A Cruel Kindness

Chapter 27

Bellamy

My third cup of coffee was in front of me.

The first was minutes after I woke up on the floor, realizing that I’d followed Soren down there at some point during the night.

My second was with Esme and Freya, needing an excuse to busy my mouth with something other than blurting out every torrid emotion running through my head.

The third was to keep me rooted in this chair, out on the deck of the main house, so that I didn’t march down to the stables and head off with Clover to go find Soren.

Esme told me that he’d gone with Ford to the abandoned camp, though she couldn’t tell me where. I restrained a quip about wishing she acted like a normal paranima obsessed with their Soul Mate’s every move at the last second.

She didn’t deserve to be subject to my pain. Especially when I was pretty sure she wasn’t free of her own.

The ceramic creaked and whined under my brutal grip, but I had the weight of my own ire pressing down on me, combined with Clover’s grumbling and the distant feeling of Soren’s discomfort.

I knew something was wrong, but it was likely it was just the irritation of realizing what our lives looked like from now on. I couldn’t burst into that abandoned camp if that was the case.

Still, a cold sweat was building over my brow.

I don’t like this, the Bond grumbled.

I agreed. This wasn’t right, having to leave Soren to his own anguish, no matter the cause. We were supposed to help each other through it. We weren’t two halves of a soul, but rather two complete souls that recognized their mate in another.

One that could understand them to their very core, that could push you past your fully evolved self into something even greater.

We weren’t supposed to be ignoring each other. We weren’t supposed to be marrying other people.

My commitment started to wane the more my thoughts took off, unable to accept a world where Soren was anything other than the love of my life.

I guess he still could be.

He just wasn’t going to be my husband.

A lone tear fell down my cheek, dripping onto my arm. I looked down, watching as the droplet of water slid off my arm then darkened the wood of the chair underneath.

I heard the hooves first, the distinct crashing sound as strong legs flattened ground beneath them.

Help him , the Bond pushed, and I was out of my chair a second later. My mug discarded and running without a clear destination in mind.

“Bellamy!” Freya called from behind me. I didn’t turn to see if she followed.

Clover whined and begged as I ran through the stables, but I hoped she understood that I wasn’t ignoring her.

For good reason, because when I pushed through the stable doors and out into the open field the horses used to work off energy, all I saw was Soren.

There were other people there besides Ford, I could tell that much.

Despite it, all my focus landed on Soren and the crestfallen look on his face. A look that only fell further when he saw me, breathless and waiting.

“What happ—” Freya cut herself off when she saw what was before us. She shared a look with Soren quickly, one that was so loaded with memory I didn’t know what to make of it.

Ford looked haunted, plagued with something that sucked all the light out of him. Behind him stood four soldiers I didn’t recognize, standing without any pack or belongings. Just the clothes on their back, though they looked rather clean.

The Bond yanked me towards Soren before I could remind it not to. Lucky pressed his snout into my shoulder as Soren hopped down.

Tension snapped between us, the Bond on both sides begging us to move closer.

I curled my fists at my side. Soren clenched his jaw. Neither of us moved.

“Are you okay?” I whispered, pain clawing at my throat as I spoke.

“No.” That one word splintered my heart even further. As if Lucky could tell, he pressed harder into my shoulder.

“Who are they?” If I didn’t know the answer before, I certainly did when people started arriving at the stables, drawn down by my sudden exit.

Screams and thankful cries erupted from the crowd, people rushing to give the newcomers hugs and affection.

Well, I guess not newcomers.

They were returning. It was clear these had been captives of that Muli camp, finally returned home.

“How did you find them?” Freya asked Soren, choosing not to speak to Ford. For good reason, it seemed. There wasn’t an ounce of life behind his eyes.

Soren didn’t back away from me as he answered, “They were tied to a tree waiting for us.”

As my confusion mounted, one of the rescued soldiers said, “They said they didn’t have any use for us anymore. Then they chained us, tied us up, then left. Took everything with them.”

“Who is they ?” I asked without thinking.

