
“Or?” he gasped, writhing slightly against me.
I released a deep moan at the feel of him. “Or,” I said, slightly breathless, “we could continue what your family interrupted earlier?”
Will’s fingers sank into my hair. “Fuck yes.” And then his lips pressed to mine once more.