Page 22 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

Ember snorts, her dragon flashing in her eyes. “He publicly left you on the dance floor, that seems pretty clear to me.”

“Then, when you were dancing with the handsome stranger, he came and declared that you are his mate. He doesn’t want you, but he doesn’t want anyone else to have you either,” Princess Celest adds slowly, as though she’s figuring it out as she speaks. She looks a little worse for wear this morning. At least I am not the only one feeling the effects of last night.

“He did seem jealous,” Bliss chimes in. “He is probably struggling to get used to the fact that he won’t be a bachelor anymore. You could see how much he wanted her though.”

My friend is clearly trying to comfort me without giving away that she’s completely on my side. At the moment, that is the least of my problems, and having a friend fully in my corner is something I could use. I can see where she’s going with her comment though. She is trying to get the others to think along the same lines. If the prince is jealous, then that means he must have at least some feelings towards me, which in turn could lead to other, deeper feelings.

“Don’t worry about me, ladies, I have it all under control.” Raising my glass to my lips, I take a long sip of blood, wishing I felt as confident as I sounded about this.

All I want to do is crawl back into my bed and pretend last night never happened, both the disastrous ball and when I mounted my best friend and made a fool of myself. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an option.

“Tell me, what was going on with the prince’s friend? The fae who danced with you once Havoc left?” Mallory asks, something sparkling in her eyes that makes her seem far too interested in the fae. “I heard he doesn’t speak to anyone but the royal family.”

Where are they hearing all of these rumours from? Clearly I need to socialise more if I want to know what’s happening around me. The witch bride hasn’t said much, but she’s more alert now that we’re on the subject of Finnik. Why does that awaken my anger again? Finnik is not my mate, so I can’t be jealous. I must be frustrated with all the questions, that is the only option that makes sense.

Lowering my glass to rest on my knee, I clear my throat. “Finnik was just dancing with the mate of his friend, finishing where the prince was unable to.”

Terra raises a brow, the corner of her lip turning up. She doesn’t believe a word I’m saying. “Unable to, Thea, or unwilling to?”

“Terra,” Bliss chides, turning towards the female. “We should be supporting everyone around this table, not gossiping and attempting to tear each other down. This is going to be difficult enough.” Anger flushes her skin, causing her scales to appear more iridescent, catching the sunlight that’s now shining down on us. “You are new to this, so you don’t know how much pressure we are under. Thea is the oldest of us all and has been training for this her entire life. You should show some respect.”

Whoa.

I see my friend in a new light. Clearly she’s had enough of the new bride. I’m even more surprised when several of the others hum and nod in agreement. Some of the tightness in my chest eases a bit knowing I have her support. I hadn’t realised how much I needed this, her publicly standing up for me, and everything she said is true. We are going to have to support each other to survive the prophecy.

Movement by the door catches my attention, and I spot Geoff pulling away from the other advisors and making his way towards me. Reaching my side, he bows stiffly to everyone at the table and then turns his full attention to me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast, Lady Anthea, but your presence has been requested by the king.”

My heart sinks. I knew this was coming sooner or later. Perhaps this is just a ruse to get me away from this conversation. Hope flutters in my stomach, yes, that could be it. “Yes, of course.”

Placing my drink on the table, I dip my head in farewell to the others, but I don’t bother to speak to any of them as I turn and follow my attendant into the main stone castle. I rub my temples now that I’ve left the brightness of the glass room.

My four guards surround us as we walk. Glancing around the hall to check that no one else is around, I tilt my head towards Geoff and smile slightly.

“Thank you for rescuing me.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he drawls. “I didn’t make it up, the king wants to see you to discuss what happened last night.”

Perhaps I was better in that glass room after all. Am I walking to my doom? The king is not known for his leniency, and after everything that happened last night, I might be the one to pay.

“Am I in trouble?” All light-heartedness has gone, and my voice is flat.

My advisor seems to grow in size beside me. “You did nothing wrong. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Oh, Geoff, you do care,” I coo playfully as I press my hand to my chest. Teasing my stern escort has always been something I’ve enjoyed, and I know he secretly likes having someone to banter with. However, part of my teasing is covering up the fact that I am actually touched by his words. I don’t think he would appreciate it if I pointed it out.

Rolling his eyes, he releases a long-suffering sigh. “I spend more time with you than your own father does. Of course I care.”

I’m dumbstruck. Those are two words I never expected him to utter, even in my wildest dreams. Geoff is a master of controlling his emotions, one of the best I’ve known. He’s never spoken of feelings like this before, and hearing him say it now easily confuses me. Is he just messing with me, his own idea of a joke? Perhaps he’s trying to help me relax before we see the king so I’m not too stressed for the meeting.

My face must convey my surprise, because he shakes his head when he glances at me.

“Do you really think I would have stuck around if I didn’t care for you? Leaving my home every six months and not returning for half a year? I hate this place,” he grumbles, glancing around the dark corridor.

The castle is very grand, yet it lacks any touch of warmth, which I find amusing seeing as we are a race who feels very little. Back in Trador, our palace is richly furnished on the inside. Tapestries and paintings decorate the walls, and chandeliers and exquisite sculptures fill the halls with light and beauty. I remember the first time I noticed the differences between the two as a child. I hadn’t understood how they were both so different.

He makes a good point though. I don’t get a choice about coming here, and because he’s never let on that he hates it, I assumed he enjoyed being in the city. He is always telling me that it’s an honour to support his kingdom in this way. If what he said is true, then he suffers through all of this because of how he feels towards me.

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