Page 93 of The Shattered Kingdom
I let out an unattractive snort. I spent years trying to convince him and Tommy Knocker that Lill was a faerie, but they never believed me. I’m going to make Mason transform into his animal form later and scare him.
“I told you so,” I say.
Aaron’s bottom lip wobbles, and he sucks his cheeks into his mouth and glares at the ceiling before joining the hug pile.
“You stupid fucking bitch,” he says. “We thought you were dead. We had search parties and everything. I was researching bodyless funerals.”
I let out another laugh, but it sounds more like a cry. “I’m so sorry.”
Aaron and Dad back away, but Mom continues staring like she’s afraid I’ll vanish before her very eyes. Mason and Kie still stand off to the side, and Lady Cassandra is nowhere to be seen. The path outside the front door is empty, excluding the guards who usually mill about.
Mom glances at the two men hovering behind me.
“And who are they?”
Kie smoothly interrupts. “Let’s take a seat, shall we? There’s a lot to explain.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
ABBY
KIE EFFORTLESSLY TRANSFORMS into the perfect host, an award-winning smile plastered across his lips as he guides my family into the living room.
My mom holds my hand, her grip borderline painful. I’m sure she has a million questions—I would if I were in her position. My dad is quiet, and he’s wearing the expression of a man who’s mildly convinced that nothing happening around him is real. His mouth is slightly open, and his gaze continually flickers around the room.
It’s not every day a woman magically appears in your home and tells you she’s taking you to a faerie realm where your missing daughter is about to be crowned queen.
“So…” Aaron says, sitting on the edge of the couch. He looks between Kie and Mason. “You’re a faerie, and you’re a… werewolf? That’s what the woman who brought us here said.”
“They call them shifters,” I correct him. “But, yeah, it’s pretty much a werewolf. Just without all the whole moon and garlic lore.”
“Garlic is vampires,” Dad absentmindedly says.
I nod. “Right.”
Aaron drags a hand through his hair. Mason blinks, his eyes narrowing in on my brother. I wince.
In an effort to keep him calm after I was attacked, I told him all about my childhood. Amid my panic, I didn’t think to explain that despite Aaron calling me a troll and bullying me relentlessly, I still love him.
Mason’s holding a useless grudge in my honor. It’s cute, and it makes me feel a bit bad for conveniently leaving out the parts where I was just as mean to Aaron.
“Mason’s the shifter,” I say, placing my hand on Mason’s shoulder. I give him a warning look, one he either doesn’t notice or chooses to ignore. I assume the latter. “I left the human realm to save Lill, and I met Kie and Mason shortly after arriving here. They were traveling together for some personal reasons, and they’ve kept me safe.” That’s a lie. I continue. “They’re also my mates.”
I’m met with three blank stares.
My back breaks into a cold sweat. “The people here have predestined soulmates. I’m theirs.”
Mom gulps. “Bothof them?”
I nod. I don’t care to get into the nuances of my relationship, and I mentally prepare for the questions to come. My time here has been complicated, and my family doesn’t need to know about it. If they stay here, which I hope they will, they’ll eventually learn.
I hope they choose to stay.
My brother has a budding career, but my parents don’t have much tying them to the human realm. They have jobs and friends, but they’re both only siblings and my grandparents are dead. I want us to stay together, and me leaving isn’t an option.
Dad clears his throat but doesn’t speak. He looks at a loss forwords. I don’t blame him.
“And Lill?” Aaron asks.
