Page 122 of The Cursed Kingdom

“She’s not healthy,” Kie explains. “She’s been surviving in the human realm, without magic, this entire time.”

That stops me in my tracks. Lilly’s been gone for over twenty years. There’s no way she could survive that long without magic. It’s impossible, even for a faerie from a strong bloodline.

“How?” I ask.

Kie walks in front of me. His movements are slow and calm, but I know what he’s trying to do. He will be sorely disappointed if he thinks he is going to physically stop me from getting to Lilly. I don’t care what she means to Abby.

The human’s feelings don’t matter to me. She already hates me, so it’s not as if I have anything to lose. Even if shedidn’thate me, I still wouldn’t care.

“I don’t know,” Kie admits. “She’s sleeping, and she has been for hours. I haven’t had a chance to speak with her.”

I blink. He’s found the woman who murdered his father, and he’s letting her rest? Kie’s father was a shit husband, nobody doubts that, but he was a good parent and leader. Even I tolerated him, which is more than I’d say for most.

Kie should be livid, and I should’ve known he’d wait and make me be the bad guy. Kie’s too soft, always trying to see the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. I move to walk around him, fully intent on getting to the bottom of this myself, but Kie sidesteps to keep himself in front of me.

“Mace…” he says. “We should talk to my mother first.”

We should speak to the queen soon, preferably before she sends another one of her guards to collect Abby, but I can’t think of one good reason why we should go to herfirst. Lilly is the number-one priority right now, and afterward, we can sort things out with Queen Gitta.

I’m sure she’s heard that I knocked out the guard she sent to collect Abby, and I doubt she’ll send another. She doesn’t like it when I hurt the faeries, and she won’t risk their lives just to collect a human from our private quarters.

I also know she won’t bother collecting Abby herself. That would be beneath her.

“Youcan talk to your mother,” I tell Kie. “I intend to speak with Lillian Collins.”

I place a hand on Kie’s shoulder and shove him aside. He hardly moves, the man a fucking statue when he wants to be.

“Do you wish to fight? Here?” I ask, eyeing the men and women unsuccessfully pretending they aren’t eavesdropping on our conversation. “Because I will, and Iwillwin.”

Kie purses his lips, hesitating, before shifting to the side just enough that I can slip past him. Smart choice.

One of the noble ladies of court, Kie’s favorite, stops in her tracks as she rounds a corner and spots us. She’s immaculately done up, her white hair perfectly styled and her makeup pristine. She’s also wearing a blood-red dress, which tells me she’s already heard about Kie’s return.

Kie’s always loved a woman in red, and I hope Jackie manages to distract him as I make my way around her and continue toward the cells.

“Kieran!” Her heels click as she rushes for him. “I didn’t realize you were back.”

“Not right now, Jackie,” Kie says. I can practically visualize how he’s brushing her aside—firm, but polite enough not to ruffle feathers. “Mason, slow down!”

He stomps after me, but he doesn’t attempt to stop me again. We try not to fight in public, especially since I usually win. It doesn’t look good for the future king to be bested by a shifter, even one with whom he shares a forked bond.

It doesn’t take me long to reach the building where the cells are housed, and I don’t hesitate to open the door and step inside. There are three guards down the long corridor, all of whom straighten up as they take notice of Kie and me.

I gesture for them to open the cement door behind them. They rush to do so.

The potent scent of Lilly’s blood hits me first, and I scrunch up my nose as I walk inside the room. There are only three cells in this building, and Lilly’s in the one on the left. The other two are empty, as usual.

I pause outside the door to Lilly’s cell. The last time I saw her, I considered her a friend, and I suck in a deep breath before pulling the door open.

Kie stands beside me.

In the center of the room is a woman, her white hair spewed around her shoulders as she struggles to climb onto her hands and knees. Her impossibly thin arms collapse under the weight, and I press my lips together as I see the lashes covering her bare back.

I count them, my heart pounding. One. Two. Three.Four. She was whipped four times before Kie got to her.

I’d ask Kie where the guard who did this is, but I have a feeling I already know. Queen Gitta may approve of this type of punishment, but Kie doesn’t. The guard went against his wishes and tortured a woman who was in no position to fight back. He’s long gone.

Tired, violet eyes meet mine, and I lean against the doorway to the cell as Lilly struggles to rise. I’m glad she’s finally awake, and I take a minute to look her over as I collect my thoughts.

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