Page 46 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)
ABBY
MASON IS RELAXED underneath me, and I hum quietly as I sift my fingers through his hair, playing with the thick, wavy dark strands.
Kie rips wooden boards off the rooftop door, low curses and occasional death threats pouring from his throat. I’m glad Kie came when he did. It took forever to get Mason to admit to where he hid Lord Bishop, and I highly doubt I’d be able to convince him to do anything about it.
He’d never let me inside the building, either, but he doesn’t have the same reservations with Kie.
“Is it safe in there?” I ask Mason.
He grunts. “Wouldn’t let Kie in there if it weren’t.”
My fingers slide out of Mason’s hair, but he snatches my wrist and pulls my hand back to his head. I’ve spent the past thirty minutes treating Mason like a dog. I’ve pet him, licked him, done pretty much everything except sniff his asshole. He loves it, and he’s practically jelly underneath me.
I can’t help but smile. The big, bad shifter is weak and pliant for his mate. Little bitch.
My cheek is sore from rubbing against his rough stubble, which doesn’t feel great. Still, it’s a small price to pay for information. Anox was adamant that Mason stay far away from Lord Bishop, which honestly should’ve been the first clue that Mason would do the opposite.
I’ve heard enough stories to know that Mason’s never done well with being told what to do, and I suppose it was silly to believe his attitude would change now that he’s crowned and mated. Mason is stubborn.
“What’d you do to him?” I ask, staring at the doorway where Kie disappeared.
I’d go in myself if I didn’t already know that Mason would prevent me from doing so. I’m also slightly afraid that if I get up, he’ll decide that he’s changed his mind and stop Kie from collecting Lord Bishop. I have him agreeable and pliant, and I intend to keep him that way.
“Mason?” I urge.
He sighs, as if my questions are a bother. “Not much. He lost a hand in the transition.”
My heart lurches. “You took his hand?” My voice is no louder than a whisper.
Mason shakes his head, the space between his eyebrows furrowing. “He chose to forfeit his hand engaging in a fight with me.”
That’s not how the faeries are going to see it. We’ve been trying so hard to appease them, and Mason’s fucked it all up.
I honestly don’t understand why Zaha put him in charge.
The shifter doesn’t seem to have much interest in being king, and Kie’s admittedly the more levelheaded of the two.
He makes better decisions. Zaha replaced a strong, caring leader with a volatile shifter who couldn’t care less about the faeries.
Zaha’s playing a cruel trick on us, and I’ve yet to understand her reasoning .
Mason turns, rubbing his cheek against my palm. “Have you had any thoughts about Anox’s offer?”
“What offer?”
“To shadow him and eventually take over the kingdom’s finances. I assumed Kie told you.”
I jerk up. What? “I haven’t heard anything about that. I’d love to.”
I’m ready to work again, to have deadlines and projects and a manager to complain about. Anox is significantly more competent than my boss, Mark, but I already know he’ll give me a lot to bitch about. And I’m exceptionally good with numbers.
“When do I start?”
Mason stares at me, his nose wrinkling. “Whenever you want, I suppose. I didn’t think you’d accept.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s tedious work, and Anox is a nuisance.”
I shrug. “I like finances, and he’s not any more of a nuisance than you.”
Mason huffs.
I admire the side of his head. He has nice ears. They’re proportional to his head, and they’re surprisingly soft. My lips curl as I recall tugging his ear when he was in his animal form. I hurt him, and he didn’t retaliate in the slightest.
I don’t know why that makes me feel so good. I’ve spent a long time being afraid of Mason, and I’m ready to move past it. We’re going to be stuck together for the remainder of our lives. I should get comfortable with each of his forms.
“How many people have you killed?” I ask the question before deciding if I genuinely want the answer.
“Not nearly as many as everybody makes it out to be,” Mason admits. “If you include the shifters we encountered while traveling to the portal of the gods and meeting with my father, nine. ”
Nine. My mate has killed nine people. I’m not sure if that’s more or less than what I expected. It’s not zero, that’s for sure.
“I’ve never killed anybody,” I admit.
Mason’s lips twitch. “I’ve gathered as much.” He wraps an arm around my waist, holding me in place as he sits up. “But Kie has killed five, so don’t let him fool you into thinking he’s innocent.”
