Page 13 of Bonded

It wasn’t what I was expecting. A month in a palace where I’d have to watch my back at all times? No thanks. But…I can’t turn them down when they are being reasonable. “Three weeks and then I must spend a week back in my own court before moving to the next.”

“A deal. At the end of those three weeks, one warrior from that court will come with you. We will prepare many options for you to choose from.” Alpha Female Nerida smiles.

“I agree to these terms.” I pause and let my eyes travel to the fire alpha. “Not you. I’ve spent enough time in your court already to know that we will never be trusted friends.”

Blackfire moves to the edge of the platform, and he pulls the attention of everyone. “That’s a shame, considering it’s your home, my wife. You will rule as my alpha female when I take the place as the heir.”

Everyone else bursts into chatter and gasps, but I go silent. Wife? Blackfire? What the actual fuck is he talking about? “I am not your wife, Blackfire.”

His smirk makes me worry. “Yes, you are. We are marked…and that can never be undone. It’s on the back of your neck.”

Zyran flies across the room and smacks into Blackfire, the two of them going down in shadows and fire. I touch the back of my neck, feeling something there, something no doubt hidden until this moment. Illyia pushes my hair back, her eyes widening. “A marriage mark. I’ve seen them before…it’s true.”

I’m Blackfire’s wife…and he tricked me.

Chapter Seven

Idon’t even feel Zyran leading me out of the meeting room, away from the shouting and arguing after Blackfire’s truth. I only feel Zyran’s hand touching my back softly but firmly and my heart racing a million times a minute. I vaguely hear Illyia asking how it can be true that I am married to Blackfire, the brutal heir of the Crone Pack. Zyran finds an empty room and slams the door shut behind us before lifting my hair off my neck. “He really did it. The bastard.”

“How do I break it?” I feel like heaving. Luckily, I decided I was too nervous for breakfast this morning. “I never… I can’t be married…”

Zyran sighs low, pulling me into his arms and holding me tight. We stand like that for a long moment until my heart finally starts to slow down and I can actually breathe again. “This changes nothing. I’m here,” he soothes. “What do you know of marks?”

“Er, something about mate and marriage marks. I wasn’t taught much about them,” I mutter into his chest armour.

Illyia clears her throat and I turn to look at her. “Bane told me about the mate marks if that helps. There are two, one is drawn and one is given by the goddesses to fated mates who find each other. The drawn mark for mates needs conditions, but I don’t know them.”

Zyran kisses my forehead just once. “Illyia is right in what she has been taught. Normal mate marks and marriage marks are drawn onto the skin after certain conditions are met and feelings are shared. It is done to bind people who are not fated mates but who love each other so much that it doesn’t matter to them. Fated mates? They find each other only when love is shared and one of them is at risk of dying. Life-and-death is the only trigger for a true mate mark and bond.” He looks down at me. Feelings? Love? I hate Blackfire…don’t I? “Marks like this cannot be broken unless one of you dies. They are concrete things, once given, and they link you forever. There is no undoing this now, only dealing with the consequences. He shouldn’t have⁠—”

The door opens again, and Zyran moves straight in front of me, shielding me with his huge body as Reed and Orion walk in. It’s very hard not to look at them, not to give them any attention, when they’re right in front of me. Goddess above, this hurts. I trusted them, began falling for them…and they fucked up so much there isn’t a way back for us. I don’t know what’s worse—the bubbling anger building in my throat, the resentment, or the sheer appeal they somehow still have, as they look ridiculously attractive. Though Orion looks like he’s seen better days, with his messy dark hair and equally dark circles under his eyes. What’s wrong with him? I’m fairly certain I can smell alcohol wafting through the room too. The mark on Orion’s neck, a crown of green vines, begins to glow. As does Reed’s water crown of ice on his neck, but his glows blue.

Reed’s eyes lock with mine as I turn and move around Zyran. “Little human…fuck, I missed you.”

My heart clenches at the nickname. I’m not human at all now. I huff. “Did you know about the marriage mark? Did you help him do it, or⁠—”

Reed puts his hands in the air in surrender. “We knew nothing about it until it was long past done, and it’s between you and Blackfire to argue about, don’t you think? I don’t agree with what he did, but I get it. I would have done the same if I had half the chance of keeping you as my wife.” He smiles at me, all charm. It might work on other girls, but I know him. I’ve seen past the beautiful face, the perfect body and pretty eyes. I’ve seen him lie to me. He looks up, over my head, and his eyes harden. “We need to speak alone about what happened out there. Perhaps your companion can wait outside.”

The way he says companion is not nice. Zyran laughs. “Make me, water prince.” Zyran’s arm runs around my waist, his hand flat against my stomach as he tugs me against him. A growl builds low in both Orion’s and Reed’s throats and echoes around the room.

Illyia takes a few steps back. “Maybe I should go⁠—”

The door opens again and Blackfire walks in without a trace of guilt on his masked face. The wolf mask never did much to hide his expressive eyes from me, and as they find mine, his eyes tighten. “I suggest you get your hands off my wife, bat,” he snarls at Zyran.

“I never agreed to be your wife,” I snap back before Zyran can say a word. “You don’t get to tell me what to do because you forced a mark onto me. You’re just as bad as your uncle.”

Blackfire takes a step back like I’ve hit him, and I almost want to take the words back, but I’m angry, hurting and in shock. For a second, his eyes widen, but then he glares, shaking his head once. “I am not him.”

“You still did this,” I whisper softly.

Blackfire comes towards me, and I know it is not going to end well when Zyran turns me around to his back. The two of them slam into each other like massive logs of trees hitting the ground, and I wince as they smash through the huge table in the room. Reed and Orion walk to me, and it’s clear they are going to make me leave with them…until we all freeze.

The room goes deathly cold, and darkness sweeps in from the windows, the door, and echoes around our feet.

My world pitches sideways as I feel my legs growing weak and the floor falling out from beneath me. “MERE!” I hear Zyran’s shout before I collapse backwards, and everything plunges into pitch darkness for a long minute. When I open my eyes, I’m no longer in the Crone Palace…but somewhere new. I think it’s a dream world, like what I shared with Zyran at times. Except he’s not here. But I’m not alone. Grey clouds swirl around my legs, and the sky is nothing but pitch black in every direction. No stars, no light, just endless darkness. Reed, Orion, and Blackfire are also here, standing nearby—too close for my liking but at my side.

But I’ve been in this dream before, and I don’t think we’re alone. At the end of the Folkland…there was a man’s voice… In the blackness, something dark moves in front of us. I can see someone.

Blackfire touches my arm, and I’m too scared to move away. “Are you okay? Why did you bring us here?”