Chapter Twenty-Four
A fter they got over their egos, we handled the events of the night before like adults.
By not talking about them at all.
Max got a call from his father and had to rush over to Pendragon, and since he’d woken up to Landon and me falling into old habits, he insisted we all go together.
I sat between them in the car that picked us up. The picture of comfort and grace, fidgeting in my stark-white dress. Because, of course, that was the dress code for the Honor Ceremony.
All I was missing was the scarlet A embroidered on my chest, which Camelot Court would surely insist upon if they got wind of my late-night activities with two of their Knights. Or my kiss with Max. The drugging. My first date with?—
Yeah, there was a long list of things they’d be sure to judge.
But we planned to keep the finer details to ourselves. So, it would be fine. Everything was fine.
Totally fine.
The spectacle itself was held in the parlor where the Match Selection had taken place, and to say I was ready for the night to be over before it began would’ve been an understatement.
Fortunately, it was completely anticlimactic.
Absolutely nothing of note occurred. Zip.
Zilch.
Nada.
Well, the Knights spoke in reverse order. That really shook things up.
Although, I’d learned the order was done in reverse initially, with Landon being the first Knight but always the last to speak. Some weird symbolic gesture on how they had no rank or whatever.
For the Honor Ceremony, it meant Landon went first when it came time to say if his assigned Maiden maintained her honor during the six days.
When Merle called everyone to gather in a circle, the Knights fell into their places first. Max and Landon left me alone for the first time since I’d woken up from the drugging, both taking their places beside Kingston.
Most of the Maidens went to stand by their matched Knights, but Merle corrected them, asking them to stand with their original Knight from the first challenge.
My hands shook as I stepped beside Landon.
Nausea rolling in my gut, I lifted my head and found myself back in the Round Tableau.
As if it were happening all over again.
Heart racing, I blinked past the pressure building in my eyes. My breathing quickened. My head swiveled as I stared around the room. Hearing their whispers. Hearing his voice—that one word.
What if it happened again?
My eyes shot to Max without thinking.
He stared forward, his eyes on his father in the center of the room, while Vivian examined her nails by his side. Her eyes darted over to me, narrowing on my reaction.
I ignored her.
I kept my eyes on Max. Waiting for him to look over at me. Hoping he’d give me a sign.
But he never did.
Kingston joined Merle in the center of the room, pulling my focus.
When Merle announced the Knights would come up one by one to speak, sweat built at my temples. My chest tightened. Merle called Landon’s name.
But he didn’t move.
I forced myself to look at him, unsure why he wasn’t moving but also sure that if he’d left my side at that moment to go to the middle of the room, I would’ve lost my shit.
And he knew it.
“Breathe, Quinn.”
My eyes widened, throat constricting, and I couldn’t do it.
“Take a breath, Maiden.”
I inhaled.
“Good girl.” He took my hand, squeezing it quickly. “You’re alright. He’s not—” Glancing at Max, he swallowed hard, past whatever trapped the words in his throat, and dropped his eyes. “Just breathe.”
Merle coughed, alerting everyone who had not asked that Landon still needed to speak. Landon ignored him and gave my hand another squeeze. I took another breath, sliding my hand out of his before all of it—my reaction, his touch, the room—became too much.
He watched me for another moment, and then slowly took his place beside Kingston to speak.
I barely registered it when he moved Elaine on to the next round, or how quickly Landon said she maintained her honor before stepping away from Kingston and Merle.
But I definitely didn’t miss the way Elaine glared at Landon and me as soon as he rejoined me.
Yep. Absolutely zero to comment on there.
As each of the Knights stepped forward in turn, I got myself under control. I smiled briefly when a Knight with black hair and blue eyes, who I was pretty sure was named Peter, announced Izzy Gold would move on. I wasn’t at all surprised she’d made it through, and the smile she gave Tristan when he nudged her hip with his didn’t hurt as much as it had at the dance.
I didn’t even try to hide the satisfaction on my face when Inez was eliminated. I didn’t know the Knight she’d been paired with, but I’d send him a thank-you card.
One down.
And I had no doubt that would be it for the night.
So, it didn’t shock me at all when, according to Ben Devereaux, Vivian had refused to put out.
Not sure why he thought it necessary to phrase it like that.
Or why his tone held a note of surprise.
But if he’d actually thought he had a chance at seducing the Ice Princess, he was a fool.
The only way Vivian was going down was if—no, when —I dragged her there, kicking and screaming.
