Page 2 of Hunt Me

Traitors.

Every one of them.

How dare they suggest that another woman could ever replace his beloved? That he should take another wife into his bed and have with her the children his beloved had so desperately wanted?

For years, Luka and Anastasia tried to conceive. The royal couple consulted every witch and doctor in the kingdom. No matter the potion, spell, prayer, or sex position, they were met with the same fate. Luka would have considered even a miscarriage a shred of hope, proof that conception was possible and that perhaps, one day, their dream of having a family might come true.

“I’m still waiting for an answer,” Luka announced.

Still… no one spoke.

“I will relieve everyone in this room of their duties if I don’t receive a swift response.”

Verbal acknowledgments of agreement flooded the room.

“We all took a vote,” Ezra interjected.

“And what were the results?”

“Unanimous. All in favor of you selecting another queen. We are not suggesting you find a queen for love. It can be a simple arrangement for the public,” Ezra explained, making Luka’s stomach churn.

How could they make such a mockery of such a blessed union? To think he would have to smile and wave at his constituents with some imposter queen beside him. It sickened him.

“Think about the kingdom, King Alesi. If you’re no longer here, then the wolves will move in, and what will happen to our people? You know Prince Lykaon does not fret over vampire deaths and never will. Your death will also give rise to the vampire hunters. We acknowledge this decision is not easy. It will be the most agonizing decision of your life, but failure to continue your bloodline will result in perhaps hundreds of thousands of vampire deaths. Take some time to consider. I leave in three days for Moonshire. I expect your answer then. Does anyone else have anything to add?”

A timid vampire cleared his throat before speaking. “May I have the floor?” Advisor Tomias inquired. Luka gave him a nonchalant wave of his hand. At that point, nothing could surprise him.

“Vampire-hunter-related deaths have risen to 5% since the last quarter.”

“How?” Luka demanded with a violent hiss.

“We are not 100% certain yet.”

“Why is this just now being brought to my attention?” Luka snarled.

“I-I-I check the numbers quarterly, and the only explanation is that the hunters are mobilizing. If we don’t act quickly, the vampire deaths will easily double, if not triple.”

“I want you to double security and offer a reward for any information on hunter camps or dwellings. We must lay the insurgents to rest before this gets out of hand,” Luka ordered.

“I agree, King Alesi. We would not want this to get out of hand and worry the populace. However, a royal wedding would be a wonderful distraction,” Ezra offered with a bright smile.

Luka scoffed. “I will not deceive my people.”

“Have it your way. But be prepared for several of our people to request an audience with you and demand answers. Does anyone else have anything to add before we dismiss? My journey was long, and I’ve grown weary.”

No one spoke.

“Anything you wish to add, my King?”

“Get out.”

Luka’s fingers drummed angrily against the armrest of his chair. For once in his life, he didn’t have the right answers. He felt like a failure. He couldn’t save his wife, and now he couldn’t protect his people.

He rose from his grand chair and stormed towards the alcove in the corner. He peered at the many bottles of wine and spirits before he settled on a bottle that damn near brought tears to his eyes. It was a wine comprised of the tempting grapes and berries from the precarious Black Forest of the East. It was Anastasia’s favorite. He didn’t care whose life he had to risk to obtain the illustrious vine-hanging fruits. All that mattered was that his queen was satisfied.

He didn’t hesitate to uncork the bottle, wrinkling his nose after a whiff of the wine that had most likely soured. He took a healthy pull from the bottle and three hours later, he drunkenly stumbled to his bed chambers after conversing with Anastasia’s portrait in the ballroom. Of course, the conversation was one-sided, but he had no one else to confide in.

Deep down, he knew that if she were still with him, she would hound him to do the right thing and think about the greater good. But to him, there was no greater good than his beloved mate.