Page 124 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

His fingers curl under my chin, guiding me to look at him. “Promise me you won’t throw yourself in harm’s way again.”

I don’t know how to even begin fulfilling this bargain. It doesn’t sound like a trick. In fact, Svenn almost sounds like he cares for my well-being.

“Deal.”

I aim for his cheek again, but he turns his head at the last second. My lips brush softly against his. Seconds pass and I linger there, tasting his warmth.

There is no excuse now. The bond is already appeased by our physical touch. This is all me. I want him to keep kissing me.

And I want to kiss him right back.

Walls of bricks, not of straw.

I pull away slowly. A wave of desire shoots through me as I meet his heated stare. He can smell fear. I wonder if he can sense something else on me too.

My brick walls are shaking.

“We have a deal, Rhianelle Wiolant.” The words fall from his lips easily. I look at his face, there is no hint of a lie.

“May I claim the first part of our bargain now?” he asks with the politeness of the devil.

I nod and let him gather me into his arms.

Gods, it feels good.

I feel more like myself without the bond’s incessant pull. This touch, it grounds me. Even my mind finds its peace. He runs soothing strokes down my back to calm me down.

“Higher,” I murmur before I can stop myself.

When did I become so demanding?

But he obliges, smoothing his expert hand on the sore muscle of my shoulder blade. A thought goes through my head at the touch, and I smile. “I feel like an Ollivade lamp crystal…”

“Like a what?”

“My cousin uses them to collect energy from the sun to light up the cities in Kashran at night,” I say, feeling a wave of pride for the Tluryan elves of Kashran. “They glow when you rubthem. But it has to be charged during the day. Kahedin wrote to me that they may be able to adopt it as their main source of renewable energy soon.”

“This Kahedin… he writes to you often?” Svenn asks casually.

“Yes! We talk about everything,” I say earnestly.

“Does he have a full name?” he asks calmly.

“Kahedin Galenfrost Kashran.” I giggle a little at that. “He used to make fun of my name by rhyming it with violent, so I made fun of his middle name.”

“I see,” Svenn mutters, listening to my story with rapt attention. He unfolds the regional map on the table. “What is his favorite pastime? Which tavern does he frequent most?”

It’s nice to know that he is interested in knowing more about my cousin. “Kahedin spends most of his time in the conservatory. He loves watching the stars. And he even named one after me—“ I stop myself before I can point to the capital of Kashran.

My finger trembles and hovers on the map. I remember clearly how the bond almost drove me to tackle down Tallula in the middle of the hallway. I lift my head slowly to look at Svenn. He may have sealed his bond, but his eyes blaze with the same possessive envy like mine did back then.

I don’t want to place Kahedin’s life in jeopardy, so I feign a yawn and stretch.

“I wonder how Ksatka and Kiiska are doing right now.” I quickly flip the subject entirely.

“With their speed, I bet they have passed through the Isle of Tessalora by now. The water is warm there from the underwater volcanoes. I hope it makes Kiiska happy.” I keep blabbering about the seadragons and the sea topography.

A glint in his eyes tells me Svenn can clearly see through my distraction, but he indulges me through the entire talk.