Chapter Eighteen
QUINN
C amelot Court was even more beautiful in the daylight and on the right side of the gate.
My initial sneak peek at it during my drive by had been like smelling a single flower in a huge field of roses. The deeper I went into the grounds, the more intoxicated I became by the surreal little world they’d been hiding away just outside of campus.
I fell in love with it a little bit on that first tour.
Which was the last thing I needed to do.
Parallel to the path I’d taken the first night, we passed the Round Tableau house. In the daylight, I realized the party had been on the first level, and it had a second level I didn’t visit. But I had no idea where the Round Tableau’s private rooms were within it.
Unless they were underground.
“Is the?—”
“Yes.” Landon nodded. “The tunnels led you to a level below where we held the party. They go to a few places on the grounds. One leads back to the main house, too.”
My eyebrows rose. “Where else?”
Landon shrugged, tucking his hands in his pockets and walking ahead of me. And while that tiny detail brought up about a hundred new questions, I focused on the answers I needed more.
But I’d be revisiting those tunnels with him at some point, that much I was sure of.
Off in the distance, tall trees and cliffs surrounded the lake, jagged outcroppings of rock at various heights. Some even looked low enough to jump off. A floating dock hovered out in the middle of the water, and up ahead there was a longer, thinner dock than the one right behind the main house.
A breeze swept through the trees and ruffled our hair, and the water rippled with light, sparkling like diamonds in an expanse of cerulean blue. Birds too far away to see called out to one another. It felt like this secluded world somehow went on for miles.
As much as I wanted to tease Landon and point out that it reeked of privilege, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I stared at it, slightly awestruck, while he watched me from a few paces behind. When I opened my mouth to speak, I couldn’t really find the words.
The only place I’d ever belonged had been with my parents. When they were both gone, it felt like being on a lifeboat that was drifting out to sea—the lone survivor of a destroyed homeland staring at the wreckage behind them—surrounded by a vast world they didn’t have a place in anymore.
I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere, and that feeling had been my constant companion for the last year.
But for just a moment, staring out from the shore at the lake, the loneliness faded.
Landon’s voice washed over me, drowning out the feeling even more. “Tell me.”
Attempting to maintain some lines between us, a simpler version of the truth was easier to admit, “This is so much more than I expected.”
Landon’s head tilted, as if he wanted to dig beneath my layers and see what I hid inside. “Camelot Court or The Quest?”
“Both.” I shot him a pointed look. “But the latter might be because my Knight has been withholding details.”
“Delaying your satisfaction in receiving them,” he corrected. “That’s all.”
“Potato. Potato.”
He huffed a laugh. “Don’t you mean po-ta- toe, po-ta- tah?”
“I said what I said. Now, details. Gimme.”
We approached a small dock with two Adirondack chairs set at the end. Landon led me by the hand, keeping me steady as I rounded the chair and sat down.
And okay. Maybe there was a tiny bit of gallantry in him.
He took the chair beside me, resting his elbows on his knees as I got comfortable. I squirmed a bit and crossed my legs under me. Planting my hands on my knees, I nodded to signal I was ready.
“The goal of The Quest is to test the Maidens.”
“Why?”
He shot me a look that clearly said he was getting to that, so I grinned and mimed zipping my lips.
He was too easy.
“The Camelot Society was formed around the idea of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Obviously. And according to the legends, or at least a few versions of them, Arthur married Guinevere and made her his queen.”
“But she fell for Lancelot, too.”
He nodded. “And it led to the end of Arthur’s reign. His kingdom, all the good he had done or would have done, was brought to ruin because of Guinevere and Lancelot’s treason. Some believe that if Arthur picked differently or made sure she could handle the responsibility of being Queen, his reign would’ve endured.”
I snorted. “Or King Arthur could’ve learned to share.”
Landon’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t think it was wrong what they did?”
“On principle, I think Guinevere got a bad rap in that whole love triangle debacle. I’d like that stated for the record.”
“Noted.”
“Do I think it’s wrong to commit adultery when you’ve promised to be faithful to one person? Sure. But I also have a hard time judging their actions based on some old guy’s version of their story. We don’t know what happened. We don’t know what they were like. Or what Arthur was like. What if it was written into their marriage vows—to love, honor, and cherish thy husband and his best friend?”
His throat bobbed.
When he didn’t immediately squash the idea, my heart beat a little faster in my chest. Then, I reminded myself to settle the fuck down.
Landon cleared his throat. “I, uh, don’t think I’ve seen that version of their vows in any of the history books.”
I shot him an exasperated look. “Of course, you haven’t. But either way, it’s just a story. A cautionary tale where a woman brought down a good man or a great king before she lived out her days in shame at the nunnery.”
“You don’t think it was fair.”
“She did what any man in her time would’ve been allowed to do simply because he had a dick. Of course, I don’t think it’s fair. It sounds like the bullshit narrative of a bitter man to me.”
