Chapter Eight
QUINN
T he Round Tableau was a large, circular space inside the building where the party had been held. It had a domed ceiling, making the open space in the middle of the room feel wider. Dim lighting and dark alcoves shrouded the antiquated cuffs and leather straps on the walls, but my eyes zeroed in on them as soon as we entered the room.
The space looked like it had been created with dark intentions. A place to act out the most torrid fantasies. Apart from where we entered, doors separated each alcove. Nestled into the brick all the way around, I didn’t have to count them to know how many I’d find.
Twelve Knights. Twelve Maidens.
Twelve private rooms.
One by one, our escort led each Maiden to a closed door marked with a coat of arms. I didn’t know enough about Arthurian lore to know who they represented, but others did. Izzy Gold blushed furiously when she was led to a door with a green banner, the golden lion leading me to believe it belonged to Tristan Léon.
Elaine had been right.
One by one, the girls were led around the room to their assigned doors. When Elaine was led to her Knight’s door, it had a purple coat of arms with gold crosses. Her frown told me it didn’t belong to Landon.
But as she stared longingly at the one next to it, bearing a white coat of arms with red stripes, she gave away its owner.
It also remained the only room without a Maiden.
Because it was meant for me.
Taking my place in front of it, I glanced at the closed door we came in through, with a royal blue coat of arms. Adorned with three crowns, I assumed that it belonged to King Arthur. It was the only door without a Maiden.
On the other side of it, my attention caught on the glare of an icier blue. Vivian’s cruel smile made my stomach turn as she leaned back against her door, running her hand over the purple coat of arms behind her. She touched it reverently, almost lovingly, while holding my gaze, and I assumed it belonged to the Knight she’d warned me to stay away from—Max Dread.
Her door and mine flanked the King, an appropriate nod to the rivalry we’d quickly established. Vivian had singled herself out as my biggest threat. She’d thrown down a challenge when she spilled my secrets and commanded me like a Queen.
But I had no intention of letting her beat me.
“You’ll wait here until your Knights arrive,” our escort informed us before exiting the room.
He left us in silence, but it didn’t take long for the whispers to start. A Maiden named Inez had been picked by Gerard Saint, and everyone agreed he’d wanted her for a while, always hanging around her at Camelot Court parties. The girl who saw stars, Tara, had been paired with Gavin Wainscot.
Well, damn.
If Elaine had taken the bet, I would’ve won ten bucks.
Most of the girls looked pleased, or at least not unhappy, about their Knights. The consensus seemed to be that getting selected as a Maiden was an honor. Only Elaine had disappointment on her face.
But I overheard the girl next to her say that Peter Valencourt wasn’t the worst Knight to end up with, if she couldn’t have the one she wanted.
At that, Elaine’s eyes darted to me.
“You probably lucked out,” her friend said. “I hear Landon has some serious kinks.”
Elaine laughed. “From who?”
“Some girl in my English Lit class raved about him.”
“Yeah, right.” Elaine rolled her eyes. “The guy doesn’t date, and I’ve never seen him leave a party with anyone. That girl was just starting rumors. You know how people outside Camelot Court are about the Knights.”
The other Maiden’s face grew more serious. “She said her old roommate introduced them. The Maiden last year, who?—”
She lowered her voice, her eyes glancing around the room as she finished her sentence. I strained to catch the last part of what she said but couldn’t hear it.
“Oh my god.” Elaine gasped. “That was so sad. I heard about it last year, but I had no idea he was involved.”
My heart hammered in my chest, curiosity warring with my desire to stay detached. I didn’t want to know more details. I didn’t need to care one way or another to win The Quest.
But I also couldn’t tune them out.
“Her younger sister, Evie, applied to be a Maiden this year, but no one picked her. Can’t help but wonder if everyone thought she was out for revenge.”
The rest of the chatter in the room died down. All the Maidens had their eyes on the gossipers. A few of them skirted to me before hastily darting away.
Apprehension churned in my belly, my heart racing like I’d danced for hours. I glanced at the door marked for the King, wondering if I could leave quickly. Get out before anyone caught me.
But I didn’t get the chance to try.
Three knocks rang out from the other side.
Everyone jumped, laughing quietly to relieve their nerves as the door swung open. I couldn’t force a laugh even if I’d tried. Panic wrapped a hand around my throat, squeezing tightly when my eyes fell on the first Knight to walk through the door.
Landon Scott stared down at me with no trace of recognition or kindness in his eyes.
The warm amber hue should’ve been inviting, soothing in the way it reminded me of honey. Instead, he trapped me with his impenetrable gaze, like a butterfly encased in resin—its wings pinned with no hope of escape.
“Move,” he commanded.
But I was too stunned to do anything but stare. My lungs ached as my breathing grew tighter, taking in every inch of the Knight in front of me. In his fitted black pants and dress shirt, he appeared every bit as dark as the rumors about him. The glower on his face didn’t help.
Realizing I had no intention of following his order, he stepped forward. So close, I felt the crisp rush of his breath on my cheek. The scent of mint, followed by the barest hint of rosemary and lavender, filled my nose.
He pitched his voice low. “I gave you an order, Maiden.”
