Page 24 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

ABBY

MASON’S TAKING ADVANTAGE of my kindness.

He lies below me, his arms sprawled to the sides as he discusses his extensive family history. I’m still straddling him, but only because he claims he’ll lose control if I get up. I stopped believing him a long time ago, around the same time his erection began pressing between my thighs.

His pants and my underwear are the only things separating us, and it’s all I can think about.

Mason shifts, and I curl my fingers into my thighs. It feels good, but Mason doesn’t seem to notice as he continues discussing what he remembers of his childhood home.

“I used to love swimming in the Traul River,” he says. “The swimming hole I preferred isn’t too far from where we stopped for water.” It’s also where he and Kie forcibly bathed me, but he avoids mentioning that. “I was the best swimmer.”

Mason thinks he’s the best at everything he does. Humility isn’t a concept he’s familiar with.

I shift my weight from side to side, subtly seeking friction between my thighs. The slight movements aren’t nearly as satisfying as I’d like, but they’re better than nothing. The bond has me so needy, I could probably cum from this alone, which is sad.

“I loved fighting, too,” Mason continues.

I hum, staring at his chest. He’s muscular, and I so badly want to touch him. My fingers twitch with the urge, the digits threatening to betray me and slide up his torso. He’d let me, and he’s probably hoping I’ll do precisely that, if not more. He wouldn’t be so hard if he weren’t.

Mason clears his throat and moves again, fully rolling his hips. It provides me with proper friction, and my eyelids flutter shut as a bolt of pleasure shoots up my spine. I might actually cum from this.

“Mason,” I say in warning.

He smiles as his hands curl around my waist, holding me in place. I peer down at him, my stomach in knots. His pupils are blown out, and he licks his lips before pointedly rocking his hips again. It’s a confident action, one he’s doing because I haven’t been as subtle as I’d hoped.

Fuck . “How long have you known?”

Mason snorts. “How long have I known my mate is using my cock to masturbate? I’m clocked into your every movement, Abby, even the ones you think are too small to notice.”

So, he’s known the entire time. Wonderful.

He taps my hip, silently encouraging me to lift. I’m not sure I want to, mainly because Mason can’t be trusted. Still, because I love to do things I know I’ll later regret, I rise.

“Shifters aren’t allowed to train until they’re ten, not in any serious manner,” Mason says, resuming his earlier conversation. “I was nine when I was given to the faeries.”

It takes me several seconds to remember what he was talking about. It’s hard to think when he’s fiddling between my thighs. I expect him to touch me, but he pulls down his zipper instead.

Does he think we’re going to have sex? Not a chance .

“I dreamed of the day I’d be old enough to fight,” Mason continues. “I thought myself a little killer, and I even attacked Kie the first time I met him.” My underwear is pulled to the side, and something warm smacks against my sex. “I was obviously unsuccessful in my attempt to kill him.”

I don’t know how he can carry on a conversation at a time like this. One movement, and he’d be inside me. It’s all I can think about.

Mason lays his cock flat against his stomach, then pulls me on top. I sit, letting the length of him press between my slit. “This is more comfortable for us both,” he says. “You may continue rocking. I’ll pretend not to notice. I know you like that.”

Mason doesn’t know anything about what I like. I have half a mind to get up, rejecting his invitation and hurting his feelings, but I don’t. The head of his cock is pressing directly against my clit, and it feels good.

“Kie’s back,” Mason warns. He props himself up on his elbows and adjusts my dress, covering me. Kie bursts through the bedroom door a second later.

My back is to the door, and I avoid looking at Kie for fear of giving myself and Mason away.

I’m frozen in place. Kie’s back . Kie was gone because somebody tried to stop my heart. I’ve been so distracted by Mason that it almost completely slipped my mind. It’s only been an hour. How can I have forgotten somebody tried to murder me only an hour ago?

I blame the mate bond. It’s messing with my head, warping my sense of importance.

“Jackie and I have narrowed the list to fourteen people,” Kie says. “They’re being monitored. I want to know what they’re up to.”

Mason sits up further, and I flinch as his cock drags against my slit. He doesn’t spare me a glance as he places a hand against my lower back, keeping me in place.

“Are you kidding me?” he asks. He shakes his head. “You let them go, and you’re working with Jackie? What the fuck, Kie? You said you’d take care of this.”

Mason’s asking the right questions.

Kie sighs, stepping farther into the room. “I can’t order the execution of nobility over a hunch. I need proof, and I wasn’t going to get it today. Jackie knows everything. You know that as well as I do, and you also know she wasn’t involved in the attack.”

I hate hearing Jackie’s name.

Mason shifts, and I shoot him a warning look. Every movement rubs him against me. It’s too much, and I don’t want Kie to know what we were up to. It’s humiliating. I hate Mason, yet here I am grinding against his bare cock.

