Page 56 of The Cursed Kingdom

The lie of a blood disease might be enough to keep them away, but it’s not a risk I’m willing to take. The gods love creating their offspring through human vessels, mainly because it’s easy and most, if not all, of the human genes are dropped. The children, despite being half-humans, have the full strength and abilities of the gods.

It’s for the best that Yahweh keeps his humans under such tight protection. The universe would be overrun with gods if they had free rein to the humans.

I won’t condemn Abby to the life of a breeder.

“It would be ideal if she were unconscious,” Mason says, chiming in. “We can wake her when we arrive at the portal.”

Abby’s heart begins to race, the muscle pounding in her chest, and I roll my eyes. Mason’s going out of his way to torment her, which is quite unlike him. Mason has never shown much interest in a woman, for better or worse.

He must really be bored if he’s going out of his way to upset the human—especially with lies. I was on board with carrying an unconscious Abby the entire way to the portal, but Mason insisted we let her be awake. He doesn’t know how the sedative reacts with humans, and he doesn’t want to take the risk of permanently damaging her.

There’s rustling before a loud, feminine screech rings out from behind me.

“Don’t touch me!”

Abby’s voice shakes, showing her fear. I’m used to people being nervous around Mason, but Abby reeks of genuine terror. It’s uncomfortable, but there isn’t anything I can do to stop it. She knows our plans for her, and I doubt anything we say or do will settle her nerves.

I’m sure she’s already planning her escape. Any being with half a survival instinct would try to separate from us before reaching the portal.

Abby shrieks again. “Stop!”

I resist the urge to sigh, already annoyed with the pair. The human is pretty, and I hope this isn’t Mason’s attempt to flirt. He should’ve paid a visit to one of Bellmere’s brothels before we took off for Farbay.

He always gets testy when he’s horny, and her running away set him on edge. He got to chase, and if the rumors I’ve heard whispers of throughout the years are true, then helovesto chase. Fucking shifters.

I look over my shoulder, wanting to know what he’s doing to upset Abby. The sky is growing dark, and the shifters will soon be out patrolling. We need to remain quiet, and making the human angry and loud is counterproductive.

Mason stands only inches behind Abby, too close for comfort. He’s probably been nudging her in the back, silently ordering her to walk faster. Her legs are already weak, and I’ll be pissed if he trips her up and further injures her knees.

Her blood is a beacon, and we need it to remain inside her body.

I can smell it even now, the sharp, metallic aroma tainting the air surrounding us. Mason applied a goopy salve to her knees while she was unconscious to trap the smell, but it’s beginning to permeate.

We’ll need to change her bandages soon, a task I’m not looking forward to.

It was easy to tend to her when she was unconscious, but I already know it’ll be a handful to do while she’s awake. Mason may have to knock her out again, maybe without the drugs. Human skulls are fragile, but it’s not like Zaha will care about Abby’s intelligence. A few dead brain cells won’t affect her value.

Mason meets my gaze, silently daring me to speak up and say something about his tormenting of Abby. I hesitate, debating, before turning back forward and continuing walking.

They’re both adults, and I’m sure they’ll be able to figure it out.

“When is she expected to menstruate?” Mason asks me, his voice unnaturally loud in the otherwise-silent forest.

Abby’s breath hitches, and I run my hand through my hair with a quiet sigh. He’s got to be joking. Women only menstruate once a year, and I highly doubt we’ll encounter any issues with Abby over the next few days.

“She’s right here,” Abby snaps. “And that’snoneof your business.”

For once, I just might agree with her.

The scent will draw in the shifters, but the odds of her beginning to bleed are low. Mason’s grasping at straws to try to upset her, and it’s getting on my nerves. I’m eager to complete this task as quickly as possible, and their arguing is tiresome.

The two finally grow quiet, and I use this time to focus.

The sky is quickly growing dark, and we need to remain alert. Mason’s guiding us away from strong shifter trails, but I wouldn’t put it past them to mask their scents and lure us into a trap.

My strength is diminished without magic, and Mason can realistically only protect us from so much. His royal bloodline makes him stronger than most, but he’s not invincible. He’s also not familiar with the shifter way of fighting. He moved to the faerie capital when we were children, and he very quickly outgrew our top warriors.

He hasn’t fought a fair fight in several years, and even he has acknowledged the disservice that’s done to him. If the shifters group up and attack, we’re screwed. Avoiding them is our best hope.

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