Page 50 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)
ABBY
THE NEXT THREE days are a flurry of meetings, raised voices, and barked orders. I’m sure Anox has burst at least three blood vessels, and even Jackie arrived at a meeting with her hair undone.
“We’ve been housing him for—”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it housing.” Kie interrupts Mason’s rant. “He’s in the cells, without magic. He’s pissing in a bucket.”
Mason works his jaw side to side, his lips twitching and nose crinkling, before he shakes his head and continues as if Kie never spoke. “We’ve been housing Lord Bishop for several days, and it’s time to move forward with punishment. I want him convicted and executed.”
Anox sighs. “Yes, I agree it’s time to move forward, but he’s a longstanding council member. People are demanding he receive a proper trial.”
“A proper trial?” Mason laughs. “I don’t recall him giving my mate so much as a proper conversation before attempting to murder her.”
I suck my cheeks into my mouth, not wanting to get involved. Anox seemed keen to punish Lord Bishop after the attack, but he’s been dragging his feet. That, coupled with the fact we’re still waiting to hear back from Alpha Theon, has Mason on edge.
I clasp my hands together, shooting Kie a glance.
We should focus on Alpha Theon and the impending war, not this.
The treaty was created around the same time Zaha destroyed the shifter lands, and as far as I’m aware, it’s the only thing that’s kept the faeries and the shifters from launching into an all-out war.
They both respected the treaty, skirting around the rules but never doing anything in outright opposition.
Without it, it’s only a matter of time before shifters emerge from the forest trying to claim faerie lands. Faeries are strong, but they won’t be able to defend themselves from full-grown shifter males equipped with delysum.
Mason told me how shifters live, how they begin learning how to fight from an ungodly young age. The shifters revere physical strength, and they’ll cut through the small faerie towns like warm butter.
“It would be helpful if we set a date,” Kie chimes in.
Anox frowns. “Lord Bishop’s family has requested we allow them to conduct an investigation—”
“An investigation into what?” Kie interrupts again. Mason grunts out his approval. “He’s already confessed.”
Jackie, who’s begun picking at her nails, glances up. “He confessed under duress.” Her gaze pointedly shifts toward Mason. “Your reckless actions are the reason we’re forced to delay. You should’ve stayed out of this, as we all agreed.”
Mason bristles.
Jackie continues. “And as much as I love wasting our meetings discussing criminals already in our possession, I think our time would be better spent discussing the criminals who aren’t. It’s been three days, and we’ve yet to hear a response from Alpha Theon.”
Mason leans back in his chair. “We gave him a week to respond, and I doubt we’ll hear from him with much time to spare. He wants us to sweat this out. He’s hoping we’ll change our minds.”
Kie clears his throat. “Alpha Theon isn’t going to extradite Callie. We already know that.” He rests his head in his palm, lost in thought. “Have we heard anything from Kalix?”
Anox shoots Mason a sideways glance. “No.”
Mason’s younger brother is next in line after Alpha Theon, but Mason hasn’t seen or spoken to Kalix since Mason was sent to live with the faeries at nine years old. Kalix would have only been seven.
“Kalix hasn’t been seen in over ten years,” Anox points out. “There are rumors he’s dead.”
Mason shakes his head, evidently refusing to acknowledge the possibility. Then he glances at the clock, checking it for the fourth time in the past fifteen minutes. “We need to leave,” he says. “We’ll continue this discussion another time.”
Kie and Mason have been meeting the council several times a day, so I doubt this conversation will be postponed for too long.
I’m following the two out of the room a second later, much to my relief. This meeting lasted longer than expected, and I need a break. Anox had me up before the sunrise reading reports, and I’m exhausted.
I take this opportunity to squeeze between Kie and Mason.
The second we’re in a private outdoor corridor, Kie wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me against his chest. It’s hard to believe he doesn’t have much experience kissing as he tilts his head to the side and drags his tongue against mine, and I curl my fingers around his shoulders as he guides me into a shaded alcove.
It looks like a decorative pedestal once filled the area, but it’s empty now.
My back hits a vine-covered trellis, and I gasp .
Kie smiles into our kiss, no doubt pleased to have earned a reaction from me, before dragging his hands down my waist. His mouth moves to my neck, sucking and kissing the sensitive skin at the base of my throat. I meet Mason’s gaze over Kie’s shoulder.
The shifter is leaning against the opposite trellis, his arms crossed over his chest as he glances left and right, ensuring no faeries wander into the area.
“I could take you right here,” Kie admits. “I could hike up your dress and sink into your soft flesh right here, right now.”
It’s been days since we’ve been together. Kie and Mason have been busy, and all my free time has been spent with my family or with Anox. By the time we finally reconvene at the end of the day, we’re exhausted. Well, I am, at least. I’m asleep the second my head hits the pillow.
Kie grabs my jaw, his fingers digging into my cheeks as he forces my gaze away from Mason.
“Don’t look at him,” he orders.
His other hand is pulling up my dress. The small alcove is private, but not that private. Kie doesn’t seem to care, though, as the hem of my dress reaches my hips. He’s undoing his pants a heartbeat later, freeing his cock. I can’t believe we’re doing this here.
Kie hikes up my leg, his eyes fluttering shut as he pushes into me. There’s a slight ache as I stretch to accommodate his thickness, but it quickly vanishes.
Mason continues to watch from the opposite wall, his gaze heavy. He makes no moves to interfere, and his eyes continually dart around to ensure nobody has stumbled into the area.
“Fuck,” Kie moans. “This is going to be fast.”
I trail my lips to his ear, kissing the sensitive skin below it. I want Kie to smell like me, and I drag my fingers through his hair as he fucks up into me .
The faerie is mine.
Kie gasps. “I love you.”
He shivers, then pushes deep inside. He’s cumming already, and I tighten my leg around his waist. That was faster than I expected, which makes me feel better than it should. Kie must’ve been desperate for it. Desperate for me.
He pulls out with a low groan, and I bury my face against his chest as he yanks a small cloth out of his pocket and wipes between my thighs. Then he extends the dirty cloth toward Mason.
Mason snorts. “The fuck do you want me to do with that?”
“Throw it away,” Kie says. “Preferably somewhere it won’t be found.”
“Why don’t you do it?”
“I don’t have time. Abby and I are going to be late.”
Mason frowns, then snatches the used cloth. He looks disgusted, and he shoots both me and Kie a dirty glare as he shoves it into his front pocket.
“You two are vile,” he says by way of insult. “Vile, vile degenerates.”
Kie sets me on my feet and smooths down the front of my dress. “Did you hear that, Abby? Mason thinks we’re vile, vile degenerates.”
I can’t help but laugh. I don’t mean to, but it bursts out of me, anyway.
“Make sure Kie doesn’t do anything irrational while I’m gone,” Mason interrupts. Kie’s not the one who does irrational things, but I keep that thought to myself. “I need to finish up with the council, but I shouldn’t be too long. Twenty minutes at most.”
Mason kisses my forehead, his lips lingering, before hurrying back toward the chamber room.
Kie is smirking, clearly proud of himself.
“Do you—” I start, gesturing toward his hips. “Should we stop by the house so you can shower?”
“There’s no time.” Kie shakes his head. “We’re already late to meet your parents. We told them we’d be there ten minutes ago.”
I bite back a smirk. “They’re not going to mind, Kie.”
Kie takes my hand, his bare fingers slipping between mine, and begins tugging me through the property. He does make a quick detour at our place, but only for me to use the restroom and for him to wash his hands.
“Let’s go,” he says, placing a hand on the small of my back. “I’m going to tell your mom it’s your fault we’re late.”