Page 41 of The Cursed Kingdom

His black, long-sleeved shirt clings to his skin, stretching tightly across his shoulders and abdomen. I glance at his chest, trying to make a snap decision on whether I could win in a fight against him.

There’s no magic, which may put us on a slightly more even playing field, but I can tell this guy has me beat in physical strength. Even with my knife, I won’t stand a chance.

“Who are you?” I ask.

The man cocks his head to the side. He has dark hair, but he also has violet eyes. Faeries always have violet eyes. I’m not sure if I’m relieved that he’s not a shifter.

“You’re quite a persistent little bug,” he says.

His voice is deep, and he smiles afterward to reveal a set of perfect teeth. He’s beautiful, with sharp cheekbones and asquare jaw humans would kill to have, but I won’t be lured in by it. Especially not when he’s just called me abug.

Some could argue it’s a pet name, but I know he means it as an insult.

He takes a step forward. I take one back.

“Ahumanbug,” he continues.

I take another step back. His smile widens, the look entirely predatory.

“I don’t mean any trouble,” I say. My voice cracks, which isn’t exactly what I’m going for. “My name is Abby. I’m twenty-six, and I work in accounting.”

I once read that if you think somebody is going to hurt you, you should tell them things about yourself. This will make them view you as a person, not just an object.

The man cocks his head to the side, his dark eyebrows furrowing together. I think I’ve caught him off guard, and he takes a moment to process what I’ve just said before blowing a strand of hair out of his face.

“My name is Kieran. Kie,” he finally says. “I’m twenty-seven, and I work in politics. Why are you following us?”

Kieran. That sounds mildly familiar. Kieran. Kieran?PrinceKieran?Fuck.Is this the prince? It must be.Politicsis a light way of describing the title of prince, though.

I guess the rumors about him traveling into the forest were true, after all. Is the other prince with him? Mason? The shifter everybody seems to hate.

Movement on my left stops me in my tracks.

Kie’s gaze flickers in that direction. “Mace…” His tone is warning, and it’s not directed at me.

I shift, subtly glancing at the newcomer. I’ve never seen a shifter, but there’s no doubt that this man is one. He’s just as physically imposing as Kie, but something about himscreamsferal. It’s written somewhere in his bright-green eyes. Something about them isn’t right. It’s off.

The hair on the back of my neck rises, immediate alarm bells ringing in my head. I need to get out of here.

Mason approaches with unnerving speed, and with ten times more aggression than Kie. He’s coming straight for me, but before I can so much as blink, I’m being pushed up against a tree. The back of my head slams into the trunk, and my toes just barely graze against the ground as I’m pinned to it by my neck.

I can’t breathe.

There’s no room for any other thoughts.

Everything is moving too quickly for me to make sense of, and I kick out my feet as I pry at the hand wrapped around my throat. It hurts.I can’t breathe.

Kie appears behind Mason, his unnerving, violet eyes meeting my brown ones as he wraps his own hand around Mason’s neck. I look between the two, half-convinced I’m going to piss myself.

Kie squeezes Mason’s throat.

Well, I assume he’s squeezing. The look of betrayal that momentarily spreads over Mason’s face tells me it’s not a friendly touch.

I claw at the fingers cutting off my oxygen, desperation and panic rendering me unable to do anything but.I can’t fucking breathe.The rough tree bark scratches my lower back where my sweatshirt’s ridden up, but I hardly notice it as I tilt my chin upward and try to wiggle free.

I’m going to die.

I try with everything I have to bring air into my lungs, but the way Mason squeezes my throat makes it impossible.

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