Page 11 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

“Greetings, Anthea, Advisor Geoff.”

Straightening from my curtsy, I ignore my protesting leg muscles and dip my head to him in reverence. The king smiles, watching me with keen eyes, and there’s no sign of the quiet, thoughtful male I saw just a moment ago.

“It is an exciting time for our lands as we form a union that will bind us together in peace and prosperity.” He smiles as he speaks, but it looks more predatory than welcoming. “You are the first bride, so many eyes will be on you, and as such, I need everything to go smoothly. This wedding has to go ahead.”

The weight behind his words and the silent order is loud and clear. I have no say, and if I want my land to thrive, then this is what I must do. Thankfully, I have been trained for this since birth, so I don’t blink at the order.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” I reply as expected. In my mind, however, I’m going over his words, reading more into it since I learned of the centaurs. Talk of bringing us together just makes me think that my original thought was right. The wedding is taking place now because of the unrest with the centaurs. By giving the citizens something to be excited about and showing the eager participation from the vampires, it will distract from any talk of rebellion.

“Good,” he purrs in satisfaction. “The fact that you are true mates with my youngest son… I’m taking it as a sign from the universe that we are going to beat this prophecy.” He signals to his advisor who stands and slips from the room through a side door.

“Anyway, enough of that,” the king continues. “I suppose it’s time for you to meet your mate.” His eyes glisten.

My heart clenches painfully in my chest, and a strange feeling builds in my stomach—one that I can’t decide if it’s excitement or nerves.

The side door opens again, and the king’s advisor leads the way, followed by three males. One must be the prince’s advisor, as he is much older than the other two and is wearing the king’s colours of gold and red. He steps to the side to allow the prince and his companion to enter the room.

My gaze should go straight to my mate, after all, we’re destined to be, however my eyes get stuck on the other male. Tall and broad shouldered, the male is grace personified, his every move fluid and smooth. His face is beautiful in a way I’ve never seen on a male, and his pointed chin and bright eyes make him look mischievous. I’ve only ever seen glimpses of this male before. Finnik is the prince’s best friend and constant companion, as he tends to stand back in public. His dark hair looks as though someone has been running their fingers through his locks, and there’s a slight wave to it that only makes his mischievous expression all the more obvious. When I look at his ears, I feel like my heart has stilled in my chest, and I glance at his face to confirm what I suspect.

Fae. He’s fae.

How did I not notice this before? Now that I’m close, it’s so obvious, even though I’ve only ever seen one of the elusive creatures before.

There’s a pulling in my chest, and I finally give into the feeling and meet the angry, golden-eyed stare of the prince—my mate. It is the strangest feeling to be drawn to him in such a familiar way despite never having even spoken to him.

From the small glimpses I’ve had of him, I’ve always known he’s handsome, and now, seeing him face to face… He’s gorgeous. Even scowling, he still looks regal and princely. I want to say something, to greet him or drop into a curtsy, but before I can, he bares his teeth in a snarl.

“Take this disgusting creature away. I will not marry.”

Chapter Six

Those words rock me to my very core, my soul screaming within me at the rejection. I stumble back a step as pain rips through my chest, feeling as though my heart is trying to tear itself apart. It is agony unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, and a part of me I didn’t know existed withers within me at the harsh words. A pained gasp escapes me, and I press a hand against my chest in the hopes that it might stop the pain and hold me together.

Geoff is there in an instant, his hand on my shoulder as he steadies me, his fangs flashing in the light. I’ve never seen him so angry before, and if it didn’t feel like I was falling apart, then I’d marvel at this side of him. My eyes are locked on the prince, looking for any reason why he would reject me like this, but all I see is hatred. I’m aware of other people in the room, yet my entire focus is on my mate.

“What is the meaning of this?” Geoff demands, his steady hand against my shoulder the only thing that’s keeping me grounded. Without it, I think I would disappear in the pain of the rejection.

“Son, we have spoken about this.” The king’s power fills the air, breaking through my daze enough for me to notice the anger lacing his tone.

The prince looks away to glare at his father, and I’m finally able to break away from his stare and inhale a huge breath of air. I hadn’t realised that I was holding my breath. No wonder my lungs were screaming and I was lightheaded. Attempting to regulate my breathing, I look between the king and his son who are having a quiet, hissed conversation. Their emotions are written across their faces, both of them not accustomed to hiding feelings like vampires. I can see the similarities between Prince Havoc and the king, both of whom possess golden hair, yet the prince’s locks are shorter, the perfect length to run your fingers through, and his eyes are a startling blue, the colour of the sky in full summer.

I feel so lost. It’s becoming clear that this isn’t the first time the king and his son have had this conversation. Drath must have thought his son would fall in line once I arrived and everything was set in motion, but it seems to have done the opposite.

That connection the prince and I share twinges in my chest, and I wince at the feeling. Prince Havoc’s head whips around to look at me, accusation turning his expression dark. He turns back to his father. “No, I won’t do this, Father. I refuse.”

The king’s body seems to swell at the refusal. “She is your mate.”

His voice is deadly calm, and he says this as though that reason alone is enough. It should be enough. That is the surety of what the bond offers, so why is the prince denying it?

“I don’t care. This is wrong. She is wrong.” His voice gets louder with each statement, hitting me like a dagger to the chest.

“Havoc,” the fae says quietly from his side, a note of caution there as he glances towards me, all signs of playfulness long gone.

“No, Finnik.” The prince gestures roughly towards me, his teeth bared like he’s going to try and bite me. “I will not be tied to a creature like her.”

He wants to bite? Well, I know all about biting, and he can bring it on. I will not continue to stand here and be insulted. The pain still pulses through me, but I remind myself who and what I am, and I can push it aside and focus on my anger instead. He sounds like a petulant child trying to get out of doing his schoolwork, and I’m about to give him a dose of the truth that will make him see me differently. I’m not some meek and mild lady from their court, I am a vampire, and we do not take insults like this lying down.

“Like it or not, prince, you are tied to me,” I state, my voice strong as I channel my anger forward. “We are mates. I know you can feel the connection, the pull between us.”

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