I glance at the doorway behind us, still waiting for Kie to reappear. What’s taking him so long? Maybe Mason lied about hiding Lord Bishop in there. I wouldn’t put it past him.
I drag my nails down Mason’s head, scratching his scalp. He practically purrs, and he tightens his grip on my waist with a quiet moan. I shift my weight, trying to see if he’s aroused, but there’s nothing hard beneath me. This isn’t turning Mason on, which honestly makes it weirder.
“We should check on Kie,” I say.
I’m getting nervous.
Mason leans forward, connecting his lips to my cheek. Then he stands, bringing me with him. If he thinks I’m heavy, he doesn’t show it.
“Kie doesn’t need us checking up on him,” Mason says. “He’s a big boy.”
As if on cue, Kie comes storming out of the doorway. I can tell by his hurried, stiff movements that he’s pissed. Mason wordlessly sets me on my feet. I step between them, not in the mood for a fight.
“Not today,” I beg. “Please.”
Kie scowls, still glaring at Mason.
The shifter presses his chest against my back. “There’s nothing you can say to me that I haven’t already heard. You think I’m a fuck-up. You think Zaha made a mistake. It doesn’t bother me, and I won’t apologize for protecting my mate.” Mason nudges me toward the stairwell. “Let’s go.”
“You deserved better,” Kie blurts out. Mason stops walking. “You’re a strong, intelligent man, and Alpha Theon made a mistake pushing you away.”
Every muscle in Mason’s body tenses, and there’s a long stretch of silence before he clears his throat. “Why are you saying this?”
Kie steps toward us, but he halts when Mason bristles. The moonlight shines in his eyes, making the green color appear even more vibrant than usual.
“You’re upset, and I understand why,” Kie starts, “but we’re a team. I’m not your enemy, Mace, and I don’t want to be. You can’t keep sneaking behind my back and taking matters into your own hands.”
I step to the side, giving the two space. It’s about time they talked things through.
Mason turns toward me. “Is this what you want?”
Why’s he asking me? I nod. “Of course.”
I mean it, too. Mason has strong instincts, and good things seem to happen when he works with Kie instead of against him.
“Relations with the shifters are worse than ever,” Kie continues. “We need you to be on your best behavior. Abby and I need you on our side.”
“I…” Mason pauses. “I will try.”
Kie barks out a laugh. I’m not expecting it, and I jolt at its abruptness.
“You’ll try,” he says. “I guess that’s all I can ask of the man who just chained up a faerie noble in an abandoned building.”
Mason shrugs, and when I turn to look at him, I’m shocked to see he’s smiling. “Did you see Lord Bishop’s hand?”
“I saw that one was missing.”
Mason’s smile grows. He’s proud of himself. I don’t understand men. “Is he still crying about it?”
Kie nods. “Like a fucking baby.”
A warm hand lands on my shoulder. Mason gives me a gentle squeeze before nudging me again toward the stairs. “Let’s get out of here,” he says. “Kie will clean this up.”
Kie snorts. “ Kie will clean this up . Thanks.”
I head down the stairwell and step into the park, and Mason quickly takes charge once he realizes I have no idea where I’m going. We manage to avoid running into any faeries—the guards excluded. Mason pauses once we reach the private path leading to our home.
“What?” I ask.
“Your family is staying there,” he says, pointing to the house I briefly shared with Lill. I haven’t been inside since she murdered Queen Gitta and vanished. “Would you like to see them?”
I nod, pushing my fears about Lill aside. “Yes.”
We find everybody sitting around the coffee table, cards scattered about. Dad waves us over when he notices us lingering in the doorway.
Mason places a hand on my back. “Go,” he says. “You should enjoy your time with them before everything goes to shit.”
I suspect it won’t be long before that happens.
Alpha Theon will be pissed when he hears of my coronation and Mason’s very public dismissal of the shifters.
Things will grow even worse when they discover the faeries are moving troops into the towns bordering Redstall Forest. I’m not looking forward to it.
“I need to speak with the guards,” Mason continues, drawing my attention. “Join your family. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Does he think I’m stupid?
“You will not be leaving this room,” I hiss under my breath. “Now take a seat”—I point to the couch—“ and don’t fucking move.”
My order is met with dead silence. I hold my breath, counting the seconds until Mason brushes past me and sits beside Aaron.
“I’m good at cards,” Mason says. “Teach me this game.”