Page 38 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

MASON

THE COUNCIL MEMBERS are already waiting in the chamber room. They used to smile and rise for Queen Gitta and Kie, but I receive nothing more than silent stares. It doesn’t bother me, not when I know I’ll be returning to Abby and Kie this evening.

I have the respect of the people who are important to me.

The council members are nothing more than nuisances I’m forced to work with.

In the center of the room is a long table, and I sit in the head seat that Queen Gitta once occupied. The spot on my left is reserved for Kie and remains empty. Lord Bishop is on my right, and Lady Cassandra is beside him. Directly across from me is Anox.

I tap my fingers against the table, eyeing the platter of food in the center. I’m hungry, but it’s not customary to eat during council meetings. Queen Gitta hated the distraction.

I maintain eye contact with Anox as I lean forward and snatch a piece of fruit. Lord Bishop makes a quiet noise in the back of his throat, his violet eyes growing wide, before he follows my lead. Lady Cassandra and Anox remain where they are, refusing the food .

I’m not surprised. Anox is a stickler for what he believes to be the proper way, and Lady Cassandra has hated me since I rejected her sexual advances on my fifteenth birthday. She would deny it if asked, but I suspect she still feels spurned.

Kie believes I’m reading into things that don’t exist.

“I presume you slept well,” Anox starts, breaking the tense silence. “You seem in good spirits this morning, Your Majesty.”

I bite into my fruit to hide my smile. I slept exceptionally well last night, all thanks to Abby. Having Kie in my bed was new, and I don’t appreciate how we occasionally brushed legs or arms, but it was tolerable. I imagine I’ll get used to his presence with time.

Abby likes it, so I won’t complain. I’m also not going to suggest alternating nights with her. That’s simply not an option.

I frown. “You can call me Mason.”

“I will not,” is Anox’s smooth reply. He turns toward Lady Cassandra and Lord Bishop. “And neither will you.”

I shove my hand into my pocket, playing with the red lace I stole from Kie.

I enjoy having something of Abby’s to carry around.

It helps calm me, but she’d be angry if she learned what I was doing.

I don’t see why. The underwear is clean, and it’s not like I’m walking around the property swinging them around my finger.

I also saved one of the legs from the barstool she broke last night. I enjoy my trinkets, and I want one from the night she gave herself to us. I wonder if she’d let me fuck her with it.

“We’ve decided to move forward with Abby’s coronation,” I begin. “We’ve considered the points you laid out yesterday, and we agree that the protection the title provides outweighs the negatives.”

Anox falls silent. I lean back in my chair. There. It’s been decided. My mate is not a secret to be ashamed of, and we can only realistically hide her for so long. The sooner we break the news, the sooner we can move past it. People already suspect, especially after our display during court.

Kie touched her, and she was the only thing that kept me stable.

I almost murdered every faerie in my vicinity when she was attacked, and she alone prevented me from doing so. And when my father was baiting me, Abby’s touch kept me in place. I’d thank her for it if I didn’t fear she’d hold it above my head.

Lord Bishop presses his palms against the table, his lips pursed as he searches for the right words. He’s afraid of angering me, which he should be. I won’t tolerate his disrespect, especially not toward my mate.

“She is…” he starts. “You mentioned she handled human finances, yes? Is she experienced? Educated? If we push that information out alongside her crowning, perhaps we can assuage some fears regarding having a human queen consort.”

I straighten up. That’s not a bad idea.

“Or they’ll be worried we’re going to allow a human to manage the kingdom’s finances,” Lady Cassandra chimes in. “We shouldn’t—”

Anox raises a hand. “No. I like this idea. Our financial affairs are covered by a team of six and overseen by me. Abigail’s expected to take a position on the council, but given her lack of royal experience, we can start her off underneath me.

She will shadow me, and when I feel she is ready, she will be fully enveloped within the council. ”

I’m not sure about this. I don’t know if Abby wishes to work, let alone in something as dull as finances.

Even if she does, I don’t know how I feel about her working underneath Anox.

Title will place her above him, but title technically put Kie and me above him when we were children. It wasn’t respected.

Anox is admittedly an excellent mentor. He ensured Kie and I received the best education, but he was stern. He worked us to our breaking point, and he did so without mercy. I’m not sure if I can sign Abby up for that, especially without her permission.

“Let me discuss with Abby,” I say.

“Why?” Lord Bishop cocks his head to the side. “You are her king, are you not?”

“Do you have a mate, Lord Bishop?”

He shakes his head.

I snort. “Then you simply do not understand.”

I am terrified of Abby.

Anox sucks his cheeks into his mouth. “Have you been intimate? I don’t ask because I care to know the details of your private lives, but with Queen Gitta gone…

” I work my jaw side to side. “You and Prince Kieran are the last of the royal bloodline, and after the attack on Abigail’s life, I don’t think it will benefit anybody to postpone heirs. ”

I knew he’d bring this up. I clasp my hands in my lap, my anger mounting. They are prying.

“People will be quite pleased to hear she is trying with Prince Kieran,” Lady Cassandra says. “If you allow her firstborn to be faerie, and you claim him as your heir, it would solve several of our issues. This generation may be lost to a shifter and human, but our future remains faerie.”

Lord Bishop opens his mouth, but Anox lifts a hand to stop him. Even he doesn’t care to hear Lord Bishop’s asinine comments. They’re rarely helpful.

“I can see you’re getting upset.” Anox gestures to my quivering arms. “I trust that you and Prince Kieran understand your responsibilities, and I will let you come to me when you’re ready to share.”

