Page 35 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

This is obviously the escape route that the prince needs, because he spins on his heel and stalks from the room, walking like one of those little wooden dolls with no knees. He doesn’t even glance in my direction, and while I am not surprised, the bond weeps in my chest.

Finnik sighs and runs his hand through his hair, looking exhausted. It’s still early in the day, many haven’t even risen yet from their beds, but he looks as though he needs to go back to sleep. “That was a shit show.”

I’m not sure if his murmured words are aimed at me or if he’s talking to himself. Either way, he’s right. The prince is not reacting normally to the bond. He’s overreacting to anything that comes from my side and apparently not feeling anything when he’s talking of ending our connection. He should be in agony over that. I know I certainly am. The second he suspected I slept with his friend, he blew up.

Finnik continues to stare at the door where his friend just left, a deep frown marring his perfect face.

“He’s not going to change his mind,” I say quietly. I’m not sure what made me lower my tone and why it almost sounds… gentle, but it shakes both myself and Finnik from the fog that settled over us.

“He might for his people,” he replies firmly, finally looking away from the door, but we both know that is just wishful thinking. He rolls his shoulders and gestures towards the centre of the room. “Come on, let’s finish this.”

Holding back my groan, I narrow my eyes on him. “You really want to train after that?”

“Not really,” he retorts with a raised brow, “but I want to talk to you about something.”

This time I don’t manage to hold back my groan, but I walk over to the centre of the room as instructed.

“If it’s about Havoc—” I begin, but he cuts me off.

“It’s not. It’s about your fighting style.” He gestures towards me. “You could have bitten me at any time and that would have given you an advantage. You don’t reach for any of your abilities, and I know you’re holding back.”

His last comment causes me to stiffen up and look away, not able to look him in the eye. I’m sure he will take this as confirmation of what he’s saying, yet I worry he will be able to see straight through me and into the darkness nestled within me.

From the corner of my eye, I see him arch a brow as he comes to his own conclusion. “Are you ashamed of being a vampire?”

“What?” I bark, completely dumbfounded by the question. How in the underworld had he managed to come to that conclusion? “No, of course not.”

I was brought up differently than the other born vampires thanks to the destiny that marked my skin. However, I love being a vampire, and my own people are what keep me going through everything. Thinking over his words, I understand his point about the fact that I didn’t use my fangs. I’m not sure why I didn’t, it just never occurred to me to bite him. Despite my many years of training, violence isn’t something that comes naturally to me.

Pursing my lips, I shoot him an exasperated look. “Perhaps I just don’t like to hurt people.”

Instead of reacting to the sly insult, his brows rise with clarity. “That’s what it is. You very rarely ever go on the offensive, only defending yourself. You don’t want to hurt anyone.” He laughs, pressing a hand to his forehead in disbelief.

Grinding my teeth, I wait for him to stop laughing. “What’s so funny?”

“You’re a vampire, one of the most ruthless creatures in the eight kingdoms, and you don’t like to hurt anyone.” He shakes his head, his voice teasing. “You do drink blood, right? Or do you survive off plants?”

He’s mocking me, and after the morning I had, I do not have the patience to put up with it, not when I don’t fully understand why he’s teasing me. What does it matter if I don’t like to hurt others? I am still able to fight better than half the guards here.

“I drink from volunteers.” My voice is curt, making it clear he offended me with his mocking. I should just mind my words and return to my rooms, but embarrassment and frustration make my tongue loose. “Why are you here anyway?” I bite out, letting my eyes trail over his body, noticing as it stiffens up. “Were you so terrible back in your home realm that you were thrown out and had to come here to terrorise us instead?”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I realise I made a mistake, something that is only compounded as his face turns stony.

He stares at me for a moment with an intense look that makes me shudder. “Training is over.”

“Finnik,” I call, taking a step towards him, but he’s already gone, using his speed to escape me before I can say anything else to offend him.

While I could probably chase him, my speed almost matching his, I know he needs some space from me right now. Groaning at my stupidity, I let my head fall back as I stare up at the ceiling, having chased off one of my only allies here.

Chapter Fifteen

As I stare out of the carriage window, I enjoy the feeling of the fresh air hitting my face. Getting out of the castle and away from the weight of the prophecy was the only thing I had on my mind this morning. It had taken a lot of organisation, yet as I get farther away, I know it was worth it. The city passes by in a colourful blur, the setting sun casting orange and pink hues on the white buildings.

As we get closer to the poorer part of the city, the colours dim, replaced by a darkness that has nothing to do with the setting sun. The distance from the castle seems to directly reflect the state of the dwellings, as though it’s the palace itself that gives life to the city. By the time it reaches the outskirts of the city, that life force is drained, leaving cramped, crumbling structures.

Everything is closer together here, all of the buildings reaching up to the sky for any scrap of space they can find. None of them are uniform, although that does give it some charm, the mismatched shapes and structures making me want to look closer and see how they were made.

The carriage suddenly lurches, and I look out of the window in shock. We seem to have passed an invisible barrier, which is the only way to describe the sudden change in the land around us.

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