Page 44 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

A blade presses against my jugular, and I freeze so as not to get cut, cursing him for landing a hit so quickly after the last one. Focus, Thea, I tell myself, frustrated for allowing myself to get distracted.

“How do you feel about being one of the brides?”

His question takes me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to ask something like that, and I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to answer.

“It is an honour to serve my land,” I reply automatically, falling back on the rhetoric that’s been trained into me while I stare at him, trying to keep still thanks to his dagger at my throat.

Scowling, he lowers his blade and steps back, pointing at me with his weapon. “No, don’t do that. I want the truth.”

Staring at him intently, I try to see past his scowl to the fae beneath. Why does he want to know so badly, and why is he so frustrated at my previous answer? It wasn’t a lie, but it also was not the full truth. Does he really want the full, unadulterated truth? It is not pretty, and it’s something I have only ever kept to myself for fear of being branded as selfish. This sort of knowledge could be used against me, especially if he told Havoc, yet for some reason, I want to tell him.

My anxiety flares inside me, although to my surprise, it is not because of what I am about to tell him, but because I finally have the chance to say something. These feelings have been locked up within me for so long, but now I might be able to get them off my chest. I might not get the chance again. My eyes scan his face, and I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I must see it because I decide to take a risk.

“I hate it.” The admission is quiet, shared like a deadly secret. Glancing around, I make sure no one else can overhear. When I look back at Finnik, he’s watching me with an intense expression, nodding in a sign to continue.

“I don’t fit in here, and I don’t really have a place among my people.” Taking a step back to put some space between us, I look away, staring into the distance but not really seeing. “Ever since the day I was born and they saw my silver hair, I have had the prophecy shoved upon me. While I am honoured to protect my land, I have never had an option in my life. This was the only path. Then I discovered I was mated to Havoc, and the only decision that was left open to me, who I was going to love, was taken away from me.” Bitterness coats my words, years of keeping these thoughts to myself having turned them acidic. “I don’t get a choice in anything that happens in my life, and I resent the rest of the world for it.”

Whoa, I hadn’t meant to be that honest. I felt comfortable enough around him to fall deeply into my feelings, and this is what came crawling out of the darkness in my soul. My eyes suddenly widen as I realise how blasphemous I just sounded, and panic immediately makes me want to take it all back, but Finnik must see this, because he holds up a hand, his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t.”

That is all he says, but I nod anyway, understanding that he’s giving me a way out.

Raising our weapons in unison, we prepare ourselves. I am not sure who moves first as we become a whirling cyclone of limbs and blades. We move around each other flawlessly, and although we’re sparring, it feels almost like dancing, our bodies twisting, bending, and leaping. The only sounds in the room are the clang of metal, the shuffle of feet, and our heavy breathing.

Finnik moves and leaves his back left side unguarded, giving me the opportunity to dive my dagger towards his kidney, stopping just before I pierce the skin. He freezes when he feels the cold tip of the weapon.

A hit.

I suspect he might have given me that one because of what just happened, but I don’t fight it, taking the opportunity to ask a question.

“Do you miss your life in the fae lands?”

He doesn’t try to protest answering this time, shaking his head as he steps back to take a breath. “Not really. I miss my parents, or I miss the idea of them. I don’t really remember them, to be honest.”

Nodding, I take several deep breaths and prepare to fight once again. Finnik comes barrelling towards me, no sign of his dagger as he soars through the air. I leap to the side in an attempt to avoid getting taken down. For a second, I think I manage it as the sound of him hitting the ground echoes from behind me, and I grin with feral pleasure, but then a hand tightens around my ankle and stops my escape, dragging me down.

I land heavily, and my breath is forced out of me by the hit. My mind can’t quite work out what just happened, but a little voice is screaming in my mind to get up. Being on the ground is the most dangerous place to be. Rolling over so my back is now to the ground so I can see my opponent, I scrabble into an upright position. Before I can stand, though, he lands on top of me, forcing me back down to the ground.

He attempts to pin me to the ground, and I do everything to make him lose his grip, bucking my body and twisting violently, but I only succeed in hurting my wrists. His hold on me is like steel, and I know I have no chance of getting free while he has me like this.

Stilling, I take in his smarmy expression and snarl up at him. I expect him to release me and ask a question, but he doesn’t, his eyes sweeping over my face as his expression changes into one of confusion. As I examine him up close, I cannot help noticing just how handsome he is. The upturn of his eyes and his pointed ears give him such a mischievous appearance, yet right now, he looks deadly serious. The pull in my chest is so strong that it almost takes me over completely, and had he not pinned me, I might have acted on my desires. I need to get out from underneath him and throw myself into a cold bath to cool off.

“Are you going to ask a question?” I ask quietly, my voice cracking despite my attempts at keeping it even.

“Do you feel as drawn to me as I do to you?” He looks pained as he asks, but his eyes seem to sparkle, needing to know the answer.

My heart flutters in my chest, knowing he feels the same way I do. However, I know this isn’t a good thing thanks to the fact I am betrothed to his best friend. I won’t lie though, especially about something like this.

“Yes,” I whisper, almost afraid to answer.

Finnik releases my wrists and sits back on his heels, allowing me to sit up. The two of us stare at each other. I knew about the connection, but this is new. This almost feels like… like what I have with Eli. Does that mean he could also be my mate? My mind begins to spin again at the possibilities. I don’t know what to think, not wanting to give myself false hope.

Finnik leans towards me, and I think he’s going to kiss me. For a moment, it looks as though he’s thinking about it and then changes his mind at the last second. Reaching out, he tucks silver strands of my hair behind my ear.

For some reason, this makes me giddy, and to my immense embarrassment, my fangs extend. Vampire fangs are longer than our other teeth, yet when we are feeding or aroused, they extend farther, making it easier for us to feed. The urges can be controlled, and I have not had an accidental fang slip in over a decade.

Cheeks blazing with a blush, I try to move away, only to stop as he frowns and reaches out, lifting my lip to look at my gums.

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