Page 94 of The Ballad of the Vampire Prince

He presses a kiss to my temple.

“How did I get here? We were just below the library—”

“That was yesterday…” he mutters hoarsely.

Yes, I remember him being so kind, tender, and gentle with me. The last thing I remember was him carrying me to bed.

But still, where are we?

His entire weight suddenly crashes down on me.

“Svenn…?” I gasp, suffocating under his massive body. I slowly drag us both to the bed, my feet staggering. We stumble onto the mattress unceremoniously. I let his body roll to the side to catch my breath.

After several beats, I shift to look at the man beside me. His eyes are shuttered close, and I begin to panic.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask, touching his forehead.

I grimace at the heat of his skin. He is burning up like a furnace.

“Svenn?” I try to shake him.

The temperature is too hot for a mortal. A human would have died and shriveled instantly in this near boiling heat. I lurch straight to the pitcher on the table. This may or may not work, but I have to try.

I shred a piece of my nightgown and douse it with some water.

My heart is in my throat as I place the cloth on his forehead. I can almost see the steam of heat from the contact.

Please, open your eyes,I beg him silently.

His body remains slack and his breathing is labored.

Now I’m terrified.

I unbutton his dark tunic with trembling hands. A strong emotion overwhelms me when I look at his scars. I shake my head and focus on the task at hand.

Anastarros, grant me your blessings.I plant my hand directly over his ripped chest.

I keep passing the God of Healing’s purifying essence into him. I don’t know if it’s working, but he seems to have cooled down a bit.

Svenn shifts just a little.

I sob out a breath of relief.

He touches the cloth on his head and I remove it for him.

“Nel…you were screaming for me earlier,” he mutters weakly. “Why were you apologizing?”

That’s the first thing he asks? I inhale a deep breath and smile softly. “For the things I did to you in the cellar.”

Guilt flares on his face. “My impulse took the better hold of me too.”

“But I started it.”

I won’t do it again,I almost say. But there’s no way I can promise him that. Not with the bond still telling me to kiss him this very moment.

He tries to sit up and I help him.

“I cleaved the bond,” he suddenly says.

---