Chapter Twenty-Five
B efore thoughts of climbing Max like a tree could carry me away, Kingston stepped forward to give his closing speech. Landon shifted in place, and I forced myself to pay attention.
If only to stop eye fucking Max Dread from across the room and Landon’s body beside me.
“Congratulations on completing the Trust and Honor challenges. With the first phase of The Quest behind you, you’ve shown Camelot Court you have what it takes to be a Lady.”
I wrinkled my nose at being called a Lady .
Though, I had to admit it was better than Maiden. Even if that title had inevitably grown on me…
Like black mold.
Or fungus.
Okay . I didn’t hate it at all.
“This weekend, after setup for phase two completes, everyone will move into Pendragon Estate. Ladies, you will have rooms in the Ladies’ Wing of the house. Across the courtyard, the Knights will be in their wing.”
I breathed a sigh of relief at having some space for the next phase, and my curiosity piqued over what it might include.
Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I made a mental note to press my luck for details. Landon huffed a laugh, and I whipped my head toward him.
When his eyes lifted from my ass to my face, for a second, my nickname for him—and how he’d gotten it the first time something real slipped out from the suit of armor trapping his personality—played out in my head.
For a second, he was Buns again.
Not the Knight doing his duty, steadfastly loyal to Camelot Court. Or the way too serious, rigidly controlled robot who couldn’t relax.
But the fun and carefree version of himself that slipped out in moments between us when he’d been real.
When he’d been at my side, guiding me through The Quest with no sign of doubt that I’d be able to win it.
When he’d been mine.
I had no idea what expression that put on my face, but whatever it was, Landon saw it.
And he felt it, too.
His features tightened, his jaw working furiously, as he opened his mouth to say something. But then, he dropped his eyes to the floor, and I fought to ignore how much the distance between us—his continued silence—hurt. Even after he’d stayed, protected me through the night, and calmed me down when I had started to panic before the ceremony.
Or maybe, especially because of that.
All the ways he was showing me that he was still there—the guy I’d fallen for, the one I’d chosen—only increased my confusion over what he’d done at the Knights’ Quorum.
I needed answers.
I needed to understand.
I needed?—
“During the rest of the week,” Kingston continued, “you’ll have a break to regroup and visit with your families. Once we’re at Pendragon, you’ll have the opportunity to spend more time with each other, explore the grounds and surrounding areas, and prepare for the second phase. Details will be given at the introduction when everyone arrives.”
Kingston made sure to pass his gaze over each new Lady , but he didn’t let his eyes linger. A move I’d initially taken as a snub, now felt as intentional as the rest of his behavior, and the desire to know what the hell was going on here intensified.
“It’s been a long week. For tonight, feel free to enjoy some time here or head back to your cabins. Whichever cabin you prefer. Congratulations, Ladies.”
When he smiled at all of us, his sparkling blue-gray eyes shone brighter when they landed on me. Maybe it was the overhead lights. But it felt like it meant something more.
Cutting off the microphone, Kingston didn’t take his eyes off me, and when he stepped in my direction, my heart raced again, a combination of anticipation and anxiety rushing through my veins.
But Merle, the giant cockblocker, walked up to Kingston before he could get away.
Whispering in his ear, he appeared to be talking a mile a minute as he all but dragged Kingston over to Max.
Kingston flicked his gaze toward me, but it fell on Landon instead. As Landon walked forward, his hand brushed my arm, like he couldn’t help but reach out and touch me.
I stood there waiting for them while most of the new Ladies paired up with their original Knights on the dance floor. Elaine sat in a corner by herself, sulking and staring longingly at Landon. I tried but couldn’t dredge up any amount of sympathy for her. Vivian also stood alone, her pointed glare trained on me. Not Max.
A part of me wanted to blatantly leave with Max just to spite the frosty bitch. Except I was getting really sick of basing my choices off the actions of other people.
Did I want to be alone with Max? Was it time for us to hash out everything and probably give in to what was between us?
Yes.
Definitely, yes.
But I could say the same for me and Landon, at least about hashing everything out, and I didn’t want to choose. I certainly wasn’t going to just to piss off Vivian.
Even if she deserved it.
“Careful, Quinn.”
I spun to my right, finding Izzy wearing a serious expression.
“Keep thinking about them that hard, and it might become your factory default setting.”
I snorted. “Is that how that happens?”
She shrugged. “That’s what my mother tells me. And she’s been unhappily married for years, so her advice on men is”—she clicked her tongue and put two thumbs up—“top notch.”
“Ahh, gotcha. I’ll write that down, then. Put it in my diary for the day.”
Her green eyes sparkled as she lifted a hand to her chest, feigning surprise. “You have a feelings journal, too?”
“Of course. It’s nothing but doodles in gel pen and my name paired with the last names of every crush I’ve had since I realized I liked boys.”
That made Izzy snort. “What’s the running favorite?”
“Mrs. Quinn Savage.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “I like it. I don’t know the guy, but you should take his last name, anyway. Makes you sound like a total badass.”
“Already filed the paperwork.”
Smiling wider, Izzy nodded toward the two guys giving me grief. “What’s got you staring at them like you’re trying to melt their shoes into the floor?”
My mouth twisted into a frown.
“If you want to share, of course,” Izzy added. “I’m not sure where this falls on the whole trusting with a ten-foot pole scale, but I wanted to see how you were doing.”
Even though I assumed she meant what had come up during the Honor Ceremony, I veered from the subject. “Do you feel like you spend more time thinking about guys here than you did before?”
She tilted her head, thinking it over. “Probably. At least, during the first twenty-one days I did, since my family and Tristan’s made it their goal to occupy our time with incessant phone calls. The six days with Peter were a bit of a relief in that regard.”
“Even with Naked Breakfast ?”
“Peter didn’t put either of us through that, thankfully.” Izzy laughed, finding him in the crowd. “I swear, I sometimes forget he’s Vivian’s twin because they’re so different.”
“She has a twin?” I balked. “Who on god’s green earth made her and decided there should be another one?”
“I think it was more of a balancing between good and evil.”
I laughed, wiping a tear from my eye. “Okay, that actually makes sense.”
“Yeah, he’s a total sweetheart. He knows my whole situation is complicated, so…” She dropped her voice. “We spent the six days playing board games.”
“You played fully clothed Monopoly, too?”
She laughed. “I think it’s just called Monopoly in that case, but yeah.”
As Izzy and I swapped stories about our six days, my worries about the three guys faded slightly. It was exactly what I needed, just like earlier when I was on the phone with Gia. Genuine girl talk. With someone I could see becoming a friend.
Hopefully, not a fake one.
When Tristan came over to see if she was ready to go, he stood by patiently while we finished talking, letting her turn to him when she was ready.
Something about it reminded me so starkly of Landon—before everything happened—that it stole my breath.
I watched Landon after Izzy and I said our goodbyes, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood at Kingston’s side. Hands that had made me feel things I never expected.
I couldn’t stop thinking about them.
Until Kingston diverted his attention from Merle. He flashed me a quick smile before schooling his features again.
And when Max met my gaze over Landon’s shoulder, his stare was primed to get me hot and bothered again, too.
I couldn’t deny the pull I felt toward all three of them.
But since they’d forgotten my invitation to their little huddle, I beelined for the hallway. I needed to collect my thoughts, and possibly my libido, before I got worked up over fantasies of where tonight might lead.
At first, the latent sex goddess in my head would not be quieted. No matter how many times I told that ho to calm the hell down.
But, fortunately, my need for answers was equally strong.
I just had to be patient and see which came up first.