Page 102 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

The agony inside my chest reaches its peak.

“I know that,” I say to them.

I shove myself to my feet and glance at the dark feathers littering the hallways.

The pieces of Svenn’s soul.

My heart crashes once more at the sight. I allow it to grieve for several beats, then I start picking up the feathers one by one.

With the three threads of blessings I still have in my hand, I begin my work of patching up his soul.

Svenn’s heartrestarts with a jump and his eyes flutter open.

“Little fawn…” he mutters in a hoarse rasp. “What happened?”

“You shredded your soul to remove the bond,” I remind him.

Light enters his eyes as he recalls. “Yes. And then I died…”

I stay quiet to allow him to gather his thoughts.

He runs a hand over his face. “I usually came back from the dead into something less human… more beast for the first few months.”

“I healed you,” I say.

Svenn’s head cocks slightly to the side in confusion.

“Thank you,” he says, though he still seems a little lost.

There’s no way of telling if I’ve patched his soul correctly. I start to get up to keep away from him.

“Stay. Please,” he says quietly. There is a strange plea in his voice.

I don’t think he will chase me. He’s still disoriented and muddled. I settle beside him as he pulls himself to sit upright.

Svenn leans his back on the cool wall with a grunt. I do the same but I keep a careful distance from him. Like he said, he’s not fully himself when he has just come back from the dead.

It’s better to be safe than sorry.

“You’re glowing,” he mutters.

Am I? I don’t think the blessings of the Un and my golden threads are visible to the naked eyes. Then again, Svenn is no ordinary human.

I stare silently at him, studying his eyes.

“You’re afraid if the bond is still affecting my judgement.” It’s not a question but a statement. One that is absolutely true.

I nod.

“It’s still here…” He touches the spot directly above his heart.

“I patched up every piece with my threads,” I tell him. “Not a single one missing. Including the bond.”

“Threads?” Confusion crinkles his brow.

His chest rises with a deep breath.

“I don’t know what you did, Nel, but I’m more in control now. I don’t have to cut him off. I simply have to—” He stares off into the middle distance. “There… I sealed him,” he says like it’s as easy as turning off one of the Tluryan elves’ mechanical switch.