“Andyou?”
He stepped backward, lifting his chin as he stared past me. “Doesn’t matter. Whatever comes from this, we’ll deal with it.”
With a muttered curse, he turned away from me and stormed toward the house.
“You said you weren’t going anywhere.”
He froze.
Slowly, he faced me again, his hardened expression firmly in place.
But it cracked when my voice broke.
“You said you were done being afraid.”
He rushed forward, his eyes pleading this time, and he took my face in his hands. “I’m not afraid to be with you or choose you over all this if it comes to that. But losing you? Because you’re choosing to side with people who aren’t safe? Who will lead you right to your death if it helps them reach their end goal?” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ll always fear that, Princess. And I can’t sit by and watch you do it.”
Tears blurred my vision, and I blinked them away as I grabbed his wrists and squeezed, as if I could send everythingI felt through where our bodies connected. “Then, stay. Protect me.”
“I can’t protect you from this.”
A tear slipped down my cheek, confusion raging inside me as fiercely as his anger. I wanted to understand, but I couldn’t. “Why won’t you tell me what you know?”
“Why do you need to hear it?”
His grip tightened on my face, and his gaze darted to his hands, his chest—as if to say his actions should explain it.
“Why isn’t this enough?”
When I didn’t know how to respond, he dropped his head. His fingers slipped from my skin, and he stepped back.
Away from me.
“If all you want is answers, then let them tell you. I just—I need some fucking air.”
He stormed off as I reached for him. My hands fell to my sides, and I stared at his back in disbelief. With every step like a nail into a coffin, his departure froze me in place.
Landon and Kingston came beside me. As Kingston’s hand found the small of my back, Landon touched my left shoulder.
“Quinn—” he began, at the same time Kingston said, “He’s not wrong, love.”
My voice croaked. “No.”
I stepped away from them, needing answers as much as I had after the Knights’ Quorum. The last time that word turned everything on its head. I spun on my heel to face Morty, pointing at him and ignoring the smug gleam in his eyes. Because underneath it, something else lingered.
“You. Start talking. Now.”
He pursed his lips at the order before shoving his hands in his pockets.
Although aligned at the moment, I still didn’t trust him, but Morty wanted the truth out as much as I wanted to hear it.
Running his eyes over my exposed skin and non-designer clothes, he arched a brow and started talking. “Camelot Court doesn’t like outsiders, but you already know that.”
“Yeah, you’re all a bunch of pretentious, elitist assholes.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m fully aware. But that’snotthe information I need.”
He smirked, his posture relaxing slightly. “The other girls have spent their lives being prepared for this. You walked in here thinking it was just a silly game—belong to a Knight, take his orders for thirty days and walk away with a coin purse?”
My jaw clenched.
