All Chapters of Bloodbound Destiny : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Tristan started toward the trees. “Let’s go, Andronika. I can smell food cooking from here.He made it a half dozen paces and then staggered back as though he’d encountered some type of invisible barrier. Rubbing his brow and swearing with anger, Tristan ” reached out and his hand came to a stop midair like it was pressed against clear glass. I spotted the priest grinning, though he smartly smoothed his countenance before Tristan turned around, his voice grave as he repeated, “You must pass through the gates.”Tristan ’s eyes were narrow with frustration, and I felt the same way. We’d climbed through darkness and bloodshed and death, only to be blocked by tradition. “Do you know who I am?” he snapped.The priest gave him a condescending smile, which I thought was very bold even if Tristan earned it. It was hard not to roll my eyes although I understood that Tristan was acting out of desperation, not vanity. “I’m afraid you did not give your name when you introduced your lady

Hold the wall,” Ragnall screamed. There was no mistaking the fear in the eyes of Ragnall’s troops, but they held their line. One flung his spear at Tristan , and I panicked, but Tristan knocked the weapon from the air with his axe. Yet more followed the man’s lead, flinging their spears one after another. I yelled, pushing against the half dozen priests stopping me from coming to Tristan ’s help as he fell, his back smacking against the barrier.“No!” I yelled, thinking that he’d been wounded. Certain that I was going to lose him. But instead of collapsing dead, Tristan dragged a fallen shield in front of him. A heartbeat later, two of the attacking soldiers shouted and collapsed, arrows in their backs.What was happening?Dropping low, I saw behind Tristan and through the legs of the swarm of men. Beyond, several warriors gathered on the far side of the bridge, bows in hand. Alpha Orion was at their head.“Loose!” he yelled, as a rain of arrows plummeted onto Ragnall and his

There seemed little point in denying my identity. “Andronika, Derrick’s daughter.” “I’m surprised you remain alive,” he said. “Many seek your death, for they do not wish to see the Southern region with an Alpha king, and even less to swear allegiance to Alpha Orion . Though I see they have all failed to kill you as they swore to do.” Tristan shifted restlessly next to me, and I wondered if he was considering the same thing as I was: whether Alpha Maximus counted himself among those who wished for my death. Weapons might not be allowed within Vanda but that wouldn’t stop his men from ambushing us outside the borders. “A bit of foresight would have told those who sought Andronika’s death that there was another path to be taken,” Tristan answered. “One worth the risks, given the gods have spoken of a future that has not yet come to pass.” The twisted phrasing felt strange in my ears, but the Alpha responded before I could give it more thought. “It’s true, then, the whispers

Alpha Orion and Lyra led the group through the forest, hundreds of people heading in the same direction. Many men and women wore extravagant masks like my own, frequently accompanied by colorful hides or cloaks of feathers, which made it look like a herd of monsters approaching ritual.Tristan went to my left, his gaze straying over everyone who approached nearby. A woman marched against the flow, her face masked by a mask of raven feathers that blended into her dark hair. Tristan tensed as she approached close and my own heart skittered, seeing threats at every turn. But she only murmured, “What path do you follow?”I blinked, opening my mouth to answer her, but Tristan seized my arm and pushed me forward. “Seems like many have already indulged in mushroom tea.”I turned my eyes to where torches shone, revealing a gathering of hundreds of people standing before a massive flat rock. Drummers hammered the same pattern they had before, low and threatening, and through the tree c

Rolling onto my back, I closed my eyes, focussing on the sound of Tristan ’s breathing. Except doing so forced me to think of him. Rolling onto my side again, I pulled the curtain, my breath hitching. He’d shifted onto his stomach and, ever warm, had kicked off the sleeping furs, which meant his naked back was uncovered.Go to sleep, Andronika. Except pulling my gaze from the firm lines of his broad muscles needed a stronger woman than I’d ever be. I followed the designs of his tattoos, remembering how he’d flinched when I’d touched the crimson one on the back of his neck. The tattoos on his shoulders and back were inky black, and I wondered how far down they continued once they disappeared into the waist of his trousers, and what else I’d discover if I followed their route.An aching formed between my thighs, and I bit my lip, half of me wanting to mourn that I was doomed to be an unsatisfied wife and the other part wanting to anger that it was thus. If the gods genuinely liked