Page 4 of The Shattered Kingdom
Lill and I are in no position to attempt an escape. Lill can barely stand, and I’m human. We don’t exactly make for the deadliest, or sneakiest, team. Especially against guards specifically ordered to keep an eye on us.
Kie puts a hand on Mason’s shoulder. Mason almost immediately brushes him off.
“There’s no need for you here,” Kie says, gesturing towardLill and me. “They’re not going anywhere, and we need to speak to the council before my mother does. She’ll twist this in my favor, and you need to win Anox over before they concoct a workaround that strips you of power.”
Why does Kie care about that? I understand that he and Mason are friends, but surely, he’d be eager to find a way to circumvent the agreement he made with Zaha. There’s no way he’s going to so willingly give his title, his birthright, over to Mason.
If Mason is surprised by Kie’s support, he doesn’t show it.
“I’m unconcerned with what the council members think of me,” he says. “You speak with them. I’ll remain here with Lilly and Abby.”
Kie frowns. “It doesn’t work like that, and you know it. Come with me, Mason.”
Mason works his jaw side to side. He’s still fucking staring at me. “No.”
Kieran’s composed façade falters. He recovers quickly, but I see the expression of sheer desperation that takes over his features. Why is he so desperate for Mason to join him? Maybe he’s afraid to speak to the queen and the council members alone. I bet they’re going to gang up on him. I hope they make him cry.
I hope the faeries revolt when they hear the news. I’m so excited.
“Mace…” Kie starts. He’s going to beg. I can sense it.
Excited jitters travel down my spine.
Mason shakes his head. “No.”
A tense silence passes between the two, and I watch with poorly concealed interest. I’m looking forward to being alone with Lill, but I love it when Kie and Mason fight. It’s nothing new, but their arguments seemed to end in physical blows while inside the forest. What will they do here?
Kie turns, placing himself between us and Mason andblocking our view of the shifter. My body feels infinitely lighter with Mason’s piercing glare gone, and I reach out until the back of my hand finds Lill’s. She wordlessly laces our fingers together.
Kie and Mason speak to one another in hushed tones, keeping their voices too low for me to hear. I’m sure the exchanged words aren’t pleasant, though, and I count seven seconds before Mason grunts and brushes past Kie.
He doesn’t spare Lill or me another glance as he storms out of the front door, and Kieran quickly follows.
I squeeze Lill’s hand as the door slams shut behind him. About damn time. I don’t hesitate to pull Lill in for a hug, careful not to touch her back as I press my face against her neck and breathe the comforting scent of her perfume. Some of her hair gets into my mouth, which I usually hate, but I’m so happy hugging her that I don’t care.
She wraps her arms around my waist and squeezes. “I’m so fucking mad at you.”
“I figured.” I choke out a laugh. “Your mates are assholes.” I could go on and on for days about that particular topic, but there are more important things to discuss. I pull out of the hug and spin Lill by her shoulders. “Is your back okay? Let me see.” I lift her shirt, needing to see her injuries for myself. “And why is Mason accusing you of murdering Kie’s dad? Why did you and Callie escape to the human realm, and are—”
My voice dies out as I take in the mangled state of Lill’s back. There are three long, deep lashes covering her mid-back and shoulders. One is actively bleeding, but the other two didn’t split the skin too badly. Blood pebbled to the surface but didn’t go beyond that.
“There might be bandages in the bathroom,” I manage to say. “Let me check.”
I trip over my feet in my mad search for the bathroom. It’s inthe hallway, the first door on the left, and I rip through the drawers until I find bandages. I wet two towels and return to the entryway, where Lill still stands.
She hasn’t moved, and she shoots me a weak smile as I gesture for her to lean over the kitchen island.
“Well?” I urge as I lift the back of her shirt. My breath hitches as I take in the damage, and I shake my head before getting to work. “What’s going on, Lill?”
Her ribcage expands with breath. She must be exhausted, but I don’t know when we’ll have another moment alone. If Lill and her motherdidmurder the king, now may be her only opportunity to tell me.
“My dad died when I was a baby,” Lill starts. “He was a council member, and he had… strong opinions regarding how the royal family was handling shifter relations. He felt the faeries were too harsh. His death wasn’t treated with much respect, which upset my mom.”
I remain quiet, absorbing every word as I clean her back.
Lill continues. “Alpha Theon, Mason’s father, got in her ear while he was here on business. He convinced my mom to begin sleeping with Kie’s dad for information.” Lill pauses to clear her throat, and when she speaks next, her voice is hushed. “Trolls run rampant inside the Redstall Forest, and several faerie troops were sent to help the shifters manage them. One of the troops was ordered to burn the shifter’s supply of delysum on their way out. They failed, thanks to my mom. She told Alpha Theon of the plans, and hundreds of faeries died.”
The bandages are sticky, meant to adhere to the skin, and I wince as I place one over Lill’s deepest lash. I could kill the man who did this to her.
