Page 39 of The Shattered Kingdom
I shoot the shifter a sideways look. “He told you that?”
“He didn’t need to.”
I hum. “Is there an update on Lill?”
“No. She wasn’t at any of the locations you provided, so we’re inclined to believe she’s still in this realm. I suspect she’s hiding with Alpha Theon and Callie in the shifter lands.”
I’m done insisting that Callie is dead. Nobody seems inclined to believe me, and I’ve already been wrong several times when it comes to Lill.
Mason continues. “We should have a clearer idea once we hear back from my father.”
Ifwe hear back from his father. From what I’ve gathered, it doesn’t seem that Mason and his dad have the best relationship. The shifter alpha abandoned his son in the faerie kingdom after Mason’s shared mate bond with Kie was discovered, and there hasn’t been any contact since.
The thought no longer fills me with as much joy as it once did, which I blame on the bond.
I eye last night’s dress lying on the floor beside the bed. Mason follows my line of sight but makes no attempts to leave. He knows I’m naked under these sheets, and he’s hoping to catch a glimpse.
“Get out,” I order.
“Why?”
“Because I want privacy.”
“Why do you need privacy?” The corner of Mason’s lips twitch upward. “I’ve already seen and tasted you. Have you forgotten about that? You shoved my face into your cunt, and—”
“Get out, Mason!” I kick at his leg again.
This time, he listens, his smile remaining as he lifts his hands in surrender and backs out of the room. “Weleave in thirty minutes.”
Thirty minutes isn’t enough time, but the rush keeps me busy enough not to dwell on our current situation. I’m stressed about Lill, and I’m stressed about what the mate bond means for me.
I still want to go home. I miss my family, and I’m sure they miss me. I didn’t tell them I was leaving, and they’re undoubtedly worried sick. Have they already contacted the police? Is there an investigation?
There’s a navy-blue dress hanging in the bathroom. It’s significantly more formal than the day dresses I’ve been given these past few days, and it has a corset-style lacing up the back.
I shower before squeezing myself into it, pleased I can do the laces myself. The dress is a bit long, the hem dragging along the ground. It doesn’t help that the faeries exclusively wear slipper-style shoes. They’re comfortable, but they offer no additional height.
Mason and Kie are standing around the dining room table when I emerge, both leaning over a large map that must have been brought in after I went to bed. It’s of the Redstall Forest, and there are several locations marked.
Are they searching for Alpha Theon? Did these two get any sleep last night? It doesn’t appear so.
I look toward Mason, but he refuses to make eye contact. Is he afraid I’ll bring up the secret map I found in his bedroom? I won’t, not until I need to. Not until it benefits me.
“The crowning ceremony is private, and it will be quick.” Mason glances toward Kie before continuing. “We’ll be attending an observance for Queen Gitta afterward.”
Kie winces, the movement so subtle, I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been looking. I’ve never seen Kie lose control, and I’m nervous he’s at his breaking point. It’s a miracle he hasn’t lost control already.
Mason lets himself feel every emotion that comes his way,good or bad, but Kie’s reserved. What if the observance is what breaks him? What if he throws himself over Queen Gitta’s casket or tries to climb inside with her?
“I expect to hear back from my father within the next day or two,” Mason continues. “If I don’t, we have a unit of soldiers prepared to scout his lands for her.”
That explains the maps.
“They aren’thislands.” Kie’s quick to correct Mason. “The Redstall Forest belongs to the faeries, and it always has. We gave the shifters a place to live after they destroyed their kingdom, but that doesn’t make the land any less ours.”
I suck my cheeks into my mouth. That’s an argument I have no interest in getting involved in.
It’s odd being around the pair now that I know they’re my mates, especially Mason. The bond is subtle, but it’s there. I want to be near the shifter, preferably pressed against him in whatever way possible.
