Page 30 of The Shattered Kingdom
I shrug, trying to focus on Lill. “Anything. I’ll come with you.”
Lill hums and slips on her shoes. “No need. I’ll just be a minute.”
I linger, my heart hammering as she pulls open the front door. Is she lying to me? Is Mason lying to me? Is everybody fucking lying to me? I may be a human, but I’m not less than them.
Lill shoots Mason a smile. It’s sweet, filled with so much fucking emotion. I’m going to be sick. “I’ll be right back.”
The door shuts. Mason rises from the couch.
I lift a hand. “Stay away from me!”
My legs shake as I rush to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me. My mind is swimming, and I hang my head between my shoulders and lean over the sink, taking deep breaths. I’m in a full panic. It’s not ideal.
The door opens, and I groan as a shadow larger than Lill appears beside me.
“Get out.” I point to the door. “Go.”
All I want is one fucking minute of privacy.
“This is your fault,” I continue. “And you should leave.”
Mason steps farther into the room, thoroughly ignoring me, and he takes his sweet time looking me over before shutting the bathroom door, trapping me inside. I push away from the sink, refusing to take my eyes off him as he wets a washcloth.
“Abby…” Mason pauses. “Is this truly my fault?”
He gestures for me to look down. I obey, still frowning as he brings the wet cloth to the back of my neck. The cold feels good, and I take a moment to focus on my breathing. I’ll kick him out in a second.
“Kie’s better at these things,” Mason admits. “I don’t have much experience with women. I’ve only ever been with prostitutes, and the interactions are simple. Kie has spent much time with the noblewomen, and they have a lot of feelings. He’s quite skilled at navigating these situations.”
“I don’t care to hear about your and Kie’s romantic history.”
Mason falls silent, then nods. “Look up.”
Despite his usual brutish behavior, he’s surprisingly gentle as he slides the washcloth along my forehead. I don’t know why I’m letting him do this.
“She believes the bond is real,” I say.
Mason doesn’t respond, but I know his silence is a denial. He doesn’t believe me. I push his hand away from my face.
“Let me speak with her,” I order. “Give me a chance to clear things up.”
Mason shakes his head. “I saidno, and I’m not changing my mind.”
I’m not going to accept that answer.
“You are.” I mean it, too. “Or I’ll walk out of this bathroom and tell Lill everything you told me earlier.” I’m about to make him really upset, but I don’t care. “I found the map of the RedstallForest in your bedroom. It was hidden in a pocket at the bottom of your wardrobe. You’re looking for something. Your family, maybe? I’ll tell everybody. I’ll tell Kie.”
Mason’s jaw drops. I caught him by surprise.
“How do you think the faeries will feel to learn their future king is looking for his shifter family? That he misses his mommy and daddy and wants to know where they’re hiding out?”
Mason is furious, his nostrils flaring and chest heaving. The washcloth falls to the ground with asplat, and Mason’s gloved hands are around my head a heartbeat later.
“I should crush your skull.” He squeezes my head. Not enough to hurt, but enough that I know he’s fantasizing about following through on his words. I bet he gets off on the thought of hurting me. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance. Should’ve snapped your neck the second I met you and been done with it.”
He doesn’t mean that.
I ignore my pounding heart as I meet Mason’s eye, daring him to hurt me.
