Chapter 34 Svenn
Screw you.
The demon’s pendant translates it as a less offensive version of the general fuck you.
Rhianelle’s bottom lip quivers when she says those words. My wife can’t even throw a proper insult without having a heart attack. There are so many wicked replies whirling through my mind, but I manage to rein in the urge.
Like a goddamn moron, my eyes follow the queen’s movements as she strides to her tent. Her swishing hips do nothing to ease the rapid beat in my heart and the ache in my groin.
Every second that passes is fucking torture.
How long does Lilith plan to torment me? The pain is brutal but at least it is constant. This new mind fuck is worse. It’s agony waiting for the enchantress to unveil herself. I keep pushing the curse bearer until I hit a nerve.
She trusted me with a glimpse into her heart that night and I used it to break her. The hateful words somehow slipped out before I could stop them. I keep telling myself it won’t matter once this whole thing is over tonight.
But the wounded stare she gave me at the end gutted me. I remove the damn armor from my body. My eyes fall on the gauntlet for a moment. There was no sound when she snuck up behind me earlier.
I hadn’t even seen her approach. These elves are generally light-footed, but my heightened awareness detects them easily. Even Eyepatch and Red have a tell in their movements.
Rhianelle Wiolant on the other hand, is a complete ghost.
I train my gaze on her retreating back until she disappears among the crowd.
Such an intriguing, elusive prey.
Every instinct prompts me to chase her. I let out a long exhale. There won’t be much thrill in the hunt.
The silly fawn invited me to her tent.
“Adorable, isn’t she?” A voice accosts me from my thoughts.
It’s Red again.
“Don’t worry I wasn’t eavesdropping. Just heard a few words at the end. Congratulations on the invitation,” he says with a light tone.
I ignore him wishing he will go away or just drop dead.
“But maybe it doesn’t mean much. She sneaked into my bedroom last week,” he adds easily.
The rumble in my throat takes a murderous tone.
Red gives me a wide grin.
The bastard did that on purpose. I hate that he’s able to rile me up with only a few words. Will the others notice if this one goes missing? They probably would. The annoying type like Red is well-loved by society.
I suppress the urge to put a hole in his chest and shift my gaze away from him.
He leans on a nearby tree casually. “Shouldn’t you rejoice? Our Rhianelle just saved you from that horrible prison.”
Only to enslave me. I grind my teeth together. His presence is quickly becoming a thorn in my side.
“I know you saved her earlier but why do I get this uneasy feeling about you?” Red keeps talking and whittling. Both sounds are grating on my nerves. “My instincts are never wrong.”
I inhale deeply, summoning patience I don’t have. I finally flick my gaze at him.
Red is still giving me his disgustingly cheerful smile. The corner of my eye falls on the final craft in his hand.
A goddamn stake.
He toys with the weapon in his fingers. “My sweet queen has been through a lot. It’d be great if you could be nicer to her.”
Something tells me he will make me if I don’t. Should I decide to massacre the elves, this talkative rabbit is someone who might actually have a chance of putting up a fight.
Red’s eyes narrow at me with a challenging stare.
“You’ve embarrassed her twice now. I keep count.” Threats lace every word that comes out of his mouth.
So, stop me. Kill me. Anything. A part of me wishes this male elf could save Rhianelle from me tonight.
Red suddenly rises to his feet. “It’s only been a few days so I’m going to give you an asshole pass for now.”
Wait, he’s not going to defend her?
“Last piece of advice, vampire.” He turns to me before leaving. “Do not underestimate my queen. One does not live with gods and monsters without learning a trick or two.”
I don’t understand a damn thing from his mouth.
“Is it true?” I ask him. I hate my voice the moment it comes out of my throat.
Damn Red gets my meaning instantly.
“That she was in my bedroom a week ago? Of course, it’s true,” he says brightly.
I can’t fight the involuntary growl rumbling from my throat.
“But not for the reasons you think,” the knight adds with a low laugh. “She was there to kill me.”
The shadow lengthens and I am in my element once again. Dirt and sweat disappear from my body with a snap of my fingers. Another neat gift from the sacrifices that made me, some beast of faerie origin.
I immerse my hands in the wooden basin, running the water over my skin. The dark ink of the Arawynn bond on my wrist shimmers brightly. My humanity in exchange for the Fae King’s life. It’s not a terrible bargain.
If only it was true.
