Page 22 of Bonded

Cold, bony hands shake my shoulders as I wake up and open my eyes to stare into the empty ones of a brown-haired human woman with a rune drawn on her forehead. She straightens, saying nothing. They never talk. I don’t really understand the rune well enough to know how they communicate, but I know they don’t speak. They just do as they’re told.

There are four humans waiting for me, all women and all wearing the same outfit. I let them lead me out of bed, and I do what they want, not wanting to make their lives any more difficult than they already are. They watch me eat breakfast in silence, even as I try to talk to them. It doesn’t work. They’re all in light green gowns, the same scratchy material covering each of them. I want to figure out how to get them back—if that’s even possible. I’m going to try to figure it out.

Eventually they lead me to a side room attached to my bedroom that I didn’t even know was there. It’s a huge walk-in wardrobe full of clothes, but one wall is lined with beautiful gowns. They smell like Orion—maple syrup coming off each of them. I walk down the row, and I notice they’re all similar. Long sleeves, floor length and stunning. Beautiful gowns, woven corsets, full skirts that will have none of my skin showing and making me uncomfortable.

How could Orion have known this?

I stop in front of the darkest green dress. The one that reminds me of Orion’s eyes—a dark green and black. The top half is a long corset, making almost bat-wing lines around the chest, laced all the way down to the stomach at the front. A sheer cover hangs over the chest and arms, dark enough to hide any of my scars, before falling out to a green and black skirt that brushes the ground.

“This one,” I say, turning to them. They nod, one by one, almost like it’s a shared thought. “Thank you. I don’t know if you can hear me or understand me anymore, but I won’t forget any of you. I want to help, and I will.” None of them respond, they just move around like they didn’t hear me at all.

I smile tightly at the humans as they help me into the dress. The corset alone takes at least twenty minutes to get tied up, and I’m already dreading getting out of this dress. When they’re done, they start on my hair, pulling my gold locks up into a braid and swirling it into a bun, leaving wavy, curly pieces hanging around my face. When they finish, they apply a light touch of makeup and stand aside for me to walk to the mirror.

I barely recognise myself. Calling myself a princess to help Elizabeth was strange, but this—looking like this—makes me actually feel like one. “Tannith, I don’t know if you can even hear me anymore, but you’d love this dress. I would have chosen something for you to wear, and we would have had fun. I’m going to have fun for you…or try to. I’m trying, Tan. It has to count, right?”

Only silence responds. Only an emptiness in the pit of my stomach that won’t go away easily. I turn from the mirror, only to come face to face with one of the humans. She is slightly older than me, her face covered in freckles, and her hair is dark brown with red strands. Her eyes are green, and her hands snap out, grabbing my cheeks. She suddenly smells of rotten fruit, and her mouth opens wide as I freeze in shock. A voice that’s familiar echoes out of her throat, but I know it’s not her. Her eyes glow brightly, like green stars. “Do not give him the weapon, for if you do, all will fall. Your destiny is to hide them, not to give them to him. There will be nothing left if you do. You must find the warriors born to be the three once more. Only they will be able to stop what is to come. The weapons—the keys—belong to them. You are meant to be their protector. The Champion of the elements must not fall for darkness…”

The human stops speaking. That voice—that female voice—is so familiar, and I finally realise who it was. The Mother goddess. Leaves fall from the human’s hands, scattering around in the air and floating. Her green eyes open wide. “Help me,” she whispers. Her voice, her accent, reminds me of Orion’s.

I reach for her, but she collapses at my feet, blood pouring from her mouth. “Wait!” I kneel down, touching her face, but she isn’t moving. She’s dead. The other humans move as if it’s normal, picking up her body from my hands and taking her away before I can do anything. I stare at the blood on the floor for a long time before I walk out into the bedroom.

Orion is waiting in the doorway. His eyes travel down my dress, then back up, and I look at him too. The stubble has been shaved off. His hair looks like he’s actually washed it—slightly longer and wavier than usual, tipping into his forehead but styled beautifully. A green crown is nestled in his hair. He’s wearing a dark green suit and matching tie. He looks every bit the heir. Every bit so beautiful that it’s terrifying. “You look like you should be my mate, Meredith.”

