Page 27 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

ABBY

KIE AND MASON are upset. It’s evident in the way Mason stomps around the room and Kie barks orders. Kie’s usually polite, but not today. He’s taking a page out of Mason’s book.

Kie grunts. “Let me know when it’s done.”

He slams the front door shut and turns back to the room. We’re leaving for the forest early tomorrow morning, and Kie is losing it. Mason isn’t far behind. I’m nervous, but I’m also secretly pleased to be getting my way.

We’re going to the meeting together.

Kie and Mason hate this plan. It’s obvious they hate it with every fiber of their beings, but there are no other options. Mason can’t meet Alpha Theon alone, and Mason insists his father won’t speak to Kie. Both men insist I can’t be left alone here.

The only solution is for all three of us to go.

It’s dangerous, but I suspect there’s just as much danger here. Somebody already tried to kill me, a fact I’m doing my best to forget. I look down, fiddling with the plastic tiara I stole from Kie’s office.

Mason paces the living room, then disappears down the hallway. His bedroom door slams shut a second later. He’s been unnervingly quiet since finding that letter. He must be devastated.

Kie shifts, placing himself in front of me. The bond has my fingers twitching with the urge to touch him, to feel his bare skin against mine. I run my thumbs over the fake stones on the tiara instead, distracting myself with it.

“I don’t know what to say to you.” Kie lets out a dry laugh.

“I don’t know how to have a relationship with you after everything.

I thought I was doing right by my people, but at what cost?

” He stares at the tiara, refusing to make eye contact with me.

“And now we’re bonded. I can see how you’re fighting the pull to Mason.

You’re going to fall in love with us. You have no choice, and I’d do anything to stop it.

” Kie’s voice cracks. “I wish I could kill our bond.”

I step back. What am I supposed to say to that?

Kie continues. “I’d rather spend the rest of my life alone than with a woman who’s forced to love me.”

“But you can’t.” I set the tiara on the edge of the couch.

“You can regret what you did to me, but you can’t take it back.

You regret touching me and igniting the bond, but you can’t take it back.

What’s done is done, and I’m sick and tired of you and Mason acting like I’m so entranced by the bond that I don’t have a functioning brain behind it. ”

Kie gulps.

I continue. “I’m attracted to you two, but I’m not some damsel hopelessly in love with you.

I haven’t been robbed of coherent thought, and it’s time you two stop bitching about things you can’t change and do something productive.

Buy me flowers or cook me a romantic meal.

Be vulnerable. I honestly don’t fucking care, just—”

“Vulnerable?” Kie cuts my sentence short.

“I’m terrified. I’m terrified Alpha Theon is plotting something.

I’m terrified Mason is going to be hurt.

I’m terrified of letting my people down.

Is that vulnerable enough for you? Do you need more?

I can’t stop listening to your heart, and I’ve been funneling magic into it since you were attacked.

I haven’t slept because I can’t use magic when sleeping, and I can’t leave you unprotected. ”

His words take a moment to register. That’s a lot to take in, but one part stands out.

“When was the last time you slept?” I ask.

I know he didn’t the day his mother died. He was up all night trying to make sense of Lill’s attack and preparing for Mason’s coronation. The following night, he and Mason were up until the early morning reviewing those foreign policy books.

We went to bed early last night, and I was under the impression that Kie, Mason, and I all got a whole night of sleep. I was certainly exhausted after the execution attempt, and Mason slept so deeply that his heavy breathing woke me several times.

“Kie?” I urge.

He looks away, refusing to answer.

“Mason!” My voice is shrill, and the ground vibrates as Mason storms out of his bedroom. He’s on us within seconds.

“What?” He glances between Kie and me. “Is Kie bothering you?”

His face is suspiciously red and splotchy, and the green of his eyes looks extra vibrant. Was he crying? The thought has my heart thumping. I want to ask if he’s okay, but I don’t think he’d appreciate me acknowledging it.

“How long can faeries go without sleep?” I ask instead.

Kie shoots me a look of betrayal, but I don’t care. I don’t trust Alpha Theon, and Kie needs to not be on the verge of a mental breakdown when we meet him.

Mason shrugs. “A day, maybe two. Why?”

I meet Kie’s glare. I won’t feel guilty for caring about his health. “Kie hasn’t slept in three days, and he’s been funneling magic into me since the attack.”

Mason cocks his head to the side. “Kie? Is that true?”

“I’m fine.” Kie snatches my tiara off the couch. “I need to pack.”

“You need sleep.” Mason and I speak at the same time. It’s unnerving, and I shoot the shifter a dirty look before continuing. “I’m safe with Mason, and you’re nearby if anything happens.”

Kie rocks back on his heels.

“Abby will sleep with you,” Mason offers. Excuse me? “She needs rest, too.”

Abby can decide for herself if she needs rest, which she doesn’t. I’m managing perfectly fine, and I don’t want to sleep with Kie. I don’t want to sleep with either of them. Besides, it’s too early for bed. I’ve never been one for naps.

“I said I’m fine,” Kie urges. “We need to brush up on the terrain surrounding Traul River. I’m thinking—”

I want to rip out my hair. “For fuck’s sake!”

I grab Kie’s wrist, and I do my best to ignore the way the contact makes my heart swell as I drag him toward Mason’s bedroom.

Kie’s had women in his bed, and given the sheer number of condoms in the bedside drawer of the guest room, I’m willing to bet he’s entertained women there, too.

I don’t want my first time sleeping with my mate to be in a bed he’s shared with others.

Mason admitted that he has never had a woman in his room, so I’m taking ownership of his bed for the evening.

I’m half-expecting Mason to make a fuss as I drag Kie into his room. He doesn’t say anything, though. Neither does Kie.

“Strip,” I order the faerie.

Kie hesitates, his violet eyes looking everywhere but at me, before he blows out a long breath and tugs his shirt over his head. I do my best not to stare at his toned abdomen as I begin undressing .

“I don’t want to wear a dress in the forest,” I say. “I want pants and a shirt, preferably stretchy and form-fitting.”

Kie nods, stripping to his underwear. The tight black fabric does little to hide the skin underneath. I want to see him, mainly out of pure curiosity, but I won’t ask. He doesn’t deserve my eyes on his penis. Mason doesn’t, either, but that ship has already sailed.

I point to the bed. “Lie down.”

Mason’s dresser is full of lounge clothing, and I find the lounge pants he gave me to wear on my first day here and a comfortable shirt.

Kie slides under the sheets, his movements robotic and tense. He acts like a midday nap is going to kill him.

I draw in a slow breath before joining him in bed. It’s awkward, and we shift until he wraps himself around me, my back to his front. I’m allowing the man who tried gifting me to a god to spoon me. I’ve lost all control of my life.

I clear my throat. “Go to sleep.”

Kie slips a hand up my shirt and presses his palm over my heart, and I involuntarily shiver. Our bond is working overtime to make me comfortable with him, and it’s succeeding.

“You’re okay,” he whispers.

I don’t think he’s talking to me. Still, I respond.

“I’m okay. Go to sleep, Kie.”