Chapter Forty-Nine
ABBY
MASON DOESN’T SAY a word as he shoves open the doors to the home Kie locked me up inside, but I can tell he’s pissed. It’s his usual level of pissed, though, so I assume he hasn’t heard about Lill. At least, he hasn’t heard about her yet . I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
He releases me the moment we’re safely back inside Kie’s space, and he shuts the door behind us with a loud slam. It’s so aggressive that the floor vibrates beneath my feet.
I didn’t pay attention to the details of Kie’s home before, but now I take a moment to look around.
It’s a surprisingly cozy, open-concept living space. There’s an oversized black couch in the center of the room, and across from it is a fireplace that has no business being as large as it is. A tall row of windows is behind it all, and despite how dark it is outside, I see twinkles from the lights woven throughout the vines covering the stone wall surrounding the compound.
“Kie?” Mason asks.
He storms through the living room before disappearing down the long hallway Kie forced me down earlier. Kie’s not here, but I’m not in a rush to tell Mason that. He’s distracted, and I want him to remain that way.
To my right is a kitchen, and I do my best to remain quiet as I slink past the large island counter separating it from the main living space. The kitchen looks nearly identical to what I’d expect a wealthy human’s kitchen to look like. The countertops feel expensive, and five wooden barstools are shoved underneath the long island.
There’s no microwave or magic food warmer, though, which isn’t surprising. Kie seems like a my body is a temple type of person. Mason does, too, if I’m honest.
I watch the hallway down which Mason disappeared as I search the kitchen for a knife. I need to find a weapon, preferably before he returns.
I’m not dumb enough to believe I’d win in a fight against the shifter, especially not after seeing how quickly those wounds on his abdomen healed, but it’s possible I could best an unsuspecting faerie. They’re stronger than me on their worst days, so they won’t expect much from a human.
They won’t be on guard.
There are no knives on any of the counters, just my fucking luck, so I slide open the drawers instead. Each is filled with utensils that look like they’ve never been used, but I find a paring knife in the third one. I was hoping for a butcher knife, or even a bread knife for a sawing action, but this is better than nothing.
I pray it doesn’t cut my thigh as I tuck it into the waistband of my leggings.
My pants have seen better days. They’re shredded from the knees down, thanks to Kie and Mason, and there are a million tiny holes through the remnants of the fabric. Still, the elastic waistband has held up, and the knife presses snugly against my hip.
I move to the front door, returning to where Mason left me. It’s just in time, too, as he comes barreling back down the hallway a second later.
“Where’s Kie?” he asks. “I have a hard time believing he left you here alone.”
I shrug, looking Mason up and down. He crosses his arms over his chest as I eye him, and I swallow past the lump in my throat as I step closer.
I’m going to beg, and I hate that for myself.
“I want to go home, Mace,” I say, making a point to use the nickname Kie often uses.
Mason’s eyes narrow.
“I don’t know why Kie brought me here,” I continue. “But I want to leave. Can you show me out?”
I’m conveniently leaving out the minor detail that Zaha brought me to the human realm and Kie brought me back after discovering Lill. I need Mason to tell me how to get out of this compound. There must be an exit somewhere, a break in the tall, stone wall surrounding these buildings. What’s with the faeries and walls?
I take another step toward Mason. We’re practically toe to toe now, and I crane my neck back to look him in the eye.
Every muscle in my body is tense, and I do my best not to look too nervous as I place a hand on his chest. I’m wearing my gloves, so he lets me do it, and I clear my throat before curling my fingers into his shirt.
“Please show me the way out.”
Mason laughs. “Are you trying to seduce me?” No. I’m trying to appeal to the heart I’m confident he doesn’t have. He grabs my wrist. “It’s not going to work. You smell like shit, and I need to find Kie. I don’t have time to act as your tour guide.”
Asshole.
“Please, Mason,” I beg. “Kie’s upset about Zaha’s decision to crown you, and he tossed me in here before taking off to speak to his mother. You two have put me through enough, and I want to leave.”
Mason licks his lips, and I could cry when they then curl into a cruel smile. He’s not going to help me. I rip my hand out of his and take three giant steps back.
I need to get out of here. I may not be held captive to the extent Lill is, but I’m under no illusions of freedom. I need to get out of here before Kie returns.
I’ll figure out how to rescue Lill once I’m safe and hidden in a nearby city.
“You’re an asshole,” I say. “I want to leave.”
Mason blinks, then waves a hand toward the front door. “Then leave. I have no interest in acting as your tour guide, but I’m not stopping you from leaving.”
I shift my weight from foot to foot, trying to figure out if this is some sort of trick.
“You’re a smelly, starving human in a world full of faeries,” Mason continues, stepping into the kitchen. He pulls open what I assume is their version of a fridge and grabs what looks to be an apple. “If and when we wish to speak with you, we’ll be able to find you. I’m not worried about it.”
Mason’s too cocky, but it’s working in my favor for once. I press my lips together and turn toward the door, eager to get out of here before he changes his mind. I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find the exit to this place. I just need to be quick.
I’m not sure exactly what I’ll do or where I’ll go when I get out, but I’m resourceful.
Mason says nothing as I push open the door and step out into the outside. A guard is standing down the pathway, near where it opens into a courtyard. He looks just like every other male faerie I’ve seen, tall and muscular with violet eyes and white hair.
