Page 52 of The Shattered Kingdom
Mason thrashes, and his other shoulder shifts forward. I shove that one back into place, too.
“Stop this right now,” I say. “Put your shoulders back.”
He ignores me, and if one more part of him pops out of place, I will lose the little bit of sanity I have left. I didn’t sign up for this when I touched him. I signed up to be a pretty queen consort who frolics through fields of daisies, not an emotional support human.
“I’m a sister,” I blurt out. “I have an older brother. His name is Aaron, and he’s turning thirty this year. People used to tell me I looked just like him, which I always hated growing up. I thought they were telling me I looked like a boy.”
Mason’s shoulders return to their sockets.
“Growing up, he was best friends with this boy named Tommy Knocker, who I thought was so cute—” A shoulder pops back out. “I was six!”
Mason glares up at me. “I. Don’t. Care!”
“Anyway,” I continue. “He and Aaron used to call me a ‘troll.’ I hated it, and I’m looking forward to rubbing it in Aaron’s face that I’m mated to a faerie prince and a shifter king. He’s going to be jealous.”
Mason chuckles, but it sounds more like a whine than anything else. I’d tell him just how unattractive he’s being if I weren’t afraid of those damn shoulders popping back out.
“Tell me about your siblings,” I order.
“I don’t know where to start.” Mason gulps. “Kalix is my brother. He’s set to become the next Alpha after my father, but I don’t have many memories of him. He’s two years younger than me…”
Chapter Nineteen
KIERAN
THE ROOM IS angry. Our guests quickly shift between shouting at me, shouting at one another, and shouting at the guards who have trapped them inside the room. They’ve figured out what just happened to Abby, and they accuse one another with baseless accusations.
I look around, planning my next move. Almost every faerie in this room is from an influential family, and they all know how to manipulate magic.
My bloodline is in power for a reason, though. My ability to manipulate magic is better than any others in the room. I struggled to keep Abby’s heart beating and had to go as far as to touch her to do so, so there must have been more than one attacker.
My hands are shaking, a side effect of having used so much magic in such a short period of time. I clasp my hands behind my back to hide it.
Faeries continue shouting, and it takes every bit of concentration I have not to think about Abby. The desperate need to find her is consuming me, but I must deal with this first. I’m going to find out who tried to kill her, and I’m going to serve them to Mason on a silver platter.
It’s the worst punishment I can think of.
I keep my hands clasped behind my back as I find and approach Jackie. She’s lingering in the center of the room, sipping a glass of water with practiced indifference. She’s watching, scanning, and clocking every movement around her. That’s her specialty.
Her eyes narrow as I approach, and I just know she’s thinking about Abby. Jackie’s never been a jealous woman, but she doesn’t like my human. The fact that Abby is still alive is how I know Jackie didn’t have a part in this.
She’s painfully cunning, and if she truly wanted Abby dead, Abby would be dead.
“Is she your mate?” Jackie’s voice is loud, drawing attention. It’s not an accident. Everybody wants to know, and Jackie’s always been good at pleasing the masses. “Well?” she prompts when I don’t immediately answer. “Is the human your mate?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“You’re lying.”
“If she were my mate, do you truly think I’d be here dealing with this mess right now?”
I’m fighting with myself not to drop everything and run to Abby. I don’t know if she and Mason returned home safely, and the unknown is killing me. What if they were ambushed on their way back? Mason is quick to kill, a trait I’ve never appreciated more than I do now, but it doesn’t take long to stop a heart.
If she were attacked again, Mason would have only seconds to find and eliminate the threat.
I’m taking the fact that he hasn’t burst through these doors and begun ripping through the faeries as a good sign. I have to. It’s the only way I’m keeping my sanity.
Jackie rocks back on her heels. “You touched her. Mason kissed her.”
