Chapter Thirty
ABBY
DESPITE YESTERDAY’S INJURIES, Mason seems to be in good shape. Too good shape. I follow behind him, staring at his torso as we make our way through the forest.
He could barely walk yesterday, hanging off Kie’s back like a sack of half-dead flesh, but today, he’s carrying himself with his head held high. There’s always the possibility that he’s hiding his pain, but if that were the case, I imagine I’d still catch the occasional grimace or adjustment.
I’ve seen nothing of the sort.
I lick my lips, glancing at his clothed form. Knowing Mason, it won’t take him long to remove his shirt. He almost always seems to be looking for an excuse to strip.
I hold my backpack straps, nervously twisting my fists around them. I won’t be surprised if they’re worn thin by the time we make it to the portal. I hoped to break free from Mason and Kie before arriving, but that possibility is growing smaller with each passing day. It’s been three days since they found me in the forest and knocked me unconscious, so we must be getting close.
Mason glances back, peering at me over his shoulder, before turning forward. He’s been keeping an even closer eye on me since my slip-up mentioning delysum. If I so much as take an uneven step, he’s shooting me a warning glare.
Kie’s chosen to walk in the back today, so I can’t see what he’s doing, but I assume he’s watching me just the same.
I’m never escaping them. That thought hits hard, and painfully, and I release my backpack strap to rub my chest. I’m going to be given to Zaha, condemned to a life of slavery and who knows what else.
My parents will never know what happened to me. My brother will never know. Lill will never know. She’ll be dead within the year, anyway, but everybody else will spend years wondering.
“We should be entering the troll lands soon,” Mason says, stepping over a rock.
Wonderful.
Kie grunts. “Good to know.”
He sounds close, right on my ass, and I quicken my pace to put some additional space between us. He may be my favorite among the pair, but that doesn’t mean I trust him. Kie’s a threat, and I don’t want him walking too close to me.
He chuckles as I hurry away from him, the noise causing Mason to look back over.
The shifter’s gaze darts between Kie and me, his lips twitching as he realizes what’s happening. He probably enjoys seeing Kie make me uncomfortable, especially after all the bickering the two have done regarding my treatment.
They have very differing opinions on the amount of respect I deserve.
Kie’s eager to reach the portal and be done with me, but Mason’s ready to string me up in a tree and bleed me until I tell him everything I know.
It’s a fun combo. Real. Fucking. Fun.
“What’re the trolls like?” I ask.
I doubt I’ll get an answer, but I ask, anyway.
Lill vaguely mentioned once that trolls like to eat humans, but I thought she was joking. I didn’t realize there were truly trolls in the faerie realm, and I assumed she was just trying to freak me out. It was one of the only negative things she ever said about this place.
The bitch cherry-picked the information she shared, making this place seem significantly more beautiful and magical than it really is.
I’m judging the faerie realm harshly because of my kidnapping, and I’d probably like it a lot more had I come for a vacation or something fun, but I don’t care. This place fucking blows, and if I get out of here alive, I’m never returning.
I don’t care if the faeries have super romantic mates and magic. It’s not worth it.
“What do you know about trolls?” Kie asks me.
I’m surprised he’s acknowledged my question. I assumed he’d ignore it.
“I heard they like to eat humans,” I admit. “But that’s about all.”
Mason picks up the pace, and I grimace and quicken my movements to match. We’ve only been walking for a few hours, but I’m already growing fatigued. It doesn’t help that I didn’t eat breakfast this morning, and my only saving grace is that it’s cloudy today. The shade offers some relief. Not much, but some.
My body’s running on fumes, and the sun will be going down soon.
“They eat whatever they can get their hands on,” Kie says. “But they’re small and easy to kill, and they’re notoriously bad trackers. We’ll be safe in their lands.”
I let out a quiet sigh of relief, happy to hear that. Between these two and the wild shifters, I’ve been on high alert. I’m overanalyzing every sound I hear, cataloging and panicking over it until I’m positive I’m about to die.
I’m pretty sure Mason and Kie have better hearing than I do, but that doesn’t mean they won’t miss something. I’d be foolish to trust them unquestioningly, and it’s up to me to look out for myself.
“How small are they?” I ask, wanting to know my odds of surviving a troll attack.
If I get lucky and escape these two, I need to know how much danger I’m in. When I hear troll , I think of stout, green men with spiked bats—not the most intimidating.
“Not small enough for you,” Mason says, chiming in. “You’re too weak, and they’ll gouge out your eyes and tie you up before you manage to do any harm.”
I grind my teeth, annoyed with his interruption. I’m also annoyed that I can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. I’d like to think he’s just saying this to frighten me, but it’s also no secret that I’m weaker than most of the other races that inhabit this realm.
I’m no match for the faeries. I’m especially no match for the shifters. It’s not a massive surprise that I won’t be one for the trolls, either.