My fate is bound to hers. The young Balthazar told me to accept it.
I will not.
I pull the cloak tighter around myself though I feel no cold. With a deep breath, I enter the tent. It’s pretty much decorated with the same furnishings from our wedding night.
I lay down the armor in a corner of the room.
Light, compact, a marvelous thing of deadly beauty.
The craftsmanship alone is something to be admired.
However, I still don’t understand why I picked it up.
It’s not like I plan on staying long in this new world to use it.
I’ll go back into the dungeon after tonight.
“You’re back.”
I whirl to the melodious voice behind me.
Rhianelle Wiolant is standing behind me with a comb in her hand.
There she goes again.
The air didn’t even shift in her approach. Not even a single footfall, breath sound, or heartbeat gave her away.
I can hear a kestrel feeding its chicks from a mile away but I can’t sense her at all. How long had she been there, and I hadn’t noticed?
I stare at her for a long moment.
“I was afraid you got lost,” she says lightly.
You know how to call me. Whistle and I’ll come crawling like a dog.
The girl pulls the chair from the window flap back to the table. Wait, was she waiting for me?
She takes off the golden ornaments slowly from her ear. I remember the whimper she made when I slid my tongue over that delicate lobe. My cock twitches at the memory.
I’ve met my fair share of beautiful women in my long existence but not one has ever triggered such a visceral response. I catch a whiff of her flowery scent and it nearly undoes me. Suddenly it’s getting hard to breathe in the small tent.
Rhianelle scrunches her eyebrows as she stares at the armor. She moves towards the lumps of metal slowly, like a cat cornering a mouse. Something about it truly rattles her. Maybe I should have discarded the damn thing after all.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Nothing,” she dismisses stiffly. “We have another long ride ahead of us. I’m going to retire early.”
The dissatisfied look on her face remains, but she finally turns to the bed.
The girl starts piling pillows of all shapes and sizes around her.
Why does she have so many of them? Is she building a goddamn fortress?
My mouth almost drops with the questions.
But the last thing I want to do is know more about her.
I notice she’s left a space for me.
“Are you coming to bed?” She asks, her cheeks turning scarlet.
Yes.
My eyes roam after her, admiring the way the nightgown is hugging her body. Arousal stirs in my chest again. This is driving me insane.
She is the Rhunhraefn’s vessel for fuck’s sake.
The elf is still waiting for my answer.
“No.”
“Suit yourself,” she says, crawling onto the mattress.
Now I’ll just have to wait for her to fall asleep.
She hugs her plush pillow. Her long, toned legs stretch across the mattress. A tremor shakes my hand with the need to touch her.
“Svenn?”
“Yes,” I manage.
“I want to thank you for saving my life.”
I don’t understand the gratitude. She could easily command me to do whatever she wants. I hold my breath until she speaks again.
“Also, I didn’t mean what I said earlier.”
She’s apologizing for that polite fuck you?
Her voice is soft and disarming in a way I cannot comprehend. I hate how the very sound of it brings me such comfort.
“Go to sleep Rhianelle,” I say.
She shifts on the bed again as if she can’t quite get comfortable. It finally occurs to me that perhaps she’s afraid. A sense of shame fills me for taking her too rough on our wedding night. I remember fulfilling my needs again and again like a mad beast.
“Rhianelle,” I call to her.
Her ears perk and she slowly props up to look at me. “Yeah?”
“That night was a mistake. You’re the Rhunhraefn’s vessel. I will never touch you ever again.” I assure the girl.
She stares at me for a silent beat.
“Of course… I know that,” she says, lowering her head. She pulls the heavy blanket over her chest. “Goodnight, Svenn.”
She gives one final glance at me before closing her eyes slowly.
“My knights are the best.” I hear her mumble before falling asleep.
A long while passes until I rise from my seat.
Balthazar’s calling card lies in the dustbin. The charred edges suggest she tried to burn it. I pick the piece from the ashes and place it on the table. It will keep on appearing. I should have killed that shithead when I had the chance.
My gaze slides to Rhianelle’s sleeping form. There she is, lying unprotected in her mountain of pillows. The silly fawn who invited a wolf into her home. I watch the steady rise and fall of her chest in the dark. I inhale deeply, summoning the will to finally end her life.
Instead of finishing my task, my eyes linger on her momentarily. The girl felt every bit an equal to me on our wedding night. But now she seems so small and almost fragile.