“You blame Arthur.”
“I don’t blame anyone,” I grumbled, getting worked up even though I had a sneaking suspicion he was baiting me with his responses. “Except maybe the guy telling one side of the story.”
“They do say history books are written by the winners.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe it’s time for a woman to get a turn. Let us write the history books from here on out. Or, I don’t know, be an equal voice in the dialogue.”
Landon huffed but put his hands up when I glared at him. “I’m not disagreeing with you. Actually, quite the opposite.”
“Well, it’s good to know you have some sense under all that seriousness. But what does all of this have to do with The Quest?”
“The Quest was built around the idea that if Guinevere had been tested, Arthur’s reign would’ve continued. So, The Quest is designed to test the mettle in the Maidens.”
“But why?”
“You’ll see.”
I squawked in outrage. “Seriously! That line again?”
“Some things require patience, Maiden.”
Scowling, I shot him a pointed look. “Since this started, I’ve been ordered around by a broody ass, called a liar, turned away at the gate, and given nearly zero details. That’s a lot of blind faith to ask for, especially from a place that believes women need to prove themselves while the men, what? Fall victim to our womanly wiles?”
His eyebrow rose.
“Unless that’s what this challenge is about, and that’s why all of you are being so cryptic.”
He mimed zipping his lips like I had.
I groaned. “Ugh. I should’ve negotiated a higher fee for my prize.”
“Probably.”
He pointed at something in the distance behind me. I could just make out a large, sprawling estate. Hidden by another wall and tucked away behind the trees, I would’ve missed it if he hadn’t pointed it out.
“The first phase of The Quest takes place over thirty days and has two challenges. I can tell you the next one tests your honor.”
“Honor?”
“We’ll spend three weeks here…getting to know each other. The Knights use that time to decide if their Maiden has what it takes to make it through the next challenge. When we go to Pendragon Estate. There, you’ll spend six days with a different Knight.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what? You just hand me over to someone else? For what?”
Landon’s voice tightened. “Whatever you allow.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I shot to my feet. “They can try to sleep with me and if I don’t fight them off, I lose? That’s bullshit!”
Unsurprisingly, Landon rose with me. I jolted away from him, jumping to conclusions and losing my footing in the same breath. His arm banded around my waist to keep me securely on the dock.
“No one can force you to do anything here, Quinn. They can try to seduce you, but you always have your safe words. They can’t do anything that crosses a very clear line.” His gentle but firm tone calmed me down instantly, and sensing that, his hold on my body loosened. “Not unless you ask them to.”
I struggled to wrap my head around that.
On one hand, it sounded like an easy win.
My intention being to not let Landon get far with the use of my safe words, I wasn’t even remotely concerned about another random Knight.
But then, Max popped into my head.
And appropriately, dread followed.
The thought of staying strong with Landon now that I’d stupidly thawed the ice between us and allowed dirty fantasies to pop into my head was already daunting. But the idea of spending six days alone with Max made me nervous, in more ways than one based on his latest taunts.
“Which Knight gets me for the six days?”
Landon’s jaw tightened, and for a split second, I worried my thoughts were written clear as day on my face or that I’d accidentally said his name. But as quickly as that tension in him appeared, it was gone.
“We won’t find out until we get to Pendragon. First, there’s the Knights’ Quorum, where the Knights announce if their Maiden should move on, then we’ll go to Pendragon Estate for the drawing of names. But it’s random and done in front of everyone.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. I appreciated that Landon explained all of this like it was a given that I’d get there. And that when I did, the chances of ending up paired with Max were low.
At least, I had good odds.
It would be up to fate to put me with him or not, and even if she was a cruel bitch who loved to stir up drama, I had the motivation to resist him.
I shook my head at the bizarre situation I’d put myself in, but it was starting to make sense, at least. “So, is that why all of the Maidens come expecting to sleep with the Knights? You guys see it as motivation for us to resist the other Knight by getting…” I chose my words carefully, aware that his arms were still wrapped around me. “Intimate with the one that picked us?”
He released me and stepped back. “That’s the idea.”
I watched him pace the edge of the dock, wishing I could get inside his brain and figure him out. One thing occurred to me, though. “So when you asked me to undress you earlier, that’s just part of preparing me?”
He nodded. “It’s my job to do whatever it takes to keep you from giving in to the other Knight. Because if you do, you’re eliminated.”
“Oh. Right.”
His gaze sharpened on my face. “And trust me, it won’t matter who you get. All of the Knights are extremely motivated during the challenge, trusting their Maiden to resist. If they get a different one eliminated, the better the chances of having picked the winning girl.”
I swallowed, way more intimidated by this whole thing than I’d been while reading the contract buzzed on boxed wine. But the thought of the prize money at the end, and the slate it would wipe clean, steeled my spine and strengthened my resolve. Even though his response had brought a few new questions to mind, I didn’t want to let them distract me.
