Page 84 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

Yes, I’ve been avoiding my own husband.

After that glimpse into his past, I keep making excuses to skip our training. It’s not worth it if it causes him pain. I can’t forget the haunted look in his eyes, the atrocities he was doomed to endure years after he was made. Too much was taken from him, too much blood was spilled.

I close my eyes against the flood of memories of Svenn’s torment. I’ve locked the worst of the curse bearers along with Lilith. But the horrible image they conjured remains plastered in my mind.

The strange bond is getting out of control lately. The more I stay away from Svenn, the stronger it pulls me towards him, like a child throwing a tantrum when it doesn’t get what it wants. My body craves him with every breath I take. I want him somuch that it hurts. It worries me that the bond has nothing to do with the Arawynn contract. If it’s not something related to the Goddess of Love then it could be something sinister.

It can’t be.

I will go over and study the giant tome in my room one more time. My mounting anxiety prompts me to hasten my stride.

A cold wash of fear suddenly creeps down my spine.

My heart thumps heavily in my chest and I stop walking. I don’t see him yet, but I can feel his otherworldly presence near me.

Laughter spills from the passage accompanied by a lovely female voice. I feel a weird pinch at my heart at the sound. I peer silently behind the granite wall. Svenn is talking to Tallula and Lenna.

“Is it possible to just drink from a person and not kill them?” Lenna asks, her head tilts to the side curiously.

My ears twitch, intrigued by their conversation.

The normal course is to go out there and join them. I choose to hide in the shadows like a creep instead.

Svenn says something and it makes Talulla laugh. I’ve never heard her giggle that way.

Get away from him. He’s mine.

Half my mind simply wants to scream like a mad beast.

It’s Tallula’s turn to ask. “So, you have blood in your veins, a heart and everything else like we do?”

He meets her inquisitive stare.

“Yes,” Svenn answers curtly. His tone does not hold feeling. In fact, he is talking to her with the same bored, stoic voice he always has.

Yet I can feel vines and thorns grappling my heart in a silent squeeze. This painful sensation comes clawing out of nowhere, cutting me deeper than a knife. It hurts so bad that I begin rubbing my chest to numb the pain.

The feeling intensifies knowing I can never have him again. I really shouldn’t be spying on them, but I can’t help it.

“Here is the thing you asked for yesterday.” Tallula passes something to him with a blush on her face. Something inside me withers and dies.

“You have my thanks,” he says briefly.

The girl beams at his gratitude, the sparkle in her eyes glittering brighter.

I’m suddenly filled with a rush of envy I didn’t expect. I want to spring forward like a feral animal and snatch him away.

He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine. He’s mine.

I’ll bite and scratch anyone who tries to take him from me. My own thoughts immediately appall me. Since when did I become so territorial like Miss Bernadette?

I look at the Arawynn tattoo. It’s just a silly agreement between two parties. We are not truly married in the sense. He is not beholden to me. It’s unfair for me to expect anything more. After everything that was done to him, I should be grateful that he tolerates my existence. I walk the other way to remove myself from the scene.

The realization of how immature this reaction is smacks me in the head after ten steps. I square my shoulders and march towards the main hallway.

Svenn has already left by the time I get there. I stride slowly to the girls.

“Your Highness.” They both bow formally.