Page 119 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
‘Do not harm her. We’ll grant you access to parts of our power you’ve never tapped before.’
My inner beasts are trying to stop me from hurting the girl. I’m surprised to hear their attempt to bargain with me in full sentences. They usually speak in grunts or one word at best.
Power? I almost laugh.
Their offer is useless. I just want an out from being a slave to that curse.
I’ll make this quick. As painless as possible. A howl echoes within my head along with another desperate plea.
‘Please. She is mine.’
My hand morphs into sharp claws from the werewolf or whatever other beast that is still fighting me. I’ll use their power to rip through the girl. Maybe that will shut them up.
I run my claws on the Rhunhraefn’s tattoo marked on her skin. “Show yourself.”
This threat is enough for Lilith to reveal her true colors. The enchantress will do anything to keep herself alive.
Nothing happens.
A low whimper escapes Rhianelle’s throat and a stab of pain spears through my heart. I wipe the tears from her face with my fingers and smear them across her cheek. She clutches me desperately, her delicate body quivering against mine. The girl burrows her face deeper into my chest, mumbling something unintelligible.
“Gourd. Pepper. Coconut. Mango.”
What?
“1 pound of flour. Four ounces of sugar. Three tablespoons of salt. Seven cups of spice.”
I listen quietly to her ramblings.
“Blend them nicely, Blaire,” she continues whispering. “Now put them in the stove.”
A low laugh bursts from me.
It’s a goddamn recipe.
I lift a single strand of silver hair from her heart-shaped face. Such a perfect face. “Sounds like a recipe for disaster, Nel.”
She keeps whispering her secret ingredients to my ear, each one more absurd than the last. No wonder everything was fucking free at her bakery. I suddenly feel like shit for dissing her dream. She will never achieve it because, in less than three years, the Rhunhraefn will—
Pain slices straight through my middle, churning me from the inside out. Our ill-fated meeting has doomed her. An odd sensation worse than sorrow, worse than any pain the curse and Lilith ever inflicted on me clouds my heart. The strange feeling begins chewing at me.
I shouldn’t allow myself to be swept away by such meaningless emotions. Hadn’t I wanted to ruin her a second earlier? But now, I’m plagued with this overwhelming feeling of wanting to save her. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Another moan of discomfort spills from her. Rhianelle is clinging to me like I’m the only thing keeping her afloat at sea. It triggers a profound sense of disgust in me. Not at her but at myself. I have tried and succeeded in hurting her again and again today.
“I’m here, Nel. Don’t be scared.” I gather her closer against my chest. Clarity hits me as I inhale her scent deep into my lungs. There is no way I can hurt her without destroying myself completely first.
Fool. You’ll be enslaved the moment she opens her eyes.A remnant of my sanity whispers.
That is probably the reality I’ll face tomorrow, but I keep holding on to her. The last bright star in my cold, dark night.
Her body lays still beside me as the sun rises. A sinking feeling dawns on me as I kiss her temple. Lilith has found another creative way of screwing with my head.
Chapter 35 Rhianelle
Iopen my eyes blearily to the pile of white pillows in my bed. I feel more refreshed and enlivened than I have been in days. This is the best sleep I’ve had in a while.
Svenn is nowhere in sight. His clothes lay on the bed next to me. I bring the shirt closer to my face, breathing it in deeply.
