Page 6 of The Shattered Kingdom (The Cursed Kingdom #2)

ABBY

I MAKE EYE contact with Lill through the dressing mirror, trying and failing to gauge her mood. I usually find her easy to read, but I’m having difficulty doing so today. She’s closed off, and I’m not exactly in my best state of mind.

I’m behind on sleep, and the breakfast Kie requested to be delivered was hard to eat. The platter of vegetables was arguably healthy, but my body craves carbs and protein. I want eggs, sausage, and at least four pieces of toast.

We were given purple carrot-looking things and small, blue balls that could pass for blueberries if it weren’t for the fact that they tasted eerily similar to celery instead. Still, I ate most of the platter while Lill picked at the pieces.

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” I ask.

She nods. “I still feel nauseous. I think it’ll take a few days for the effects of magic to fix that.”

“I can ask Kie and Mason to take you to a doctor.”

I don’t want to ask Kie and Mason for anything, but Lill won’t do it. She hates asking for help.

“There’s nothing a doctor can do,” Lill says. “I’m sick because I’ve been starved of magic, and only exposure will fix it. I just need to be patient.”

Patience isn’t my strong suit.

Lill meets my eyes in the mirror, but I’m distracted by her exposed back. I’ve already cleaned her lashes and placed a new bandage over the deeper one, and I let my eyes travel to her sharp shoulder blades and visible ribcage.

“Are you done scanning me?” she snaps.

I shake my head. “No.”

Lill huffs and pulls down her leggings, and I finally turn away as she grabs the dress Kie had delivered for her.

He had two nearly identical dresses brought in, and I’m already wearing mine.

It’s not nearly as elegant or formal as the dress Her Majesty and the other women were wearing yesterday, but the fabric is thick and I like the blush color.

Lill slips hers over her head, letting the long fabric slide over her waist and settle at her calves. These dresses were made for tall faerie women, and the hem touches my ankles. It’s not as flattering on short humans.

I take the laces at Lill’s sides and tie them behind her back, pulling the fabric flush against her skin. I feared we’d be forced to wear corsets or something equally restricting, but the dresses are surprisingly comfortable.

I eye the square neckline and short butterfly sleeves.

“We look like bridesmaids,” I say.

Lill cracks a smile. “You should’ve seen the faerie fashion twenty years ago. Some dresses were so heavy, I could barely stand in them.” She clears her throat. “Mace used to help me tear off the inner layers so we could play.”

I don’t want to talk about Mason. “Is this place drastically different from when you were a kid?” I ask.

“It’s hard to tell. I haven’t had many opportunities to look around. ”

Right. I’ve spent ample time galivanting throughout the faerie lands while Lill has been slowly dying in the human realm.

“You look beautiful, Abbs,” Lill says, changing the subject. “Our clothing looks good on you.”

Our clothing . She’s been here for less than twenty-four hours and already, she’s acclimating. It’s happening much too quickly for my liking.

“We should talk about—”

I fall silent as I take notice of the look Lill is giving me. She shakes her head, the movement subtle but precise. Now isn’t the time to poke holes in her story. Very well.

“Does the magic feel good?” I ask instead.

“You have no idea.”

“How long will it take you to be back to normal?”

Lill shrugs. “A couple of weeks, maybe. I’ve been deficient for most of my life, and I don’t think my body will bounce back as quickly as it does for other faeries.”

A couple of weeks? That’s so long.

“So you intend to stay for a couple of weeks?” I’m fishing.

Lill’s responding frown tells me she picks up on it. “I don’t know. I need magic to survive, and the mate bond makes things tricky. I can’t just up and leave, even if I wanted to. This is all as surprising to me as it is to you.”

Hardly. Lill spent the first several years of her life here, and she knew of her ties to the faerie royals. She’s not nearly as surprised as I am. I keep that particular thought to myself, though. Now isn’t the time to start an argument, even if I can feel one beginning to brew.

It’s in the early stages, but things are tense between us and I don’t see a world where they improve without some serious communication. I’m not getting the impression that Lill is looking to talk through things, at least not the way I want. We’re going to fight. Probably not today, but soon.

It’s inevitable.

“What exactly is magic?” I wave my arm through the air, gesturing to the tiny flecks floating around us. “I know it’s this , but what exactly do you do with it? How does it work?”

I’m desperate to know.

Lill teeters her head back and forth. “It’s hard to explain.

