“No. One thing I can say for sure is that Max Dread’s loyalty has never been to his father. We have that in common.”
“You three have a lot in common, actually. You’re all just too stubborn to notice.” When his eyebrows rose, I conceded on that a little. “Okay, fine. You’ve noticed. The other two, though. I could paint it on my body and they still wouldn’t see it.”
Kingston chuckled softly. “Well, to be fair, love, I couldn’t really hold that against them.”
“True.” I smirked, stretching my toes down his leg beneath the covers. But then, another thought occurred to me. “When we were talking at the cemetery, you mentioned your father pulled Merle because of the attack, but he only pulled him after I was drugged. I thought you said you refused that option.”
“I did,” he said, his voice firm and clear. “But I told you this is like chess, and much more than that, for a reason. In chess, there’s only one person whose moves you have to anticipate. And here, there are more players on the board. Each has their own motivations and intentions, playing off each other.”
“Jesus.”
“Once you were attacked, I realized that I’d failed to consider that fully. After the attack happened the way it did, once it spiraled, I feared something like that might happen again. Something I couldn’t predict, and without that, couldn’t prevent. So, I took precautions to make sure you’d be protected. No matter what happened.”
“What do you mean? What’d you do?”
He stared at me intently, straightening his spine as he said, “I bet on Max Dread.”
Realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. I opened my mouth to confirm it, but Kingston quickly shook his head, panic on his face signaling he’d slipped and said something he shouldn’t have said.
“Whatever you’re thinking, leave it for now. Please. All you can know is that I trusted that if he got you as his Match, you’d be safe.”
“But why Max? I mean, I’m not complaining because he was the right choice. Obviously. But you trusted him knowing how he felt about you and Landon?”
“Yes. I trusted that his feelings for you were stronger than any ill will or resentment he held against us.” He squeezed my hands. “And they were, Quinn. Theyare. I don’t doubt that.”
“But how did you know?”
“Which part?”
“When you bet on him, trusting that he’d protect me during the Honor Challenge, how did you know?”
“That Max had feelings for you, or that he was honorable and would do the right thing?”
“Both, I guess.”
Kingston smiled. “Well, to your first question, that’s really just the extended version of askingwhy me.” His eyes sparkled as he teased me. “And to your second, I knew because of what I shared with you about the eleven sons.”
“What?”
“Max was the only other boy who refused my father more than once. In fact, if my father wasn’t as ruthless as he is, and the seats had already been claimed, everything could’ve been different…Max could’ve been named my right hand before I ever met Landon.” Kingston shook his head as he considered a future that never played out, running a hand through his hair. “Instead, Max got to keep the one thing he coveted too much—the only thing that made him pick up the knife. Max Dread is a better person than anyone gives him credit for. Better than he gives himself credit for, and his resentment toward me and Landon...I understand it.”
“Oh, Max…” My heart ached for my giant burnt marshmallow. “Kingston, are you sure it’s not better for them to know all this? I mean, you considered telling Landon at one point, right? There must’ve been a reason that was one of two options.”
“There was a reason, but only before…” Tilting his head toward the bed, I realized what he meant. “If I would’ve toldhim 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. Foryou. 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?”
