Page 126 of The Cursed Kingdom

Lillian winces, finally looking in our direction. “Mace…”

Mason’s spine stiffens at the nickname. As far as I’m aware, I’m the only one who calls him that.

Lillian hugs her arms around herself, her gaze flickering nervously between Mason and me. She’s not wearing a shirt, and I purse my lips before tugging off mine and tossing it in her direction. She fails to catch it, and her nose crinkles as she leans forward and scoops the fabric off the ground.

I haven’t had the opportunity to change and freshen up, and I’m sure the shirt smells. Still, Lillian doesn’t voice any complaints as she slips my shirt on, covering herself.

I don’t like to expose my skin, but I’m willing to make an exception. Mason will ensure nobody touches me while we return to our quarters, and I’ll redress before meeting with Abby. She’s sure to be livid, and I don’t trust her not to try to physically harm me.

I clear my throat, taking the lead.

“Where is she?” I ask Lillian. “Your mother. Where’s Callie?”

Mason will deny it, but Lillian’s betrayal hurt him. He was angry for months after she disappeared, and I don’t want that anger seeping into his interrogation. We don’t have time.

Queen Gitta’s not known for her patience, and she’s been sending a guard here every few minutes to check in on us. I’m sure she’s eager to learn how my meeting with Zaha went and why I’m hiding a human woman in my home, which aren’t conversations I’m excited to have.

It needs to happen sooner rather than later, though. It’s already been announced that my coronation will occur three days after my return, and while we can easily prolong it for a few days, we’ll need to announce our change in leadership soon.

My people will not be happy.

I glance at Mason, silently communicating for him to keep a level head. He’s testy as of late, and it’s only a matter of timebefore my mother goes for Abby again. I’m afraid of what Mason will do when she does.

His instincts will be harder than usual to resist since he’s recently spent so much time in his animal form, and it will take several days for him to acclimate back into the faerie lifestyle. My mom should know that, and she needs to give Mason space before he loses control.

He’s hanging on to his sanity by a thread.

Lillian runs her fingers through her hair. Her skin is so thin, I can see every vein in the back of her hand. It’s unnerving.

“Callie’s dead,” she says.

Doubtful.

Lillian’s mom isn’t dead. Faeries live long lives, up to two hundred years if they’re lucky, and Callie was in her thirties when she and Lillian vanished.

I sigh. “Lillian…”

Mason pushes off the wall and steps fully into Lillian’s cell. I debate trying to stop him, but I want to see how this will play out. He won’t hurt her.

I remember how the two used to play, and how Mason would link his arm with hers and practically force her to accompany him everywhere he went. It made me angry, and I often felt he liked her more than me.

“Where is she, Lilly?” Mason sneers, crouching before her.

Lillian’s eyes dart down Mason’s frame. It must be a shock to see how he’s grown. Shifters are known to be large, but Mason’s the alpha’s firstborn son and his body reflects that.

“She’s dead, Mace,” she whispers. “There’s no magic in the human realm, and it killed her.”

Mason shakes his head. “We both know that isn’t true.”

Callie may have loved her daughter, but she wouldn’t have put herself in a situation to die. She would’ve left the humanrealm before getting to that point, returning to a realm with magic.

“How haveyousurvived?” I ask.

Lillian should have died years ago. No faerie can survive that long without magic.

“Delysum.”

Delysum? I scoff.

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