Page 76 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
I’m still terribly confused. “Bond?”
She nods feebly. “Our contract.”
Of course.Demons and their bargains. I remember Balthazar’s cunning face at the clearing.
‘These elves wish to bone you before dawn.’
A new term of this age which means fucking. That is the only thing he said to me. There was no bond, no contract, nothing else. I jump at the first chance he offered me with Rhianelle. The bastard must have promised this elf something as part of the bargain. Anger burns in my veins and my talons erupt in response. “I’m going to kill that fucking demon.”
Alarm flashes in her face.
“Please don’t,” she says, tugging my arm. “It’s not his fault. He was trying to help.”
This elf clearly has never dealt with a demon before. I hate to add to the sorrow in her eyes. I withdraw the beastly shift slowly. The sight of her in pain forms a hollow ache in my heart. She doesn’t complain when I tuck her closer to me.
“Maybe I can’t be as selfless as the Maidens of Arawynn. Maybe deep inside all I want is for the Fae King to die,” she mutters to herself in a breathy whisper. “Of course, the Goddess wouldn’t allow such a horrible request.”
Again, none of the words in her mouth make sense to me. My brain begins to piece and weave together all the information. Balthazar must have offered her some kind of a twisted bargain by marrying and sleeping with me. That slimy fucker.
This whole twisted thing is confusing the fuck out of me. I look at the elf curling up in my arms. I may not understand everything, but I recognize vengeance when I see it in a person’s eyes. It’s a dark and cold path. Who am I to tell her that when I’ve ventured the same road far too many times to count. Her loss had to be profound if she turned to a demon for a wish.
“I’ll bring you the Fae King’s head,” I vow to her delicate ear. I barely know this woman—female. But whoever her enemy is... is now my enemy.
She sniffles, turning those wide eyes to me. “I am being selfish. You have more at stake here than I do. Your freedom depends on this.”
Freedom? The demon promised me nothing of the sort. But if Balthazar is truly some kind of wish granting genie, what I want most is…
“I want to be human again.” It’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that to anyone. To be granted the true death.
Rhianelle raises her head to place her chin on my chest. She studies me quietly for a moment. “Most humans would do anything to achieve immortality. They’ll bargain with demons and witches. Some would go as far as searching for the fountain of youth in Avalon. But you want to give it all up?”
I merely nod.
My curse is that I will never die. I would give anything to be granted an eternal rest.
Amusement dances in her soft doe eyes as she stares at me. I wish we could stay like this forever but the Rhunhraefn is already calling me back to the labyrinth. I’m surprised it didn’t drag me by the neck already. Despite the demon’s wicked schemes, or whatever led me here, I’m grateful for the chance to meet this soft creature nestling comfortably on my chest. A small reprieve from my suffering.
I can’t resist touching her long ear because I love her reactions. She lets out a soft whimper this time, my cock twitching at the sound.
“Tell me something else about you, Nel,” I say to distract myself.
She scrunches her nose. “What do you want to know?”
Everything.
As funny as it is seeing her as the murder bunny who wants to kill the Fae King, I’d like to get to know her better. “Do you have other dreams?”
She nibbles her bottom lip thoughtfully, her cheeks flushing into the faintest shade of pink. “I do have another one.”
A brief pause as she adds, “But it’s silly and impossible.”
She shrinks to my side, placing her head on my arm as a pillow. I like that she’s completely unafraid and content with me.
“You don’t have to worry. Your secret will be buried deep in the ground with me when the sun rises,” I tease. Sadness haunts her soft features again and I wish I hadn’t said that.
The girl inhales deeply at long last. “You have to promise not to laugh.”
The vulnerability in her eyes steals the breath right out of my lungs. This is something she has never told anyone.
