Page 49 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

They?

At first I think he’s talking about all of us who are watching, and then I realise that it is just a select few—the brides. He’s back to blaming the brides again, now taking the time to find and point them out in the crowd. Muttering fills the room, and people shuffle away from the brides until they all have an empty circle of space around them, as though they are diseased.

He is blaming disasters and awful happenings on spending time with me, like the prophecy is in reverse. He is saying it’s not our union that saves us, but ridding the world of me. It’s madness. How could I be responsible for natural disasters or the poor decisions of others? He is picking and choosing what happens around us to fit his narrative.

“If you do this, you will be harming your own people.” My voice is annoyingly shaky, and I clear my throat to try again, putting more force behind my words.

Finnik goes to move towards me, only to pause at the last moment, pain flashing through his eyes. He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. Thankfully, Geoff is at my side in a flash, supporting me as he glares at the prince.

“Have you no heart, Your Highness?” my advisor barks at Havoc, his fangs flashing in the low light of the ballroom. “Can you not see what this is doing to her?”

“Me? I don’t have a heart?” Havoc laughs manically, shaking his head in disbelief. “Keeping her alive is what will kill us!” He jabs his finger towards me, almost shouting. “You must have heard about the vampire attacks. They only started happening when she arrived here. I do not think that is a coincidence.”

Vampire attacks? If I had the strength, I would ask what he meant. I am using all of my energy on staying awake and upright. Are my people okay?

“Havoc, let’s talk about this.” Finnik steps towards him, his hands raised.

“No, there has been enough talk.” For a moment, he looks regretful, weary almost, but it changes the moment he turns to face me. “Anthea of Trador, first bride and representative of the vampires. I hereby dissolve our betrothal and cast aside our mate bond.”

A stabbing pain slices through my chest and abdomen so fiercely that I am speechless, my breath taken from me. I look down at myself, expecting to see a knife jutting from my chest, only I am completely uninjured. At least, physically I am. If it wasn’t for Geoff holding me up, I would be on the ground.

“Havoc, stop.” Finnik is striding towards the dais now, shouting up at his friend, anger transforming his face into someone unrecognisable.

Havoc does not stop. He continues to stare down at me, disgust etched into his expression. “I reject you, Anthea. I reject our bond. I refuse to take you as my wife, and I shall no longer acknowledge your presence in my life.”

Pandemonium ensues around us—shouting, screaming, and what I swear sounds like fighting as everyone in the room seems to move at once. I do not know for sure, though, as a pain unlike anything I have ever experienced before takes away all logic. It feels as though my soul is being ripped to shreds and torn from my body one small piece at a time. My heart is shattered like a useless glass ornament, jagged pieces stabbing into my vital organs. The pain is so intense that I feel it pulling me under, the call of darkness within me oh so tempting to give in to. Beyond that, though, is a fuzziness that promises rest and relief from the pain. I almost give into it, but a tiny fraction of my heart flutters, a small golden glow to light up the darkness. It’s faint, yet it is enough for me to fight. I am not ready to give up yet.

My eyelashes flutter, and it takes me a moment to realise that I’m lying on the floor. Someone stands over me in an immaculate suit, snarling as he protects me. Geoff, the snarling male is Geoff. I have never seen him like this, and if I wasn’t drowning in pain, I might feel honoured by his behaviour.

I can hear a voice calling my name. He sounds like he is in so much pain that I fight against the fatigue and pain holding me down, frantically looking around for him.

“Finnik!” I try to call back, but my voice is a broken whisper.

Agony obliterates all else, my body convulsing in pain. As I fall into the grips of unconsciousness, the last thing I hear is him calling my name.

Chapter Nineteen

All I know is pain—searing, agonising pain that seems never-ending. My body twists in torturous anguish, writhing in excruciating suffering. I feel like I’m burning alive, my skin too tight for my body.

What hurts the most, though, is the empty, gaping hole in my chest where my bond with Havoc once resided. He might as well have physically carved me open, tearing my beating heart from within me.

Desperate to alleviate the pain, I scratch at my chest, needing to relieve some of this pressure to do something, anything, to find a way to end this agony.

Alarmed voices speak around me, but I’m unable to make out what they are saying, crying as my hands are restrained.

Time seems endless, and my tear ducts are long since dried up, my body weak and dehydrated. I’m dying, and with the strength of my suffering, that might just be a blessing.

“Don’t you dare give up, Thea,” a voice snarls, laced with what sounds like fear. Did I speak aloud? I don’t have the energy to care.

I recognise that voice, but I can’t force my eyes to open. Something warm flutters in my chest for a moment, almost like a frantic heartbeat, but I am no longer able to focus on it as the pain racks through my body once more.

I begin to become aware. My chest still feels raw, my metaphorical wounds still open, although I no longer think I am dying.

I’m warm, surrounded by a hot male body, my face pressed against his neck. He smells delicious, my stomach groaning in agreement, but I am still too far under to attempt feeding. I know who I am lying next to, and while his name does not come to me instantly, I can imagine his handsome face in my mind—golden hair that falls to his neckline and golden symbols written across his face.

Eli. His name is Eli, and he belongs to me.

When this revelation came to me, I don’t know, but this is a certainty I feel in my blood. He is mine, and he is the reason I am still alive.

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