Page 98 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

A cold, dark fear fills my blood.

“Do you need helpers for your daily chores? Just list the names of the elves you want me to bring to this place. No—I would prefer if it’s just us here. We can visit them if you want to. I’ll take you anywhere you want.”

I stare at him like he’s gone mad.

“In the evening, you can walk freely over the beaches, feed the seagulls…”

The man is still laying the structure for the golden prison he plans to keep me in.

This can’t be happening.

My eyes drop to his hand on my waist. The absolute possessiveness he is holding me with used to make me happy. Now it just makes my skin crawl. All my desire turns to ash. Adrenaline slams into me, reminding me that I need to get away.

I give him a single hard shove. It throws him off guard and he tumbles easily at the push. I don’t dwell long on my newfound strength or Svenn’s sudden weakness. I slip and make a run for the door.

“Nel, wait!” he calls out but I ignore it.

I take a shuddering breath and break into a sprint. Dread infiltrates my mind as I run down the long corridor barefooted. He’s going to catch me if I don’t hurry.

Faster, legs, faster.

A set of stairs awaits me at the end of the hallway. I descend two steps at a time to get away as fast as I can. My breathing kicks up several notches from the exertion. I clutch my chest, pushing my heart to keep going. The spiraling staircase seems to be endless, and I’ve begun to wonder if this is a nightmare.

A soft scent of salt and ocean breeze pauses me to stop on my tracks at the branching level. I take the new path and treadthrough the rough passage until I reach a wooden door. It shows signs of decay with rust staining the hinges. The handle is carved with a rendering of a stag with its glorious antlers. I push on the door with great effort. The wooden slab gives after one hard shove.

Thank the gods. I made it outside.A sigh of relief leaves me before a gust of wind blows from the east, whipping strands of my silver hair to my face.

I fight against the strong breeze and move towards the battlements, looking for a full view over the area.

I hope to see villages or houses around the keep, but instead I am greeted by the open sea. There is no hint of life other than the squawking seabirds collecting crabs on the rocks.

It’s a small island.

Two massive galleons lay stranded over the pearlescent sand on the beach. I catch the emerald emblem of my house on the stern of the warship.

I can’t believe it.

Svenn has actually brought me home to Völundr.

This isolated island has to be at the furthest edge of our territory, one of the outposts during the war. One of the reasons Aelheim wanted our region in their coalition was for our armada. Völundr’s navy is the kingdom’s only defense against the fae’s fleet of seadragons.

My fist clenches with determination burning in my chest. I narrow my eyes to the distant horizon to gauge the distance towards the mainland.

The people of Völundr are natural born divers. It took me a longer time to learn how to swim because I was born small and my lungs are fragile. They told me I should never go near the sea. But my uncle never gave up on me and we practiced every evening. Rainer made me wear the floaters until I was ready. Hisdedication and effort paid off. I am a decent swimmer now. I will now have to rely on that skill to escape my mad husband.

It takes seventy-eight seconds to go over the parapet and scale down the wall, five seconds to jump into the trees, fifty-two seconds to sneak behind the under bush, and thirty-seven seconds to trudge towards the rocky terrain.

I can swim or I can hide. Either way, Svenn will never find me.

Every instinct in my body is telling me to escape towards my freedom.

But a strange feeling coaxes me to turn around. Svenn is somewhere in those dark passages. He is not himself and I don’t understand why.

I shake my head.

Now is not the time to be unravelling the mystery behind his sudden change. I need to escape.

It’s too dangerous and foolish to go back…