Page 64 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

“Give me an hour,” I inform my father, running my hands through my hair and pulling it back into a tight braid. “There are several matters I must tie up before I can leave.”

My father bares his teeth at me and begins to move towards me, only stopping when a low warning snarl sounds behind me—Eli. I am so used to his constant presence now that it did not even occur to me that he would not be there. Pulling up short, my father balls his hands into fists but says nothing about the towering fae behind me.

“We do not have that time,” he bites out, his words clipped. “This is critical, Anthea.”

The situation is so dire that he cannot wait a single hour? The dread floating through me breaks through the damn, and a tidal wave of it washes through my bloodstream. It threatens to overwhelm me, but I do not let it, bracing against the force of it instead. Adrenaline fills me, along with Eli’s love and support, strengthening me. Felix is watching me intently, his silent but steadfast presence a comfort. He knows exactly how much my people mean to me and the strength of the sense of duty that drives me. While he stays silent, knowing his input would only inflame the situation with my father here, I know in my heart that he will do anything to help me.

I will do anything for my people, including leaving without saying goodbye to Finnik. It feels as though I am tearing off a piece of myself by departing without him, especially after I promised I would not leave without him before. We have spent so little time together recently that I worry how he will take the news that I’m gone. That does not mean he cannot join me later though, and I shall be back in Drathlor City soon. I am needed, this is part of my role. He will understand that, won’t he?

My heart clenches painfully in my chest, stealing my breath away. Trying to reach for the strange connection between us, I press my feelings down it, hoping he can feel my… love. It is the strangest feeling, the possibility of our love, but I won’t deny my feelings for him anymore. It might not be a traditional relationship, but I am sure there is more to us. There has to be, and I know he can feel that too. Hoping he knows I have not abandoned him, I blindly reach for him. I feel nothing back other than a vague warmness in my chest, so I will have to just hope he understands, not able to waste any more time.

Blowing out a long breath, I nod at my father, moving onto the next obstacle. “Okay, what about the others—”

“Felix, Geoff, and the others will follow behind us,” he interrupts. “We need you right now.”

Grumbling, I press my hand to my temple but do not bother to argue. My horse, Shadow, is being brought out, and I know we shall be leaving any moment. There is one non-negotiable issue that we have not yet discussed. I hold my hand out, which Eli immediately takes as he steps forward.

“Father, this is Eli. He is my mate and will be riding with us.” There is no room for argument, and before he can say anything, I turn to Felix. “Could you prepare a horse for Eli please?”

“Of course, my lady,” he answers respectfully as he dips his head in acknowledgement before leaving.

“I shall be back in one moment,” I tell my father and share a quick look with Eli in the process. He nods ever so slightly, indicating he understands what I need him to do without me having to ask. I feel torn in so many different directions—my duty, saying goodbye to Finnik, and my love for Felix that my father most definitely would not approve of.

I follow Felix, forcing myself to walk at a normal pace and not chase him like I long to do. As soon as I enter the stable and am away from my father, I pull Felix into an embrace. My whole body trembles at the idea of having to leave him behind as well. We do not have the same magical connection that tells me he is alive and well, something I have come to depend on with Finnik and Eli. What if Felix catches this disease or they get attacked on the way to Trador? There would be nothing I could do.

Despite not having that metaphysical connection, he already knows what I am thinking and frames my face between his hands. “I will see you soon, Thea,” he promises, his eyes locked on mine. “I will travel back with the others. We shall only be half a day behind you.”

Am I so bad at hiding my feelings? No, Felix has always been able to see through my masks, getting right down to the root of my distress. We have spent years together as friends, and the bond formed by time cannot be reproduced any other way.

My body trembles slightly as I adjust to the overload of information, becoming my true self in front of Felix. I release a long, shaky breath. “I love you, and I am sorry I cannot take you with me now.” Pressing my forehead against his, I lean against him and absorb his warmth. Our time is running out, but I have one last thing to ask him. “Could you please find Finnik and tell him I have gone, and I did not have a choice about leaving? I do not want him to think I left him behind.”

Any fears I had of upsetting Felix by asking him to seek out the other male were unfounded, as my love simply smiles sadly, picking up on my stress. Running a hand over my hair, he kisses my forehead.

“Of course.” His reply is immediate and without any jealousy or frustration. “Travel swiftly, Thea. I love you.”

Now that it is time to leave, I am overcome with a rush of emotions. My gut is telling me that all of this is wrong, and that the next time I see him, everything will be different. I have to close my eyes for a moment, breathing through the tightness in my throat at the idea of something happening to him.

“Be safe, please,” I beg, gripping his shirt. “I cannot lose you.”

I seal my words with a kiss, desperately needing to feel close to him. Our kiss deepens as our tongues twist in a dance known only to us. I breathe him in, his scent wrapping around me like a blanket, keeping me warm with the depth of his feelings. I am feverish, manic with energy that I do not know how to release. Our kiss feels as though it could be our last, like we are saying goodbye.

No, I refuse for that to be the case.

Breaking off from the kiss, I back away, knowing if I stay a moment longer that I will not leave. I point at Felix. “I will see you soon.”

Spinning on my heel, I exit the stable before I do something I might regret.

Shadow’s long legs eat up the ground as we canter through the outskirts of Drathlor City, leaving the castle. Refusing to think of the people I left behind, I focus instead on the journey. We are going to have to push our mounts to the limit to reach the centre of Trador before the sun rises.

The land between Drathlor City and the wall separating it from the other nations is barren and desolate. No one lives out here, and we do not see a soul as we ride. Two guards lead the way, then my father, myself, and Eli ride in a triangular formation with the final two guards protecting our rear.

This gives me very little to do while we race forward, my thoughts going over everything my father told me, dissecting every detail and trying to make sense of it. The human hunters are a huge concern, but I am feeling more positive that I might actually be able to help in Trador. The seers mentioned me, so that must mean this illness is related, confirming my suspicions.

Seeing into the future is an ability that is not typically gifted to vampires, and what our seers do manage to glean is usually more of a possibility of what is to come. Even so, they have seen nothing significant for many years, so the fact that they had a vision with me is big news.

I hope that when it comes down to it, I am strong enough to do what I have to. The weight of responsibility is tight around my chest, and if I am being honest, having my mate at my side is the only thing keeping me going.

The wall begins to appear before us, stretching out as far as the eye can see. I always thought it looked foreboding and ugly, the dark stone separating the city from the rest of the land. For a king who proclaims he wants all of the lands to be united as one, he sure knows how to separate us. I suspect there is some form of magic on the wall, as I always feel nauseous when we pass it, and today is no different.

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