Page 20 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

I shake my head, my fingers still tangled in my hair. “It was a mess, Felix, and I don’t know what to do to fix it.” My voice becomes tight at the end of my comment as emotions rise that I don’t have the energy to deal with tonight. Clearing my throat, I drop my gaze and walk to the mirror, using it to give me an excuse to move away from him.

“He’s a fool,” Felix snarls, showing a rare flash of anger. “Any male would be lucky to be mated to you.”

My heart thuds painfully in my chest. I’m grateful for his comment, and I believe he means it, yet it just makes me feel worse. There must be something about me that turns the prince off. He even said he won’t mate with me because of what I am. If any male would be lucky to have me, then something truly awful must be causing the prince to reject me.

A small, fractured part of me wishes Felix was my mate and not the prince. We would make a great team, and if we were fated, then no one could complain that he was one of the changed. Any relationship between a born vampire and a changed one would be frowned upon, so for me, a bride who is fated to another, it could never happen.

Not paying attention to the pin in my hair, I yank it too hard, cursing at the sting of pain and the knot that now has an even tighter grip on me.

“Do you need a hand?” he asks, and I see a trace of humour in his reflection.

“Yes please,” I say with a sigh, dropping my arms defeatedly as I sink onto the end of the bed, turning enough that he’s able to access my hair.

Walking over, he gets to work on untangling my hair. He’s good at this, and I suppose part of that is thanks to his work with horses. The man knows how to use his hands. The gentle motions are strangely relaxing, and I close my eyes, enjoying his quiet company. After an unknown amount of time has passed, I feel his hands slide into my hair, and he begins to massage my scalp. The feeling is blissful, and my head falls back as pleasurable sensations work their way through my body. My fangs extend, heavy and tender in my mouth thanks to the endorphins flooding my body.

“You’re pale.” His voice is quiet and close—close enough that I can feel his breath against my skin. “You should feed.”

The suggestion sounds seductive, and while I’m sure he doesn’t mean it that way, the hair on my arms stands on end. Slowly opening my eyes, I get a glimpse of us in the mirror—me on the edge of the bed with my back arched and head thrown back in bliss, and him with his hands gently moving across my head and neck.

We look like lovers.

I sit up abruptly and look away from the mirror guiltily. Needing some space between us, I stand and stride to the bathroom. I run the cold tap and splash my face with icy water, hoping it will shock some sense into me.

“I know,” I call out, finally answering once I manage to get myself under control. Slowly padding back into the bedroom, I groan as I run my tongue over my exposed fangs, trying to ease the ache. “I’ll need to track down someone to see if there are any volunteers available.”

Finding a volunteer at this time of night is not going to be easy, and the thought of having to leave my room in my current state is enough to bring tears to my eyes.

Seeming to realise how close to the edge I am, he steps forward and places a hand on my arm. “That’s going to take too much time, you need it now.” His eyes sweep across my face, probably noticing all the signs of my thirst taking its toll on me. “Feed from me.”

I step back in shock. For vampire kind, we only really feed off another vampire in acts of loyalty or for pleasure during sex. Emotions and feelings are heightened when we bite someone, and it’s easy to get carried away, especially if we are in dire need of feeding. Trust is a huge part of feeding from another vampire, as we are making ourselves vulnerable to the other. Felix’s trust in me is shocking.

“Felix…” My words trail off, as I have no idea what to say to him. I want to reject him and accept the offer at the same time. Would this change our friendship, or is this a casual offer that doesn’t mean anything to him?

As if he can sense my concerns, he raises both hands. “Nothing sexual has to happen. This is purely for food and something you need sooner rather than later. I can see how much strain you are under. You need to be at full strength.”

I feel myself wavering, being convinced by his arguments. I won’t pretend that I don’t want to drink from him, I have always wanted to taste him, but it can be addictive feeding on our own kind. While I know I should say no, I really want to say yes.

“If you’re sure…” I trail off, my eyes already locked on his neck. My willpower isn’t strong, but I have to hear his consent before I do anything.

Since the changed are the dead brought back to life, their hearts don’t beat. Because of this, their blood is rich in flavour, but not as powerful as if I were to drink from a born vampire. Human’s blood is watery, but it does the job and provides the nutrients we need.

We pride ourselves on our restraint, and as such, born vampires only feed on volunteers, never the unwilling. Most of the changed follow the same rules, yet there are some who enjoy the thrill of the hunt. We compensate our volunteers financially, but there are also certain benefits of feeding a vampire, mainly the immense pleasure that our bite causes.

“I’m sure. Let me help you.”

He sits on the edge of the bed, and as soon as he finishes talking, I’m in his lap, clinging onto him like a baby monkey. He chuckles quietly and wraps his arms around me, holding me close. I need no encouragement, and I thread my hands into his hair, tilting his head to the side so I can get a better angle on his neck. Lowering my face, I take a deep breath, inhaling his sweet scent and nuzzling against his skin.

Running my tongue over the patch of skin, I feel for the bouncy sensation that tells me I’ve found an artery. I open my mouth and sink my teeth into his neck.

The taste of his blood hits my tongue, and I groan with pleasure. Thick and fast, the life sustaining liquid pours down my throat, and somehow, it tastes just how I always imagined Felix would taste. He tastes like home.

He groans, his back arching. “Thea,” he moans, my name sounding like a prayer on his lips. “More, take more.”

His ragged pleas only spur me on, and I release some of the stranglehold I have on my inner demon. My instincts have always been feral, more so than other vampires I know, and I’ve always felt like I was one feed away from madness. As such, I’ve had to learn to control that side of me with an iron fist, never letting myself get as worked up as I have tonight.

His cock strains against his trousers, and before I can stop myself, I grind against it, arousal flooding through my veins, taking away all sensible thought.

My stomach is full, and I somehow manage to pull myself away from his neck, only to press my lips against his. He freezes then groans and kisses me back. His lips move against mine, his blood now coating both of us. I need more. I need him. Something to fill this hole inside me that Havoc created.

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