Page 101 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

“Nel…” He gathers his strength, slowly crawling to me.

I can still run if I want to. It’s not like he can chase me in his state. Instead, I storm into the arms of the beautiful, broken man in front of me.

Svenn looks at me with relief and a little surprise. “You came back.”

“Of course,” I nod, trying to keep the tears from spilling from my eyes. “Now stay with me.”

“Everything is fine, Nel.” He strokes a rough hand over my hair. “It’s going to be all right.”

No, it won’t.I shake my head. The Un said it will be a slow death.

His face is so pale, I can tell he is slipping away.

He shredded his soul…

“Nel, I can’t see… Are you still there?”

He is losing his senses one by one.

“I’m here!” I tell him. I take his hand and bring his knuckles to my mouth. “I’m here, Svenn.”

“You’re here…” He stumbles backwards. I catch him in my arms, lowering him to lie in my lap.

“Rhianelle, I’m tired.” His eyelids drift shut and a fear so cold slithers on my skin.

I feel him go preternaturally still in my arms. I shake him to keep him with me. “Please, don’t leave me. Please, please, please.”

He opens his eyes, even if he can’t see anything.

His breathing goes shallow, but he clings to every breath, clings on to life… for me. I stroke his hair gently, more to comfort myself than him.

There is no avoiding the inevitable, the thing that comes for us all. I can almost see Svenn’s life essence fading away as death claims him. He closes his eyes once more.

“Stay,” I mutter my final plea.

He tries to pry them open. Yet this time he fails and I whimper.

His chest rises with one last death rattle. And just like that, Svenn is gone.

He is no longer in the world of the living.

I shake him and scream and scream.

This can’t be happening.

Not to my Svenn.

But it has happened. And now he is dead.

All my strength fled my body. I pull my knees up to my chest and lie there crying beside his lifeless form.

Why didn’t I see it earlier? Maybe if I had been smarter I would have known that he is broken.

Rhianelle, our dearest, do not cry,the Un whispers to my ear.He will breathe a new life and wake up soon.

“I know.” I sniffle, wiping my tears away.

He will never know peace. That is his curse.