Page 57 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

Felix is preparing the horses, and I already miss his calming presence. However, the sooner this meeting ends, the quicker we can leave, and then I will be surrounded by both Felix and my mate. The time together will allow me to heal, both physically and mentally. In time, I shall return to Drathlor and see what can be done for the prophecy, but being here now is only causing me more pain.

Of course, none of this can be said to the king, so I adopt the stoic expression expected of the vampires and bite back on my remarks. I need his permission to return home. Without it, I am stuck here, meaning I need to stay on his good side.

Despite my comment regarding the fact I am recovering, the king frowns as his eyes drag over me, taking in the gauntness in my cheeks and how my skin is almost transparent. I certainly do not look well, and that is a direct result of his son’s actions. Obviously thinking along the same lines, he blows out a long breath and shakes his head, leaning back in his throne.

“This whole situation has been a mess, and I know you have been caused pain due to my son.” He growls in frustration as he speaks, yet I get the impression he is more annoyed by the fact his plan did not work rather than feeling truly sorry for me.

“She almost died, Your Majesty,” Geoff comments, his voice uncharacteristically snappy. “We may be in trouble with your son not accepting the prophecy, but we are all finished if the first bride is killed.”

My bruised and battered heart warms a little at my guardian standing up for me. King Drath is not the type of male you want to push, yet here is Geoff, standing his ground.

The king focuses on my guardian. “Yes, I am well aware of that, Geoff.” He speaks through gritted teeth, his patience running thin. I know Geoff has been spending a lot of time with the king’s secretary, trying to get me home to Trador, and that he is a stubborn male. Perhaps he has been pushing a little too far.

“It is only thanks to my new mate, Eli, that I survived,” I comment, stepping in before things escalate. Glancing back at said mate, I smile up at him softly, unable to stop myself as warmth and love move throughout my body. His eyes are already locked on me, something about his face softening as we share a moment together. “Without his bond, Havoc’s rejection would have killed me,” I finish, ripping my attention away from Eli and facing the king. It is one of the hardest things I have done today, yet I know how important it is.

The king’s eyebrows rise, and silence falls across the room. “New mate?” He looks between Eli and myself, taking in how close the fae is behind me and the protective, possessive hand on my shoulder.

However, it is not his reaction that I care about, but the other male in the room whom I feel inexplicably drawn toward. Finnik is staring at me, his expression unreadable, yet I can feel his distress. He knew Eli was my mate, but for the two of us to have bonded, we had to have sex. He must have known that this was going to happen eventually, but now it has actually occurred, it has shocked him. He looks like a statue, barely even moving to breathe as he fights to control his emotions.

While I do feel bad he discovered it this way, I refuse to apologise for bonding with my mate. Finnik has been so hot and cold with me, hinting at but never truly confessing his feelings, and I am not going to wait around for him to make up his mind.

The king is still waiting for my answer, his brow raised. Clearing my mind, I return my focus to him and nod. “Yes, Your Majesty. The fae mate differently, and it turns out that I share a mate bond with Eli.” I keep my head high as I speak, because there is no shame in this.

King Drath frowns and glances to his right to look at Finnik, silently asking for his opinion on the matter. After all, fae are rare in this land, so who better to ask than another fae?

“She is speaking the truth,” Finnik grinds out, his posture still rigid.

Surprise colours the king’s face, his doubt and scepticism replaced by a thoughtful look. Pressing his hand against his chin, he hums aloud as he takes in this new information. “Well,” he comments after a few silent moments, “this is a turn of events.” The words are muttered, so I get the impression he is speaking to himself more than us.

He seems a little warmer now, so I think this is the perfect time to bring up the real reason I am in his office today. “Your Majesty, I wish to return to Trador to recover. Being around Havoc is going to be detrimental to both of us. The prophecy has been broken, so I am no longer needed here.” My emotions overtake me, and despite the earlier promise I made to myself that I would keep myself in check, my voice cracks. I take a deep breath and lean back against Eli for strength.

