Page 93 of A Serenade To The Elf Queen
“Kheirall…” I plead to him again desperately. I don’t know who else to turn to.
The demon continues to watch me with a hint of fascination in his eyes.
“About Svenn…”
He shakes his head from his trance. “Yes, about the True Sire. Are you still planning to use him against the fae?”
“I don’t—”
“Here’s my calling card. Summon me after your vows are fulfilled. I will raise the other Lords of Hel to help me.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll take care of him for you,” he says in an eerily calm manner.
My heart stammers. “You mean to kill him?”
“Yes, we will try.” The demon runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t make any promises, Your Highness.”
My heart jumps to my throat. This is not what I expected.
“It took the betrayal of another Vampire Prince who sacrificed himself to seal Vlad the Impaler. Ruthvenn’s descendants still roam the human world freely, meaning the fucker is very much alive and well. The other princes were lost to history until you found one.” His dark eyes meet mine. “There is no known method to kill them.”
“No, I won’t let you harm him.” I shake my head, backing several steps from the demon.
Kheirall reclaims the distance between us with little effort. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t free that monster into the world.”
But Svenn doesn’t want to be free. He wants to be human. I hope Kheirall can’t read the vow tattooed on my hand. There’s no way I can trust him with this information. I’ve turned to the wrong person for help.
Stupid, stupid me.
I search frantically for a way out of his barrier, like a trapped rat.
“Take my card, at least. You may need it.”
The paper appears in my hand magically. I rip it to pieces and cast them to the ground.
Kheirall seems darkly amused. “What was that for?”
“You’re trying to kill my husband,” I say exasperatedly.
“Husband?” He gives a disbelieving grunt. “You didn’t even know the guy before last night.”
The card reappears in my palm unscathed. “What is this trick? I—I don’t want it.” I shake my head.
“Just take it—”
“I’ll take that.” A cold, smooth voice interrupts us. “I’ll call you myself.”
The air shifts completely with Svenn’s sudden appearance. Kheirall’s shield shatters into pieces of glass before disintegrating into the air.
My breath catches at the back of my throat at the sight of him. His intense features somehow become astounding in the light of day. He has tamed his long hair neatly, leaving the temples with sheared with fades. The freshly clipped hair makes him appear more menacing than before. Every nerve in me becomes attuned to his presence.
But he doesn’t spare me a single glance. All his wrath is directed to the Demon Lord.
“What did you do?” he asks, slamming Kheirall against the tree. The rest of the words come out in a strange ancient tongue as the pendant can’t keep up.
The Demon Lord replies something back to him. His hand snaps to throttle Kheirall’s throat over the answer.
