Page 142 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

I feel safe and secured in his arms, like nothing bad can touch me here. Not Eirik and his wyverns, not the Aeonians and their wicked schemes.

I’m never leaving this spot. It feels right, like I have always belonged here.

This feels like home.

Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure that this is not a dream. Svenn is holding me without the blinding hate that tore us apart.

I smile when he holds me tighter.

Too tight.

It’s almost as if he’s trying to engrave himself underneath my skin. But his roughness doesn’t bother me at all. I love the way he touches me, like I’m his. And he is mine.

I tell myself that I can have this forever, that I can have him forever. My desperate, wretched heart believes my lie.

“I need a bite.” I always ask him for permission first.

His lips curve in a small smile. “Where would you like to bite me this time, little fawn?”

“The wrist.”

“Are you sure?”

I want to bite his thigh, his chest, his stomach, and his…

“The neck.” I settle safely.

He tilts his head in offering. I weave my arms around his shoulders, then I go in for the kill and sink my teeth into his skin. He tastes like ocean salt and citrus. It’s delicious.

“Take what you need from me.” His voice is a cross between a whisper and a groan.

I love his breathy exhales, the feel of his hand combing through my hair, urging me to bite or to suck harder.

Once I’m satisfied, I look at my teeth marks on his skin. I once brought a wet towel to wipe his skin afterwards. Svenn gave me a spine-chilling look as if I just insulted him.

Leave it,he growls. I never dared to clean up after my bites again.

I like leaving my mark on him. It satisfies a deep, dark part of the bond. Of course, the bruising heals almost instantly. It’s fleeting, just like my time with him.

“Would you like to bite me?” I offer in return.

“No,” he replies curtly, shifting his eyes to his book again.

The last time he drank from me was in the fae forest. I get worried sometimes when he’s been too long without blood. I open my pouch of biscuits to feed him. These days, I always keep spare snacks.

Maybe if I can get him accustomed to normal food he won’t have to hunt again. I smile when he takes them from my fingers. Svenn never refuses them. He does take a long time chewing them, though.

I love how naturally he holds me while he’s reading. Sometimes I can sneak a soft kiss on his shoulder when he’s too focused on his book. My hand wanders to the firm ridges of his abdomen. I keep petting him there, but I’m not quite brave enough to go lower. I make sure all my touches are careful and mindful, so I don’t hurt him. Svenn no longer flinches to the Rhunhraefn, but I don’t delude myself with the truth.

He will never want you.

I shake the Vulture’s word from my head and continue stealing comfort and warmth from Svenn like a little thief.

This is enough.

It should have been enough. But I want more. Lately I’ve been having fearful thoughts that he would fly away and never return. I get restless especially when he is gone for quite some time. What if he meets a faraway fae princess and falls in love?

Knowing that Svenn is no longer tied to me by the bond scares me further. He can leave me whenever he wants to now.