Page 62 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

I am convinced there will be something in here that will help me, and that is the only way I am able to get through tome after dusty tome, day after day.

The attacks are increasing at an alarming rate, and the fear of vampires is rising with this, the other races terrified that we will maul them out of nowhere. Humans who live in the city have begun to evacuate, heading towards other lands where there will be less vampires. Out of all the races, the humans are the most defenceless and have the least rights, so I do not blame them for uprooting their lives and moving.

With each of these attacks, the ball of tension inside me increases, my mind focused on this one and only task. There is nothing else I can do, Havoc has seen to that, and the king refuses to let me leave. Instead, I turn my frustrations on myself, pushing myself far beyond my limits. Sparring with Finnik has been a great distraction, allowing me to burn off some of my annoyance, yet I am hardly getting the opportunity to see him at the moment as the king keeps requesting his presence. Finnik tells me this is for emergency meetings and searching the city for Havoc, who they still have not been able to find, yet I cannot rid myself of the feeling that the king is trying to keep me separated from Finnik.

Although I have no proof of this, I have become suspicious of everything that is happening around me. Geoff has been in countless meetings, sending message after message back to those in Trador, and even Felix has been kept busy recently. If it was not for Eli, I would be spending most of my time completely alone and isolated.

I have been in the library for hours now, and I am still no closer to an answer. Eli’s gaze has been heavy on me. Although he has not voiced his concerns yet, he will. We always reach a point where he insists it is time for us to stop. Honestly, if he did not, I think I probably would not leave, my overwhelming sense of duty keeping me back.

Shaking off my fatigue, I blink my eyes several times until the words come back into focus, and then I try to make sense of what the old text says. I have already searched all of the books here on diseases that affect only vampires, but there are so few that it did not take long for me to rule out that avenue. Now, I am searching through the seemingly endless supply of books that discuss the prophecy and the many different theories behind it.

“Thea, please, you are exhausted, let us go to bed,” Eli pleads—not for his own sake, but for mine. Everything he thinks, says, and does is always for me. He would stay awake for a week straight if it would benefit me.

Sighing once more, I shake my head, keeping my eyes locked on the page. “Just a little while longer. I need to figure this out.”

“Mate, you are pushing yourself to a breaking point.” His large hand rests on mine, and I finally look up to meet his gaze. “This is not good for you, my heart. You cannot help anyone if you are too unwell.”

At this point, I care very little about how I am when the world is falling apart around us.

“My people are dying, Eli. I have to do something to help them. I will not just be shoved into a room and locked away while all of this is happening.” Frustrated, I slap my hands down on the table, totally at a loss for what to do. “There has to be something I—” My voice cracks, breaking off as tears sting my eyes. I am being torn apart inside, and this time it is not because of Havoc’s rejection, but because I am majorly lacking in my own sense of self-worth. Loyalty is what keeps my heart beating and gets me through my day—loyalty to my king, my people, and the promises of the prophecy. Currently, I am failing in that duty. Without my loyalty, what am I?

Eli pulls me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me and holding me against him. He can feel all of my doubt and has been a solid anchor for me during this last awful week. What I love about him is that he does not try to force me into believing differently about myself. While we have had conversations where he has told me exactly how strong he thinks I am while worshipping my body to prove it, he does not make me feel bad about the fact I am struggling to believe him. What he does do is send me constant reassurances and praise through our bond. It is impossible to lie through our connection, so I know every thought and feeling is true. Between him and Felix, I know exactly how loved I am.

We stay cuddled up like this on the library armchairs for some time, just silently resting in each other’s company while he reminds me of my worth with soft touches and warm thoughts. I am not sure how long we stay like this, but I grow sleepy, so I push up into a sitting position, rubbing my hands across my eyes to keep me awake.

“Okay, my heart,” Eli murmurs, helping me reposition on his lap but not releasing me. “Let us go over it again.”

I smile up at him and reach forward to pull my notes over.

“A thirst for blood will twist the tide,” I begin, quoting the line of the prophecy that has been plaguing us for the last week. “We always assumed this confirmed that it was the vampire bride who would fulfil that part of the prophecy. However, if Harvey is right, then it could be that my blood is needed as a sacrifice.” Something in this feels right, as though I am on the correct path, but something is holding me back from putting my everything into this line of thought. If I must sacrifice myself, then so be it. I am not afraid of death for the right purpose, but that’s not why I am unsure. Something in my gut, deep down inside me, is telling me that I am missing something.

“How is that linked to the brides though? Why do you have to be a bride to give your blood? Why the need to marry Havoc? I do not think that option makes sense.”

No, he just does not want it to make sense, terrified of losing me. He does have a point though, and I feel him shaking his head behind me, preparing to stand his ground.

“Maybe being a bride ensures that I am in the right place at the right time?” I suggest, twisting in his lap so I can see his expression as we talk.

His brow rises, and his lips curve up a little, making the symbols on his face glimmer in the lamplight. “That brings me on to my next point. What if that line is actually describing a particular situation? That something involving blood will happen, and the outcome of that will decide if that part of the prophecy is broken or not?”

This is something that has been thought of before, documented in minute detail in the scholars’ notes who picked the prophecy apart bit by bit. It seems like a plausible idea, yet none of them could decide what this was, or when this event would take place.

“If that is the case” —my eyes drop as my heart sinks with disappointment at the thought of more unknowns— “then there is nothing I can do but wait and hope I am prepared when it comes down to it.”

The sound of the library doors flinging open have the two of us stiffening, Eli ready to react if we are under threat. Quick footsteps move towards us, putting us out of our misery as Geoff appears around a stack of bookshelves. He looks dishevelled and almost out of breath, something Geoff has never looked. He takes pride in appearing together and poised at all times.

I stand, feeling Eli copying my action. “Geoff, is everything okay?”

He takes a half second to take a breath, brush down the front of his jacket, and dip his head in greeting. “Lady Anthea, the king requests your presence immediately in the throne room. An emissary has been sent from Trador. It is your father.”

We do not bother to change or wash up first, instead heading straight to the throne room. Given the unexpected nature of the visit, I do not think it necessary, and I am sure I shall be forgiven for the social faux pas. All that I can wonder as we stride through the castle is why my father is here. Has something happened in Trador? Is this about the attacks?

When we arrive in the throne room, we are quickly announced without fanfare, and I hurry over to the throne. The only people present are the king, queen, their heir, the advisors, and the new arrivals. Thankfully none of the other nobility are here. I am guessing that also means this has something to do with the vampire attacks. Although everyone has heard the rumours, the king has kept quiet and not announced anything official.

My father stands at the foot of the dais with his hands behind his back, his expression giving nothing away. Four of his own guards stand back a respectable distance. My throat tightens as I notice he is still wearing his riding clothes. This must be an emergency for him not to wash up beforehand—that, or he is planning on leaving as soon as he gives whatever message he has been tasked with.

“Your majesties,” I greet the royals, curtsying low, then I turn to my father and bow my head respectfully. “Father.”

Eli greets the royals similarly, standing a step back from me. He is not greeted in return, but I see my father eyeing him for a brief moment before dismissing him with an upturned nose. I wondered what he might think of my mate, knowing his feelings on other races, and that one glance tells me all I need to know.

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