That might be the kindest thing Anox has ever said, but he’s only doing it out of fear. He doesn’t want to see me lose control, and this topic has me hanging on by a thread. I want children with Abby, but I won’t be demanding them from her.

I tighten my fingers around the lace in my pocket. “We should discuss Alpha Theon. I suspect he’s—”

The chamber room doors burst open, cutting me off.

Jackie comes storming inside a moment later, with Kie and Abby in tow. Kie refuses to meet my eye, and Jackie looks suspiciously pleased with herself. It’s enough to have alarm bells ringing in my head. What has he done?

Abby looks around, her eyes darting between the chairs. She doesn’t know where to sit, and I use Jackie and Kie's distraction to wave her over.

“What’s this?” Anox asks Kie.

Abby nears, and I pull her onto my lap. She smells like Kie and me, and I bury my face against the side of her neck with a contented sigh. I never thought I’d get to enjoy her like this—not after everything Kie and I did to her. I’m going to soak it in.

Jackie sits across from Lady Cassandra, welcoming herself into our space. Kie takes the seat on my left. He’s still avoiding eye contact with me. If Abby weren’t in my lap, I’d be strangling him. I’m unsure what he’s done, but I don’t like it.

“I have offered Jackie a position on the council,” Kie says.

Jackie beams, clasping her hands on the table. Lord Bishop and Lady Cassandra look confused, their eyebrows pulled together and their lips scrunched. Anox is the only one who takes the information in stride.

I faintly remember Abby suggesting the idea to Kie this morning, but he vehemently disagreed. I assumed that was the end of the discussion. It seems my assumption was wrong.

I tighten my arms around Abby’s middle. “Was this you?” I whisper into her ear.

She doesn’t respond, but Kie gives a curt nod. He’s pissed .

“Jacqueline?” Anox asks. “A council member? Why was this not discussed with me?”

Jackie clears her throat and straightens up. “Their Majesties chose to keep the decision quiet while I was investigating the attack on our queen.”

She referred to Abby as her queen. It’s a subtle gesture, but it’s meaningful. I slide my hand down Abby’s thigh, trying to read her emotions. She doesn’t seem angered by Jackie’s presence, so I won’t be, either.

I understand why Kie is uncomfortable with the faerie, but I have no history with Jackie. I’m not pleased with the way she treated Abby in the bathhouse, but seeing Lillian drown her lessened much of my anger.

She was humiliated. It’s enough for me.

Anox leans back in his chair. He doesn’t look as upset as I’d expect him to be. Maybe he sees through our lies. This was a last-minute decision, one made by our mate. Or perhaps he’s too pleased to be upset. He actively participated in the discussions regarding Kie and me taking Jackie as our wife.

Several moments pass before he speaks. “Council members must be voted in. I have not—”

“Nonsense, Anox,” Jackie says, smoothly cutting him off. “This couldn’t be discussed with you or the council, not when it was one of you who organized Abby’s execution.”

Lady Cassandra recoils. “One of us?” Her gaze flickers between Anox and Lord Bishop. “Who?”

I wonder the same thing. When Kie rattled off his list of suspects, none of the council members were on it. We would’ve never allowed Abby near them if they had been.

Jackie smirks. “Did you know Lord Bishop took out a loan against his estate late last year?” She levels her stare with Lord Bishop.

“It’s a shame how far your family name has fallen.

You were once renowned for your propensity to manipulate magic, but you’re nothing more than a beggar in expensive clothing.

Rumor is you were denied a loan extension last month. ”

Abby runs her fingers up and down my forearm. I see where this is heading, and my body is on edge and ready for a fight. I want to rip Lord Bishop’s heart out through his throat. I want to watch him choke on his blood. I want him to suffer.

Instead, I remain rooted to my seat. It takes all my self-control to do so.

“When word about Abby and Lillian spread, you were approached by a shifter. He offered you a hefty sum of money to kill Abby, didn’t he? Gave you a stone filled with gods’ magic and laid out what I must admit was a flawless plan. Nobody anticipated Kie being able to overpower the magic, though.”

Kie overpowered gods’ magic? How strong is he?

Abby shifts. She must be wondering something similar. I tighten my grip on her, using her to remain calm. Lord Bishop is much too close to my liking. One wrong movement and I will decapitate him. The sight will upset Abby, but it’s a necessary evil.

Lord Bishop shakes his head, his mouth gaping. “That isn’t true.” His gaze snaps toward me. “You have to believe me! I have no idea what she’s talking about. I would never—”

“It’s interesting that you were approached before Lillian was discovered as a fraud,” Jackie continues. “Why Abby?”

Kie rises. “Alpha Theon and Callie knew that Abby is our true mate.” He stands behind Lord Bishop’s chair, holding the man captive as he speaks with Jackie. “How do you know this?”

“I have several connections within the Redstall Forest,” Jackie admits. She turns toward Abby. “The favors I called in were valuable, but I will consider the council position fair payment.”

Jackie has shifter connections? I shouldn’t be surprised. Most faeries would never consider it, but Jackie’s never been afraid to get her hands dirty. It makes her dangerous, and it reinforces our need to have her on our side.

Jackie points a finger toward Lord Bishop. She’s enjoying this.

“You are a sneaky, sneaky boy,” she teases. “It was a good idea, truly. One that would’ve worked if Kie were weaker.”

That’s not entirely true. Had Kie not been able to save Abby, I would have murdered every faerie within the room. They can’t hurt Abby when they’re dead. I would’ve saved her. It just would’ve been slightly more violent.