Page 118 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
Her voice is soft and disarming in a way I cannot comprehend. I hate how the very sound of it brings me such comfort.
“Go to sleep Rhianelle,” I say.
She shifts on the bed again as if she can’t quite get comfortable. It finally occurs to me that perhaps she’s afraid. A sense of shame fills me for taking her too rough on our wedding night. I remember fulfilling my needs again and again like a mad beast.
“Rhianelle,” I call to her.
Her ears perk and she slowly props up to look at me. “Yeah?”
“That night was a mistake. You’re the Rhunhraefn’s vessel. I will never touch you ever again.” I assure the girl.
She stares at me for a silent beat.
“Of course… I know that,” she says, lowering her head. She pulls the heavy blanket over her chest. “Goodnight, Svenn.”
She gives one final glance at me before closing her eyes slowly.
“My knights are the best.” I hear her mumble before falling asleep.
A long while passes until I rise from my seat.
Balthazar’s calling card lies in the dustbin. The charred edges suggest she tried to burn it. I pick the piece from the ashes and place it on the table. It will keep on appearing. I should have killed that shithead when I had the chance.
My gaze slides to Rhianelle’s sleeping form. There she is, lying unprotected in her mountain of pillows. The silly fawn who invited a wolf into her home. I watch the steady rise and fall of her chest in the dark. I inhale deeply, summoning the will to finally end her life.
Instead of finishing my task, my eyes linger on her momentarily. The girl felt every bit an equal to me on our wedding night. But now she seems so small and almost fragile.
There’s a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her pulse is slowly getting faster. My senses sharpen immediately at her sudden stirring.
“Rhianelle?”
The girl shows no sign that she heard me. Her eyebrows furrow as if experiencing great pain.
Fucking hell. It’s a nightmare.
Her unconscious body is shivering violently, fighting an invisible enemy in her sleep. The pillows make sense now. My throat constricts.
“Wake up.” I try shaking her shoulder.
“It hurts…” she whimpers like a cornered small animal. A surge of protectiveness rises in me at her vulnerability.
“I’m here,” I call for her again. She will not rise.
I hover on top of her. A punch lands on my cheek. Then another. She keeps hitting me everywhere. It does nothing to me, but she will hurt herself at this rate.
“Nel—”
She slams her foot right between my thighs. A gush of air escapes my mouth. Straight to my fucking nuts … damn it. Tears glisten at the corners of her eyes. Her movement becomes more frantic.
“Come back to me, Nel.” My arms slip around her, pulling her closer. She writhes beneath me, fighting to break free. I don’t like this. She’s trapped in a place I cannot reach.
“It’s going to be all right,” I whisper, stroking her back.
I keep counting her breaths until they grow steady. Her body relaxes and she’s finally in a deep sleep.
A long, heavy breath leaves me. Now is my chance to kill her.
I wince at the sharp pain in my head.
