Page 59 of The King's Maiden

Just like my fucking father.

“You seem a bit preoccupied with my Maiden, Dread. Is this an issue I should bring to your father’s attention?”

I snapped my gaze to his, all but spitting on the ground as I stepped forward and got into his face. “I don’t give a shit about your Maiden, Golden Boy.”

Most people shrunk back when I stood at full height over them, but Landon didn’t budge—the impenetrable fuck.I had three inches on him in height, but his build compensated forthat. Where I had mass and brute strength, Landon had quietly honed power.

I hated that about him, too.

Especially when he used it to control a girl who couldn’t stand against him. “But I do care about the code. You know, the Knights’ Code we’re supposed to live by? Pretty sure tormenting chicks for your amusement isn’t part of it.”

The corner of his mouth twitched with the hint of a smirk. “You sure that’s all it is?”

“Like I give a shit about some charity case. Especially a virgin one on top of it? That’s not exactly my type, Landon.” I leaned back against the wall by my door, where Vivian had put herself on display before taking a nap. While it wouldn’t be in the way she’d hoped, I planned to use that to my advantage. “You’re not the only one who wore out his new toy.”

Landon raised his eyebrows in a sign of agreement.

“It seems not.” He ran an assessing eye down Vivian’s form before doing the same to mine. “If you don’t mind, I have work to do before I can go back to my room and play.” He patted my shoulder, his fingers digging into the muscle at my back so the gesture would appear to anyone else as friendly. “But I don’t appreciate having another’s eyes on what belongs to me. So, see that your lack of interest stays that way.”

He released my shoulder and stepped back, while I resisted the urge to retaliate. We stared off, neither of us wanting to back down and both of us knowing we were off limits to each other physically. Until the new King reigned, our battle had to be a mental one. And the newest conquest in the war was shaping up to be my greatest chance for victory.

Using her, I could destroy them both.

Chapter Seventeen

QUINN

“Undress me.”

From the dresser—where I’d been kindly minding my own damn business and unpacking my clothes—my head snapped to his.

Feeling refreshed after my nap, I had decided to put away my things. Landon had been gone when I woke up, but he’d gotten back a little while ago and had gone straight into the bathroom to shower. That had seemed odd for the middle of the afternoon, but it wouldn’t have shocked me to find out he showered three times a day.

He seemed like the type.

I wasn’t going to judge his hygiene rituals. But I’d been gone back and forth on addressing the newest elephant in the room. Since he’d come out, he’d been watching me from across the room, and I’d been pretending not to notice as I put my things in the empty drawers he’d marked for me.

But I couldn’t ignore him anymore. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?”

“You heard me.” He stepped closer, his dark eyes holding no trace of humor. “Undress me.”

My eyes narrowed on him, and I forced a laugh. “Is this some kind of welcoming prank?” I placed a neat stack of leggings in the drawer. “Or are there…I don’t know. Some meds you forgot to take today?”

“Meds?”

“I’m implying that you must be crazy.” I let out a sigh, reaching for a stack of t-shirts. “Because you’re off your rocker if you think I’m going to undress you.”

He closed the distance between us. “And you’re off your rocker if you think this is an extended stay at the Camelot Motel. You’re here to win The Quest, and to do that, you need me to train you. So, I’d suggest you get over your delicate sensibilities that prevent you from taking orders. Sooner rather than later.”

I rolled my eyes. “Duly noted.”

His hand snapped out and snatched my wrist. “Don’t test me, Quinn.”

The neat pile of clothes I’d been holding tumbled to the floor, and the charms on my bracelet dug into my skin. I glared at him. Clearly, the tentative truce I’d thought we’d reached this morning must’ve been in my imagination.

He’d reverted to the cold, emotionless control freak he’d been in the Round Tableau.

I found myself as annoyed with his behavior as I was then—and even more obnoxiously—still a little turned on by it.

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