Page 89 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

The cellar is dim and deserted. I listen to the sound of her distressed breathing in the dark, like a cornered small animal.

“I told you not to run,” I chastise, my stride eating up the distance between us.

“Rhianelle?” I call but she doesn’t show any sign that she heard me.

The girl suddenly whirls around and launches herself towards me in offense. The impact of her gentle body crashing into mine is laughable despite her feral energy. The effect is, however—fuck, I missed this. I missed her touch.

I missed her.

“You like being chased, don’t you?” I snake an arm around her waist, pulling her closer against me.

“Was this your plan all along?” I tease, sinking my hand into her silver hair and pulling her head back. “Luring me into a dark basement and—”

The words trail as I stare down into her wild eyes, her chest heaving in irregular intervals.

She’s looking at me but she’s not really here. It’s like I’m staring back at a creature in the wilderness.

Rhianelle is purely consumed by the bond.

Seeing her like this triggers something hot and primal within me. I’ve always prided myself on my restraint, it all goes to shit when she’s clawing at me, trying to rip my clothes. I can barely stand it anymore.

“Rhianelle…” Her name drawls itself from my mouth. She tugs at my belt buckle, her fingers frantic as she undoes the straps to my breeches—shit. Each breath feels like a struggle when her fingers graze my abdomen.

Her touch has always been my undoing.

The last remaining shred of my self-control frays. I sweep her feet out from under her and we both fall to the floor. I throw my weight down, pinning her with my entire body. She squirms underneath me, panting and gasping.

I take her slender wrists in my hand, pinning them above her head. They are so delicate I can snap them without trying.

I give in, letting the bond take hold of me entirely.

I rip the front of her dress with one hand. My breath stalls when I look at her naked skin and the slope of her breast. She’s so fucking beautiful. I have truly missed her.

Her breasts are begging me to take them in my mouth for a taste. I latch my lips on her pebbled nipple, running my tongue in tight circles around the sensitive buds, eliciting the sweetest strangled gasp from her.

Her moans of pleasure are turning me on like nothing else, feeding into my lust. She arches her back, her body trembling with intensity. “Svenn, please…”

So fucking needy, Nel.I smile.

I drape my body over hers, my teeth ravaging her skin, trailing a path of bites everywhere.

I’m too hungry for her touch to listen to my brain at the moment.

No.

It’s not enough. This is far from enough. I want more.

Give me everything.

“Svenn…”

Her helpless whimper finally breaks me from my trance. I stare down at the girl writhing beneath me, her soft skin now marred with my bite marks. Guilt stabs my heart like a knife. I’m a fucking animal for doing this to her.

I release her wrists and instantly back away from her. Rhianelle jumps towards me before I can catch my next breath, stumbling us both towards the shelf. She’s clawing at me, pulling me closer.

“Svenn, touch me more.” Her demand sounds sultry and innocent all at the same time.

“You’re not yourself,” I mutter through clenched teeth. I can barely hear my voice over the tumultuous pounding in my chest.