Page 39 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

ABBY

MASON IS PAINFULLY stiff below me, his muscles tense and unmoving. I curl my fingers around his wrist, holding him in place. I can tell he’s a second away from lunging across this table, and I’d love for him not to do that—especially while I’m still sitting in his lap.

Lord Bishop is fumbling, his vibrant, violet eyes darting rapidly between Mason, me, and Kie. They show the most fear when they land on Mason. Everybody knows he’s the wild card, and from what I’ve heard, he has a long and dark history of murdering faeries.

Jackie’s smirking. She’s pleased with herself, and I imagine she must feel like the faerie version of Sherlock Holmes.

“And what proof do you have?” Lady Cassandra asks. “An accusation of this scale surely should have some proof beyond the words of a shifter .”

Woof. Mason shifts below me. I dig my nails into his wrist.

Jackie gestures toward Lord Bishop. He’s trembling. “What more proof do I need than this?” She makes a good point.

Lady Cassandra rises, disappearing from the room a second later. Where is she going? Nobody follows her, but after a minute, she returns with four guards in tow. These aren’t the regular guards who patrol the grounds. These ones are huge, and they’re wearing silver armor.

They line the back of the room, waiting for orders as Lady Cassandra returns to her seat.

“Lord Bishop… Anthony.” It’s Anox who speaks. “Is this true?”

Lord Bishop shakes his head, the motion panicked and jerky. I’m having a hard time feeling bad for him. If what Jackie says is true, then he tried to kill me. And for what? Money?

“I had no choice,” he mumbles. My eyes narrow as Lord Bishop locks gazes with Kie. “We begged your family for help, and you’ve offered us nothing but well-wishes and nominal support. We can’t survive off that.”

Kie recoils. “What the fuck do you expect us to do? We have an entire kingdom to run. Your inability to properly manage your household finances is not our problem.”

He makes a good point.

“I didn’t know she was your mate,” Lord Bishop continues. “I swear! I never would’ve accepted had I known. I thought she was just some random human. Nobody would miss her, and—”

Mason speaks up. “Get him out of here.” He’s fully quivering below me, the telltale sign of a shift. “Bring him to the cells.”

There’s a moment where nobody moves.

“Now!”

The four guards Lady Cassandra brought in move forward in one fluid movement.

They force Lord Bishop out of his chair, and a tingling warmth covers my body.

I recognize it as magic, but it’s stronger than it was the day I was attacked.

It’s seeping through me, hopefully as nothing more than a preventative measure as Lord Bishop is removed from the room.

I make eye contact with Kie. He’s tensed in concentration, and his eyebrows furrow before his attention snaps toward Jackie.

The newest council member is staring at me with unnerving focus, and my breath hitches as I realize she’s also using magic to protect me.

She offers only a wink, and when the door slams shut behind a shouting Lord Bishop and the guards, some of the tingling vanishes and she looks away.

Kie’s magic remains, though, even as he slouches into Lord Bishop’s empty chair and drags a hand through his hair.

“Was my father involved?” Mason asks Jackie. “Did your contact say which shifters were behind the attack?”

Jackie shakes her head. “No, and I doubt that’s information I’ll be able to get. Shifters protect their own, but Lord Bishop might be willing to share some additional details for a leaner sentence.”

“There will be no leaner sentences.” It’s Anox who decides this.

“We need to make an example out of him. Your rule is strong, and there will be punishment for acting against the crown.” Anox points at Mason.

“You will be staying far away from this. Prince Kieran and Jacqueline will facilitate the trial and subsequent punishment.”

Mason scoffs. “You can’t expect me to hide behind Kie. If the crown is strong, it will be strong with me.”

Kie shifts in his seat but remains silent, letting Mason and Anox sort through this themselves.

Jackie’s watching with poorly conceived excitement, and I’m already regretting offering her a council position. I didn’t realize Anox would demand that she and Kie do things together, and I don’t like the implication it sends.

It’s too late to reverse the decision, especially since Jackie has already accepted it and Anox seems so taken with the idea.

Mason and Anox stare at one another, neither willing to concede .

Kie finally speaks, cutting through the tension.

“I will not be seen with Jackie until Abby has been titled.” Anox frowns, and Kie continues.

