Chapter Fifty-Four
ABBY
EVERYTHING HAPPENS SO quickly.
One second I’m asking Mason questions about Lill, and the next I’m practically jogging to keep up with him and Kie as they storm to the building Lill’s being kept in.
They round a corner, and I accidentally bump into the side of one of the tall, giant trellises covering the outdoor walkways. Thousands of butterflies fly up and away, almost as if they sense the princes’ rage.
Mason hasn’t spoken a word since Kie’s confession, but neither have I. I’m still wrapping my head around what Kie said. Lill is their mate? It doesn’t seem real, but Kie sounded certain.
I trip over the pant legs of Mason’s sweatpants as I hurry behind them, struggling to match their pace. They walk too fast, but I’ll be damned if I don’t take this opportunity to see Lill.
The soup I ate jostles around in my stomach, threatening to come back up if I don’t slow down and let it digest properly. It probably wasn’t a good idea to wolf it down in the first place, but I wasn’t expecting to have to run a damn marathon afterward.
My wet hair slaps against my back with every step, and a painful stitch is developing on my right side. Neither is ideal, and I let out a relieved groan when I spot the building Lill’s being kept in. It’s just up ahead, and I pray Mason and Kie don’t do anything to stop me from seeing Lill as they push open the front door and barrel inside.
There’s only one guard present, and he hurries aside as Kie and Mason approach. It takes less than half a second for Mason to rip open those heavy doors to the cells, and I rush in behind them.
It’s dark inside, but I squint as my eyes adjust.
Lill’s in the cell on the left, and I choke out a sob when I finally lay eyes on her.
She’s alive. She looks like shit, her hair a knotty mess and her face gaunt, but she’s alive. Her shirt practically hangs off her frame, and I press my lips together as I realize it’s not hers.
I turn toward Kie, noting his bare chest.
He gave Lill his shirt. Where did hers go? Did the guard who whipped her take it? My blood boils at the mere thought. That’s disgusting.
“Lill,” I cry, pressing myself against the bars separating us.
Her violet eyes shine in the dark, and she meets my gaze before turning to Mason. The shifter pulls open her cell door and steps inside, his movements unnaturally silent.
“How?” is all he says.
Lill runs her fingers through her hair, but Kie is the one who answers. “She touched me right after you two left. She’s our mate. I feel the bond.”
Lill sighs. “Mace. Let me touch you.”
Lilly. Mace. So many nicknames.
A tight knot forms in my gut. It twists painfully, but I ignore it as Mason approaches Lill. He pulls off his gloves, and I stare at his bare hands. I thought he and Kie agreed not to find their mate. That’s the whole point of their dark-colored gloves and refusal to touch women.
Samual explained that the mate bond is triggered by touch. If Lill has already touched Kie, does that mean the bond has begun? This is so confusing, and I wish I had asked Kie more about it when we were in the forest.
I avoided any conversation that could potentially lead him back to Lill, but it turns out doing so was useless. He found her anyway.
Lill steps toward Mason, and I suck my lips into my mouth as she cups his cheeks. Her bare hands touch either side of his face, and she visibly relaxes as she runs her thumbs over his cheekbones. It’s intimate.
I almost want to look away.
The knot in my gut tightens, continuing until I can’t breathe. Seeing them together makes me angry, so fucking angry. These men just tried to trade me away to a god, and now they’re mated to my best fucking friend.
They don’t deserve Lill.
Mason’s been cruel to me, and Lill should be with a faerie who will love and cherish her. I doubt Mason even knows what those words mean.
“Mace,” Lill repeats. “Mace, I’m so sorry, but I swear it’s not what you think.”
What’s she apologizing for? What does he think?
She steps closer to Mason, and I stop breathing. Mason does, too, if his sudden stillness is anything to read into.
Kie stands beside me, but he’s staring at the ground. He doesn’t look pleased to have found his mate. It’s probably because he knows deep down inside that he doesn’t deserve Lill. Neither of them do.
Lill shifts, sliding her hand from Mason’s cheek to the back of his head. Her fingers sift through his damp hair, and I bite the inside of my cheek so hard it bleeds. She’s going to kiss him.
I can see it in her eyes.
Lill leans in. It’s a slight motion, one I’m sure Mason notices.
She wants him to make the first move, to be the one to kiss her, and my jaw drops when, instead, he grabs her wrist and pulls her hand out of his hair. Then he removes her other hand from his cheek and steps back, putting distance between them.
“We need to discuss this,” he says. “Privately.”
Does that mean without me? I sure hope not.
Lill offers him a soft smile. “Please.”
She’s not usually this timid, and it’s a good act. Kie and Mason seem none the wiser that Lill is putting on a facade, which is what this has to be. She’s trying to seduce them so we can break free.
Mason steps aside, and Lill turns to me. She objectively looks horrible, malnourished and dirty, but I don’t care. I missed her so fucking much, and I can’t stop myself as I rush forward and pull her into my arms.
