Kingston struggled to hide how difficult the moment was for him—saying goodbye.
And, while I understood why he’d wanted to let go of the past, I hoped he wouldn’t have to in the end. That the future remained open. And that our path, the one we’d begun carving for the four of us, wasn’t decided yet.
I hoped things might play out in a way that healed all the pain and every scar Camelot Court had caused before we all came together.
Once Kingston clipped the helmet strap under my chin, he tipped my face up to his, and I answered the question I expected before he asked it.
Pushing up onto my toes, I kissed him.
Without urgency.
Without fear.
I kissed him softly, steadily, to remind him I was with him. Patient through whatever came next, because I believed we’d get there. I had no idea what was coming when Drake D’Arthur arrived at Pendragon, and keeping my promise would be a struggle. But I’d do it, because of what Kingston had shared with me.
Because I refused to be another thing Drake D’Arthur took from his son.
So, I’d do whatever it took.
And when the time came? I hoped it meant burying his father in an unmarked grave. So the world, and everyone in it, would forget his name.
“There’s one more place I want to show you,” Kingston said as he double-checked my helmet. “If you don’t mind staying with me for a little longer.”
At my nod, he touched my cheek before securing his helmet and climbing on the bike. He helped me climb on after him. My skin tingling from his touch, I pressed my cheek against his back.
He kicked the motorcycle to life, and as we left the cemetery, it felt like a lifetime had passed since we’d entered it.
We drove until the sun began to set, pulling off the road and taking an unmarked path.
When the trees cleared, nothing lay ahead but the mountains and a lake. The still, deep blue water stretched between twin peaks of the North Carolina mountains. Rocks along the edges of the lake guarded it from fallen leaves and rubble from the cliffs.
“This is Midnight Lake.”
I stared out at his secret place, my lips parting in awe as the hidden depths of the water drew me in. “It’s beautiful.”
Following his lead, I got off the bike and took his hand.
As I gazed out at the view, my heart ached at the connection it made. “Landon’s secret place overlooks the mountains, too.”
Kingston nodded. “Nanny used to bring us to see them. He doesn’t remember, but he still holds onto that piece of the past. She used to say the lake and the grounds at Camelot Court were beautiful, but they lacked a decent view. She had grown up in the mountains a few states away, and she missed her home while she was at Camelot Court.”
“What happened to her?”
“She’s gone. She left shortly after everything happened with Landon’s mother and his memory. Said she needed to get away for a while, but that she’d send help or come back for me.” His sad smile broke my heart. “I knew she had no way of doing that, even when she said it, but…she was being kind. Trying to give me hope. And I was glad she’d gotten out before my father could hurt her, too.”
He walked back toward the bike and rested on it, staring at me as I looked out at the view and fought my hardest not to cry.
Kingston released a breath. “Do you regret peeking behind the curtain yet?”
I whirled to face him, staring at him with protectiveness flaring in my chest again. “No, Kingston.”
His posture relaxed slightly. “I’d understand if you did.”
“Because a terrible man groomed you to believe no one will ever stand by you or survive it if they do.” I walked back over to him, taking his face in my hands. “That won’t happen with me, I promise.”
“I thought you don’t make promises you aren’t sure you can keep.”
“I’m making this one. And keeping it. I came here for a reason. I’ve felt that way from day one. At first, I thought it was about the money, about surviving on my own, but it—Nothing about this place turned out to be what I expected, and thatfeeling is still there. I could never leave now, knowing what you’ve shared, without trying to help you change it. We’re going to find a way around this. Around him. Or a way out. Iknowwe are.”