“I will not be earning the affection of my people at the detriment of my mate. The faeries will know who Abby is, and they’ll know nothing will ever come of Jackie’s position on the council. ”

Jackie speaks. “You should let Mason participate in the trial. He’ll grow angry, and it’ll please the people to see Abby in action.” She gestures to where I’m holding his wrist. “They’ll find her ability to tame him encouraging.”

Mason grunts, and the next thing I know, I’m being carried out of the room. The shifter is furious—I can tell by his heavy footfalls and the way he shoves open the chamber room doors. He can’t just up and leave in the middle of a meeting.

“What’s your problem?” I hiss.

“I am not defective,” Mason says. “Nor am I a wild animal.”

“Mason, you are very literally a wild animal.” He’s living in denial if he thinks otherwise. “You have virtually zero patience, and the faeries are terrified of you.”

Mason doesn’t respond, and I peer over his shoulder. Kie’s still sitting at the table. He looks mildly annoyed, but it doesn’t seem like he’s planning on following us out of the room. I suppose that’s good. He can catch me up later.

I want to know what the plan is concerning Lord Bishop.

Mason carries me home.

“Explain,” I say the moment we’re alone.

Mason finally sets me on my feet. “No. I don’t wish to.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re an adult who understands that sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do.

” Mason tries escaping into the kitchen, but I’m hot on his heels.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them acknowledging your violent tendencies.

You’ve killed faeries, for fuck’s sake. ”

Mason darts into the living room, trying to get away from me.

I sigh. “Mason, literally everybody knows you’re out of control. The faeries are terrified of you, and I’m pretty sure they have been since the day you arrived in the capital.”

He’s still frowning, and I pull him into a hug.

“Isn’t this nice?” I tease. I press my chin against his chest and peer up at him. “Don’t you enjoy me calming you? If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you tell people you boss me around when we’re alone.”

Mason shoots me a dirty look. “I already tell them that.”

The corners of his lips twitch, the slight break all I need to see. Mason’s embarrassed by Jackie’s remarks, but he enjoys my teasing. I’ve never played with Mason like this, and I like it.

“I don’t understand why you’re so embarrassed,” I say. “I don’t think you’re weak because you need some help leveling out. Besides, I kind of like the implication. You’re unhinged, and you need me to function.”

I slide my hands up the back of his shirt.

“Would you like to—”

The front door opens and Kie steps inside—with Jackie, Anox, and Lady Cassandra trailing behind.

“Sit,” Kie orders us, pointing to the dining table. “We aren’t finished.”

I sit. Mason stands in the corner of the room, rebelling.

“We need to discuss Abigail’s coronation,” Anox says. He gives Kie a sharp look. “We should do it alongside a formal announcement of Jacqueline’s new position.”

He’s looking for any way to soften the blow that a human is to be the queen consort. I don’t take offense to it, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt my feelings just the slightest bit. Being a human isn’t this awful thing they’re making it out to be.

Anox chews on his bottom lip. “I’d like to do it today. This confusion with Lillian and Abigail has gone on for too long, and we should coronate her, then announce Jacqueline’s position on the council and Lord Bishop’s betrayal in one fell swoop.”

Today? Doesn’t that seem a bit soon?

“Abby hasn’t had time to prepare,” Kie says.

“She saw His Majesty’s ceremony, did she not?” Anox asks. “She knows what to expect, and the sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can focus our attention on the shifters.”

Mason presses himself against the back of my chair, his hands landing on my shoulders. “What do you want?” he asks me. “We’ll support whatever you decide.”

What do I want? That’s a good question, and I have no answer. I want this drama to disappear so I can be the pretty princess I’ve always dreamed of. I highly doubt that Ariel and Cinderella had to deal with this much politics.

“I want my family there,” I decide.

Lady Cassandra taps her fingers against the table. “I can retrieve them.”

Kie nods. “Yes. Go.”

I press my lips into a flat line. It’s nice to know that bringing them here has been this easy all along, yet somehow, I’ve been made to go all this time without them. I’ve been missing my family, which I haven’t kept a secret.

Lady Cassandra leaves, and our front door slams shut a second later. I turn toward Kie. “How does she know who they are?”

Kie smiles. “We know everything about you.”

That’s not as comforting as I believe he intends it to be.

“Wonderful,” Anox says, bringing his hands together. “We’ll hold Abigail’s ceremony this evening, and tomorrow, we will begin a plan of action against the shifters.”

Mason sucks on his front teeth. “The shifters are primed for war. ”

Anox nods. “As are we.”