There’s a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her pulse is slowly getting faster. My senses sharpen immediately at her sudden stirring.
“Rhianelle?”
The girl shows no sign that she heard me. Her eyebrows furrow as if experiencing great pain.
Fucking hell. It’s a nightmare.
Her unconscious body is shivering violently, fighting an invisible enemy in her sleep. The pillows make sense now. My throat constricts.
“Wake up.” I try shaking her shoulder.
“It hurts…” she whimpers like a cornered small animal. A surge of protectiveness rises in me at her vulnerability.
“I’m here,” I call for her again. She will not rise.
I hover on top of her. A punch lands on my cheek. Then another. She keeps hitting me everywhere. It does nothing to me, but she will hurt herself at this rate.
“Nel—”
She slams her foot right between my thighs. A gush of air escapes my mouth. Straight to my fucking nuts … damn it. Tears glisten at the corners of her eyes. Her movement becomes more frantic.
“Come back to me, Nel.” My arms slip around her, pulling her closer. She writhes beneath me, fighting to break free. I don’t like this. She’s trapped in a place I cannot reach.
“It’s going to be all right,” I whisper, stroking her back.
I keep counting her breaths until they grow steady. Her body relaxes and she’s finally in a deep sleep.
A long, heavy breath leaves me. Now is my chance to kill her.
I wince at the sharp pain in my head.
‘Do not harm her. We’ll grant you access to parts of our power you’ve never tapped before.’
My inner beasts are trying to stop me from hurting the girl. I’m surprised to hear their attempt to bargain with me in full sentences. They usually speak in grunts or one word at best.
Power? I almost laugh.
Their offer is useless. I just want an out from being a slave to that curse.
I’ll make this quick. As painless as possible. A howl echoes within my head along with another desperate plea.
‘Please. She is mine.’
My hand morphs into sharp claws from the werewolf or whatever other beast that is still fighting me. I’ll use their power to rip through the girl. Maybe that will shut them up.
I run my claws on the Rhunhraefn’s tattoo marked on her skin. “Show yourself.”
This threat is enough for Lilith to reveal her true colors. The enchantress will do anything to keep herself alive.
Nothing happens.
A low whimper escapes Rhianelle’s throat and a stab of pain spears through my heart.
I wipe the tears from her face with my fingers and smear them across her cheek.
She clutches me desperately, her delicate body quivering against mine.
The girl burrows her face deeper into my chest, mumbling something unintelligible.
“Gourd. Pepper. Coconut. Mango.”
What?
“1 pound of flour. Four ounces of sugar. Three tablespoons of salt. Seven cups of spice.”
I listen quietly to her ramblings.
“Blend them nicely, Blaire,” she continues whispering. “Now put them in the stove.”
A low laugh bursts from me.
It’s a goddamn recipe.
I lift a single strand of silver hair from her heart-shaped face. Such a perfect face. “Sounds like a recipe for disaster, Nel.”
She keeps whispering her secret ingredients to my ear, each one more absurd than the last. No wonder everything was fucking free at her bakery. I suddenly feel like shit for dissing her dream. She will never achieve it because, in less than three years, the Rhunhraefn will—
Pain slices straight through my middle, churning me from the inside out. Our ill-fated meeting has doomed her. An odd sensation worse than sorrow, worse than any pain the curse and Lilith ever inflicted on me clouds my heart. The strange feeling begins chewing at me.
I shouldn’t allow myself to be swept away by such meaningless emotions. Hadn’t I wanted to ruin her a second earlier? But now, I’m plagued with this overwhelming feeling of wanting to save her. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Another moan of discomfort spills from her. Rhianelle is clinging to me like I’m the only thing keeping her afloat at sea. It triggers a profound sense of disgust in me. Not at her but at myself. I have tried and succeeded in hurting her again and again today.
“I’m here, Nel. Don’t be scared.” I gather her closer against my chest. Clarity hits me as I inhale her scent deep into my lungs. There is no way I can hurt her without destroying myself completely first.
Fool. You’ll be enslaved the moment she opens her eyes. A remnant of my sanity whispers.
That is probably the reality I’ll face tomorrow, but I keep holding on to her. The last bright star in my cold, dark night.
Her body lays still beside me as the sun rises. A sinking feeling dawns on me as I kiss her temple. Lilith has found another creative way of screwing with my head.