That storm I’d seen in his eyes once, when he walked in on me with Max and Landon, returned with a vengeance. A hurricane of emotion sweeping in and clearing away everything else. He grabbed my face and pulled me to him, his lips crashing down on mine while my heart thundered in my chest.
Clutching him tightly, I kissed him back with every drop of rage inside me. A kiss fueled by a protectiveness I’d never experienced before. Fierce and urgent with the need for more. Intensified by what we’d have to do to get it.
When I deepened our kiss, I needed him tofeel it. Right then, without a single doubt, that he wasn’t alone anymore.
We finally pulled apart, and Kingston drew me into his chest. Holding me there as we watched the sun set over the mountains. When the last of it faded from view, he turned away and faced the bike.
“Once we arrive at Pendragon, you’ll need to go in while I put the bike away, but…if you’re willing to stay with me tonight, you can go up to my room, and I’ll come find you.”
I nodded, but then I arched a brow. “You don’t lock your room door? I don’t know why, but you strike me as the type.”
“Of course, I do. But…” He fingered the charm on my bracelet. The one he’d given me. “The lock is electronic, and this opens it if you hold it up to the sensor.”
Caught off guard, my voice squawked when it came out. “You gave me a key to your room on the first day?”
He arched a brow. “Of all the things I’ve shared with you, I’m touched you saved that frequency in your voice for this particular secret.” When I blushed, he laughed, and I ran my hands over his shoulders to feel the tension leave them. “Andyes, Quinn. I gave you a key to everything that day. I just haven’t told you where to find all the locks.”
And though my heart nearly burst, I scoffed, feigning offense to that. “Rude.”
“I plan to show you all of them.”
“That’s just the extended version ofyou’ll see.”
When I huffed, mostly playfully, he released a soft laugh.
“I promise. I’ll share more soon.” The corner of his mouth lifted in a slightly forced smile. “But, once you know all my secrets, what will you do then, love?”
If, knowing a love of answers was in my blood, he truly worried about that, I didn’t want him to. So, I wrapped my arms around his neck and reassured him as best I could, a nickname slipping out with his accent on my tongue.
“Whateverwewant,darling.”
He stole my lips in another electrifying kiss before pulling away too soon. As he buried his face in my neck, a shudder tore through him, and I held him as tightly as I could. I hated that I couldn’t end all this for him, but I was determined to find a way through it together.
The thought of letting him go, now, felt impossible.
And while nothing could’ve prepared me for what Kingston’s secrets would be, no part of me regretted finally seeing his truth.
His story wasn’t a fairytale.
Neither was mine.
On the drive back, my thoughts drifted to Landon and Max, to the pain and regret we’d each experienced in one way or another. Landon’s mother and his memory, the secrets Max still couldn’t bring himself to share, and what had happened between them in the past, leaving a wake of guilt and resentment they still fought to get past.
Nothing about The Quest, or Camelot Court, was a fantasy.
But I had to believe that a King, two Knights, and their Maiden, Lady, Princess—whatever the fuck they called me—could overcome the obstacles and slay the monster in our story. Get the happy ending we all deserved.
The one Kingston had been fighting for silently, and alone, for far, far too long.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
When we got back to Pendragon, Kingston dropped me off at the front, where Landon waited silently.
He shuttered his expression as we approached, but relief peeked out as I met him at the top of the steps. He pulled me into a hug, and tears stung my eyes.
I buried my face in his shirt, but he sensed my pain and lifted my chin. His concern morphed into silent understanding, even though he had no idea what Kingston had shared.
It was as if knowing their reality had changed me physically, and one look told him I’d never be the same.