This one’s got a small scar above his lip, but that’s his only blemish.
He’s devastatingly handsome.
I’m half-convinced he’s going to stop me, probably ordered by Kie to keep me here, but he doesn’t do anything as I walk past. I only make it two steps into the courtyard before spotting a familiar face, though.
Fuck me.
Kie looks surprised to see me, his jaw dropping and eyes widening, before he raises an arm and points to the front door of his home without a word. I debate running, but then I see the blood smeared along his sleeve. It stops me in my tracks, and my lungs swell in one pained gasp.
“What’d you do to her?” My voice is barely above a whisper.
There’s blood. So much that it drips down his sleeve.
“Inside,” Kie says, ignoring my question.
I don’t move. I don’t think I could even if I wanted to. I might as well be stuck in one of those dreams where everything is moving in slow motion. Or one of the ones where I’m trying to scream but can’t get my mouth to open.
Kie grabs my arm as he nears, the smooth leather of his gloves curling around the crook of my elbow. The touch hardly registers, and I wonder if maybe this is all just a dream as I’m dragged back into his home.
I’m going to wake up and discover this has all been nothing more than an uncomfortably vivid dream. I’m probably at work drooling on my desk right now.
The knife in my leggings calls to me, but killing Kie in a public setting isn’t the right move. His body would be found before I made it out of this maze of pathways, and I’d be captured in a heartbeat.
Mason’s sitting on one of the kitchen barstools, munching happily on the apple he pulled from the fridge earlier. He hardly looks surprised to see me being dragged in by Kie.
“I found one of your mother’s guards taking Abby to the meeting hall,” he says.
Kie slams the door behind him. “Yeah, I gathered that when I stumbled upon an unconscious guard on my way here.”
Mason shrugs. “Why’s Abby here?” He takes another bite of his apple, the crunch loud in the otherwise-silent room. “I thought you’d bring her home.”
I lick my lips, still trying to find my voice. All I can think about is Lill, of her being abused and tortured at the hands of Kie and Mason. Is she dead already?
I’m terrified to know, and it’s why I can’t find the strength to ask. If she is, I don’t want to know. I want to continue living in blissful ignorance. It’ll be my fault, and I don’t think I can live with the guilt. Lill has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and I don’t want to live in a world where she doesn’t exist.
I can’t imagine it.
“Zaha took me to the human realm—to Abby’s home,” Kie says. “I found a surprise there.”
Mason cocks his head to the side, his gaze darting quickly between Kie and me.
I open my mouth, but no sound emerges. All I can do is stare at the blood on Kie’s sleeve. It blends in with the black fabric, but it’s impossible not to see once you notice it. I wonder what part of Lill it came from.
Her head? Her torso? Her hands?
Kie leans over the kitchen island, bringing his face close to Mason’s. “Lillian Collins.”
The name vibrates through my skull, and the barstool Mason’s sitting on slams to the ground as he stands. He moves too quickly, and I’m plastering myself against the front door before he can leave.
If he wants to get to Lill, he’ll have to get through me.
My hands shake as I reach into my leggings and pull out my stolen knife. It scrapes my thigh, but the sting hardly registers.
“Leave her alone.” My voice shakes, and it’s quieter than I’d like it to be.
Mason looks murderous, and his body twitches like he’s fighting the urge to shift into his animal form. The memory of his sharp teeth snapping only inches from my face still petrifies me, but I refuse to back down. I won’t let them hurt Lill any more than they already have.
Kie steps toward me, and I tighten my grip on the knife.
I’m not being thoughtful in my actions, and I’ll most likely look back on this and regret it, but I’m not in a mental state to worry about that right now. I feel out of control, and my decisions reflect that.
“Abby…” Kie’s voice is soft, as if speaking to a child. I’m not going to fall for it. “Put down the knife before you hurt yourself.”
It’s too late for that. My thigh grows wet with blood.
I look between Kie and Mason, trying to determine who’s a bigger threat. Instinct tells me Mason, but I’m quickly learning not to trust my instinct. It hasn’t bode well for me so far.
Mason grunts. “Fuck this.”
He storms toward me, and I act without thinking. I twist my body toward him, and when he gets close, I sink my knife into his abdomen. He doesn’t even attempt to stop me, and I fight back the urge to heave as the knife smoothly pushes through his skin and muscles.
I stare at where the handle presses against his stomach, struggling to believe that I’ve just stabbed him. I’ve never been in a fight, let alone stabbed somebody.
Mason grabs my wrist and twists, continuing until I have no choice but to release the handle, leaving the knife in his abdomen. I’m faintly aware that Kie is shouting something as I cry out, but his words go in one ear and out the other as Mason throws me over his shoulder and carries me down the hallway.
The sudden jolt of being picked up and tossed around is enough to break me from my stupor, and I suck in what feels like my first breath in minutes before slamming my fists against Mason’s back.
“Put me down!”
Kie follows us, but he doesn’t interfere as Mason tosses me into the room Kie locked me in earlier.
I stumble, half-landing on the bed, and I fight past the burning in my thigh as I rush toward the door. I’m not fast enough, though, and I let out my loudest scream as it’s shut in my face.