Page 85 of The Cursed Kingdom

A steady stream of rainwater pours off the corner of the tarp. It lands only a few inches from my head, creating a dirty puddle. I’m already covered in mud—there’s no way I’m not—so I don’t mind it.

Sighing, I stick my pointer finger under the stream of runoff.

The rain is finally letting up. I can tell by the sound, but I can’t see it. It’s pitch black out, and my flashlight is out of arm’s reach. My nut container is by my knees, also out of reach, but I hope it’s still collecting the rainwater.

I’m looking forward to drinking it, and I might cry if either Mason or Kie has knocked it over.

Several minutes pass before I press my gloved palms into the soft ground and try to sit up. My back presses against Mason’s stomach, but he doesn’t budge. I don’t understand why he’sspent the past several hours lying on me and purring, but it seems he’s not done.

I continue trying to push up against him, wanting him off me.

All he does is press down harder, slowly adding his body weight until I collapse beneath him.

Kie speaks up. “Leave her alone.”

Mason grumbles, his purr shifting into a deeper vibration that screamsI’m having a fun time. Let me do what I want before I eat you.It’s not directed at me, but it still makes me uneasy. Everything about Mason makes me uneasy.

I wish he’d have died when those shifters attacked. It seemed like he was damn close to doing so, and I’m frustrated he couldn’t see it to completion. Useless men. They can’t even die correctly.

“Mason!”

I know it’s serious when Kie uses Mason’s full first name.

The purring stops, and Mason finally fucking climbs off me. He moves slowly, taking his sweet time, and I sit up the second I can. Having him on me was momentarily pleasant, his body heat bringing immense relief to my sore, cold muscles, but I’m over it.

My limbs had locked up when Mason and Kie arrived, and I could barely move. Every breath hurt, and my hands and feet felt like they were on fire. I’d already accepted my death when Mason’s shadow appeared, and I especially thought it was coming when he crawled over the top of me a second later.

I’m shocked I’m alive right now.

Mason, still in his animal form, takes a seat on my right, trapping me between him and Kie. I hate his animal form, but I’m not necessarily eager for him to return to his human-looking one and demand I give him his pants back.

They’re helping to keep the lower half of my body warm.

Mason’s head brushes against the tarp, pushing the accumulated water off the top. It hits the ground with a heavythump, and Kie groans as a decent amount of it lands on his legs.

“For fuck’s sake.” He huffs.

His legs, from the mid-thigh down, are sticking out from underneath the tarp. It looks like it’s been that way for a while. His pants are soaked through, clinging to his muscular legs like a second skin.

The water landing on him hardly made a difference.

Mason makes an odd, choking sound, which might be a laugh. I’ve never heard an animal make a noise like that before, and it sounds unnatural. I’d be happy never to hear it again.

At least somebody’s finding humor in this shitty situation, though.

I press my back against the tree and bring my knees against my chest. My knives are gone, and I don’t waste time looking for them. There’s no point.

My peanut container is where I left it, thankfully still upright. I can’t see how much water it’s collected, and I do my best to contain my excitement as I pick it up and realize it’s more than halfway full. It’s not enough to sustain me, but I’ll take it.

Beggars can’t be choosers.

Two pairs of eyes watch as I bring the container to my mouth and down the contents. The water is objectively stale and musty, but I love it. I’ll never take easily accessible water for granted again.

My hands shake, and I choke slightly as I gulp, but I don’t care. I’m not trying to impress either of these men, and it doesn’t bother me if they think my frantic drinking is unladylike.

I empty my container in seconds, and with a heavy sigh, I set it back down to continue collecting water. I doubt I'll get much with the rain beginning to let up, but a girl can hope. There are so few things left to remain optimistic about.

Mason and Kie are openly staring at me, neither bothering to pretend they aren’t. I get why they want to keep an eye on me, but this is a bit excessive. It’s not like I’ll get up and run with both so close to me.

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