With two of my three attackers holding on to fight another day, I kept my eyes on Kingston and Merle as the rest of the Knights spoke. Mostly so I didn’t freak myself out again by looking at Max. I also let Landon’s presence beside me soothe me—steady me the way only he seemed able to do.
Until, finally, Max stepped forward.
My heartbeat punched out a stuttered rhythm, but I reminded myself over and over that Max had defended my honor to Kingston and Landon. He wasn’t out to get me.
He wasn’t.
Merle’s stare practically bore holes into Max’s skull. “Sir Mordred, did your assigned Maiden maintain her honor over the full six days?”
And Max’s response in the cabin earlier held true.
“Quinn Everly maintained her honor, not once asking for more between us, despite my excellent seduction attempts…” He glanced at Kingston before returning his gaze to his father. “And despite someone trying to sabotage her by drugging the wine in our gift basket.”
Gasps rang out around the room.
He’d disregarded the plan, but all I heard was his defense.
It drowned out the outrage, the cries for my head, whatever it was. I didn’t care as he finally shifted his gaze to mine, and his coal-black eyes burned the rest of my panic to ash.
Naturally, though, after he said that, there was a touch of debate over my honor.
Surprise, surprise.
Merle had, in my opinion, too many probing questions about the events of my drug-addled evening. When he acted surprised by Max mentioning it, I assumed that was for appearances, but why he wanted all the details in front of everyone when the guys said he’d been the one insisting the doctor could handle it, I couldn’t say.
But my hackles rose when he called my name.
“Miss Everly, if you’d please come forward.”
Landon tensed at my side. I tilted my head at Merle, brow furrowing as I tried to figure out if I’d heard him right.
When I didn’t move, he repeated himself. “Miss Everly?”
“Why?”
He blinked at my question, surprised by my not jumping to comply. “Max mentioned you were drugged,” he said slowly, as if speaking to someone who was confused. Didn’t appreciate that. “I just have to ask you some questions, Miss Everly.”
I didn’t budge. “Again, I have to ask…why?”
Merle glanced at Kingston, but Kingston didn’t look at him. Fidgeting, Merle refocused on me. “Miss Everly, there’s no need to be concerned. I just need to ask what happened.”
“Okay…I’m not sure why you need me to do that when Max already explained. He’s perfectly capable of telling you what happened. And probably the better source, you know, since…as he mentioned, I was drugged.”
“This is highly unusual.”
“It is and it isn’t.” I interrupted, glancing at Kingston, whose lips twitched. I returned my attention to Merle and shook my head. “Questioning the victim of a drugging, knowing their recollection is unclear? Yeah, it’s unusual but not at all surprising. Either way, I won’t be doing that. Thanks.”
Maybe he was trying to clear my name fully in front of everyone in the room. Maybe he was trying to get the other Knights and Maidens to judge what happened for themselves. Between the two options, I had my suspicions about his true motivations.
And I wasn’t taking any chances.
Sure. The guy had helped me out in a pinch, but that didn’t mean I trusted him.
Whatever his intentions were, Max had already given him essentially nothing to use against me. And now, I wondered if his refusing to look at me before the ceremony had been about his dad. Because when Merle turned back to Max, when I wouldn’t behave, Max put an end to it quickly.
“As I already said, at no point did Quinn ask for more to happen between us.”
“But my question, son, was if anything happened. Not if she asked for more.”
“Even if something did happen, it wouldn’t have been at her request, and according to the by-laws, drugging a Maiden to get her eliminated is against the rules. It’d get me and Vivian eliminated, actually. So, unless that’s your end goal, the question is pointless.”
Effectively silencing his father with the words I’d given him on our first morning in the cabin, Max stared down each of the remaining Knights and Maidens.
His onyx gaze practically begged them to challenge his word. No one voiced a single protest.
I suppressed a full-body shudder.
When Max took his place next to Vivian, he ignored her glare and his father’s narrowed gaze. He’d said his piece and made it clear he refused to continue defending me or himself.
Meanwhile, since I had no intention of addressing how Camelot Court had responded to a Maiden being drugged, I tried not to think about how Max’s reaction to my earlier accusation made my heart ache. Or read into his defense of my honor as yet another attempt to prove himself to me.
And I refused to acknowledge how wet my panties had become over what he’d just done.
Vivian helped with that by putting her hand on Max’s arm—blind rage really quieted my inner trollop—but then, the surly bastard had to go and throw her hand off him before staring directly at me.
Fucking. Soaked.
And there was nothing stopping us from acting on what we felt except my own stubborn refusal to admit I’d been wrong about him.
Because the Honor Challenge was over.
I wasn’t a Maiden anymore.