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He’d hadn’t called me that since the Nobility Introduction. Meaning hung heavily in the croak of his voice. Even when he pushed off the door, striding across the lawn, I sensed a change in his demeanor.

Narrowing my eyes on his back, my natural suspicion made me pause.

But damn my curiosity, I followed him.

If Max appeared willing to let me in, I wasn’t going to second guess it.

Racing to catch up with him, I cursed his giant strides. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not that again.”

He scoffed and kept walking. “Worked out fine when your boy Kingston said it.”

Annoyance lodged in my throat, stifling the scoff I wanted to throw right back at him, but I could let him put on his act here and there if it meant answers in the long run. I lifted my chin and kept up my pace beside him.

“Yeah, well, at the end of the day, when Kingston told me what was going on—when I finally didsee—I understood what he’d been going through, and none of the secrecy mattered.”

“Bully for you,” he deadpanned.

I wrinkled my nose. “No one says that.”

He huffed and kept walking around the back lawn until we reached the row of garages. I expected him to open one andreveal his pickup truck, but when the first garage door retracted, a sleek, blood-red sports car waited inside it.

So pristine it had to be illegal, I didn’t recognize the emblem on the hood. Not that I was brimming with expensive sports car knowledge, but this one was way over my head.

It also looked fast as fuck.

I retreated on instinct.

But the alarm bells and warnings to run didn’t come like they did my first night at Camelot Court, right before I met Max Dread. I’d seen enough, the threat had been neutralized, and I was ready to jump into the fire with him.

Wherever he wanted to take us.

I walked over to the passenger door as he studied a row of keys hanging on the wall. He grabbed a set off its hook, twirled it around his finger, and turned back to where he’d left me.

His brow furrowed, and he found me by the car.

A hint of pride flashed before he veiled it with indifference.

“Get in,” he barked.

I layered as much sass into my tone as I could. “Yes,Master.”

A low growl rumbled as he slid into the driver’s seat, and I smiled to myself before schooling my expression and getting in, too.“Where are we going?” I asked again, just to be a brat.

“Bill and Diane’s.” He smiled as he buckled his seatbelt. “Buckle up.”

As soon as I did, he started the car and pulled out of the driveway. He went slowly at first, but then, as we approached the gate, he clicked a button on the dashboard and picked up speed. My phone, which Landon had given me before I met Tristan, rang in the side pocket of my leggings.

Right as we reached the gate to leave Camelot Court.

Kingston’s name flashed across the screen, and I swiped to pick it up. “Hey! Is everything okay?”

“Yes, love. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, Max is just taking me on his super-top-secret-special-mission for mySubterfugelesson. And I’ll admit I’m glad to put space between me and your dad. Not to mention Ben.”