Page 17 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

Kie turns his back to me, retreating into the open dining area.

My toes curl in my shoes as he abruptly stops at the table.

He leans forward and plants his palms onto the dark wood, his head dropping between his shoulders.

The rapid expansion and contraction of his ribcage suggests he’s panting, maybe even hyperventilating.

I can’t hear his breathing from the couch, nor can I see his face to confirm. Still, I know what I’m looking at. Is he having a panic attack? Do faeries get them?

“Did you know?” Kie’s question is full of accusation. “Did you know she was planning on murdering my mother?”

I physically recoil. “Of course not.”

Kie turns, his violet eyes narrowed in on me. “Lillian was your best friend, was she not? You claim she told you everything. Did you know? Is that why you wanted to leave this morning? Were you hoping to escape before she followed through?”

He’s hurting, and I’d wonder the same thing if I were in his position . I remind myself of this fact to keep my anger in check. It works, and I manage to keep a level head as I answer his question.

“I did not know,” I repeat. “And had I suspected, I would have told you. I’m willing to overlook and excuse several things in the name of friendship, but murder is crossing the line. I had no idea what Lill was planning. I’m just as shocked as you are.”

Kie cocks his head to the side. “But you suspected she wasn’t my true mate? Is that why you touched Mason? To confirm your hypothesis?”

“Mason was the one who suspected, and he put the idea in my mind approximately twenty minutes before I touched him.” I have no problem placing blame on the shifter. “He was the one keeping secrets from you, not me.”

Kie stares at me for a long minute, then resumes his pacing.

Another five minutes pass. Where is Mason?

How long is he going to be gone? I want to know what’s happening.

Have they found Lill? Does Mason have it under control?

It’s hard to imagine him in a leadership position.

He seems too brutish, too ruled by emotion.

“Do you know where she would go?” Kie asks.

“No,” I admit. “I could suggest a few locations in the human realm, but I’m not sure they’ll help much.”

The front door flies open, smacking against the wall with a loud bang. Mason comes storming inside a moment later. Two guards stand in the doorway behind him but make no moves to enter.

Mason immediately finds me, and his shoulders relax as we make eye contact.

“Can you make a list?” he asks. He must’ve heard me through the door.

I hesitate, then nod. Lill’s killed somebody, and I can’t continue playing the middle.

She had more than enough opportunity to tell me what was going on, and she chose to keep her secrets.

She looked me in the eye and lied to me, purposefully keeping details of her story hidden.

Maybe she had a good reason, but from where I stand, I struggle to understand what it might be.

Mason turns, gesturing for one of the guards to enter.

Well, I thought he was gesturing for the guards.

They part instead, revealing three poised faeries.

The one wearing robes is in front, and trailing behind him is a woman with white, shoulder-length curly hair and a man staring at me with an uneasy amount of interest.

They file inside the house and into the dining room. Kieran takes a seat, and the others follow. They leave the spot at the head of the table empty, I assume for Mason. The shifter doesn’t take it .

He chooses to stand beside me in the living room.

“These are the council members,” he says, his voice low. “The council leader is Anox.” He’s the one in the robes. “Beside him is Lady Cassandra, and the other is Lord Bishop. Would you like to sit with us?”

Anox looks over, his violet eyes unblinking. It’s like he’s looking through me, and it’s painfully unnerving. Everything about him is unnerving.

“Am I allowed?” I ask.

Mason hesitates. “You’re technically not welcome to sit in on council meetings, but this is a special circumstance. The other alternative is for you to sit in the living room pretending not to eavesdrop, which will be uncomfortable for everybody present.”

As tempting as lurking in the living room sounds, I choose the less unpleasant option. Mason walks beside me as I approach the table, and he waits until I settle into an open seat before taking his own.

“Lillian isn’t on the property,” Mason begins, filling Kie and me in.

“Two scouts have been sent to the outpost in the Redstall Forest with a message for my father—” Anox clears his throat, and Mason shoots him a glare before continuing.

“With a message for Alpha Theon . We’re informing him of our suspicions that Lillian Collins is hiding within his lands and an order for him to return her to us should she be found. ”

Kie taps his finger against the table. “Are you sure it’s wise for your first decision as acting king to involve communication with the shifters?”