His eyes searched my face. For what, I didn’t know. Understanding, acknowledgement, or maybe he hoped to find obedience reflecting back at him. But I couldn’t submit to him. Not when all I could think about was the air I needed.
Huffing what I took to be his annoyance, his eyes narrowed, and his hand dipped into his pocket before he brought it to my waist. My chest grew tighter when his fingers squeezed my side, his touch sending a wave of goosebumps rippling over my skin. He bunched the fabric of my robe in his fist before releasing me.
He slipped his hand past me to the door, and the unmistakable turn of a key in a lock followed. A rush of cold air hit my back as he swung open the door. But the draft was nothing compared to the chill his next order caused.
“Turn around and get inside.” His rough whisper rumbled in my ear. “Or I’ll throw you over my shoulder and bring you in there myself.”
As he pulled back, I snapped my gaze to his. A soft wheeze escaped my throat, but I didn’t argue. I bent to pick up my bag and hurried inside.
Searching the room, I tried to figure out where I could use my inhaler without showing my weakness. But it was too dark inside, even with the door open.
I fell into pitch-black darkness when it slammed shut.
Although I expected him to come behind me when the door closed, nothing came. He’d left me alone.
Scrambling through my bag, I found my inhaler. I delivered a puff and inhaled deeply, holding my breath for a count of ten. After a second puff, the tightness in my chest began to ease.
Slowly, my breathing steadied.
As the door opened, streaming light into the room, I shoved the inhaler in my bag.
Two heavy footsteps crossed the threshold.
When the door shut, I plunged into darkness again. But now, I wasn’t alone. Landon stood behind me in the dark, every inch of his body welding to mine.
My hands clenched around my bag, but now that I could breathe, something other than fear coursed through me.
His voice rumbled softly in my ear. “Take off your robe and get on the bed.”
Swallowing past my fear, I turned toward his voice and found my own. “I can’t see anything.”
“You don’t need to see.” He gripped my upper arms, holding me steady as my body shook. “Feel.”
But all I felt was him.
The roughness of his palms despite his gentle grip. The tremor running through his body as it pressed into mine. And the strain of his cock against my lower back, growing harder with every second he held me close.
“Move, Quinn.” Pressing me forward by the arms, he created space between our lower bodies. His palms slid up and over my shoulders, his fingers slipping under the edge of my robe, tracing a gentle pattern over my collarbone. “Go on.”
I stepped forward, relishing the slip of silk over my skin as the robe fell from my body. He let it drop and sucked in a tight breath, as if just the awareness of my nearly naked body affected him.
My core clenched in response.
Groping my way through the dark, my hand found the bedpost. I clung to it, needing a minute to settle my nerves. I’d been ready for this. I wanted it.
But the reality made my head spin.
He came up behind me. “As you were told, Maiden.”
His gentle prod held a note of promise. A reminder of what awaited me for the next thirty days. He would give the commands, and I would follow them.
This was what I’d signed up for, wasn’t it?
And so far, nothing he’d done—only what I’d heard about him—had given me pause.
Maybe it wasn’t smart. Maybe my therapist would have a fucking field day about how I ignored all the literal and figurative red flags waving in my face when this was over. But at that moment, I wanted to jump headfirst into this and enjoy the anticipation. I didn’t want to sink deeper into apprehension. Not over gossip.
I wanted—no, I needed —to keep going, instead of letting doubt stop me from moving forward.
The good thing was, I barely had time to think past that first wave of hesitation. With him pressing in at my back, I had no desire to disobey his order.
All I could do was feel.
Placing one knee on the mattress, I climbed onto it. I crawled to the center as Landon moved to the foot of the bed. A rustle of fabric came from the wall to my left, and moonlight streamed in through a thin glass pane near the ceiling, lighting the bed with me in it.
I peeked at him over my shoulder, a little unsure of what to do next. And the way he stared at me sent a shiver of desire down my spine. It also reminded me I was still on all fours, practically serving myself to him on a fucking platter.
But I had to admit, I didn’t hate that thought.
“What do you want me to do now?”
His eyes, a honeyed hue in the Round Tableau, darkened to the color of clove as his pupils dilated. Hands balling into fists at his side, he ran his gaze from the tip of my heels up my thighs and over the curve of my ass. His lips parted as he drank in the sight of me, in no hurry to give further direction.
Emboldened by the way his tongue darted out to wet his lips, I couldn’t help myself. I arched my back.
He groaned, his eyes flying to mine as he cut off the sound.
We both froze, my heartbeat fluttering like the flap of a butterfly’s wings inside my chest as I sensed a change rippling through the space between us. What had felt like a wave of desire building slowly now felt like a tsunami clearing everything in its path.
He blinked away the haze of lust in his eyes, his next command cracking like a whip through the quiet room. “Lie on the bed.”
It snapped again when I moved to turn over onto my back.
“No.”
I searched his face for an explanation. Something to explain the change in his demeanor. But his shuttered gaze gave away nothing. He simply stepped to the edge of the bed and bent his knee on the mattress.
A tendril of fear unfurled inside me when he reached for his belt and unbuckled it.
“Face down, Maiden,” he ordered. “Now.”