Page 87 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
Chapter 23 Rhianelle
Iwake to a wave of energy flowing through my veins. This undiluted power is mine to use against the Fae King, against any of my enemies. The rush is exhilarating, intoxicating.
I feel a weight settle in me, just below my navel. I look down and study the marking now present just below my belly, visible only to me; a pair of raven wings just like the ones etched on the stone slab. This is not part of the Arawynn bond. It’s so foreign and strange.
It’s a curse.
My eyes flick to the man sitting at a corner of the tent in the shadows.
No, not a man. A beast created to end lives and conquer worlds. One of the first vampires to walk the earth.
Neither of us moves.
As long as you have this leash on him, he is your weapon to wield. The universe bows at your feet, Queen of Elves.Hundreds of voices whispers through the curse.
Now just say the words and he will take out his own heart.
They want me to do what?
It’s tradition.The voice chimes.Break him and carve the despair deep into his bones.
A horrible feeling coils in my stomach. What in the world have I inherited from the witch? I shake my head to drown their annoying whispers.
My eyes slide to the vampire. His ferocious stare is entirely hostile, full of resentment. I’ve never experienced such potent hate. It poisons the very air around us.
“Svenn…” My voice falters.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” he snarls, backing away. His eyes have become so dark that I think I might drown in them.
Dear Gods and Goddesses. What have I done?
You can bring him to his knees with a single command.
My eyes glisten as the torture the curse inflicted on him plays at the back of my head.
He looks at me with a pained expression. “You tricked me.”
“I didn’t know. I swear.” Tears slide down my face. I know there is no way for him to be able to look at me with anything other than this hatred. He storms out of the tent without looking back.
Just whistle and he’ll return to you like a mutt.The voices continue to plague me. They show me a vision of the enslaved men crawling back to the witch.
Make him bend his knee to you.It beckons me to break the vampire.
I close my eyes to enter into my subconscious. I look at the curse’s true form buried deep within me. It’s an ugly, vicious thing. My stomach curls on itself.
“Join us, sister. We can rule this world together.”The women with skull masks speak in unison. They must be the other curse bearers from the past.
I understand how so many have fallen into the trap. It’s so easy to give in to its temptation to surrender my soul to the darkness. I can have anything I want.
“Paths and doors will open for you,”they coax.
I ignore them and touch the ground. The earth begins to shake, and they scramble to their hiding places. Lilith’s sarcophagus rises from the icy lake where I buried her. I step on the frozen water to confront the enchantress in her iron casket. She thrashes in her cage, her pale face consumed with malice. My seal holds her in place no matter how much she struggles.
“I won’t let you hurt him anymore,” I tell her firmly.
A sinister laughter creases her face.“It matters not. Soon you will do it yourself.”
Chapter 24 Svenn
