Page 101 of The Cursed Kingdom

I step onto the portal, then take another until I’m standing directly in the center. Kie follows me in, and Mason quickly does the same.

Then my stomach drops, the feeling eerily like going down a roller coaster. It’s uncomfortable, and my breath escapes my lungs with a lowwhooshas I grab at Kie’s shoulder. He doesn’t flinch or move away, even as my gloved fingers bury into his muscle.

The discomfort in my stomach continues until I have to choose between clenching my eyes shut or puking. It’s an easy decision, and I squeeze my eyes shut as the sinking feeling peaks.

The portal Lill opened to the faerie realm was so much better than this. Maybe it was because I ran through it quickly. I have no idea, but this is straight bullshit.

Kie supports most of my body weight as the feeling of dropping abruptly disappears and my knees buckle. It hurts, especially because I wasn’t prepared, and I lower my chin to my chest as I struggle to catch my breath. What the fuck was that?

I peek through my lashes, staring at my feet that are now standing on black tile. It’s shiny, and I shift my weight from foot to foot before tentatively looking up.

We’re in the center of a small room, complete with four tall, white walls and an equally white ceiling. I don’t see any visible lights or windows, but the place is damn bright. It’s entirely empty, too. There’s not even a door to leave.

The only thing with color is the black tile circle Kie, Mason, and I are on.

This isn’t what I imagined. I haven’t spent much time thinking about what the gods’ realm would look like, mainly to prevent myself from spiraling, but it wasn’t this.

I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, chewing at the skin. Are we in the right place?

Despite Kie’s warning, I debate screaming and doing whatever possible to make a scene. I don’t trust Kie enough to take his warning to heart, especially when it would benefit him to lie to me in this situation.

He knows saying the gods will want totrainme if I make a scene would scare me—I don’t know anybody it wouldn’t—and he’s not above using that for his benefit.

Still, despite knowing that, I’m not positive it’s worth the risk. In the slightest chance that Kie was telling the truth, I don’t want anybody feeling the need totrainme. I have no idea what that means, but it sure doesn’t sound good.

Kie clears his throat, and I rip my hand off his shoulder. I forgot I grabbed it, and I pointedly wipe my gloved hand on my leggings so he knows I’m disgusted to have been touching him.

“Are you ready?” he asks.

I just barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. What a stupid fucking question. Of course I’m not ready. He knows that. I know that. Everybody fucking knows that.

Mason steps off the black tile, his movements stiff. He’s looking around, the space between his eyebrows crinkled as he runs his hand along the smooth, white wall. He slides it from side to side, continuing until his hand sinks in. I chew at my bottom lip, horrified as he steps through the wall and disappears. Of fucking course.

I can barely hear anything over the sound of my heart beating, and I force my chin up high as I follow him through the wall.

Chapter Forty-Three

ABBY

THERE’S NOTHING BUT more white walls, white flooring, and white ceiling when I emerge inside the new room Mason led us to. The only difference is that I’m in a short hallway instead of a tiny room with a black portal underneath me.

There’s no door here, either.

This is creepy, and I press my lips together as I look around the bare hallway. Something about this doesn’t feel right, and I’m pretty sure we’ve just walked into a trap.

“Where is everybody?” I ask.

Kie walks down the hallway, his eyes flickering every which way. He looks puzzled, which isn’t inspiring much faith. I’ve gathered that this is his first time meeting with Zaha, but given how much he seems to know about the gods, I expected him not to look so fucking confused.

I cross my arms over my chest, unimpressed as Kie spins at the end of the short hallway and returns to me. I hope Zaha turns down his request for help. If I—a lowly, useless human—am unimpressed with him, I can’t even begin to imagine how the gods will feel. I hope Zaha chooses to punish Kie for bothering her. I hope she burns him alive.

I also hope she and her brothers decide they don’t want me.

“The experience here is different for everybody,” Mason says.

I spare him a quick glance. He’s returned to his usual staring, but now his annoyance is directed at me. I don’t understand it at first, but then I realize it’s because he saw how I was looking at Kie. He saw how I was snarling at the faerie prince.

He’s offended on Kie’s behalf. How forked-mate romantic.

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