Page 134 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

She obliges, guiding my hand and the brush on the paper. Her touch is gentle and warm, leaving a permanent imprint on my soul, if I even have one. This physical interaction fulfills our newly constructed bargain, so it’s not entirely dishonest. The world makes sense when I have her in my arms. I make sure to perform the next stroke correctly so my poor grasp of the scripts doesn’t seem too irredeemable to her.

“You’re getting good at this,” she mutters, her lilac eyes sparkling in awe. She rewards me with a piece of whatever is on her breakfast plate.

I briefly glance at the roasted pheasant she has on her fork before taking it all in my mouth. A small price to pay for having her with me.

Her face always blooms with triumph whenever she succeeds in delivering me food.

“Svenn?”

Yes, sweetness.

“The council session might run long today…” she trails, fiddling with the hem of her dress instead of looking into my eyes. “Do you mind if I hold you for a moment longer?”

My heart roars to life at the question but I keep my voice even. “Sure thing, Nel.”

A contented sigh slips out of her as she curls further into my embrace. “I’m glad we made the deal. The bond is not nearly as loud as before.”

“Go on. Take whatever you need,” I whisper against her ear, and I can almost feel her shudder.

The words must have done something to Rhianelle because she becomes emboldened. Her fingers trail across my chest, willing and measured. I like that she is unafraid of me. Less afraid.

For some reason, Rhianelle is always careful when she’s touching me, always asking permission. I wish she would tell me why.

It’s understandable she would put up a barrier between us, considering all the messed up things I did to her. Still, I want the walls between us gone. I can tear through them easily enough, but I would prefer her letting me in.

She almost runs her hand on my lower abdomen. I can see it in her eyes that she wants to—she’s dying to do it.

But she stops herself from going further.

“Was that too much?” she asks timidly, her eyes wide and innocent.

“It’s not enough,” I grunt. Nothing is ever enough when it comes to her. I take her delicate hand and glide her palm over every ridge of my frame until it reaches the thin line leading to where exactly I want her to be. I want to let her know that there’s no part of my body that is off-limits to her.

She withdraws her hand, looking adorably embarrassed. “Nothing sexual, remember?”

I raise my brows. “This is coming from a girl who uses me as an armchair every chance she gets.”

“Only because you threaten to scare off my squirrels!” she cries out, her cheeks flushing.

Did I?

I may have done that. But I don’t want to tease her too much today. I’m trying to win back her trust.

“I have to go now,” she mutters, peeling herself from my arms.

“You have time,” I say, towing her towards me again. I want to make sure she gets her breakfast this morning.

“I can’t let the Aeonians’ messenger arrive earlier than me. It’s protocol,” she says ruefully.

“Didn’t the bastard make you wait yesterday?” Anger pummels into me, thudding against my skull. He made her stand in that room for four fucking hours. For a moment I reconsider taking her away again so she wouldn’t have to suffer this burden entrusted upon her.

I have to constantly remind myself that this is the freedom Rhianelle desires. I guess I will have to respect that.

For now.

I remain calm as I lean in to whisper to her ear. “Tell them there’s a hungry vampire in the tower who wants to slaughter every soul in that room. Tell them you’re late because you’re feeding me so I won’t kill them. That will shut them up.”

Her face blanches at the threat but she recovers quickly.