“We’ve considered this,” Anox chimes in. “And we’ve decided it’s in our best interests to do so. Given the severity of the situation, it’s imperative for Mason to exhaust every possible avenue to getting Lillian in our custody.”

“What will you do to her?” I ask .

Kie is the one who answers. “We provide fair trials, Abby. No snap decisions will be made.”

I let out a sigh, beyond happy to hear that.

“We’ve put out a notice of Her Majesty’s death,” Mason continues. “And we’re moving my coronation up to tomorrow morning.”

Lady Cassandra leans forward, and a strand of hair falls over her eye. She smoothly tucks it behind her ear before speaking. “What about…” She pauses, grimaces, and turns toward Kie. “What’s your mate’s full name?”

Why doesn’t she ask me that? Have I suddenly turned invisible? I think not.

“Abby,” Kie answers.

“Abby what ?”

Kie falls silent.

“You don’t know your mate’s family name?” Lady Cassandra raises a brow. The subtle movement contains a significant amount of judgment.

“My full name is Abigail Williams,” I say, answering her.

She leans back in her chair. “I am not ignoring you to be rude. I am ignoring you because you’re not allowed to participate in this meeting. Despite Mason’s unconventional demand for us to convene outside the chamber rooms, I wish to honor tradition. Especially in a time of unrest.”

Annoying, but I suppose honorable.

Lady Cassandra shifts her attention to Mason. “What do you intend to do about Abigail Williams?” she asks. “Do you wish to have her crowned as your queen consort? As your mate, she’s entitled to the title, and it’ll give her protection should something happen to you and Prince Kieran.”

Mason chews on his bottom lip. “What do you think?” he finally asks Kie .

I’m interested to see if either of them will bother to ask me how I feel about the matter. I have little interest in becoming Mason’s queen consort, mate bond or not.

“I think we should hold off on that,” Kie says. “We can deal with Abby after today’s events have settled.”

Deal with Abby.

“I agree,” Anox chimes in.

Both Lady Cassandra and Lord Bishop let out murmurs of agreement.

I rest my chin on my knees as the topic changes, returning to Her Majesty’s death and Mason’s coronation. There’s a lot to discuss, but the council manages to fit everything into one thirty-minute meeting.

The council members leave immediately after, returning to work. Kie resumes pacing the minute we’re alone, hardly speaking and staring ahead with a detached, cold expression.

Dinner is spent with me curled up in a ball on the couch while Kie and Mason pore over the short list of places I think Lill could have gone. They ultimately decide to send a small unit of soldiers to each location, which I think is overkill.

It’s dark by the time the men are sent out. Four per location. Lill may have murdered the queen, but she’s still physically quite frail. If found, it won’t be hard to overpower her.

“Are you tired, Abby?” Kie eventually asks.

The sun fell hours ago, and I’m beyond exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open, and I blink heavily before shrugging.

“I guess,” I mumble.

Kie frowns, pushing away from the table. It looks like he’s about to approach me, but he changes course and returns to his position at the table after a visible hesitation.

Mason looks over, his green eyes piercing. “You’ll sleep with me tonight. ”

“No.”

Mason opens his mouth, probably to argue, but Kie quickly intervenes. “You can sleep in the guest room. Do you wish to shower? I’ll bring you a change of clothing.”

I shake my head. “I’m fine out here.”

I want to know if there are any updates on Lill’s whereabouts.

Kie frowns again. He’s always frowning. “Go to sleep, Abby. Tomorrow will be busy, and you’ll want to be rested for it. Mason’s coronation is early.”

I shake my head again.

Kie sighs. “We’ll wake you if we hear anything about Lill.”

My eyes narrow.

“We promise,” Mason chimes in.

My next blink is exceptionally heavy. “If you’re lying, I’ll kill you.”

“We’re aware.” Kie gestures down the hallway. “Do you remember where the guest room is?”

“Wouldn’t forget it.” I’ll never forget the room he locked me inside while Lill was being tortured in the cells.

I climb off the couch and head down the hallway. The door is ajar, and I eye the scuff marks from my failed attempts to kick it down. It’s only been a few days since I was locked in here, but it feels like a lifetime.

My limbs are heavy as I strip off my dress and slip between the covers, but sleep doesn’t immediately find me. I roll around for what feels like hours, unable to get my mind to stop racing long enough to fall asleep. I’m not happy with today.