There’s a lot of complexity, but you can think of it as a second pair of hands.

Anything you can do with your hands, faeries can do with magic.

It takes more energy to use magic than to just do something yourself, though, so it’s not used that often. ”

“That’s the most disappointing thing I’ve ever heard.” I mean it, too. Magic is supposed to be, well, magical—not some useless tool that’s rarely used.

“I can’t open a portal with my hands,” I point out. “But you and Kie did so with magic. I also met a man in Callonton who turned a stone into a giant, three-dimensional map.”

Lill throws her hands out to the sides. “Magic is an impossible concept to explain to somebody who can’t experience it. It’s like describing color or taste. I’m trying my best here.”

I pause, waiting for her to elaborate, but after a few seconds, I realize she’s given up.

I brush my hands down my sides. “I suppose we can’t hide in here forever.”

I’d like to, but Kie and Mason are waiting to give us a tour, and we’ve taken our time dressing. Besides, I’m interested to learn the layout of this place. It will make our eventual escape easier.

I assumed Kie and Mason would be too busy to spend time with us.

They should be preoccupied with planning for Mason’s ascension, but it seems they’re choosing to pretend everything is all right and continue their lives as usual.

It’s a transparent attempt to lull the faeries into a false sense of security .

Mason rises from the couch as Lill and I step into the living room, his eyes darting quickly between us. I’m expecting him to react to the sight of Lill dressed up in faerie attire, but he hardly bats an eye. He’s a shitty mate.

“Where’s Kie?” I ask.

The violet-eyed faerie isn’t anywhere to be seen.

Mason sucks his cheeks into his mouth. “He’s been called away. I’m taking you instead.”

That’s just wonderful. Mason looks about as pleased as I feel, which isn’t at all.

If I had to pick between him and Kie, I’d choose Kie.

The faerie’s an asshole, but he’s considerably more stable than Mason.

I don’t trust the shifter not to get angry, transform into his ungodly horrifying beastly state, and start tearing apart faeries.

Lill shifts her weight, no doubt picking up on Mason’s annoyance. He’s not going out of his way to hide it, and I can only imagine how she feels having a mate who is so visibly displeased to be spending time with her.

I take back all the romantic notions I once held toward the idea of mates. It turns out even men who are destined to be with you are shitty.

“It wouldn’t kill you to smile.” I clear my throat. “You kidnapped, tortured, and offered me as a gift to Zaha. A tour is the least you can offer.”

Mason scoffs. “I did not torture you.”

That’s a load of shit. He may not have tortured me physically, at least not in the traditional sense of the word, but he most definitely tortured me mentally. I was put under an inhumane amount of stress and fear, and he knows it.

A line forms between Mason’s eyebrows, and he relaxes his shoulders in a way that looks forced and unnatural before extending an arm toward Lill. There’s a tense moment where she stares at it, hopefully debating rejecting him, before she steps forward and takes it.

They’re not touching skin. Mason’s black gloves are firmly in place, signaling to the faeries that he hasn’t and isn’t interested in finding his mate. Does that upset Lill? She hasn’t said anything about it, but I’m sure she’s noticed.

Mason leads Lill outside, and I follow a few steps behind. I’m lingering so I can watch them, and I puff out my cheeks as the pair glide down the secluded wooded path separating the housing area from the larger property.

I don’t understand this place. It’s beautiful, but it’s so different than how royals in the human realm live. There’s no castle, no sprawling estate. Instead, there’s a smattering of buildings nestled within one giant property. It’s a compound.

Everything is so clean, but I suppose that’s to be expected.

“Queen Gitta and a few council members reside here,” Mason says. “So don’t go sneaking around. Most guests stay in the housing on the other side of the property.”

“Is this place open to the public?” I ask.

“Obviously not.”

I bite my tongue at Mason’s sharp reply.

It was a good question, and unlike some people, I’m not afraid to acquire knowledge and grow as an individual.

The faerie realm is new to me, and I’m eager to learn as much as possible in the short time I’ve got here.

Once Kie and Mason verify Lill’s story, I assume they’ll shove me through the first available portal.

As I watch Lill speak quietly to Mason, her voice too low to make out the specific words, I realize she might not even want me here. This world isn’t as foreign to her as I initially anticipated, and she’s actually trying with Kie and Mason. I’m nothing more than a human-sized cockblock.