“I’m going to win.” I lifted my chin and stared right at him. “There’s nothing and no one I want more than that.”
He held my gaze for a moment before taking my hand and leading me safely around the chairs. “And you’ll have my bid to go forward because of it. But I still need to prepare you. And in order to do that, there have to be rules.”
“Right. Your whole no kissing thing.”
We walked along the shore toward the main building, passing the Round Tableau again. I glanced back as we approached the main house.
“You do get that that was, like, super weird out of context, right? Still feels a little weird now, too.”
“It maintains a degree of distance between us while I’m training you. In the midst of all the…endorphins and oxytocin, kissing—” He shook his head, and I wondered if he was trying to clear the image from his mind, the way I was trying to force it out of mine. “It can blur the lines. From a strictly practical standpoint, it’s the safest bet.”
I scoffed, skipping a few paces ahead of him. “Someone sure is overconfident. You really think a few orgasms and kisses would be enough to make me forget why I came here?”
Taunting him, I added an extra bounce to my step just before reaching the back steps.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
“If you can even get me there, that is.” I smirked.
Landon’s chest hit my back. Before I even registered him moving, strong hands gripped my upper arms. The veins on his forearms bulged as he pulled me close. I gasped.
He walked us forward, pressing me against the rough brick wall. Welding his body to mine.
I could feel him everywhere.
His heartbeat pounding at my back. His erection digging into my ass. And when his hips rocked against mine, I moaned low and deep in the back of my throat before I could stop myself.
He dropped his head to my shoulder and nipped. Tracing a path up the curve of my neck, he buried his nose in my hair and inhaled deeply.
His soft exhale warmed up my skin like a prelude.
Drawing soft patterns on my arms, he stirred emotion hidden in my chest. He coaxed out desire I’d buried deep. Every breath and touch composing a symphony of pleasure inside my body.
I swallowed hard, praying he didn’t notice the way it came out like a gulp.
His throaty chuckle assured me he did. “Oh, Maiden, I will get you there. You can count on that. I’ll make you come until you’re begging me to stop.”
My breathing hitched.
And my throat suddenly felt bone dry, as if he’d siphoned all the moisture in my body and redirected it between my thighs. Priming me for him. Preparing for the inevitable.
My pussy practically wept for it.
The fucking traitor.
As if he knew that, too, Landon slipped his hand between my body and the wall. Running his palm along the exposed skin at my midriff, he flicked the top button on my jeans open and dragged my zipper down in one slow, tortuous pull.
My safe words and intentions to stay his hand were long forgotten. When his palm slid between my legs, the flimsy scrap of fabric formerly known as my dry panties did nothing to shield me from him.
His deep groan rumbled in my ear, sending a pulse of desire rippling down my spine.
“You’re fucking soaked for me, Maiden.”
He circled the heel of his hand as his fingers played at the edge of my thong.
I bit back a whimper. Rocking my hips, I pulled another groan out of him as a stifled moan escaped me. It took a second to force my body still.
And while I fought not to chase after his touch, he tortured me further by whispering in my ear. “Does my Maiden want to come?”
My body screamed fuck, yes please, but my stubborn mouth said, “I’m fine, thank you.”
He laughed—the first full-on, deep laugh I’d heard from him—and the sound went straight to my clit. I shut my eyes, biting my lip to stifle a louder moan. His teeth nipped at my ear while his hand hovered a breath away from my pussy.
“You sure about that?” His voice was pure sex, a blatant taunt that did nothing to lessen my desire. “You look a bit…worked up?”
I cursed my stupid boyfriend jeans and the space they gave him to tease me.
“Nope.” I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my hips from bucking against his palm. “All good here.”
“Such a stubborn girl. What a shame.”
Withdrawing his hand from my jeans, he buttoned me back up. He snaked his hands along my arms to take hold of my wrists. Then, he flattened my palms against the wall above my head and pressed my body forward.
“I wanted to bury my face between your thighs and prove my point.”
I whimpered.
He stepped back, letting me go.
Sagging against the wall, I panted with the need for release. My nostrils flared as I forced air in and out, and it took me a minute to catch my breath. When I stared back at him, my eyes widened.
Adjusting his erection, he gripped his cock in a generous handful.
That brief glimpse beneath his palm seared into my brain like I’d just scanned his measurements for later. I gulped and restarted the process of calming down.
Gia’s stick figure had not done him justice.
He lifted his head and caught my stare.
Closing the distance between us, his dark amber eyes pinned me to the wall.
“Good girls get orgasms, Maiden.”
My thighs clenched.
Full lips taunted me with a knowing smirk. But when he gripped my chin, his hooded gaze held no trace of humor.
“You know where to find me when you’re ready to be mine.”