Page 8 of The Shattered Kingdom
“I like to keep an eye on things.” His voice is rough with sleep.Gravelly.
I snort. “You like to keep an eye on yourprisoners.”
The only response I receive is a blank stare. I’m half-expecting him to deny it and say something about Lill being his mate and it being his job to protect her, but he does nothing of the sort. I’m not surprised.
“Lill likes to sleep in,” I say, jerking my thumb toward the hallway. “So don’t wake her up.”
Mason frowns but still doesn’t respond. I don’t take his silence as an agreement, and I subtly widen my stance. I’ve stabbed him once, and despite his threats, I’m not afraid to do so again.
“I’m serious, Mason. Leave her alone.” I hope he hears the threat in my tone. “I know you have questions, but Lill’s been sick for a long time and she needs rest.” Mason cocks his head to the side. I continue speaking. “And I’m not telling you a damn thing about anything, so don’t try me. You can talk to Lill when she wakes up.”
It’s Lill’s story to tell, and given the severity of the accusations, I’m going to let her tell it as she sees fit. I’d hate to misspeak and get her into trouble, and I’m sure Mason will have a billion follow-up questions I don’t have answers to.
“Is the council upset that Kie agreed to make you king?” I ask. I’m eager to know. What I wouldn’t give to have been a fly on the wall for that particular conversation.
Mason takes a moment to respond. “I wouldn’t say they are pleased.”
“Good.” I look around. “Where’s Kie?”
“I anticipate he’ll be here shortly.” That’s not an answer. “He disagreed with my decision to sleep here last night,” Mason continues. “He thinks I should have left you and Lill alone. Something about privacy. I didn’t listen.”
Why is he telling me this? I shift my weight from foot to foot,my eyes darting toward the kitchen. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to leave my spot. I’m protecting the hallway leading to Lill. Objectively, I know I don’t stand a chance should Mason decide to push past me, but I at least hope the ruckus would wake Lill and warn her of the approaching shifter.
“I’ll have food delivered later today,” Mason says. “We weren’t exactly expecting guests.”
“What’s the process of rejecting a mate?” I’m asking for Lill. I know her, and she wouldneverbe interested in men like Kie and Mason. She has standards, and she doesn’t date losers. That’s precisely what Kie and Mason are.
“There isn’t one. Mate bonds are for life.”
I hate the connection they have to Lill. I hate what that means for her. I doubt Kie and Mason will be willing to let her leave, not with the cursed bond between them. They’re going to lock her up here. She’ll never see the light of day again. Metaphorically.
My shoulders roll forward. “Are you sure?”
If there’s a way to reject and destroy the bond, she’ll want to know.
Mason nods. “Yes.”
That’s not the answer I was hoping for.
How many humans know about the faerie realm? Is it treated as some secret shared only amongst the wealthy and powerful? That wouldn’t surprise me. Humans are notoriously stingy with their information.
Mason clears his throat. “I suppose I should apologize.” Hesupposes? How kind of him to take that under consideration. “I’m sorry for how we treated you in the forest, and I hope you know it wasn’t anything personal.”
He must be joking.
“It sure was personal to me,” I spit, unable to hold back my anger. “You treated me like an animal. You degraded me in moreways than I can count, and your half-assed apology means nothing to me.”
Mason snaps his jaw shut with a quietclick. I’m glad to finally have his silence, but it only lasts a second. “How long have you and Lilly known one another?”
There he goes calling her ‘Lilly’ again. Something about it makes my blood boil, and I hold back a snarky remark. I’m not going to answer his questions. If he wants to know about Lill’s and my relationship so badly, he can ask her himself.
I’m just about to tell him so when the quiet creak of a door fills the silence and Lill steps into the hallway. She looks better than she has in years. There’s life behind her violet eyes, and she’s not wearing the expression of complete exhaustion I’ve grown familiar with seeing these past few years.
I love to see her improvement, and I can’t wait to watch it continue.
“Good morning,” she murmurs as she brushes past me into the living room, her gaze darting between me and Mason. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes,” Mason answers for us. I would have given a different answer.