I half expect Mason to get protective of Lill and rip me away, but he lets it happen. I’m no threat to her, and he knows that. If anything, he’s a threat to her.
I wrap my arms around Lill, careful not to touch her injured back, and bury my face in her collarbone. She makes an odd noise in the back of her throat, like a cry and a cough mixed into one, before returning my hug.
“You made me so scared,” she says into my hair. Her voice is shaking. “If you ever do something so stupid again, I’ll kill you.”
I pull away and beam up at her. “I’ll be stupid for you every day of the week, baby girl.”
Lill makes another crying cough sound. I love it.
I never thought I’d get to see her again. I was convinced I’d be given to Zaha and that Lill would die all alone in our apartment. It’s a horrifying thought, but I don’t have to worry about it now. Kie and Mason won’t hurt Lill, and I doubt they’ll let anybody else do it, either. Mates are too important to the faeries. And the shifters.
Mason grunts. “That’s enough, Abby. Release her.”
I ignore him, something I’m proud to say I’m very good at doing, and Mason glares at me as he begins sliding his gloves back up his hands.
I don’t understand why he bothers. The whole point of the gloves was so he wouldn’t find his mate, but he already knows it’s Lill.
He probably doesn’t want anybody else to know. I doubt the faeries will be happy to learn that Kie’s agreed to give his title to Mason, and they’ll be furious to discover Kie and Mason have found their mate.
What did Lill and Callie do to make them so upset in the first place? I can’t imagine anything that deserves the hostility they’ve shown her.
Mason grabs my shoulder and physically pulls me away from Lill. I hiss, stumbling away. Asshole.
“We need to get you out of the cells,” Kie says. “We have two spare bedrooms we can accommodate you in, at least until we find a better solution.”
Lill glances at my shoulder. Mason’s still holding it, and he releases me the moment Lill looks.
“We still don’t have answers,” Mason points out. He shifts his attention to Lill. “Explain.”
“Answers for what?” I ask.
Kie blinks. “You truly don’t know?”
“Obviously not!” I look between him and Lill, waiting for somebody to answer me. I’m tired of the secrets. “What the fuck is going on? How do you three know one another?”
A long beat of silence stretches, then, “Lilly murdered Kie’s father, with the help of her mother.”
What? There’s no fucking way.
I turn toward Lill, but she refuses to meet my gaze. Are they being serious? No.
“We can discuss this later,” Kie says, urging us along. “We need to get Lillian out of the cells.”
He turns and walks out of the room, and I mindlessly follow. Lill killed his father? There’s just no way. She was only seven when she came to the human realm, and she was so sweet.
She wouldn’t harm a fly, let alone murder somebody.
She would never. They’re confused—mistaken.
But then why isn’t Lill correcting them? Why isn’t she defending her innocence?
We step into the magic-filled corridor, and Lill’s jaw drops. She shuts her eyes as she’s surrounded by it, looking entirely blissed out. This is her first time being submerged in it in over twenty years.
I’m sure it feels incredible.
Her chest expands as she sucks in a loud, deep breath.
“How’s it feel?” I ask.
I’m upset with Lill, but I’m not going to show it in front of Kie and Mason. I don’t enjoy being left out, of being the most uninformed person in the room, and I’ll expect answers the second she and I are alone.
Lill shakes her head, finally looking me in the eye. “I have no words.”
I force myself to smile. I’m pretty sure it’s convincing—I do my best to make it so—but then Lill’s nose scrunches and I realize I failed.
Mason clears his throat. “Let’s go.”
He shoves open the front door, and I exchange a silent look with Lill before following him outside. Kie trails behind, the position reminding me of our time in the forest.
We only make it down two corridors before crossing paths with Her Majesty .
Queen Gitta holds her chin high as she strolls toward us, her confidence admirable. I’m expecting a reaction when she notices Lill, but she doesn’t even look in our direction.
“Kieran,” she says. “I’ve been looking for you.”
She continues forward, only stopping once she’s two steps before Mason. Her attention finally shifts toward Lill and me.
“What’s this?”
Nobody responds.
Queen Gitta looks between Kie’s bare chest and Mason’s clenched fists. Then she looks at Lill, her eyes narrowed. She manages to keep her expression neutral, but I see the moment realization hits.
“No.” Her voice is sharp, but a slight hint of desperation seeps through. “No, Kie.”
I turn toward the faerie prince. He looks defeated as he gives a curt nod.
“We have much to discuss, Mother,” he says. “Mason and I are bringing Lillian and Abby to our home. We intend to meet with you afterward.”
Queen Gitta looks about ready to argue, but then the woman in the red dress from earlier appears. Jackie walks with more grace than I’ll ever possess, and she smiles widely at Kie.
“Prince Kieran,” she chirps. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
If she notices Lill and me, she sure does a good job pretending she doesn’t. I’ve never felt more invisible, which I’m not necessarily complaining about. I’m happy being a fly on the wall until I can speak privately with Lill.
I need answers. Now.
END OF BOOK ONE