Page 30 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

ABBY

I’VE SPENT ALL this time thinking Mason is the dangerous one.

It makes sense. He’s mean and turns into a giant, terrifying animal.

I realize now that I was wrong. Kie ripped a shifter’s head in half.

Then he smashed in the head of another—all with his bare hands.

He didn’t need sharp teeth or long claws.

I continue replaying the scene in my head, over and over and over again.

Whine. Rip. Crunch.

Whine. Rip. Crunch.

My hands shake as Kie cleans his arms and face, washing off the blood. I must have a few specks on my face, and I wince as he runs his thumbs over my forehead and eyebrow. Then he cleans my upper lip.

Mason drags bodies into the river. I see him out of the corner of my eye.

There’s so much blood.

This isn’t the first time Mason’s fought shifters, but this is the first time I’ve seen the aftermath. I prefer not seeing it.

“Where is the mouth of the river?” I ask. That’s where Alpha Theon said he wanted to meet .

“We’re about an hour away,” Kie says. “We should get there early enough to stake out the area.”

I’m ready to return home. Well, to Kie and Mason’s home. I’m slowly giving up hope of ever returning to the human realm.

“Anox is going to be upset.” I’m talking to myself, mainly to fill the silence. “He’s going to do that thing where he gets red and slams doors.”

“He absolutely will.” Kie chuckles. “He practically raised Mason and me, but his disrespect shouldn’t be tolerated. I’m sure not going to say anything about it, and I highly doubt Mason will, either. I suspect we’re both secretly afraid of the old man.”

I bite back a smile.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you for last night.

I know you’re not interested in sleeping with us, but having you close was…

It was comfortable. I enjoyed it.” Kie snorts, then continues.

“Mason went through four mattresses before settling on one he liked, and he’s incredibly possessive over it. It was fun stealing it for a night.”

My gaze drifts behind Kie. Mason’s finally finished dumping the bodies into the river and wiggling around on the blood trails, and now he’s in the water shaking out his fur.

“You should warn Mason if you ever plan to share a bed with him,” Kie says. “So he can ready himself for you.”

I pause. “Ready himself?”

Kie tosses the soap into the river and rises. I do the same.

“What does he have to ready?” I repeat.

Kie shoots me a sideways glance. “His asshole, obviously.”

He throws our bags over his shoulder and walks away, heading toward Mason. I stare at his retreating form, pretty sure he’s joking but not one hundred percent sure. Mason doesn’t have to ready his asshole.

I have no interest in Mason’s asshole .

Why would Kie joke about that, though? Kie doesn’t make jokes.

I hurry behind the faerie, eager to keep close.

Mason steps out of the river and shakes out his fur one last time.

Water splatters everywhere, thankfully not on me.

The bodies he dumped just a few minutes ago have already been swept away, conveniently in the direction opposite of where we’re heading.

We continue walking, but there’s no more conversation. Not that there was much before.

Kie and Mason slow as we near the meeting point, and we adjust to walk in the woods instead of along the riverbank.

I’m placed between the two men, a familiar position.

I used to hate when they’d trap me between them, but I don’t mind it as much now.

It’s actually comforting, and I don’t pull away when my arm brushes against Kie’s.

“So, what’s the plan?” I ask.

Kie and Mason never agreed on how they wanted to handle this meeting. Mason wants Kie and me to remain quiet and let him lead the discussion. Kie wants Mason and me to remain quiet while he leads. Both men want to hide me in a cave with an open portal for the duration of the meeting.

It’d be a good idea if holding open a portal for an extended length of time wouldn’t drain Kie, leaving him and Mason vulnerable.

I think we should’ve told Alpha Theon to fuck off and suggest a meeting that doesn’t put us at such a disadvantage, but Mason is convinced this is our only option. Kie seems to agree with him.

“We go together,” Kie grumbles. “And I let Mason lead the conversation, at least to start.”

Mason huffs in agreement, then pauses and transforms out of his animal form.

I dig through his bag for his clothes, freezing when I notice the giant gash on his torso. It trails from the center of his chest to his hip, and it’s still bleeding. He’s hurt. He’s been hurt this entire fucking time. Why didn’t he say anything?

“You can’t—” I huff, too angry to finish my lecture. “You’re stupid, Mace.”

Mason heals quickly, and I can’t imagine how deep this gash must’ve been if it’s not already healed. I’m brimming with anger. It’s uncontrollable, and I fight back several snarky comments as I trail my fingers alongside the wound, careful not to touch it.

“I’m okay,” Mason says. He pulls his clothes from my hand. “You can fret over me later.”

