The King’s Maiden (Camelot Court #1)

Chapter Sixteen

QUINN

L andon guided me out from where he’d hidden us behind the stairs, grabbing my bags before leading me up to the second floor. His grip held firm on my elbow, neither of us speaking in the wake of everything.

At the top of the stairs, the adrenaline keeping me going drained quickly.

I swayed on my feet.

Landon’s arm looped around my waist, pinning me to his side to guide my steps—slow and steady.

“Almost there,” he coaxed, his voice far more gentle than I’d heard it so far. “I’ve got you.”

Whether consciously or not, his thumb stroked over my hip. Soothing circles, gentle swipes—each soft touch reminded me of our night in the Round Tableau. And I hated the way he calmed me so effectively, lulling me nearly to sleep on my feet.

Landon led me to the end of the hall, stopping us in front of his room. Opening the door, he swung it wide. I suppressed a gulp as I stared at the large and intimidating bed in the center of the room.

“After you, Maiden.”

Landon set my bags down and stepped farther inside, opening a small door on the left side of the room. “You should get some rest. Bathroom is here. I can show you the campus and explain the rules once you wake up.”

I peeked inside the bathroom like a dutiful houseguest, pleased to see the large shower stall had fogged glass. The sink counter was pristine and free of bottles or general clutter. That didn’t shock me one bit.

But what did surprise me were two tall bookcases next to a large window opposite his bedroom door.

Set behind a beautiful and plush chaise lounge chair, leather-bound books filled the shelves. Just like the first editions my dad used to keep in his office.

My feet carried me to them on instinct, and my fingers traced over the spines of some of my dad’s old favorites.

I glanced back to where he stood watching me. “You like to read?”

His books weren’t in pristine condition, like everything else in his room. They looked not only read but well loved. So, I wasn’t surprised when he nodded.

I returned it with a nod of my own and went back to browsing the shelves.

“My dad loved to read,” I said softly, a note of melancholy in my voice I hadn’t intended to share with him. But thoughts of my dad always made me sad, even when I relived my happiest memories of him. “He used to read to me every night, and then whenever I got sick, once I was too old to be tucked in at night.”

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, but tears filled my eyes as I found an old copy of The Princess Bride. I traced the letters on the spine and tried to hold off the grief rising in my chest. It clawed its way up my throat, making my voice a hoarse croak when I finally spoke.

“This is the last book he read to me.”

I’d been sick in bed, gearing up for my fifth rewatch of the movie adaptation of the novel, when my dad had shown up at the apartment. He’d insisted on turning off the television and reading to me, like the grandfather does for the boy in the movie. I’d fallen asleep listening to the sound of his voice, and he’d still been there, lying beside me, when I woke up.

Pain sliced through my chest as I relived the memory. Whenever I’d needed him, no matter how old I’d gotten, my dad had found a way to show up for me.

I’d never have that again.

“Would you like to have it?”

My eyebrows rose at the offer and pulled something tighter in my chest. But I shook my head.

Even though it was incredibly thoughtful, I didn’t need it.

“I have his copy in my bag.” I pulled my eyes away from the book to meet his across the room. “But thank you, Landon. For offering.”

He nodded again, but that was it.

Because for a fellow bibliophile, Landon Scott was impossible to read.

I sniffled and brought my hand up to my face, wiping tears that must’ve slipped out without me noticing. “I should probably get some rest.”

“You can take the bed.” He stepped away from it, heading back toward the door to the bedroom. “I’ll just clear out for a bit.”

“That’s okay,” I said too quickly.

Inside the room, the bed felt even larger and more imposing than it had outside of it. The last thing I needed was to get comfortable there, so I laid my hand on the back of the chaise, scrambling to come up with an excuse.

“I, um…I’d prefer to sleep here if that’s alright with you. I have back problems, so…”

Without waiting for his response, I sat down on it. I could feel him watching me as I got comfortable, probably not buying my excuse for a second, but I pretended I didn’t notice.

I tucked my legs under me and turned toward the window, closing my eyes and hoping that would convince him to leave it alone if he was on to me.

Talking to him about my dad had been too personal, and I didn’t need to blur the lines between us like that. I blamed it on the exhaustion.

Something soft landed over my body and my eyes shot open, giving away my ruse of sleep. My cheeks warmed, and so did the rest of my body, as I realized Landon had covered me with a blanket.

He set a small box tied up with a blue ribbon on my lap. “From Kingston.”

I pulled off the ribbon and lifted the lid.

As soon as I opened it, I wondered if I should’ve waited until Landon left the room. But that felt like overthinking things, so I peeked inside the box, picking out the small item nestled in tissue paper.

A charm for my bracelet.

Kingston must’ve noticed it at the Maiden Selection. The gold bauble matched my bracelet and the other charms on it perfectly.

Most of them, I’d added myself or received from Gia over the years. The rest were from my parents. Charms they gave me on my birthday right before my mom passed away, and some given later by my dad.

I never took it off.

Closing the lid on the box, I shut my eyes. It was a beautiful gift, but a tear slid down my cheek.

Memories of my parents overwhelmed me after seeing Landon’s book, and I couldn’t deal with it.

Not with a witness standing over me.

But Landon didn’t call me out on my response to Kingston’s gift, and his voice wrapped around me like the fleece throw. “Do you want me to close the curtains?”

He stared out the window, letting me have my reaction without an audience. I followed his gaze to the crystal blue lake outside his window.

“Yes, please. Maybe just a little. The view is…”

It hadn’t been my focus upon entering the room, but seeing it now, the lap of the water against the shore was almost as soothing as the sound of his voice.

“Something about it feels peaceful. I’d like to look at it until I fall asleep.”

He pulled the curtains shut so the picturesque blue water stayed in my line of vision. Without letting in so much light that I wouldn’t be able to sleep. Calm settled over me, and I yawned as he went to the door.

“I’ll be back in a little while.”

I hummed a sleepy sound and nodded. “Thank you.”

Leveling out my breathing, I clutched Kingston’s gift in my hands. I expected Landon to leave the room right away, but he lingered in the doorway. Something about knowing he was right there let me relax enough to drift off.

Clearly, I was over-exhausted.

That had to be the reason why my heart beat a little faster, even as I fell asleep.