The soldier who spoke blinked, recognition dawning. His shoulders straightened a little, a reflex in the face of a Royal. “I don’t know. We never really met anyone save a few people in charge of our meals and breaks. This guy was new. He was…”

“A pompous asshole?” Soren quipped.

The soldier nodded slowly. “He was new. He ordered everyone to leave. Seemed like everyone was listening to him.”

“ Fucking Elijah ,” Soren muttered under his breath. I wanted to smile, but it felt like it would hurt too much.

“You have a meeting with him this evening,” Peter’s commanding voice cut through the crowd, approaching with Ella at his side and a dark look on his face. “I want these negotiations finished as soon as possible. Before some general decides to get testy.”

Soren’s hand wrapped around my arm a second later, and he looked down at it like he didn’t know how it got there.

I did. The Bond had yelled at him to grab me before someone took me away.

The same voice had entered my own head more times than I could count.

Soren looked seconds away from finally giving into the Bond, but we were interrupted by the arrival of Esme.

She burst through the stable doors with the air of someone annoyed that no one filled them in on the latest gossip, but her expression fell when she realized what she walked in on.

Oddly enough, her gaze went to Peter first. Her face twisted into something I hadn’t seen before from her, something rather … childlike. Like a little girl who had just dropped her favorite toy in the mud, just on the verge of horrified tears.

Esme collected herself quickly, a little too quickly. She breathed in so heavy her chest rose then looked to Ford, who was looking through her with a hollow expression.

“Wait, was that—” I whispered to Soren.

“The camp Ford was held at.” The same one that had given him that scar. Soren told me that he’d been captured and tortured by a rogue Muli general who was known for having a particularly cruel streak.

The same torture that had left Ford with a scar down his face and partially blind in one eye.

Esme stomped up to Ford and his eyes tracked her. Silently, she inspected him, her eyes bouncing over every part of his body. Even from afar, she was almost vibrating with restraint, like something underneath her skin was trying to break through.

“Esme, go help them clean up,” Peter commanded, snapping her out of her trance. She nodded, leading the group away blandly. As they left, I noticed that their Marks were showing.

A small trickle of relief crept in as I realized that though the four of them had been held, it was with their Match.

“Soren, Ford,” Peter barked next. “I want both of you in my office.” For a debrief, it seemed.

Even though I wanted to tend to Soren, I knew I had no right to anymore. It was better if he was distracted with something. The more hours that passed from now until sundown, when I was pretty sure the Bond would start acting up again, was preferred.

Necessary, really.

?

I threw back two glasses of whiskey the second we walked into the bar in Pax.

Elijah wasn’t here yet, which meant more delaying the inevitable.

I tried to practice the words over and over on the way over.

I accept the Prince’s offer .

I never got more than halfway through without my throat closing up.

There wasn’t any option for me. I needed to do this.

If I didn’t, the scene earlier would only happen on repeat, except we might not be as lucky. We might not have a chance to find soldiers alive and well, saved by some mystery plan on Muli’s side.

Next time, it might be their bodies we were finding. The same way that so many had been found before.

On both sides, I reminded myself, as I watched Muli soldiers trickle into the bar, smiles on their face the same as the soldiers from Vir.

Soren was talking to someone at the far end of the bar, nursing his own glass. I didn't like that. He should be talking to me.

My nerves were so frazzled that when I tried to pour myself a third glass, my hand shook and spilled liquor all over my hand and the bar.

Feeling like my emotions were going to spill over into a flooding mess, I tried to close my eyes to compose myself.

It worked, my body spilling with a rapid rush of warmth and comfort. Until I opened my eyes and realized that Soren had walked over, crowding me to the bar while he wiped up my mess.

Wordlessly, he swiped a bar towel through the spill, then picked up a fresh one to pat my hand dry. Shamelessly, I stepped a little further into his warmth, needing to soak up every second of him before he was cruelly stripped away again.

“Bell,” Soren warned, his voice a rough scrape against my ear, when my back touched his chest. I tried to work up the strength to step away from him, but I didn’t think my body would cooperate.

It seemed that his wouldn't either, because I felt the ghost of his hand over my abdomen right as the doors crashed open, revealing Elijah and his entire calvary in the doorway.

