❝ when she looks into his eyes, she feels the gripping temptation to tell him all her darkest secrets; the names of the men she has killed, but she learned a long time ago that the only people who can keep secrets are resting in overgrown graveyards...
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE CHILD OF THE BLOOD MOON ( i. ) content warning: explicit sexual content
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When the dragon is defeated, there is a parade through the streets of Camelot. Prince Arthur Pendragon leads the procession, waving and smiling to the crowd of cheering civilians. Merlin rides behind him, along with Calliope and Leon. Their armor is scorched, cuts and bruises all over their bodies, but with nothing more than luck and Merlin's ability to speak to dragons like his father could, they survived, and Kilgharrah flew away from the city for good. Of course, the Prince knows nothing of Merlin's bravery. He and all the other fighters were knocked unconscious while the sorcerer saved the day.
As Calliope's horse trots next to Leon's, she feels miles away. The crowd's cheers are dying echoes in her mind. Her stare is fixed and vacant. The only image in her mind is Tenwick, waiting down in the dungeons, withholding the information she needs to track down Sepharin. Flowers are thrown–one lands in her lap. It's a purple lily, and Calliope stares at it. The petals are crumpled, the stem withering. She's surprised it's still alive at all in this time of winter.
Her horse is taken to the stables. People are patting her on the back, welcoming her once again into the castle with open arms and impressed glances. But Calliope feels like a fool–like an outsider. She's thrown into another game of pretend. This time, how long will it last? When her only current desire is to slit King Uther's throat wide open–
"Calliope," she turns her head, and she smiles at Arthur as he approaches her in the hall. "Where were you off to?"
"To change into some better clothes," she motions to her sweaty and ash-covered armor.
He stops a few inches away, and she looks up at him through her lashes. His hand ghosts her cheek, "When we rode into battle to fight that dragon, I thought we'd never get a moment like this again."
Her chest clenches. How can she tell him what his father has done? To an entire civilization? To her? It's selfish, but she can't bear it. Not right now, at least. Not when he's looking at her like she's the only person in the world.
Calliope runs her hands through his hair, staring into those pure, blue eyes as she softly says, "I love you." The words are so quiet and delicate as they hang in the air between them. She has to say it as many times as she can before it's too late.
He steps forward into her, ravishing her with a strong kiss, "I love you, Cal" he says between kisses as his hands steady her, resting on her hips.
Before she knows it, they're at her door. She's leading him into her room, never breaking his kiss. When the door shuts behind him, she sheds her armor, and he sheds his. Arthur's lips are on hers again, and he's backing her towards her bed. She gasps as his lips kiss her jaw, and then behind her ear, and then they drag down her neck in a deliciously slow pace that drives her mad and sends fire through her blood. She practically rips his shirt off him, and he begins untying her tunic, kissing on her collarbone, between her neck and shoulder.
