“Ah, how the tables have turned.” I teased, but it had to be hard for him. “How are you doing with that?”
“I understand why you hated how often I saidyou’ll see, but aside from that, it’s the way it goes.” He winked at me. “And I have faith in my choices.”
My heart swelled.
Between his unrelenting faith and Landon’s unwavering support, the dark cloud of where things were with Max cleared slightly.
“Did he talk to you?”
“Not yet, but he will when he’s ready.” Kingston’s expression tightened just slightly, but he smiled. “You go on to your lesson, and leave that worry to me. I need something to do, and it sounds like you’ve been busy enough.”
“That would be great. Thank you.” Leaning down, I pressed a lingering kiss to his lips and donned my best posh accent. “Well, darling, I must be off. Say you’ll wait for me?”
“Always, love.” He smiled, and since that had been the effect I was going for, I headed to the door.
Before I left his office, the first time I’d called himdarlingat his secret overlook triggered my memory, following the conversation with Morty.
“Kingston?”
He paused with his hand raised over the old-fashioned phone on his desk. “Hm?”
“Morty turned me away at the gate when I arrived for the Maiden Introduction, but his first night back was the Maiden Selection, wasn’t it?”
“It was.” Kingston didn’t meet my gaze when he said it, but his lips twitched. “Was that all?”
When he lifted his head, I winked and blew him a kiss. “For now.”
Kingston had known that Morty was the second person I met, even when I hadn’t known it myself.
With my first two clues being the people I’d first met in order, I had a new theory.
Progressing down the line, the pledges who’d guarded the door came next.
But since I didn’t expect them to be hanging around Camelot Court, that brought me back to Max Dread.
Today, whether I was ready or not, I’d have to face him.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Given that she’d attacked me the day before, I decided to skipSparringwith Elaine to refocus on the supplies I’d gotten from Miss Alice.
Inside my room, I headed to the bathroom to get some toilet paper and clean off the picture.
The door was locked.
I scanned the bedroom. “Izzy?”
Her muffled voice came from the bathroom. “In here!”
After a shuffle, groan, toilet flush, and running water at the sink, Izzy appeared in the doorway. With flushed, clammy skin, she looked paler than usual.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Wrinkling her nose, she swiped a hand over her face. “Not really.”
“You don’t look so good.”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Thanks. I threw up at three in the morning, and it’s been non-stop since then. Probably something I ate. My stomach has been cramping like crazy.” With another groan, she wrapped her arms around her middle and stalked over to her bed. “Morgan and Angela feel sick, too.”
