Chapter 39 Svenn
Iwish I had taken her hand instead of storming out of the bath earlier like a goddamn asshole.
Six months?
Who gives out a timeline like that? She’s so fucking sweet and kind that it kills me. The darkness occupying my mind slowly lifts with our short meeting and the empty promise. It should have been enough, but I want to see her again. This is quickly becoming an obsession.
There’s no way I can visit her twice in one night.
I can spare us both all the pain and the heartache if I just stay the fuck away from her. Still, I find myself walking from my bedchamber to hers again. I almost wrench the door in my haste.
My heart ceases its beat when I see Rhianelle in her nightgown with a light crystal in her hand.
We both freeze in our tracks.
I step out into the dark hallway to meet her.
“Isn’t this too careless, little fawn? Walking to a vampire’s room in the middle of the night.” I tower over her tiny frame.
“I need to see you.”
Her interest sends a thrill down my veins. I revel in it for a moment but the utter disregard for her safety rankles me a little. I move in closer, slowly backing her against the brick wall. Her body shivers the moment her back is connected to the cold surface.
“I tried to kill you yesterday. Twice,” I confess out of nowhere. Maybe I enjoy ripping myself out of any chance of happiness. But she needs to understand the dangers of keeping me here.
She watches me intently. I can’t tell if she’s surprised or angry.
“Two failed assassinations are a guaranteed rejection from the Guild in Tiamat if you wish to work there,” she deflects my threat with humor.
“You should consider placing me in a proper prison.”
“Why haven’t you finished the job?”
“Maybe I was about to,” I growl, baring my teeth.
Not a hint of trepidation in her eyes. The look she gives me is as if I just barked like an adorable puppy she wants to pet.
“Consider us even then. I stabbed you in the forest,” she says.
“You know full well that it’s not the same.” The low timbre of my voice reverberating in the dark alone should have been enough to scare the hell out of the living.
Rhianelle remains unfazed.
“I’m not afraid of you.” Her voice is firm, but I note the increase in her pulse rate.
I lean closer, invading her space until all she can breathe, and feel is me.
“Liar. I can sense fear.” I stroke her lower lip with my thumb.
I hear her sharp intake of air. Instead of fear, I’m inciting something else. It’s good to know I’m not the only one still affected by whatever it is we have between us. But fuck me, because the touch teases me more than it does her.
A delicate frown forms in between her eyes. “You didn’t give me an answer to our deal.”
“Is it worth risking your life for a meaningless pledge that doesn’t have any binding?” I almost sigh.
“It does have binding. You have my word and I’ll have yours. It’s a promise between us,” she insists, raising her hand.
This time I take it if only because I’m desperate for her touch. “Deal. I’ll be House Wiolant’s pet.”
A triumphant smile curves her lips. I want to kiss the living hell out of it. Heat surges in my veins. It doesn’t help that the soft turquoise nightgown highlights every tantalizing curve of her body. I release her hand reluctantly. She’s risking herself every second she stays in my vicinity.
“You said I have one more wish,” she suddenly says.
That’s right.
The grand clock back in the room read five minutes to midnight.
“It’s unfair to ask you not to hurt people. You said Nightwalkers still have cravings and thirsts.” Her words are barely a whisper against the dark. “I volunteer to be your personal blood donor.”
The girl is full of surprises.
“In turn, I want you to spare my people,” she continues.
Her second wish is yet again something so selfless. For some reason, it fuels a burning anger inside of me.
“They ridiculed you, hurt you, sacrificed you to serve their own purpose. Not a single one of them deserves your kindness,” I rasp.
“That’s not for you to decide.” She glares back at me.
I remind myself this is the same girl who put herself in front of a monster ten times her size to save a stranger. The devil knows I don’t deserve to be saved either.
The innocent doe’s eyes are still staring at me.
That night in Kheirall’s castle when she was holding her uncle’s arm, that was not a fear for her own life. It was for everyone else in the room.
She continues staring at me like she can read into my soul. I look away before she realizes the pitch black in it or worse, if she finds I don’t even have one. I’m a cursed, damned beast.
“This is your second wish?” I know it takes a lot of courage to come and ask me for this. Especially after the rough bite from this morning.
“It—it is. You can take from me.”
I hear the tremor in her voice. Pain lances at me over the sound.
