The ones I saw in my nightmares.
And every singlefuckingtime I stared at her goddamn mini-me.
Even though it would cost me, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Why the fuck are you here, Victoria?”
Her cruel smile turned my insides to ash.
“Oh, I’m just dropping off the crown jewels. But…you didn’t think I’d miss the chance to wish you a belated happy birthday?”
She tongued her cheek as she examined her claws before she lifted her eyes to mine and smirked.
“Did you, Maxie?”
Chapter Sixteen
Max never returned to the library before Landon came to get me.
The whole time I sat there after he left, I stared at the picture of the Maidens from last year. Even from across the room, I spotted her.Desi.
The girl in the black romper and ballet flats.
At least, piecing everything I’d learned together, I could only assume that was her. An outsider like me. I couldn’t help but wonder if Kingston had picked her, too.
The guilt they all still carried over what happened to her ran so deep, I didn’t know if the wound would ever fully heal. Not even the ones keeping them at odds, but the ones tearing them up inside, all on their own.
When Landon appeared in the doorway, he pulled my attention from the photo, but his eyes lingered over where she stood in the front row. Beside the girl with colorful hair, ripped jeans, and Converse shoes. The girl he pointed to and said, “That’s Nancy.”
“That’s your sister?” I got up to stand beside him and get a closer look. “Which one was her Knight?”
His lips quirked with a small smile as he pointed at Kingston.
“Kingston? Oh, I—” My brow furrowed. “I assumed he had picked the Maiden who—Desi. I thought he picked her.”
“I didn’t know you knew her name.”
“Yeah, Max…He told me. Before he went out to get some air and didn’t come back.”
I wrapped my arms around my belly, anxiety creeping in. I worried I’d pushed too hard. Even though I hadn’t, not really.
“What did he tell you?”
Landon’s careful question made me even sadder.
I took his hand to squeeze it, reassuring him before lacing my fingers with his. “That he blames himself for what happened to her.”
Landon frowned. “He didn’t blame me?”
I shrugged, not sure it would help either of them to get into what he’d said. “Mostly, he said he should’ve tried to save her. But he didn’t think he could, for some reason, so he went to you. I think…when he looks at it clearly, he’s more mad at himself than you.”
Landon’s frown deepened, but there was no malice in it. He just seemed…lost. Staring at her photo, that only deepened.
“He wouldn’t have been able to save her.”
“Maybe…” I studied his features. “Maybe that’s something he needs to hear. I mean, I’d play messenger for you guys on this one, but with all the secrecy around it, I’m not sure it would help if it came from me. Maybe if he heard that from you…”
“Maybe.”
He brushed my hair back from my face, weaving his fingers past my ears to take hold of me. “You know I’d do anything for you, right?”
