Page 47 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

Glancing at Geoff, who is gracing my right arm, I frown and tilt my head towards the packed ballroom. “Am I late?”

“No, we are here at the instructed time.” Grimacing as though the words leave a bad taste in his mouth, he gives me a sympathetic glance. “I believe the prince wishes to announce your arrival to everyone.”

Wonderful.

The brides are usually all introduced together. By announcing me on my own after the festivities have begun, Havoc is bringing even more attention to me. He is already throwing a ball in my honour, so is it really necessary to have me announced too?

Three loud banging noises cut through my internal grumblings, the staffs of the four guards by the door slamming into the ground. The music cuts off, and the dancers quickly hurry to the sides of the room to create a path from the doors to the foot of the dais. Everyone’s attention turns to the open doors, focusing on me standing a few paces back.

The last thing I want to do right now is enter this room, my instincts telling me something is wrong. I ignore it, though, and allow Geoff to guide me to the threshold of the room.

A male steps forward, taking up position by the left side of the doors, and clears his throat. “The first bride of the prophecy, representative of the vampires and betrothed of Prince Havoc, Lady Anthea of Trador.” The steward’s voice rings around the room with the assistance of his magic, the telltale markings of a witch written into his skin.

Holding my head high, I allow a small smile that I don’t feel to pull at my lips as I follow my cue and enter the room. This is all a farce. I do not want to be here, but for my people, I will. I force a semi-smirk that is expected of a vampire and stalk the length of the ballroom, Geoff at my side.

All eyes are on me. My dress is so different from all of the classic ballgowns with large, netted skirts, although I notice a few female vampires in the hall who wear a similar silhouette to me. Somewhere in this room is Felix, and from the light pull in my chest, I know Eli is also here, although not close. He is most likely lying low somewhere in the castle until an opportune moment. However, I keep my gaze straight ahead.

The king and his queen sit on their thrones, watching me with neutral smiles, while Havoc stands at the foot of the dais, waiting for me. It is not him that my eyes are locked on, though, but Finnik at his side.

He looks particularly fae-like tonight. His hair is tousled, the delicate pointed tips of his ears peeking through. Mischief shines in his eyes, and his smile practically promises mayhem. His stare is as stuck on me as mine is on him, his gaze taking in every inch of skin my dress reveals.

Havoc quickly realises I’m looking at him and glances at his friend. When he spots Finnik’s expression, he frowns and mumbles something to him in a low voice. Finnik quickly snaps out of his staring match with me and says something in response, keeping his gaze away from me as I continue my walk to the thrones.

The fact that Finnik doesn’t seem concerned is a huge relief. He would warn me if he suspected something bad was going to happen. In fact, he seems to be in a remarkably good mood, and I am not quite sure how to take that. I suppose I shall soon find out if my worries were for naught.

Reaching the prince and Finnik, I drop into a shallow curtsy, Geoff bowing at my side. Havoc takes my hand and links arms with me, leading me to the foot of the dais so I can greet his parents. I curtsy once more, although much deeper this time, and then I wait for their words of approval before standing and glancing at Havoc. He’s looking at me differently tonight, and for the first time, he smiles at me.

For a moment, I think my heart is going to stop beating in my chest at the shock. Our bond expands within me until it’s taking over everything, my thoughts becoming flooded with happiness at the possibility that we might finally be united.

Wait, a small voice in the back of my mind calls out, making the smile I give in return freeze on my lips.

No, this is not happiness. At least, it is not my happiness. This feeling is like a drug, artificially telling me that I am overjoyed at the prospect of being together with my fated mate. In another circumstance, I might have gone along with the feelings until they reflected my own, but Havoc has done nothing to earn this from me. He has been unkind, cruel, and wanted to damn us all because he did not want to marry one of the brides.

My expression doesn’t change, so Havoc must sense my change in emotions through our bond, because he frowns again, absentmindedly rubbing a spot on his chest as though it aches. That is a pain I know well, one he causes me almost constantly. It is not nice being on the receiving end, and he is finally coming to realise that.

He lets out a long breath, squeezes my arm, and turns us to face the guests, a perfect, princely smile etched onto his face. “Enjoy your evening,” the prince says simply, dismissing everyone and releasing them to their previous activities before I entered the room.

I am surprised by the length of his speech, and most of the ballroom seems to be too, yet that does not seem to bother Havoc who is already on the move. With my hand in his, he pulls me over to the side of the room, and I have to lift my skirts to hurry after him so I don’t trip. Finnik, Havoc’s brothers, and other members of the royal family are gathered here, present yet separate from the rest of the ballroom. I am not sure if this is intentional or not. When we reach them, he releases my arm, and I don’t miss the fact that he drops it as though I might burn him.

The music begins, and I sense the movement of people behind me as they return to their drinking, dancing, and gossiping. I would love nothing more than to slip into the crowd and disappear among the masses, but I stay with Havoc, waiting to discover why he brought me here.

He seems to be making an effort to be civil to me, even going as far as flashing a tight, quick smile my way. It doesn’t reach his eyes, and his entire body is stiff at being so close to me. His whole attitude is so different, though, and he seems to finally be trying. Perhaps all of my fears were wrong, and I can work alongside him. Did the king speak with him? Something must have happened for this dramatic change in behaviour, not that I am complaining. Havoc and I do not need to have a romantic relationship for this to work. Many arranged marriages within the nobility are not love matches, and they still live out many happy years together.

I get the impression that Havoc wants to say something, his jaw clenching and unclenching. An anxious energy surrounds him as he shuffles his weight from foot to foot, almost as though he’s about to flee, which is very unlike the strong, stubborn prince I am used to. The other princes are watching us, speaking conspiratorially to each other in low voices, and it puts Havoc off whatever he was going to do next.

Huffing out a frustrated breath, he runs his hand through his perfectly neat hair, messing it up in his annoyance. He glares at his brothers then gives me an abrupt twitch of his lips that I believe is supposed to be a smile.

“Enjoy the party.” Spinning on his heel, he stalks away and disappears in the throng of people.

I am so confused that I have no idea what to do next. He has been nothing but awful to me since I arrived, and today he is acting like a nervous teenager around me. Unsure what is expected of me now, I glance around until I see Finnik. He’s frowning and staring into the spot where Havoc just disappeared.

My feet move before I register what I’m doing, walking towards the fae male. His gaze meets mine before I reach him, his expression smoothing out as he tries to hide his confusion. Once again, I find myself worried about what is happening, and I need to know the truth. If anyone will tell me, it will be Finnik.

“Do you know what any of this is about?” I ask, getting straight to the point and not bothering with pleasantries.

Finnik looks at me for a moment, deciding if he’s going to tell me what I want to know. Letting out a long sigh, he glances around to make sure no one is listening. “No. He’s not acting like the man I know.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.” I give him a half smile, attempting a joke to lift the tension in the air between us.

---