Of course, he is already there and wraps an arm around my waist, tucking me tightly against him. I hate the fact that the king might think I’m struggling because of Havoc, and he is a factor, but the real reason for my emotions is the disappointment I feel in myself because I was unable to complete the one job I was born for.

Unaware of my internal battle, King Drath sighs and scrubs a hand across his face. “Yes, your escort has been petitioning for you to be pardoned from the agreement keeping you here for half the year.” He shoots a small glare in Geoff’s direction, confirming my earlier suspicion that my advisor, guardian, and escort has been bothering the king with constant requests.

Tapping the arms of his throne, he looks at me with what I believe is supposed to be sympathy but just makes him look uncomfortable. “While I understand the reasons you wish to return to your homeland, I am afraid I cannot allow it.”

Stunned silence fills the room. I do not think that anyone, including the king’s advisors or middle son, expected this reaction.

Trador is going to be in an uproar when they hear of Havoc’s rejection. We are a proud nation, and honestly, our egos can be large. All of vampire kind will be offended by the situation, Havoc’s actions reflecting on the king, and therefore, the whole of the land. A way to get us back on his side would be to allow me to go home to recover, show my people I am still alive, and that I am willing to return to Drathlor City. By refusing my leave, he is effectively keeping me prisoner. For what reason, unless this is all about power, and he is lording this above us all?

“Your Majesty,” Geoff interjects, taking a step forward. I have never seen him look so angry before, his fangs extending over his lower lip. Geoff, the perfect example of an unfeeling, stoic vampire, has lost control of his temper.

Thankfully, before he can get himself into too much trouble, Eli reaches out and pulls him back. If he looks like he will attack the king, he will quickly be put down, the hidden guards in the room not leaving anything to chance, especially with how frustrated the king seems to be with him at the moment. For a second, it looks like Geoff might throw off Eli’s hand and continue storming forward, but when his eyes land on me, he lets out a long breath and nods, brushing down the front of his jacket.

Sure that my advisor is not going to get himself killed, Eli releases him and clears his throat, addressing the king. “Thea has been nothing but compliant to your rules and this prophecy,” Eli hisses, showing exactly what he thinks of the situation. “She has handled all the prince’s rejections with grace and dignity despite the enormous amounts of pain it causes her. The very least you could do is let her recover in the peace of her own home.”

The king glares at Eli but turns his attention back to me, effectively ignoring my mate. “You deserve better than what happened to you, Anthea. You have behaved as the perfect first bride, however, I cannot allow you to leave.” His expression hardens as his decision is made, and all sympathy is lost as the might of the king enters his voice. “I need to think on how your new mate impacts the prophecy. I need you here so I can study any changes in you, not to mention the vampire attacks. It is not safe for you to return. Here, you are safe, and we can work on a solution.”

He makes me sound like an experiment, something he can examine, poke, and pull apart, not a living being. This is how he is going to repay my sacrifices and loyalty? How am I to—something he said suddenly sticks in my head, overriding my outrage.

“Wait, vampire attacks?” My instincts are telling me this is more than just one or two random attacks, and I am instantly on guard. What happened while I was recovering? Several weeks have passed, which is hardly the blink of an eye to vampires, but things move quickly here. I glance over at Geoff to see if he knows anything about this, but he looks just as mystified.

The king sighs. He was hoping that I wouldn’t pick up on that, or perhaps he thought I already knew. Either way, he does not look happy to be explaining this to me. “Vampires appear to be turning feral. We believe it is a disease and that it is tied to the prophecy.” Short, succinct, and without elaboration, he told me as little information as possible. Why? Does he not know, or is he trying to keep more from me?

Fear strikes my heart, and my knees feel weak at this new piece of news. Is this restricted to the city, or has it spread to Trador? The king thinks this is linked to the prophecy, so is this the consequence of my failure? Havoc had shouted about vampire attacks at the ball, but I had put that down to the odd incidents that occasionally happen, added with the ravings of a crazed male.

“My people…” I gasp, trailing off with horror as I think of home. Is everyone okay? My king? My father? “Why did I not know about this until now? This is something I should have been told.”

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