She tilts her head to the side, offering herself. I brush a lock of her long hair behind her ear to reveal her neck. Her body trembles beneath my touch.
“What happens if I lose control and drain you completely?” I ask flatly.
“I’ll make sure you won’t,” she murmurs back. She keeps her face carefully controlled. Something sharp glints in her hand.
A paper-knife.
She’s going to have to do better than that.
Her silly weapon won’t make much of a difference but damn my heart for swelling with pride knowing that she’s taking precautions. My Nel values her life after all. She just wants her people safe.
I swallow thickly, my gaze is now fixed on her mouth. “Fine. I won’t butcher the elves in this fort.”
I turn away before I do something irredeemable.
The girl tugs on my sleeve, refusing to let me leave. She raises her trembling hand to shake mine again. “Do we have a deal?”
The wild need takes hold of me. Her lips are so tempting. I can hardly resist it anymore. I seal the promise with a kiss because I’m a desperate bastard.
She moans against my lips and I’m devouring every little sound she makes. I cup a hand behind her head while the other slides to the base of her spine.
Selfish. My spot in hell is safely secured.
She’s in no rush to break the kiss between us. Her soft figure melts in my arms as my mouth continues to ravage hers.
Her light crystal clatters to the floor. She weaves her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. I love the feel of her hands on me, the sensual stroke of her tongue, and the way her soft and tiny curves mold to my body.
She nibbles my bottom lip and I almost come right then standing. Rhianelle is perfection made for me. Everything about her makes me lose all of my reasoning. Her breathing is ragged and raw by the time our lips part.
My tongue licks the column of her throat, making a path to the nape of her neck. I latch my mouth on her soft skin, sucking hard enough to make her gasp. Her subtle scent mingling with the fragrance from the soap is intoxicating.
I grasp her long thigh, yanking her to me. I can feel her heart beating wildly in her chest. Her head falls back in a whimper as I grind my erection against her. She’s excitable from the rush of venom from this morning. It’ll be a quick one for my Nel tonight.
“Svenn, please,” she begs until her body is shaking with fine tremors of release. A contented moan rips out of her throat.
I’ve never wanted anyone with such untamed passion.
I thought the kiss would take off the edge, but it does the exact opposite.
The need I’ve been battling from that first morning has only gotten stronger, and more potent.
I’m almost convinced I’ll be granted my true death because of this poison.
I stop myself just in time before things take the point of no return.
The inner beast wants more. I shut them down quickly, tearing my mouth from her.
“Yes. We have a deal,” I say, breathing harshly as I meet her gaze. A sick sense of satisfaction fills me over watching her flushed face and swollen lips. I remove my hand from the small curve of her back and drown the unbearable longing raging in my chest.
She suddenly grips my tunic.
“You haven’t taken any…” There’s a twinge of panic in her voice when she realizes I haven’t sunk my teeth into her flesh. “Is my blood not good?”
You taste like the sweetest nectar.
It’s my new favorite meal, second only to—my gaze drops south between her thighs.
Calm the fuck down.
I inhale through my nostrils and exhale through my mouth. “Bland. But it’s good enough.”
“Please, take,” she insists.
To have been starved for thousands of years and suddenly be offered something so heavenly. It would be a lie to say that I’m not tempted. I want to run my tongue and taste every inch of her skin.
“I don’t need it tonight. If the cravings do come, I’ll find you,” I reply quickly.
The dubious look on her face says she doesn’t believe me. She glares at me cautiously as she should have from the very beginning.
“Promises without bindings aren’t enough after all,” I say with a laugh. “You don’t trust me.”
She nods uncertainly.
Of course, she doesn’t. I’ve done everything to shatter her trust. “You think I will sneak from this prison and hunt down your people?”
Another nod. This time a little more fervent and sure.
“Well, this tower is a little silly to detain a vampire. You have wings,” she says, crossing her arms. “You might sneak out and feast on the villagers.”
That’s my girl. She’s smarter than the guards who placed me here.
“Would you feel better if I came and stayed with you?” I suddenly ask.
The girl stares at me, deadpan. She doesn’t understand where I’m going with this. Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue either.
“You can keep me under your eyes the entire time,” I say, without hope. One would have to be extremely brave or a fool to share a dwelling with a vampire. She did it yesterday but there’s no way she’s making that mistake again, especially after that bite from this morning.