Page 64 of The Cursed Kingdom

I don’t know what compels me to ask—a desperate need to think about anything other than the fact that he and Mason forcibly bathed me and now we’re trying to evade a group of shifters. The forest has no magic, which I can only assume weakens Kie.

Why isn’t he drinking the tea to sustain his strength? Does delysum not grow wild here? Did I misunderstand what Samuel said?

Kie’s grip on me tightens, and even through my sweatshirt, I can feel his fingers digging into my side.

“Why do you ask?” Despite our current predicament, there’s caution in his tone. I’ve said something I shouldn’t have. I know that immediately.

My throat runs dry, and I chew at the inside of my cheek as I try to think of a convincing lie. I should’ve asked Samuel about the flower when I had the chance. He was kind, and I doubt he’d have made a big deal about my asking.

I still wish he had been my mate. I wouldn’t be in this current predicament if he were, and I’d probably already be back home with Lill by now. The two of us would be planning my inevitable move to the faerie realm to live with Samuel, and it would be so romantic. I’d be trying to convince her to come with me.

“What doyouknow about delysum?” Kie asks, his voice low. “Why,exactly, are you in the forest?

Mason returns, a low rumble pouring from his throat as he skulks up to us. I instinctively coil against Kie’s side as I catch sight of the shifter’s sharp teeth, my gaze immediately locking in on them. As much as I dislike Mason, I’m secretly glad he’s on our side.

Kie lets out a whispered curse and comes to a hard stop.

“We’re not done discussing this,” he says, pulling me toward the nearest large tree.

I suppose this is my cue to start climbing.

“Take these,” Kie says, shrugging his and Mason’s bags off his shoulders.

He shoves them against my chest, and I scramble to wrap them around myself before turning toward the tree he’s planted me in front of. It’s giant, the trunk probably one of the widest I’ve ever seen. Several good climbing branches are sticking out of it, but the lowest is well above my head.

I reach up, my fingers grazing the bark on the underside of the lowest branch before I lift on my toes and try to get a firmerhold. I haven’t attempted to climb a tree in years, but I don’t remember it being this complicated.

I manage to wrap my hands around the branch, but that’s about as far as I make it. My upper body wasn’t made for this, and I try and fail to lift myself before dropping back down. I underestimated just how hard this would be.

Kie lets out a loud sigh. I ignore it.

“For fuck’s sake.”

Hands curl around my upper thighs, and I squeak as I’m lifted straight into the air. My legs flail, and I kick around as I climb onto the lowest branch. Kie grunts as my foot slams against his sternum, but he otherwise remains silent. I can’t see what Mason’s doing, but the near-constant, low growling I hear from below tells me he’s nearby.

Have the shifters found us?

My heart races, and I scramble to balance before reaching for the next-highest branch. The gap between this one and the last is significantly smaller, making it easier to climb. Kie remains below with Mason, and when I look down, I realize they’re both watching me climb.

“How high do I need to go?” I ask.

Kie glances at Mason, but the shifter is no longer paying attention. He’s busy stalking around the tree’s base, his every movement calculated and deadly. Even from this height and distance, he’s still fucking terrifying.

“I’ll tell you when to stop,” Kie decides.

That’s not helpful, and I wipe my sweaty palms on my leggings before making my way up the next branch. I highly doubt this tree will do much to stop a motivated shifter, but I’m not inclined to argue that point.

I continue climbing, ignoring the burning in my muscles. My arms haven’t had this much of a workout in years, and theyaren’t going to be happy with me tomorrow—assuming Imake itto tomorrow.

Mason’s grumbling grows louder, the deep noise vibrating up my spine. It’s not directed toward me, but it still causes every hair on my body to stand.

Within a minute or two, I’m so high up, I can’t bring myself to look down. I’m not particularly afraid of heights, but there’s a good chance I’d break several bones if I fell from this height. Climbing up is always the easy part, too, and I’m trying hard not to think about the inevitable climb down.

I pull myself up onto another branch, my chest heaving. I’m sticking as close to the tree trunk as possible, practically hugging it for additional stability. The branches are thinning, though, and I’m nervous they’ll soon bend underneath my weight.

“That’s good!” Kie shouts up.

I’m shaking, and I straddle the branch I’m currently on before daring to look down. The ground is farther than I thought it would be, and I’m so far up that I can barely make out Kie and Mason’s forms in the dark. They blend in, and I squeeze my eyes shut before turning to look at the moon.

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