“They’ll try to keep you alive for as long as possible, though,” Mason continues. “They believe meat tastes best when infused with a healthy dose of adrenaline.” He lets out a quiet hum before smirking at me over his shoulder. “You’re most afraid of being raped, and it won’t take them long to discover that.”
I stiffen, not liking what he’s insinuating.
“ Mason !” Kie hisses.
Mason continues, ignoring him. “I’ve heard rumors that they’ve got exceptionally fat cocks, and I imagine after four or five have run through you, they’ll—”
Kie interrupts. “That’s enough.”
Mason comes to a hard stop and spins around, facing Kie and me. I shut my eyes. I just want one hour of peace. Is that too much to ask for?
“Why?” Mason asks. “Shouldn’t she know what’ll happen if the trolls get their hands on her? Wouldn’t you want to know?”
My skin is itchy, and I want to peel it off.
Kie shakes his head. “You’re being cruel.”
He steps toward Mason, and I move out of the way as he goes toe to toe with the shifter. The last thing I want is to get caught in the middle of their dick-measuring contest. I already know that won’t bode well for me.
“Life’s cruel, Your Highness ,” Mason taunts. “And as much as you want to pretend otherwise, we both know the trolls will want to test the human’s cunt. I bet she’s—”
Mason doesn’t get to finish whatever he’s about to say.
Kie’s on him in a heartbeat, and I trip over my feet in a hurry to get away. His fist connects with Mason’s jaw with a sickening crack, sending the shifter’s head reeling to the side. Mason’s eyes flash, and when he licks his lips, I notice blood inside his mouth.
I flinch.
Mason takes the hit with steely resolve, hardly reacting before launching for Kie. His movements are quick, too quick to follow, but it doesn’t appear he’s holding back. His swings are hard, and he aims for the face.
Kie’s able to dodge most of them, and he even responds with a few of his own. Ones Mason struggles to avoid.
“You were raised better than this.” Kie grunts, pinning Mason to the ground. He buries his knee into Mason’s ribcage, directly over yesterday’s stitches.
I expect the move to be the end of the fight. There’s no way Mason can fight through that, but Kie only has the upper hand for approximately three seconds before Mason kicks out Kie’s leg and flips them.
He shouldn’t be able to do that in his injured state. His guts were just spilling out yesterday, for fuck’s sake.
“You don’t know how I was raised,” Mason spits. “I was given to you as a fucking gift, and you have no idea what my life was like before the treaty. You have no fucking idea.”
I cover my mouth, my eyes wide as Mason slams his fist into the side of Kie’s eye socket. This feels like a conversation they should’ve had years ago, not in the middle of the forest while surrounded by shifters who want to kill us.
“The human is manipulating you,” Mason continues, pulling back his fist. “And you’re too fucking dumb to see it.”
Kie attempts to dodge, but he doesn’t move in time. Mason’s fist connects with his temple with a sickening crack. They’re going to kill one another.
I’m convinced the hit is enough to earn Mason a win, but Kie manages to smoothly avoid the next one Mason throws in his direction. Mason’s clearly the stronger of the two, but Kie’s faster. He’s able to dodge most of Mason’s hits, occasionally even getting in one of his own.
I’m not going to stick around to see who wins. It doesn’t matter. My outcome will be the same either way, maybe slightly worse if Mason comes out on top.
The pair isn’t paying me any attention, and they speak to one another in hushed, angry whispers.
I’ll take it.
My heart pounds, but I don’t have time to waste. I spin, hurrying away. The pair continue fighting, their voices growing louder as they take turns insulting one another and me. I’m catching a lot of fucking strays, and Mason’s giving me far more credit than I deserve.
I’m not the mastermind manipulator he seems to think I am, and I don’t see the protection he’s insisting Kie is giving me. The faerie is mildly kinder than Mason, but that’s as far as it goes.
He’s just not going out of his way to torture and frighten me as Mason does.
The arguing grows quiet with distance, and my footsteps quicken with every giant tree I put between us. The second I can no longer hear them, I begin to sprint. I don’t have much daylight left, and I intend to take advantage of what remains.
I run in the direction we were headed, hoping to cross into the troll territory. Despite what Mason said, I’m choosing my luck with them over the shifters. Kie said the trolls are bad trackers and easy to kill, which is really all I need to know.
I don’t stand a chance against the shifters.
My muscles burn as I push forward, specifically my chest and legs. I’ve never been exceptionally athletic, but I am today. I ignore the aching in my knees as I fly over small twigs and logs, desperate to put distance between me and the princes.
I doubt it’ll take long for them to realize I’m gone.
They’re faster than I am, and I know I’m leaving a trail behind, but once I’m confident in the distance between us, I’ll slow down and work on leaving less noticeable tracks. I’m praying Mason’s too injured to shift into his animal form and track me down.