Page 29 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

“The grounds are beautiful,” I comment softly.

From the corner of my eye, I see him startle, but he seems to relax as he follows my gaze to a row of wildflowers that creates a bright splash of colour.

“Yes,” he agrees. “Although I don’t get the chance to come and admire them often.”

Noting a slight tinge of regret in his voice, I decide to broach the subject of the two of us. “Perhaps we can arrange to have our wedding out here? That way you can admire it for the entire day.”

I hope he will see the effort I am putting in to try and make this work for both of us. However, I see him stiffen, his expression changing to anger. I misjudged and pushed him too far, erasing any progress I might have made earlier.

Tightening the reins in his hands, he jerks his horse forward until he moves into my path. Shadow stops abruptly so as not to crash into him, rearing up in the process. Thankfully I’m holding on tightly, so I don’t fall, keeping my seat as she returns to the ground. Havoc knew what he was doing when he blocked my path, and from the furious expression on his face, I know he has something to say.

“I. Will. Not. Marry. You.” Each word is spat out, full of venom, as he holds my gaze. He wanted to look me in the eye when he told me this, that’s why he stopped us. Is he trying to get his message across, or is he just trying to dig the knife in and make this hurt more?

“Why?” I ask, my chest constricting with the pain the bond is causing. “Why do you hate me so much?”

Growling, he tilts his head up and stares at the brightening sky. He looks as though he’s attempting to put his thoughts together, so I say nothing, giving him time to formulate an answer. I’m furious and done with his attitude, so even if I have to wait all day, I am not leaving here without knowing what the hell I have done to upset him so badly.

He drops his head, and his eyes gleam as he meets my stare. “It’s not you I hate. Just what you are.”

I think he’s attempting to apologise with that feeble excuse, his shoulders shrugging as some of his anger drains away. That is what all of this is about, his dislike of my race? He cannot put up with marrying a vampire to save the kingdom.

I shake my head, needing clarification. “You hate vampires?”

“No, although I wouldn’t say I think much of your kind.” He takes a deep breath, shaking his head. “I belong to the Brothers of Change.”

I hiss at his comment about disliking vampires, unable to let that insult pass. My attention quickly shifts, though, as he mentions the group he’s part of. The name sounds familiar, but I can’t remember where I heard it before. What I do know, however, is that it gives me a strange, wary feeling.

“Who are the Brothers of Change?”

He lifts his chin and meets my gaze. “We are a group that doesn’t believe in the prophecy and thinks that the brides will actually bring about our downfall. We think we can break the curse by adopting change and rejecting the prophecy.”

I stare at him in open-mouthed shock for a moment. Is he serious? This has to be a joke. I remember my father telling me something about a group that was going around, trying to brainwash people into rejecting the prophecy, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my mate would be one of them.

“What you are saying goes against everything we believe, everything we have all worked for over the last several centuries. What evidence do you have that the brides will doom us? The only way for that to happen is to ignore the prophecy!”

I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with him. Prophecies have been a part of our culture as far back as our records go, and we have always paid them heed. When this one was announced, all the kingdoms immediately adapted to ensure everything was in place for the brides to be selected.

Havoc is living up to his name, believing a group of fanatics who have decided they can change the world without following the prophecy. Personally, I believe he’s only listening to them because he doesn’t want to be fated to me. This gives him a way out, and they managed to talk him into believing it. I’m interested to see what evidence he has to back up his belief.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he scoffs, his face contorted with anger. “Besides, you are one of them, you would try to convince me that you’re right.”

Nothing. He has nothing, no proof that the prophecy is wrong and that there is another way to break the curse. Even if there was another way, why risk it when we already have a plan?

“Is that really reason enough to doom our people? Are you really so selfish?” I ask with bewilderment, shaking my head with disbelief. My anger builds again, the darkness within me rising, and it takes everything in me to wrangle it under control. I try to put my thoughts into words. “The last thing I want to do is marry you, Havoc, especially after you have demonstrated how selfish and cruel you are. However, this is my fate, our fate, so I will see this out to the end.”

Unable to face me any longer, he grits his teeth and looks away. I suppose my remarks hit home, but he seems to be sticking to his convictions. What I need to know now is how many others think the same way. From the way the king has been encouraging him to marry me, I would say he still believes in the prophecy, but I have to know for sure.

“Does the king believe this bullshit? Finnik?”

My question might be a little forceful, but I think it’s justified after everything. I’m also not sure why it feels so important to know Finnik’s stance, but I wait with bated breath for the prince’s answer.

Blowing out a sharp breath, he stares at the treeline with a pissed off expression. “No, I’m the only one.”

A weight lifts from my shoulders. I tell myself it’s because I don’t have to fight against the king or the other royals about the prophecy, but I know it’s really because Finnik hasn’t been brainwashed.

This whole conversation has left me exhausted, and I just want to go back to the castle and hide in the darkness, letting my sensitive skin recover from the sun and my bruised heart recuperate.

“So where do we go from here?” Even my voice is weary. We’re at an impasse, neither of us willing to change our views on the situation. Something does have to be done for the good of the kingdoms though.

---