The King’s Maiden (Camelot Court #1)

Chapter Seven

QUINN

I expected it when he called my name. Once I saw him on the throne, his earlier comment made sense. Even if I didn’t completely get what he’d been right about, my chances of finding out over the next thirty days were good.

But the list of things I expected ended there.

A guy dressed in gold spandex briefs approached me first, his exposed skin painted with a matching metallic body spray and a circlet of gold foil leaves on his head.

Unexpected event number one.

He held out his arm and waited until I took it, nodding at the King before leading me away from the party.

We entered a dark corridor lined with torches, and a chill ran down my spine. If the thought of whether The Quest was an elaborate ruse to murder young women hadn’t occurred to me yet, that corridor would’ve been the moment for it.

I took in all the details I could. “Where are we going?”

“The dressing room. You’ll meet the rest of the selected Maidens there to get ready before you’ll all go to the Round Tableau.”

I hadn’t been expecting an answer.

Unexpected event number two.

“The Round Tableau?”

He puffed up his chest proudly. “Our version of the Round Table.”

Having figured that much, I waited for him to tell me more.

He noticed my raised eyebrow and gave the same answer Kingston had. “You’ll see.”

Before I could press for more information, we reached a heavy wooden door flanked by two lit torches. A plaque with a gold rose adorned it. My escort pushed it open, standing aside to let me into the room.

Glancing behind me, I felt like Alice before she fell down the rabbit hole. On the other side of the door, a strange world waited. The golden and white room, alive with activity, sparkled against the empty and dimly lit corridor behind me.

Going through that door meant no turning back.

But the time for second thoughts had passed, so I crossed the threshold and went inside.

Eleven heads turned in my direction. The commotion in the room quieted. Everyone paused, their collective gaze passing over me.

And a second later, having assessed me as thoroughly as they needed, the noise and activity resumed. As if someone had pressed the play button on a remote control, their world spun on while I remained rooted in place. A blip in their regularly scheduled programming.

“You should get dressed.” My escort, with his eyes on the floor, nodded in the general direction of an empty vanity and quickly left the room.

I walked over to the mirror marked with my name, running my hand over the garment bags on the rack beside it. They were labeled with cards like Maiden Luncheon, First Party, and Knights’ Quorum. I found the one labeled Round Tableau and pulled it free, hanging it beside the mirror to unzip it.

Unexpected event number three.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

The girl beside me laughed, propping her perfectly polished foot on the chair in front of her station. “What? You expected a nun’s habit or something?” She pulled a sheer stocking up her leg, settling the lace trim around her upper thigh. “A college guy owns us for thirty days. Skimpy lingerie is part of the deal, right?”

“Right.” I fingered the black bralette, rubbing the nylon meant to cover my nipple with the pad of my thumb. “Guess I figured they’d ease us into it.”

“I fucking hope not.” Fastening the strap of her black heels over stockinged foot, she stood at her full height and fluffed her blonde hair. Warm brown eyes met mine in the mirror. “Have you seen these guys? If I don’t end this night with at least three orgasms, I’ll be shocked.”

She threw in a lascivious wink, adjusting her cleavage in her black bustier.

I chuckled, finding it hard to disagree with her logic after the two run-ins I’d had so far. They hadn’t ended with orgasms, but they’d hardly been anticlimactic.

And my Knight had chosen me.

If our chemistry was as instantaneous as with those two strangers, maybe I’d walk away after thirty days with my debt cleared and my lady spank bank chock-full of spicy memories. That’d be ideal, attached as I was to the idea of avoiding committed relationships like the plague.

Assuming he wasn’t Landon Scott, the guy who’d done a good deed in the King’s name but sounded like a total dick, then it could be a sexual awakening to keep me satisfied for years to come.

A girl could dream, right?

I vowed to go into tonight with an open mind.

Glancing around, I removed the lingerie from its hanger. Confident no one was paying attention, I slipped my dress to my waist and turned my left side away from the room. I put on the bralette quickly and tugged it down.

