Page 138 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
Another nod. This time a little more fervent and sure.
“Well, this tower is a little silly to detain a vampire. You have wings,” she says, crossing her arms. “You might sneak out and feast on the villagers.”
That’s my girl.She’s smarter than the guards who placed me here.
“Would you feel better if I came and stayed with you?” I suddenly ask.
The girl stares at me, deadpan. She doesn’t understand where I’m going with this. Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue either.
“You can keep me under your eyes the entire time,” I say, without hope. One would have to be extremely brave or a fool to share a dwelling with a vampire. She did it yesterday but there’s no way she’s making that mistake again, especially after that bite from this morning.
I just had to throw out that offer because I know I’ll be counting every tortuous second until I see her tomorrow. Either that or I’ll resort to stalking her again tonight.
Rhianelle seems intrigued and equally baffled by my proposal. She searches my face with that piercing look.
“Come with me then,” she says. A soft smile graces her lips, and my heart is lighter.
She fumbles for her crystal on the granite floor, rubbing it in between her palms. The damn thing is taking its sweet time to glow with her warmth.
“Wait. Don’t you have to take anything from your room?” she asks before leading the way.
You’re the only thing keeping me here in this castle, in this world.
“No.”
There is no way of telling if Rhianelle is in pain from the old injury over her ankle during daylight. But her awkward gait is more obvious now when she can’t see clearly in the dark. She isso small and vulnerable. I let out a long heave as I stare down at her in the dark. This limping, willing prey stands a zero chance against me. I can eat her alive right now with little resistance.
Instead of fulfilling my darker urges, I slide one hand around her waist to keep her steady. She doesn’t complain, clutching my arm desperately for balance.
“Sorry about this.” There’s a little embarrassment somewhere in her voice. She’s not used to asking people for help.
Weirdly, this is reminiscent of the first time I met her in the dungeon, fumbling together in the dark. My hand drops from her waist the moment we enter through her door. Rhianelle’s room is six times bigger than mine. Fucking Eyepatch must have given me the servant’s quarters.
The girl tilts her head up to look at me. “Do you mind the lights? I have some work to finish.”
I give her a slow shake of my head.
She taps a pile of books on the long table. “Lord Wesley left me these from his library if you’d like to read them.”
I slide into the chair at the opposite end, picking up a random tome in my hand. I like watching her doing her own little thing.
I’m certain as queen they would bring her food at any hour should she request it. But here she is munching stale bread and cold soup. She catches me staring and a small smile curves her lips.
Her strange ears twitch at the scratching of branches in the wind. I resist the urge to reach out and play with them.
“The storm will be over soon,” she says to comfort me. I can tell she’s the one who’s scared of the howling sound.
“I’m sure it will.”
Seeing her exhausted and cold settles an unpleasant feeling in my chest.
I rise to pick the quilt from the bed and warm it with one of my gifts for her.
“Your teeth are chattering. It’s loud,” I tell her when I settle it over her shoulders. I heat her bowl of food as well.
Rhianelle is watching everything with awe. Her eyes crinkle with appreciation. “Thank you, Svenn.”
She reaches for the spoon and my hand jerks instinctively. Her sudden movement triggers another anxious reflex from me.