I’m not fretting.

We abandon our bags to travel light the remainder of the way. Mason takes the lead. “We’re almost there,” he eventually says. “About ten minutes away. Watch what you say.”

Because there are shifters nearby. It goes unsaid, and I manage a jerky nod as the three of us resume walking. The sound of running water grows louder as we head toward the river, and Mason places a hand on the small of my back as we finally reach the meeting spot.

I expected more fanfare.

There’s a man up ahead. He’s standing on the water’s edge, his back to us.

He’s alone, but he’s not vulnerable. He’s fucking massive, and he has the same build as Mason.

This must be Alpha Theon. I take this moment to study him.

He and Mason look similar from behind, but Alpha Theon’s hair is shorter.

Mason’s wavy dark strands touch his ears, but his father’s ends close to the skull.

I thought we’d be surrounded by shifters. Maybe we are.

We come to a halt a few feet behind Alpha Theon.

“And here I thought this would be a private meeting with my son. ”

Alpha Theon turns around, his gaze landing immediately on Mason. The two may share a physical build, but Mason must get his looks from his mother. Alpha Theon is one ugly motherfucker, and he looks like he’s sucking on something sour.

“You brought your human,” he says. His gaze shifts to me. My heart stops. “Are you looking for a trade? I heard Zaha didn’t want her, but I might be interested.”

Disgust roils through me. We’re off to a great start.

Alpha Theon smiles. Are you looking for a trade? What a loaded question to begin this meeting with. He’s trying to rile us up, and he’s not even bothering to present himself as a nice guy.

It’s not what I was expecting—not that I had high expectations to start. It’s so much worse.

Alpha Theon isn’t going to offer Mason any sort of kindness. Not for a second. He’s going to be callous and cruel, and it’s going to kill my mate. I want to grab Mason’s hand, but I don’t want to initiate physical contact in front of the shifter alpha.

Nobody knows we’re mates, and Kie and Mason intend to keep it that way.

I chew on my bottom lip instead, scanning Alpha Theon from head to toe. Had Mason never been sent to live with the faeries, he’d probably be alpha by now. He’d have taken a shifter wife, and he’d likely already have a child or two.

I would’ve never met him.

Queen Gitta would still be alive. Kie would be the faerie king.

Alpha Theon exudes confidence. Not one part of him looks nervous or worried about meeting his son for the first time in over twenty years. Is he planning to kill us today?

Mason and Kie would win in a fight against Alpha Theon. The alpha is built like a truck, but so are my mates. Kie’s at a disadvantage because he can’t use magic here, but after seeing what he did to the two shifters who attacked us, I won’t underestimate him. He can hold his own.

“I’d be willing to give you delysum in exchange for the human.”

“No.” Mason’s answer is curt. I appreciate it.

Alpha Theon finally shifts his gaze to his son. “I wished to meet with you alone.”

He hasn’t acknowledged Kie’s presence. It’s almost as if the faerie is invisible to him. I don’t need to look at Kie to know it’s pissing him off, which I’m sure is Alpha Theon’s intention. I highly doubt anything he says or does is unintentional.

Mason clears his throat. “We didn’t feel that was appropriate, given the circumstances.”

I scan the woods surrounding us, searching for shifters. Nothing stands out, but I don’t believe it. I don’t know Alpha Theon, and I don’t trust him.

“We?” Alpha Theon laughs. “I heard the faeries softened you, but I didn’t realize they also stripped you of your manhood.”

Mason stiffens beside me, and his arms begin to tremble. He’s going to lose control.

Alpha Theon continues. “The moment you failed to kill Kieran, I knew you’d never grow to be a man I’d be proud of. I must admit I always held on to some hope. I’m disappointed.”

I slide my hand up the back of Mason’s shirt, pressing my bare palm against his warm skin. Alpha Theon’s eyes follow my movement, silently clocking the action. I don’t care. I drag my nails down Mason’s back, hoping the touch is distracting.

Alpha Theon smirks. “The rumors about her being your mate are true, then?”

“You already know that,” Mason says. “Why else would Callie have brought Abby and Lillian together? I assume she used gods’ magic to find our mate.”

Alpha Theon shrugs, not denying Mason’s accusation. I suppose we can consider that one question answered. It’s already more than I thought we’d get out of this.

I ignore the pang of hurt that travels down my spine. Did Lill know? Did she suspect?

Kie interrupts. “We also assume Callie is still alive, and you’ve been hiding her on your lands for several years.” Kie clears his throat. “You don’t have Lillian, though.”