The scar on my side was still red and angry, despite my doctor claiming the incision healed well. Maybe it always would be. I still felt raw and furious over the cause. It seemed only right that my scar would be, too.

Having to explain the required bits of my trauma that came with my scar to my Knight was one thing. A room full of perfectly unblemished females in sexy lingerie? No, thanks.

After swapping out my simple black thong for the lacy and very cheeky bikini panties included in the set, I covered myself with a black silk robe. Pulling on the sheer thigh high stockings next was easy, but the final piece, I wasn’t sure what to do with it.

As I flipped it over and around, searching for a tag or some kind of instruction manual, the Maiden beside me took pity on me.

“Here.” She laughed, taking the crumpled ball of fabric from me and turning my body toward the mirror. “It’s a garter belt. My ex used to go crazy over them.”

Dropping to her knee, she held it open at my feet and signaled for me to step into it. She pulled it up to my waist, spinning it around so the little buttons I’d been examining were at the back. Once she had it secured, she fastened the straps hanging from the belt to my stockings.

“Voila!”

My eyes widened at my reflection. While I’d never worn anything this risqué before, I looked sexy, and I felt it, too. I certainly saw the appeal.

“You look perfect.” She smiled, patting my side before facing her mirror again.

I captured her elbow, turning her back to me. “Thank you.”

She offered me a genuine smile. “Maidens should probably stick together, right?”

I had no idea, honestly, but it couldn’t hurt, so I held out my hand. “Right. I’m Quinn.”

“I’m Elaine.”

When she sat back down to put the finishing touches on her makeup, I followed her lead. Other Maidens milled about near the door, and as I reapplied my lipstick, I couldn’t help but watch them.

“Everyone seems so excited. Am I the only one who feels like they have no idea what they signed up for?” My grip tightened on the small tube of lipstick to keep my hand in front of me instead of reaching for my hair.

Elaine’s head tilted as she blotted her lips. “You’ve been to Camelot Court parties before, right? Met the guys?”

“No, never.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh! Well, yeah, in that case, I’m not surprised you’re nervous.” She glanced at my hands clutching the lipstick before nodding to the other girls. “Most of us know each other from boarding school. Or parties over the last few years. Hell, I could probably place bets on who some will end up with, just based on which Knight hit on them at the last party.”

“Wait. Some girls know who their Knight will be?”

She shook her head. “No one finds out if they’re selected before Kingston reads the list. But a few of the usuals with the obvious hots for each other ended up being paired. That’s Izzy Gold.” She pointed to a blonde girl with brilliant green eyes. “Five bucks says her Knight is Tristan Léon.”

“Oh! The hot puppy.” I nodded, pleased with myself for knowing who someone was. “My roommate told me about him.”

Elaine laughed. “Oh my god. He really is like a hot puppy. Crazy loyal. But I was a little surprised she applied since she’s supposed to be getting engaged to the Senator’s son.”

“Wait. Senator Cornwall was a part of Camelot Court?”

“Yep. And Mark, her fiancé, was a Knight two years ago when he was a junior. After their parents announced the match, Mark selected a Maiden for The Quest.” Elaine lowered her voice. “It wasn’t Izzy.”

“Ugh.” I eyed the girl in question from across the room. “So, what happened? They called it off when he graduated, and she decided to apply again?”

“I guess she decided to apply because he graduated. But as far as I’ve heard, their engagement is still happening.”

My eyebrows rose. “And one of the Knights this year still picked her? Not that I disagree with it. But there’s a bro code, right? Isn’t the Knights’ Code like that?”

“On steroids.” She dropped her voice. “So, Tristan, or whoever picked her, has got it bad. Going against the Knights’ Code for a girl?”

“A real life love story?”

She snorted. “Or a tragedy.”

Izzy Gold fiddled with the ends of her blonde hair, eyeing her reflection in the mirror before smiling to herself. She looked happy and hopeful. Most of the other girls talked excitedly together while I bordered on the edge of anxiety—clearly the exception and not the rule.

I turned back to my mirror. I hadn’t come here to find love, and maybe that made me the outlier in the group, but we could still find common ground.