“Ah, look, my friends,” he said with open arms, relishing in his power over us. No one else was amused, even Carson over his shoulder.

A small whimper left my throat as I realized that there were no mere minutes until I was officially betrothed.

Elijah, meanwhile, looked annoyingly happy. The Prince was probably going to give him a raise for this. “Let’s sit, shall we?”

He walked over to an open table with the gait of someone who knew that he was the most powerful person in the room. His normal crew split off to the bar, but Carson stayed with him.

It took several seconds for me to get my feet to move. When they did, Soren was quick behind me.

Esme and Ford joined too, both still looking slightly out of it. Even then, we needed them to hold up a united front.

Elijah sat down in his chair with a flourish, a move more befitted of someone unbuttoning a suit rather than donned in utilitarian clothing. He watched with a bemused look, relishing in the tension as Soren and I sat down.

“How was your trip back home, lovebirds?” he asked, clearly thinking this whole thing was fucking hilarious. Even Carson had the sense to drop his eyes to the table.

“You know how it went,” I snapped, full of venom.

Elijah just laughed, leaning back lazily in his char. “I assume you have something for me?”

The envelope burned a fucking hole in my pants. When my fingers touched the soft paper, pain shot up my arm as if it had been covered in poison. My limbs were jerky, the Bond fighting me, as I pulled it from my pocket and set it down on the table.

My father’s blood red seal shone in the soft lights of the bar. Proof that it was coming from him, a fact which bloomed a smile on Elijah’s face.

“I’m glad your father was so—” Elijah cut off in the middle of his sentence, his eyes floating over my shoulder. It was a rare moment of imperfection from him, so staggering that I turned to see what had done it.

At first, I just saw the open door of the pub, with a few horses playing outside and the hills beyond.

Then I realized Freya had just walked in, striding toward the bar with a bright smile. She really was strikingly beautiful and it seemed even Elijah wasn’t immune to it.

Soren and I shared a secret look, noticing the same thing. By the time we turned back to Elijah, he still hadn’t recovered.

It took him another slow, shocked blink to restart his sentence. “So amenable to the Prince’s offer.”

“It was more of a threat, no?” The Prince had all but promised a massacre.

Elijah laughed under his breath, but the sound was cut short by Freya’s arrival to the table.

Freya walked up with her same, dazzling smile, keeping it in place even though she knew that Elijah was sitting at this table. Though they’d never met, there was no mistaking the arrogant air of the man sitting across from me.

I watched as she approached, scanning the table, before her eyes landed on Elijah.

Her smile widened cruelly as she shook her head with a low laugh.

“What?” Elijah asked, voice hoarse as he cocked his head.

Freya only chuckled again. “You are exactly as I expected, that’s all.”

Elijah jerked forward, putting his forearms on the table. He’d moved so fast there was a slight wind in his wake.

Freya’s smile suddenly fell an inch. I couldn’t stand Elijah causing any more strife from his threats.

Forcefully, I shoved the envelope across the table, forcing his attention away from Freya.

Elijah picked it up, turning the envelope back and forth in his hands with a smile. “Thank you for this. I’m sure the Prince will be very pleased to review your offer.”

“My offer?” I snapped. “We accepted his offer.”

Elijah smirked, clearly amused by my ire. “Your father is crafty. It would be wise for the Prince to review his response before blindly accepting it. Consider this a conditional acceptance. I’ll take this back to him and should he accept, he’ll come meet you himself.”

Relief pressed down heavy on my shoulders. Even in the face of a potential meeting, I was just thankful I had more time.

Hearing that I had more time with Soren, even if it was a stunted, cold version of it, was so freeing I almost started crying.

I tried to school my features, not giving anything away. Even though my arms itched with the urge to throw them around Soren and beg him to give me as much of him as I could for as long as I could take it, I knew I had to be smart.

“Is it common practice on Muli to marry someone who is otherwise committed?” I asked Elijah carefully, trying to take in every little micro-expression in his notoriously stoic face.

