Page 18 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

The guy doesn’t have to explain himself to me. I don’t fucking care. His kill count is only a drop compared to mine.

Does Rhianelle know that her golden retriever knight is a deadly serpent? Perhaps Nel has seen through his malicious nature. Yet, this sadistic killer still has a place with her. It gives me a twisted sense of hope for myself.

“I hope you can keep this a secret.” Red is still talking to me apparently. “They will accuse either Rainer’s Grimsbanes or you first before they come after me.”

He stares at me for a beat. “My method may be different from Aelfric and Darstan, but I am trying to protect the queen.”

“She’s not fit to be a queen,” I mutter in a single exhale. The musing is mostly to myself, but Red heard it all the same.

For a second the air turns cold. The male retains his calm façade despite the clear intent in his eyes that he wants to slice my throat.

“What do you suppose makes a good one?” He sketches a brow. “Someone ruthless perhaps? A vicious queen who says something like ‘bring me his heart’ like the ones in your human fairytales?”

I scoff over his idiotic jest.

His hardened glare softens the moment he looks at Rhianelle. “Do not let the kindness fool you. When my queen wants it, she will have your heart.”

The depth of emotion in his eyes makes me realizehe cares for her. Naturally, that makes me want to kill him even more. But for some reason, I decide to spare his life.

For now.

And since Red is doing Rhianelle a favor by eliminating her enemies, I feel generous enough to share this with him. “Death follows you.”

“What?” His eyebrows lift. “And here I thought we’re starting to have normal conversation.”

A long apprehensive sigh leaves me. I make an effort to jerk my head eastward to the thick forest, to the pair of sapphire eyes staring back at us.

The creature perks its ears and lifts it muzzle over our attention. Behind the leaves and the trees stands a tall dog, wolfish build, with black fur and translucent eyes. Human superstition calls it a hallmark of death.

It’s been trailing us— no, him specifically.

“Is it an enemy?” the knight asks.

Who knows. It’s no concern of mine. The hound can maul and drag him away for all I care.

The killer will not harm Rhianelle in broad daylight. Her other knight, Eyepatch, is already moving toward her. I can’t stand the fucker. He kept giving me this look as if my mere existence offends him. Well, the feeling is entirely mutual.

I allow myself one last look at the elven queen before walking away.

Chapter 3 Rhianelle

Ifake a laugh and try to maintain a casual conversation with the dark-haired male in front of me.

“It was all your fault.”

Haldan said that to me after Aerin’s death.

It shouldn’t hurt anymore, but it does. I know he was sad and bereaved after my sister’s passing, but no one has ever made me feel as small as he did.“It should have been you.”I shake my head to dispel the horrible thoughts.

Grief does weird things to people.

Haldan nods respectfully to me before saying his farewell. I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding the moment he left. I suspect his urgent departure has something to do with my approaching knight.

A muscle in Aelfric’s jaw twitches. “Was he bothering you?”

I have never seen such fury on his face. Not even for my vampire husband.

“Let it go, Aelfric. He’s leaving for the capital,” I say to calm him down.