At the very least, I shared their feelings on all the orgasms.

Grabbing a tissue off my vanity, I wiped a smudge of my lipstick. “Any other predictions?”

Elaine blotted her lips. “Tara said Gavin Wainscot made her cum on his tongue so hard she saw stars, and she didn’t get a chance to return the favor.”

“Ten bucks he picked her.” I held out my hand, fighting a laugh. “Bet.”

“No way!” She knocked her shoulder into mine. “I don’t make bets I won’t win. That’s why I won’t even wager a guess on who picked me.”

“What do you mean?”

She bit her lip. “Well, there’s definitely someone I hope picked me, but last I heard, he wasn’t participating in The Quest. Except he was here tonight, so I don’t know.”

When she didn’t give me a name, I prodded her with my shoulder. “I have no idea who anyone is, remember?”

Blushing, she tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “You can’t say anything. Especially if he doesn’t pick me. I swear I’ll either die of embarrassment or a broken heart.”

I laughed. “Okay, dramatic. But yes, I swear. Now, spill it before they drag us out there.”

“Landon Scott.”

I didn’t know exactly why, but a chill raced down my spine when she said his name. “Landon Scott?” I cleared my throat around the noticeable squawk. “The King’s right-hand man, right?”

Elaine’s face lit up. “Yes, I’ve had a thing for him for ages since our first year at Camelot Academy. I mean, dark and mysterious, but obviously gorgeous? I noticed him right away and the more I’ve seen him out—I don’t know.” She flushed, pausing to take a deep breath. “God, I must sound like such a dork. But there’s just something about him.”

“Do you think he picked you?”

Her mouth twisted into a frown. “I don’t know. We’ve talked at parties, but never much past that. I don’t even know if he knows my name.”

My eyebrows shot up.

“Oh my god, I probably sound like a stalker.” She laughed at herself. “But that’s just how Landon is. People think he’s standoffish and kind of abrupt, but he’s just focused on the Knights and takes the code seriously. Sure, he comes off a little abrasive, but there’s so much more to him.” She groaned and buried her face in her hands. “Ugh. I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You don’t have to explain it.” I chewed on my lower lip. “He seems nice.”

“Wait.” Her eyes snapped to mine. “You’ve met him? Tell me everything.”

I flinched back when she spun to face me, backpedaling and slightly thrown by her sudden intensity. “I didn’t meet him. He just…helped me out once. Like a pay-it-forward moment, I guess.”

She tilted her head, her nose wrinkling. “Like a charity thing?”

“Uh…Yeah, sure.” I ran my hand over my scalp, searching beneath my curls for the familiar ridge of my scar. “I mean, we didn’t even make eye contact, so I think he just did a good deed or whatever. That’s all.”

I shrugged and turned back to the mirror, grabbing a tissue to fix the lipstick I’d smudged. Peeking at Elaine’s face in the mirror, my shoulders relaxed once hers did.

“That sounds like him. Doing the honorable thing.” She smiled to herself, bouncing happily in her seat before finding my eyes in the mirror. “See. I told you there’s more to him than meets the eye. Have you met anyone else?”

For whatever reason, I decided to keep my interaction with Kingston to myself. But I had no problem telling her about my other run-in. “I met Max Dread. He’s a real peach.”

Elaine snickered. “Oh, boy. Let me guess. He hit on you?”

“Yeah, but…” My brow dipped over the way he acted, but I shook my head, brushing off our brief spark and refusing to read into his behavior. “I take it that’s his usual move?”

“Well, that depends.” She zipped her makeup bag, acting totally casual despite the next question out of her mouth. “Did you go down on him in the nearest coat closet?”

“What? No!”

She cackled at the expression on my face. “Then, to answer your question, that’s his usual move. But only if a girl comes up to him. They approach, he offers, and they say yes.” She shrugged, as if that made perfect sense. “He must’ve been shocked when you turned him down.”

“I didn’t—I mean, he didn’t offer.” I flushed, tripping over my words at the image she put in my head. “Not that I would’ve said yes if he had. It wasn’t like that. He came up to me and?—”

“Wait. He what?”

