Chapter 29 #2
“There was a reason, but only before…” Tilting his head toward the bed, I realized what he meant.
“If I would’ve told him what we faced before you took that step, it might’ve stopped all this.
But now? The risk is too great and it wouldn’t change anything, or protect you, the way it would’ve before.
So, for now, Landon knows enough. Max does, too.
Not knowing, it also protects them. If they were asked about it, they’d be safe.
My father has ways of discerning the truth from lies.
It’s why there’s still so much we haven’t shared with you. ”
I bit my lower lip, unease building in my gut.
Kingston touched my cheek. “It can be hard to hold onto faith that someone will see the truth in the end, but I believe Max and Landon both will. Especially about each other.”
Chewing on my lower lip, I still worried over it.
“My secrets, you know why we can’t tell Landon.
And, with Max, I also have to be careful about what I share with him.
He has his own ties to cut before he can know everything.
I trust that he will cut those ties. For you .
He proved he’d pick you once already, so I trust he will again.
I hope you believe it, too. But…until I know for sure what they’ll do once these secrets come out, the risk of all this getting back to my father is too high.
He’ll stop at nothing to maintain control.
He’s already proven it once, and none of us would knowingly take that risk with you. ”
“You mean the Maiden who died. Desi?” I thought through certain things he’d shared. “What happened to her? It’s tied to the next challenge, isn’t it? That’s why you can’t share more with me?”
“Clever girl...Yes, I’d hoped you might piece that together” He stroked my skin, smiling at my deduction skills despite the heaviness of the topic. “All I can share is that the Valencourts are equally motivated to see The Quest turn out in their favor.”
Unsure what he meant by that, other than alluding to their possible involvement in Desi’s death, I fixated on a different issue. “Wait. So, with Max, you mean ties to Vivian? Is he—Is there something still going on with her?”
“I’m not sure. And, if there is, I don’t believe it’s what I initially thought.
His heart is yours, Quinn. But their families.
..” His brow furrowed as he thought through whatever that brought to mind.
“I know very little about her motivations and intentions, which is unfortunate since she’d always seemed so predictable.
Now, I think she may be hiding something as carefully as I’ve been, but I don’t know what it is.
Until I do, I can’t risk what I’ve shared with you falling into the wrong hands.
I don’t want to ask you to lie to him. But this?—”
“You don’t have to ask. With what your father is capable of...But what about the statute? Max refuses to let me talk about what happens between me and the two of you, so he still doesn’t know...and I just realized I’m not sure if he knows about Elaine’s threat, either.”
Kingston’s eyebrows rose, and a hint of relief appeared in his eyes. “Honestly, that might be best for now. A stroke of luck in the midst of all the other obstacles popping up.”
Sometimes, luck made the difference between winning and losing a game. Stumbling on a clue accidentally. Recalling a random bit of trivia to solve a riddle. Or, in this case, a lifelong rivalry preventing a secret from coming out.
I didn’t want to lie or keep secrets from any of them, but answers weren’t always worth the price of having them.
“Things aren’t always black and white, so, for now, we keep them in the dark...Max will understand if it’s about protecting me. And if it protects him, too, I get it. As long as we’ll tell them both everything, eventually.”
When he nodded, I released a breath.
“I can trust Max. His feelings for me are real, I’m sure of that. But you’re right. There’s something from his past he still won’t talk about, and it has to do with her, so I get it.”
I hated that I got it, but I did.
“I’d just like to give him the same choice I asked for, if it comes up, letting him know there’s a secret we can’t share and giving him the choice of what to do with that.”
“Yes, of course.”
“Okay. Then, we keep going for now, right? The last escape room starts later today, and lasts a few days. Then, you’ll share what comes next before everyone’s parents arrive?”
“Yes. For now, that’s all we can do, really. Keep going. Keep fighting.”
“And keep breathing,” I said in a rush. “Because I’m not going to lie, all these secrets have me stressed .”
I blew out a breath and stared at him.
But that one look at him assured me that no matter how complicated everything was, I wasn’t going anywhere.
My shoulders relaxed. I dragged in another slow breath and released it with a huff.
“Breathing is supposed to be good for stress, but I’ve never experienced that.”
Kingston laughed, touching my cheek. “Well, Lady Everly, I do believe there’s something I can do to help with that.”
“Oh really?”
My eyebrows rose as he flipped me onto my back.
Gently, of course.
Because this was Kingston, my careful, protective, and somehow still completely surprising Kingston.
Although, when he traveled down the length of my body to disappear between my legs, he was anything but gentle when it came to bringing me to climax.