Page 114 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
I have the same name as mother…
The only reason I was named Rhianelle the second was because mother refused to look at me after I was born. Lady Deirdre had to fill in every motherly task, to care, to feed, and to bathe me. The healer took it upon herself to assign me a name. A strong name, same as Mother’s.
Mother treated me differently from Aerin, loved me differently. Even as a child I caught on these little things…
Rainer’s heavy sigh breaks my thought.
“The beast is proving himself to be useful,” he muses, looking at the horizon as if he can see the trail of dead bodies Svenn had left on the field.
Beast.
I don’t like it when people refer to Svenn like that. Even though he is one. More than one. I just don’t like the way my uncle says it. “Don’t call him that.”
Rainer’s eyebrows crash together as he turns to me. “He’s merely a tool for us to use. You do not have to care for the vampire.”
I flinch at the casual way he says it. “The vampire is my husband.”
My uncle’s chest rises as he draws in a breath. “Do not be fooled by his shell. That beauty is part of a vampire’s arsenal to lure his prey easily.”
Shame fills me at the admonishment. Suddenly I feel like a kid again. I bunch my fists and stare into Rainer’s intense eyes. “I like him.”
I’m surprised at the words coming out of my mouth. I should be revealing something like this to someone like Blaire, Siofra, or Lady Deirdre. Better yet, I should tell Svenn how I really feelabout him. Instead, I find myself confessing it straight to my uncle’s harsh face.
“I like him,” I say it again.
This time tears stream down my eyes because I know it’s not because of the mating bond or anything else. I truly do like Svenn. Want him. Need him.
The coiled muscles in my body unfurl at the relief in that admission. I try putting up walls, sturdy ones like that third pig in my uncle’s story. I really did try. But it’s useless.
The realization must have opened up some kind of dam over my bottled-up emotions because the water won’t stop flowing from my eyes.
Rainer seems at a loss of what to do. I am the opposite of his calm nature. We’re too different to understand each other. So, he does the only thing he knows whenever I break down. He drapes his hand over my shoulders, slowly pulling me into his embrace.
“You’re too trusting,” I hear him whisper. “I’m afraid someone will take advantage of your gentle nature.”
I feel my cheeks grow warm.
“I like him,” I repeat into my uncle’s vest. Silence fills the room as he strokes my back.
“Then he is a lucky vampire to have my precious niece’s affection,” Rainer mutters softly.
We stay like that for a long moment until all my emotions are spent. He pulls away and gazes down at me. “Dry your tears. I have something for you.”
I follow him deeper into the mansion until we reach a vault at the lower level. He unlocks the metallic door easily with a key. The floor is covered with trunks overflowing with gemstones, diamonds, and pearls.
“What is this place?” I ask, gawking at the armors, axes, paintings, and crowns.
“Part of the perquisite and bounty your mother collected has been sitting here gathering dust for ages,” he answers briefly. “It’s all yours now. Take whatever you want.”
The opulence and wealth in the room is near blinding. Rainer pauses to appreciate the illustrations lining the walls. There’s a sentimental longing as he gazes at the late queen’s portrait. I wander around the chamber on my own, taking my time at the weapon aisle.
Swords, stilettos, and daggers with decorative pommels line up the sturdy rack. I marvel at the spears and javelins—my uncle’s favorite choice of weapon. I should pick something for the battle.
An ornamented chest catches my attention. Peculiar and pristine, with not a speck of dust on it. I run my fingers on the dwarven letterings on the lid.
A gift for the Queen of Elves.
It doesn’t seem right that the bequest remains unopened. I bring it to my uncle’s attention.