“He came up to me and?—”

“Quinn.” Elaine stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “Max Dread doesn’t approach anyone.”

“What?” I exhaled a shaky laugh. “What do you mean, he doesn’t approach anyone? He came up to me and?—”

She put her hand on my arm and stopped me again. A quiet—completely unexpected—growl escaped me, my frustration mounting quickly alongside my confusion.

“I’m serious, Quinn. Max Dread is, like, this totally elusive creature at Camelot Court. He barely interacts with the other Knights. Only shows up if they’re required to be somewhere. Girls go up to him when they don’t know who he is, but he never approaches them first. He never approaches anyone.”

“That’s ridiculous.” I put my hands on my hips, at this point sure she was pulling my leg, and I wasn’t really up for any hazing the newbie schemes. “If he’s some kind of recluse who hates people, why the heck is he even part of Camelot Court?”

“His family practically founded the Camelot Society. I mean, everyone knows the D’Arthurs were the original family, but the Dreads played a huge role. Merle, his father, is Kappa Rho’s most prestigious alumni.”

“Kappa Rho?”

“Kappa Rho Theta. It’s the official fraternity charter, but everyone usually says KRT or Camelot Court, and you know who they mean.” Elaine waved off the topic and went back to Merle. “Anyway, Max’s dad has been an advisor to each year’s King since he graduated. And it was his great-great-grandfather who created The Quest!”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say. “Um, well…I doubt it means anything that he came up to me then. I was standing in the doorway. Probably just blocking his exit.”

“Please.” She scoffed. “Like that would stop him if he wanted to leave. The guy’s huge.”

She had a point.

“Are you two talking about Max Dread?”

Blue eyes pinned me with an accusing stare. My brow lifted at the girl who stood behind us, her arms crossed over her chest. Her ivory skin and black hair made her eyes glint like sapphires in the mirror.

“Yes,” I answered, darting my gaze between her and Elaine. “Also, does anyone else think it’s weird that we keep calling him by his full name?”

Ignoring my question, the girl lifted her chin. “Stay away from him.”

I bristled at the unexpected command, but before I could respond, Elaine beat me to it. Having only encountered warmth and kindness from her, the chill in her tone surprised me.

“Might be hard to do if he picked her as his Maiden, Vivian.” Her cold glare matched Vivian’s sharp gaze. “And we take our orders from the King. Not you.”

Vivian responded with a derisive snort. “Please. As if Max would slum it with a charity case. Especially one that’s a?—”

I slapped my hand on the vanity, standing up and turning to face her. “I’m sorry, but do you know me?”

Vivian sneered down her nose at me, her red lips poised to respond. But I kept speaking before she could.

“Because I’m sure I don’t know you well enough for you to be making assumptions about me.”

“Assumptions?” She scoffed. “I made it a point to know everything there was to know about the other applicants for The Quest. The best way to defeat an adversary is to know their weaknesses, after all.” She lifted her shoulder, smiling placidly as some of the other girls turned their attention toward us. “You’re Quinn Everly. A broke college student who dreams of being a dancer but can’t get her lungs to cooperate. Not since your accident.”

My spine straightened.

“Not since you got your only living parent killed.”

A gasp sounded from Elaine, but I couldn’t look at her. Nothing Vivian said surprised me. It was all true. She quoted it straight from the short bio I’d included on my application for The Quest. My only question was how she’d gotten it.

Vivian smirked. “Do you want to know who spilled all your dirty secrets to me?”

I said nothing. Vivian hummed like she was considering sharing the information with me. But I knew better.

“That’s too bad.” Her saccharine tone and sweet smile contradicted the venom in her eyes and the bite in her words. “It’ll be so much more fun to watch you try and figure it out. Maybe it was the King. Our families are so close, after all. Or maybe it was your Knight.”

She stepped toward me, forcing my back into the vanity. I gripped the edge for leverage as she leaned in, and her lips curled into a cruel smile. A sense of dread filled my chest when Vivian’s eyes shot to Elaine.

Then, she struck us both.

“Landon Scott.”