Page 77 of The Shadow Fae Rhapsody
I blink at the remark.
“I just don’t understand how we are bonded. Svenn is not even an elf,” I say, shaking my head in confusion.
He suddenly snatches my chin, forcing me to look at him in the eyes. “Cast your doubt away, mate. Ours is a song written in the stars.”
My heart pounds wildly from the intensity of that stare. I jerk my face from his grasp.
Raw pain flashes in his eyes and I almost regret pulling away.
“The longer you both fight this, the longer we suffer until one day…” he pauses in anguish, his voice becomes rough, tormented.
The fear is plain in his face. He is panicking and afraid. I don’t like this. I don’t like seeing him hurt.
“Svenn?” I touch his hand.
The bond suddenly wraps his arms around me, the same way Svenn likes to do with his surprise hugs. I can feel his heartbeat reverberating through my body. He leans in and presses his lips against my ear. “Go out there and make him see. We’re meant to be together.”
I swallow at the thought.
Together.
“Don’t keep me waiting anymore.”
Chapter 10 Svenn
My beautiful girl is all sunshine and happy, like a bushy-tailed squirrel.
It’s her name day.
I stalk into the room after her handmaidens leave. Bodices, corsets, and skirts lay on the floor like weapons in the aftermath of a battle. Rhianelle stands in the middle of it all, like a queen triumphant. She waltzes and spins in her frilly dress in front of the mirror.
Divine,I think to myself. Nel is exactly like how I imagined a fairytale princess would be in my human days.
Her prey instinct alerts her to my presence.
She goes as still as a statue when she sees me watching her.
“How long have you’ve been standing there?” she finally asks, her cheeks flushing with whatever silly insecurities that must be playing in her mind.
I lean back to look at her, smirking to let her know I appreciate the view. “A while.”
Her eyes turn as bright as diamond the moment she dashes straight into my arms. “I miss you.”
The impact of her tackle does nothing to me, but those words completely shake my world off-balance.
“I was only gone for five minutes, Nel,” I whisper into her silver hair. “But yes, I miss you too.”
That draws forth a small smile on her lips. I clench my fist to fight against the unbidden need to kiss her.
Nel nuzzles my shoulder like a tame deer asking for biscuits. This is the third time she does it since this morning. Her hand drifts lower, sliding down my back.
I raise a brow.
That’s a surprise… She’s never brave enough to do that. I close my eyes and will away my erection. I love it when she touches me casually like this, but it’s unusual she’s this assertive.
Perhaps the strange bond is acting up on her?
“Did you dream of us last night?” I ask. If I wasn’t watching her closely, I would have missed the tiniest way she flinches at the question.
