Page 62 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

“I think you will change your mind.”

“I will not,” I say a little more firmly.

Svenn rummages under my pillow, searching for something. “What are you looking for?” I ask him.

“The flowery scented salve you always put on your ankles,” he mutters.

He noticed? Something pricks in my chest over that small detail.

I have a heart to protect, I remind myself again and again.

Walls of bricks, not of straw.

“I ran out of it days ago,” I tell him. Rainer is not well yet to contact his faerie supplier. I pass him a bottle of moisturizing lotion I got from Tallula.

“Now, on your hands and knees.” Svenn doesn’t even breathe differently when he says those words.

I feel like I’m trapped in some kind of enchanting spell because I do exactly as he says. My legs tremble as I climb over the mattress.

A small eternity passes and neither of us says a word.

The longer the silence, the faster my pulse pounds against my throat. What more does he want? I am already on all fours. I feel the mattress dipping with his shifted weight and realize Svenn must be right behind me.

“Lay down.”

A small inaudible ‘What?’ escapes from my lips.

My heart stutters in my chest but I do as I am told. There’s a sense of authority in his voice that makes me obey each instruction he delivers.

Then he starts kneading the tight muscle on my shoulder. A wave of goosebumps scatters upon my skin at the touch. I did not think this through.

“Calm down for me, Nel,” he mutters quietly. “Let me take care of you.”

His hands travel the length of my back, learning my curves and figure. My breathing becomes unsteady no matter how I try to control it. There is nothing sensual in this massage, but I still feel the thrill deep in my belly. I’m suddenly filled with the need and longing for him.

“Where does it hurt?” His voice drifts in the darkness.

“Hmmm?” It’s hard for me to focus with his fingers roaming over my body.

He smooths a hand down the groove of my spine slowly, methodically. I briefly close my eyes against the sensation. Thethrill has me arching against him in a silent demand. I bite the bedsheet to fight against the ache pulsing between my legs. This isn’t enough.

More.

I need more please.

His hand roves lower and I suddenly remember the licentious dreams I have about him. That spot on my tailbone is where he holds me when he guides me into his length until I—a flurry of shivers goes through my body involuntarily.

“Svenn!” I cry out, scrambling to sit upright as if the bed itself had caught fire. I get up so fast that blood rushes to my head, making me dizzy.

My eyes slowly focus to find him staring at me with one eyebrow quirked. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head, still at a loss for words. Silence falls in the room as I catch my breath.

He tilts his head, studying me in the stillness. “Did you change your mind?”

“No!” I burst out quickly. I take a moment to gather my thoughts and breath.

“I have a headache,” I finally say.