I’m ashamed of my attraction toward the shifter, and I don’t want anybody, not even Kie, to know about it.

“Who’s on the list?” Mason asks.

He presses against my lower back, urging me to grind against him as I was earlier. I shut my eyes, hoping the lack of visual stimulation will help me focus on Kie. My arms are shaking with the effort of holding myself back.

Kie rattles off several names I don’t bother listening to, his voice growing louder as he nears. I’m acutely aware of his presence as he walks up behind me.

“Your heart is strong,” he says.

He pulls off his gloves, and I twitch against Mason as Kie brings his bare fingers toward me. I feel like a dog begging for pets as I lean into him, desperate for his touch.

Kie skims my shoulder, and I draw in a shaky breath as he pushes my dress sleeve down my arm. He ripped the fabric earlier, making it easy to remove. Mason rolls his hips beneath me, and I pretend to need more stability as I slide my hands up his torso. I doubt I’m fooling anybody.

“Two of them are known shifter supporters,” Kie says. He brushes my other sleeve off my shoulder, and his throat bobs as he pulls the front of my dress down. “Jackie thinks—”

Mason grunts. “Stop talking about her.”

It’s like he’s read my mind, and I’m grateful he said it instead of me. I’d rather die than let my jealousy show. It gives Kie and Mason too much power.

Kie’s violet eyes flash toward Mason. I take the chance to admire Kie. I’ve seen Mason’s body several times, but I’ve never really seen Kie. Even when we were in the forest, he was discreet with his nudity.

Mason pushes against my lower back again. The movement rocks me forward, and I hiss as my clit rubs directly against Mason’s length. The stimulation is almost constant now. It’s too much.

“We should remain open to the possibility that the shifters were behind this,” Kie says.

Mason grunts, the vein in his neck bulging as he reaches behind himself and grabs the bed's headboard. He’s fully thrusting against me now, meeting each of my slight movements with desperate ones of his own.

“The shifters had no part in this,” he says. His knuckles are turning white from how hard he’s gripping the headboard.

Kie brushes my hair out of my face, his bare fingers barely grazing my skin. I want more, but I won’t ask.

“Harder,” Mason orders.

I plant my hands against his chest, growing desperate. This is too much. My hips begin to rock on their own accord.

“Yes.” Mason gasps. “Use me.”

His moans grow louder, continuing until something sticky covers my sex and thighs. Did he just cum? I lift my dress to see, and I immediately wish I hadn’t. It was one thing to know I’m riding the length of his cock, but it’s another to see it.

Cum pools from him and spreads against me with every movement. I whine, wanting nothing more than to grab his messy length and slide it inside me. He’s beyond thick, and I just know it would feel so good.

Mason continues gripping the headboard. I want to know why he’s restraining himself, but I’m afraid asking will encourage him. I’m worried that if he tries to fuck me, I’ll let him. It’s a miracle I haven’t put him inside me yet. It would be so easy.

Kie trails his fingers up and down my neck, but it’s all he gives.

“Kie,” I plead. I’m not sure what I want from him, but it’s more than this.

He tsks . “Not yet.”

I snap my jaw shut with a quiet click. Not yet? What’s that supposed to mean?

I brush him away, flicking his fingers off my neck. I won’t beg him to touch me, not after the way he’s treated me. Mason, despite his faults, is at least trying. He’s apologized, and I can tell it’s sincere.

Kie can’t even muster up one measly apology.

He can suck my balls.

I continue grinding against Mason, moving in the way that feels best for me. I’m so close, and the way Mason’s staring at me as if this is the best thing he’s ever witnessed isn’t helping.

“You prefer me.” He moans. “My mate prefers me. My cock, my affection, and my touch.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. Give an inch, and he takes a mile.

Mason wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against his chest, quickly replacing Kie’s removed fingers with his mouth. The feeling of his tongue on my neck is enough to push me over the edge, and my movements grow jerky as I finally find my orgasm.

It’s everything I hoped it would be, and I drop my head against Mason’s chest as I struggle to catch my breath. I needed this, and I take a moment to compose myself before smoothly sliding off the shifter’s lap.

I made a mess of him, but I refuse to look as I straighten out my dress and attempt to pull the sleeves back up my shoulders. I need to change, and then I need to take a long shower and contemplate my life. This has been fun and all, but attempted murder is where I draw the line.

Kie lingers in the corner of the room. He looks upset, but I refuse to allow myself to care.

I clear my throat. “What happened after we left?”

The sudden guilty expression that crosses Kie’s face is unexpected. He grimaces and glances away, his lips pursing. I immediately know it has something to do with Jackie. I cross my arms over my chest and tap my foot against the ground.

Mason remains where he is, lying on the bed with his arms sprawled to the sides. He looks content, and he doesn’t even attempt to cover himself up.

I focus on Kie. “Well?”