“I’m not sure your pack is for me. It’s too pretty, like its heir.” I half joke, my mind still on the human that just died in front of me. I think the Folkland has desensitized me to death, because it should have shocked me more than it did.

“It’s good to know you like my pretty face.” I feel him looking at me, trying to figure out why I’m not arguing with him. “Are you ready?” He offers me his arm, seeing that I don’t want to walk into this ball alone. I slip my arm into his, letting him walk me out. He doesn’t say a word. I feel him watching me while my mind goes over and over what just happened with that human. Why would the goddess warn me? Am I meant to do what the dark god asks? I don’t for a second think he was just threatening to take me. I don’t know what to do. I almost turn to Orion to ask for his advice, but at the same time, the truth is staring at me—those goddesses sped up Tannith’s death. They can’t be trusted either. I can talk to Orion about this when the others are here and get everyone’s opinion. Besides, there are too many listening ears to talk here.

“Heir Orion and Princess Meredith of the fourth pack!”

I barely register Orion leading me into the ballroom until the announcer shouts our names out as we step onto a balcony overlooking a giant ballroom. For a second, all I can see are the colours of all the people’s clothes, of hundreds of people’s dresses and various green or grey suits below. No one is wearing black. I look up, my eyes drawn to a sphere that hangs in the middle above the ballroom. There are dozens of spheres with random things inside them, but the one in the middle holds two swords. Green blades that glow in a way that feels familiar, the same as what I saw in the Folkland.

I look at Orion. “How on earth are we meant to get that?”

Chapter Twelve

Orion’s laughter is in my ear as he leads me down the side stairs into the ball. The ballroom itself is a huge dome of glass, with trees dotted all around the middle, and servants—mindless humans in glittering green dresses—walk around holding drinks and food. An orchestra plays at the front, and to the side of it is a raised area where I can see the alpha sitting, overlooking the ball. It’s all overwhelming, like a world I do not belong in at all. No matter my heritage, I was never made for a world like this. I prefer pubs and watching the more confident people dance and sing. I was always the one who made sure everyone got home safe, not the one who people stared at. Like they are doing right now.

“I’m working on a plan,” Orion whispers to me, pulling my attention from how everyone is staring. “All you need to do is look pretty and smile. Be a distraction. We won’t be able to get it tonight—we’ll be able to get back in here alone if this goes right.”

“And what exactly is your plan?” I whisper back, tugging on his arm. “Don’t ask me to trust you, Orion.”

His eyes are taunting. “I won’t ask, because I know you already do. How was your ice cream?”

I can’t help but smile. “Well deserved, asshole.”

His laugh echoes around me, and I have to admit, I like the sound of him laughing. Goddammit, I like him, despite every bit of bad blood between us. “Dance with me.”

“I don’t know where you think I’ve been brought up, but dancing? No. I mean, I did a bit of dancing on top of bars on the rare occasion I got drunk…and in that one test, Blackfire literally had to take over to make me look even half decent,” I mutter.

“I know. I witnessed the entire dance, and I was jealous he got to hold you.” He was jealous? Orion offers me his hand. “Dance with me. I won’t let anyone see your two left feet.”

He doesn’t give me much of a choice, pulling me into the crowd of dancers and into his arms. And he’s right—the years of skill and practice he has make even me look like I can dance effortlessly. But he keeps our dance slow, much slower than the people spinning around us, and it becomes easy to predict his movements. His hand presses into my spine, pulling me against him. I’m sure he can hear my heart racing, so I try to think of something to talk about instead.

“Are you going to introduce me to your friends here at some point? I enjoyed the tour around the grounds yesterday, but we didn’t speak to anyone.”

“Friends?” he scoffs. “Who would want to be friends with the heir that was never wanted? I don’t have friends here. I have enemies and those who would happily fuck me to try to get closer to the throne. But friends? Those don’t exist in this court. They never did.”

“Even when you were a child?” I whisper.