He blinked slowly, taking more time than normal to choose his words. He settled on, “He recognizes that some things are bigger than the Bond.” His eyes slid to Soren, then to the arm he had slung across the back of my chair to emphasize his point.

“And what if his paranima pops up during the marriage? What then?” I was about to throw all of our plans to the fire, but I just couldn’t stop.

Elijah blinked, his movements slowing. “That won’t be a problem.”

“I don’t find that very encouraging,” Esme said, lazily leaning back in her chair. “You didn’t actually answer her question. So what is it? Does he have one who is okay with this?”

Elijah’s eyes slid slowly to Esme, clearly annoyed that she pushed the matter. “He does not have one. He won’t.”

Esme snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “I assume that’s the reason he’s okay with this little arrangement then? Fuck over a Soul Match just because he doesn’t have one?”

That was a great question actually. I turned to Elijah, waiting for a response. “The Prince,” he paused and nodded at me, “and your Princess here present a unique opportunity. He will not let anything interrupt that, especially if it can save his people.”

Elijah leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “In fact, he has been surprisingly trusting of your family, Bellamy. You lot have been historically uncooperative. How are we to know that your father isn’t planning a coup once he gets you inside the Palace?”

Years of not responding to pleas for peace probably aided that fact. “You’ve never met my Father, how do you know so much about his character?”

“Are you sure I haven’t?” Everyone froze, realizing the full depth of what that meant. After a moment of tense silence, Elijah leaned back, laughing to himself as if he’d just told the funniest joke in the world. “Oh, you should have seen your faces. No, your camp has created quite the barrier for entry. Your Father’s continued refusal to engage in peace negotiations up until this point did the trick just fine. He’s quite happy in his role as aggressor.”

That was an odd characterization, considering our role at the Bridge was defense.

“My Father will not rule forever,” I said carefully. “The Greenes are our next family to rule. Their family leader is a harsh sneeze away from the grave. The heir is pliable. Work with us while my Father is in power and we can be sure that House Greene keeps the agreement in place. That grants you ten years of peace at the very least.”

Elijah’s face remained passive, but his eyes were engaged. It would be much easier if the Prince got over himself and participated in these conversations, safety be damned.

I was still technically the heir to the Empire. I was here.

I was setting aside what I wanted for the good of everyone. “Your Prince proposed this arrangement. He should stick to it.”

Soren’s hand drifted under the fall of my hair, flattening over our Mark. A silent show of encouragement, surely. All I could focus on was the fact that he was touching me again.

My heart almost broke from the relief.

Elijah nodded, pausing to take a sip of his drink. While he did, his eyes drifted to my left for the quickest beat, then back down. “I’ll take your father’s acceptance back to the Prince. Expect summons in the next few days. He’d like to meet you —formally, that is. It’s not every day you get to confront the daughter of the man who has tried to ruin your planet.” Elijah’s words were venomous, the most anger I’d ever heard from him.

“What an interesting way to view the matter,” I said, making sure there was a pretty smile on my lips. That was my personal expression of fuck you , one that had served me quite well through years of court.

Despite my father’s resistance, he’d only drawn out the war. Muli had started it.

Elijah stood, laughing under his breath again. “You know, there is nothing quite as sweet as revenge.” He stood, peering at me and Soren, at the obvious strife between us, even if his hand was on the back of my neck. “Watching you two has been particularly glorious.”

Even Carson balked at his words, at the sheer cruelty there. He shot Soren an apologetic look, but it did little to appease him given their history.

“I will find a way to kill you,” Soren promised, and I believed him. “And I will enjoy every second of it.”

He would be letting me take a swing at him too, but that was a different matter.

Elijah just smiled, as if the threat was nothing but an idle amusement. He started to stride away, but then came to a halt so fast he almost reverberated.

I watched in confusion as he stood there, breathing for a second, then turned back to look at us—actually Freya—with a near murderous look.

Freya looked just as confused, but didn’t say anything.

With that odd trip up, Elijah barked at his group to follow him and headed out. The last we saw of his little troupe of wonders was one of his soldiers running in, muttering something about his horse.

Then he left, taking my fate with him in that godforsaken envelope.