Page 50 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

“She needs to feed.” It’s a male voice I recognise, the same one I heard while I was in the throes of agony. Somehow, his voice broke through the pain. He sounds different now though. When I last heard him speak, he was terrified, his voice high and tight as he forced the words out. Whoever he is speaking to now, though, is getting to see a different part of him—a sharper, unforgiving facet of his personality.

Eli stiffens beneath me, his arms tightening around me possessively. “That is exactly what I have been doing—feeding her.” Each word is sharp as he replies to the other male, so different from the caring fae I know him as. “What are you even doing here anyway?” I assume his comment is aimed at the familiar male close to us, but I am becoming aware that there is at least one other person in the room.

A low hiss of anger sounds beside us, the male affronted at the question. “She called out for me.”

His face appears in my mind, and his name suddenly comes to me—Finnik. He’s the male who has been at Havoc’s side during all of this, and if I’m honest, his presence was probably the only thing keeping me together during those awful meetings.

Eli snorts, his hand moving in small circles on my back. “Then why did you come running for me, saying it was me she was asking for?”

I can imagine the sneer on his face to match his tone and get the distinct impression that his current actions are done with the intention of proving that I am his. He’s trying to provoke Finnik, but I cannot figure out why.

From the snarling and heavy steps that move towards the bed, I can tell it worked. “That was after,” Finnik snarls. “During the fight, before she passed out, it was me she wanted.” There’s a heavy emphasis on his last words as he makes his point. He sounds… jealous.

Before the two of them can say anything else, the light tread of footsteps sounds from the other side of the room—the third person in the room. His scent reaches me as he moves, and I instantly know it’s my Felix.

“Why isn’t she awake yet?” he asks, his voice so quiet and broken that it stirs a part of me that had been slumbering until now.

I might not know what has happened since the ball, as I only have snippets of memories, and they were all filled with pain and make little sense to me. Not to mention my brain is still reeling from Havoc’s rejection, and the agony my body has suffered. However, I know that my current state is causing Felix distress, and that is enough of an incentive to have me fighting into consciousness.

It takes a monumental effort as I fight through the fog and heavy weight of heartache, but I know the struggle is worth it. Felix is hurting, and although they might not be as obvious with it, Finnik and Eli are too. They need me.

“She has been through something most do not survive,” Eli explains quietly, the low rumble of his voice vibrating through my chest. “Her body and soul need time to heal.” Shifting his weight beneath me, he pauses and brushes some of my hair from my face. “Wait, I think she’s waking up.”

“Thea, can you hear me?” Felix’s voice is like a siren’s song, calling me through the turbulent, murky waters of my mind that try to keep me submerged.

My eyelids finally flutter open. They feel as though they are made of lead, but I force them to stay open, my gaze going straight to the male kneeling at the side of the bed.

“Hey, Felix,” I whisper, my voice scratchy, but the small smile on my lips is genuine.

The heavy tension in the room suddenly seems to lift, like a balloon that is popped with a pin, quick and startling. The males seem to come alive, an air of positive excitement that gives me strength. Felix continues to kneel at the side of the bed, content with his position thanks to his proximity to me.

“How are you feeling?” Finnik asks, frowning with concern as he scans my body. If his expression is anything to go by, I look a sorry state.

“Like my heart has been torn out and stomped on.” I attempt to make a joke, but it falls flat as I cut off with a hiss of pain. I roll my eyes up to Eli. “What happened?”

“You almost died, that is what happened.” Eli’s clipped tone is so unlike him, a complete contrast to the gentle way he cradles me.

I turn in his arms as much as I can, agony lancing through my body and restricting my movements. My eyes widen as I take in Eli’s feral appearance. He looks like a warrior, his gaze menacing as he looks at the other two males in the room. When his attention shifts to me, his expression softens slightly, but he still looks as though he could tear through the room at any moment.

Several raised red marks on his neck have me frowning. I didn’t notice them at first, as I must have had my face pressed against them. They are fang marks, and not neat ones. Whoever fed from him was in a hurry and could not control themselves. A horrible feeling rises within me as I suspect who might have been responsible for them, but I push that thought aside, not ready to face it now.

Instead, I realise I am pressed against Eli’s naked chest, and that I am also without a shirt. In fact, I am completely naked beneath the bed covers other than a pair of underwear. Fighting against my fatigue, I manage to raise a questioning brow.

“Why am I naked?”

“You needed skin-to-skin contact with your…” Finnik starts, only to trail off, his jaw tight as he glances away, unable to say whatever word is causing his problems.

“Mate,” Eli supplies, his voice forceful and full of authority as though reminding the others of his position. “You needed skin contact with me while you were feeding. It was the only way we could think to stop Havoc’s bond from killing you.”

I must look as confused and taken aback as I feel, because Felix sighs, taking my hand in his and rubbing his thumb across my palm. “You should start from the top,” he suggests, and although he looks at me the entire time, I know he’s really talking to the others.

Fatigue pulls at me, still making it impossible for me to move from Eli’s chest, but I manage a small, grateful smile for Felix, hoping he knows how much it means to me that he’s here.

Finnik sighs loudly, rubbing his hands through his hair as he nods, gathering his thoughts. There’s a haunted look in his eyes, and I prepare for whatever horrors the three of them witnessed.

“When Havoc severed your bond, it was going to kill you. You collapsed, the pain overwhelming you completely,” Finnik begins, pacing the length of the room, unable to meet my gaze as he explains what happened. “Havoc’s actions had drastic consequences though.” He hisses out a frustrated breath, his expression tight. “A fight broke out amongst the nobles due to fear of what would happen now that the prince was not going to complete his side of the prophecy—not to mention he had potentially destroyed the first bride at the same time.”

The kingdom has been so focused on the seven brides and the prophecy that Havoc going against it must have seemed catastrophic to them. Finnik is right, not only did he fail the prophecy, but in severing the bond, he could have killed me. That would have destroyed the prophecy as a whole, not just the small part I play. All the brides need to survive for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

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