Before I turned the corner, Morty and Merle stepped out of Camelot Courtyard, arguing in hushed voices as they went the opposite direction to where the front of Pendragon would be, and hopefully, Merle’s exit.
Relieved that he wasn’t still with the other girls or about to come around the corner for Round Two with me, I went deeper into the house to find the nearest bathroom.
And at my next turn, I smacked right into the other Dread.
“You shouldn’t be here, Quinn.”
Max wrapped his hand around my arm, gripping tightly to steady me, and I relished it. So much so that I didn’t respond.
I stared at him, searching every line of tension in his features as if I might find some way to take it all away.
“Why aren’t you with the others?”
He stared over me and down the hallway, as if the rest of the girls were lagging. Frustration built in his jawline as he accepted I’d wandered off alone again.
“Why can’t you just…It’s like you’re trying to draw attention to yourself on purpose. Even after what just happened, what they did—” He released me and ran his hands through his hair. “You keep bringing it around me, too!”
I shook my head, opening my mouth to speak but unable to get a word in.
“Can’t you just do as you’re told?” he growled. “One time?”
“Max, I was allowed to leave.”
He scoffed. “Sure, you were.”
I stepped closer, maintaining a distance between us but needing him to hear me. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Even after what happened, I won’t do it.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, he formed a barrier between our bodies, and I stepped back, following his lead.
“You’ve made yourself clear.” I nodded to the space I’d put between us. “I hear you, Max. Okay? I’mlisteningnow. So, I won’t cause problems for you anymore.”
Only the slight dip between his eyebrows and the set of his jaw conveyed I might be getting through to him.
“Morty showed up after your father grabbed me. I needed?—”
“My father what?” He straightened, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “Where is he?”
“I’m pretty sure he’s gone now. Morty was arguing with him, and they went toward the front of the house.” The adrenaline from my fight with his dad, what had been keeping me going until I could finally talk to him, seeped out of me. My shoulders sank heavily, and I moved back another step. “It’s over now. Don’t worry about it.”
“Why the fuck did he grab you?”
As he remained focused on what I’d said about his father, I wanted to tell him the truth. That I saw it—his concern, his fear, and the war in his eyes—how he wanted to reach out but needed to stay away. The battle I fought now, too.
For him.
I wanted him to know that I saw him now, and I wanted confirmation I couldn’t have yet.
Before I responded, Morty popped up behind me to ruin the moment between us. “Little brother, pleeease.” He looped an arm around my shoulders and filled in the blanks for me. “Thelittle princess just channeled her big-bad-bitch energy and put dear old Dad in his place for being a righteous twat.”
When I tried to throw his arm off me, he gripped me tighter, pinning me to his side.
With his free hand, he ruffled my hair. “Tell him, sister. Am I right or am I right?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t call me that. I’m not?—”
“Not yet.” Morty smirked and blew me a kiss.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
