Page 35 of The Shattered Kingdom
The two guards beside Kie take off, but the man in robes remains.
Kie looks over as we approach, his gaze lingering on where Mason’s holding my arm. The shifter isn’t wearing gloves. He must have forgotten to put them back on, or perhaps it was a deliberate decision. Either way, he’s openly touching me. He just dragged me across the property with his bare hand on my arm.
“Yes,” is all Mason says.
Kie blinks.
Mason continues. “If you tell her not to touch you, she’ll make it a personal mission to do the opposite. Abby doesn’t listen.”
“Does Lillian know?” Kie asks.
“I don’t know.”
“How don’t you know?” Kie turns toward me. “Did you tell her?”
“This only just happened.” Mason jumps in to answer for me. “It was a surprise to us both, and we got carried away in the bathroom. Lill was out of the house, but she may have overheard. I don’t know. The guards were at the door when we finished.”
The robed man beside Kie groans and walks away, beginning to pace. I’ve seen him before, but we’ve never interacted. I assume he’s important if he’s allowed to eavesdrop on this private conversation.
“What do you know?” Mason asks, changing the subject.
He’s yet to remove his hand from my arm, and I’m getting the impression he has no intention to do so. I highly doubt Lill will appear and snatch me out of thin air. At least, I like to believe so. She’s probably too weak to open two portals back-to-back. She was on the verge of death just a few days ago, and I’m certain she wasn’t faking it.
Kie frowns. “Nothing of use. We’re sweeping the property, but I highly doubt she’s here. She’s long gone, probably with the shifters.”
Mason scoffs. “She’s with Callie.”
Callie’s dead. Instinct tells me to say it, but logic keeps me quiet. I was told that Callie was dead, but I never saw the body. I can’t confirm it.
The man in the robes returns, his crooked finger pointed in my direction. “Take the human somewhere safe,” he tells Kie. “We don’t need to top this day off with your mate’s death.” His gaze shifts toward Mason. “Come with me.”
Mason tightens his grip on my arm. “Abby stays with me.”
“No.” The man shakes his head. “Abby stays with Kie. She has two mates, and you are busy. Hand her over. We don’t have time to waste.”
The man doesn’t wait for an answer before spinning on his heel and vanishing into the building. He flings open the door with more force than necessary, and he doesn’t look back.Who is he?
There’s a moment of awkward silence before Kie gestures to Mason’s unmoving grip on my arm. “He’s right. With the queen’s death, you’re now our acting king. You need to be the face of this. I’ll bring Abby to our home. Lillian’s never been inside, so it won’t be easy for her to open a portal there. Abby will be safe with me.”
Mason’s thumb brushes over the inside of my bicep, and he worries his lips together before finally releasing me. I’d prefer to stay with him, but I won’t make a fuss.
“I won’t be long,” Mason promises me.
I nod, and he follows after the robed man. Kie places a hand on the small of my back and begins guiding me away, back in the direction Mason and I came from. Unlike Mason, he keeps a casual pace. I’m willing to bet it’s to send the impression of control. It wouldn’t look good for the faeries to see him running around in a panic.
“Why does Mason have to handle this himself?” I ask. “Shouldn’t you two do it together?”
“In theory, yes,” Kie says. “But you complicate things. Themate bond is fresh, and Mason won’t be able to think clearly with you around. It’s best you two are separated, and I’m the only person he’ll trust you to be left with.”
Should I mention the five guards he briefly left me with immediately upon hearing the news? His first instinct was to leave me with them, even if it only lasted approximately forty-five seconds.
“Do the faeries know about your agreement with Zaha?”
“Yes. They aren’t pleased.”
The private paths leading to the royal houses are swarming with guards. They part to let Kie through, several bowing their heads as they do so.
The house Lill and I have been staying in taunts me, and I can’t help but stare at it as Kie leads me to the one he shares with Mason. I was just here, and I immediately walk through the open entryway and sit on the oversized black couch.
