Page 19 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

Music starts again, the violins lulling us into another dance. Without another word, we waltz across the floor. We dance and dance, one after another, never saying a word to each other, communicating through the movements of our bodies. I know I should stop and allow others to dance with me as is expected, yet I can’t find it in myself. This is the first time I have felt happy in a long time.

A shadow appears over my shoulder, and the male slows me to a stop, a frown marring his features. Blinking back into reality, I find myself also frowning. What is the reason for the abrupt ending? Turning, I find Prince Havoc standing directly behind me, his eyes locked on the stranger.

“Your kind is not welcome here.”

For a moment, I think his harsh words are aimed at me, extending my public humiliation, but I push through my initial panic and see that he has not once looked away from my dance partner, his body practically vibrating with anger. Is this because I’ve danced multiple times with him? Is the prince jealous? A twisted part of me is happy that the prince might be experiencing jealousy and that he’s finally feeling something towards our bond instead of ignoring it.

The rational part of my mind recognises that a fight might be about to break out. Others in the hall seem to have realised the same thing and have stopped dancing to watch the drama unfold. I need to do something before this gets out of hand.

Taking a step towards Havoc, I soften my frown. “Prince Havoc, we were just dancing, he hasn’t been improper—”

“Hush, mate,” Havoc replies, cutting me off harshly.

The use of the word “mate” is like a slap to the face. What an insult. After rejecting me twice, he’s happy to call me mate now that another male is interested in me. Even now, he still won’t look at me. I can feel the calming presence of the stranger behind me, and his hand lands gently on my shoulder, squeezing it in comfort as he senses my indignation.

Havoc watches the move with narrowed eyes. “How dare you come here? Leave before I have the guards remove you.”

Something in the atmosphere changes, becoming charged. I turn so I can see both the stranger and the prince, shocked when I see the change in the unknown male.

The stranger looks angry now, his posture changing. He appears as though he wants to snatch me away from the prince, yet he doesn’t say a word. Baring his teeth, he makes a gesture towards Havoc that I get the distinct impression is a threat before turning his gaze to me. His eyes soften a little, but his expression is no less fierce. Taking my hand in his, he bows deeply and slowly kisses the back of my hand, his eyes locked on mine.

Straightening up, he gives me one last intense look before turning on his heel and striding towards the exit.

My heart thumps, and before I know it, I’ve taken a step forward as if to follow him, but a hand on my wrist stops me—Havoc.

“Wait!” I call out, shaking off the prince’s touch. I don’t follow the male, not wanting to make things worse between my mate and me, but I can’t let him go, not until I know one important detail.

The male pauses and glances at me over his shoulder.

“What is your name?” I ask.

He smiles, his eyes sad. “Eli,” he replies, his voice rich and velvety.

His expression is one of surprise, and a slow smile pulls at his lips, making him look like the happiest male in the realm. “My name is Eli.” His eyes glimmer with promise. “I will be seeing you soon, princess.”

He stalks from the room with a swish of his cape, my heart thumping in my chest as I watch him leave, wondering what in the world just happened.

Chapter Nine

Cursing under my breath, I hiss with pain as I try to remove what feels like a thousand pins from my hair. Every single one seems determined to get caught and tangled until I have a knot the size of an egg on the back of my head.

I’m grateful to get out of my elaborate clothing and just crawl into bed.

However, before I can do that, I have to feed. My dress wasn’t too difficult for me to take off, so I slipped into a comfortable sleeping gown before I began to work on my hair, avoiding the fact I’m desperate for blood. Is it a stupid thing to do? Yes. The cravings won’t go away by themselves, but the thought of leaving my rooms to track down someone to feed from after everything that’s happened tonight is enough to make me shudder.

What an awful fucking night. Nothing went as planned, and I ended up being the centre of all the drama, something I hate. After Eli left, Finnik arrived to quietly escort the prince away, and I was once again left alone on the dance floor. Thankfully Geoff came to my rescue. The ball was mostly over by that point, so it was acceptable for us to make our escape.

Everything about me feels off. My body feels heavy and cumbersome, and my mind is slow, like I’m wading through treacle. Some of it is because of what happened tonight, but I know some of it is caused by my thirst.

A knock sounds at the door, followed by the light squeak of hinges as it’s opened before I have a chance to say anything. I turn in annoyance, prepared to snap at whoever has decided to enter without waiting to be called in, but when I see the figure in the doorway, I hold my tongue.

Felix.

“Thea? Are you okay? I thought I would come and see…” He trails off as he sees my state of undress, and if he were able to blush, I’m sure that’s exactly what he would be doing right now.

“I feel like this is becoming a habit of yours,” I joke and gesture for him to come farther into the room. For anyone else who just walked straight into my room, there would have been hell to pay, yet my annoyance fizzled away as soon as I saw who it was. Am I just exhausted, or is it because I like him seeing me this way?

“What can I say? I just can’t stay away from you,” he teases, a smile pulling at his lips. It doesn’t reach his eyes, though, and his expression quickly shifts to one of concern. “I heard about what happened at the ball.”

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