Page 55 of Hunt Me

“Logically, I understand sex and how conception works, but the thrill of having sex with you a few times—”

“Six times,” he reminded her. She laughed as she braided Obsidian’s mane.

“Those six times must’ve been the highlight of your life.” His cheeks turned a marvelous shade of pink. “You’re blushing.”

“Do not be silly. It’s cold. Stop delaying.”

She clucked her tongue.

“I guess since I will be your wife and Queen of Night Falls, there shouldn’t be secrets between us. But you must share something with me first.”

“Name it.”

“Tell me how Queen Anastasia was killed.”

“What does her death have to do with anything?” Luka growled in frustration, believing it pointless to speak about Anastasia.

“A death for a death.”

He shook his head in annoyance, but was desperate to learn her secret. “As you wish. It was known that Anastasia struggled with infertility. A rumor was floating around that one of your kin could cure her. She left the castle undetected and met with Huntress Abigail Helsing. Instead of curing my wife’s infertility, she sent her to her grave.”

“She poisoned her?”

“That she did, and I attempted to erase every last one of you, but you’re living proof that I failed.”

“You should be appreciative,” she commented with a goofy smile.

“That’s still up for debate. It’s your turn.”

“This is not my first pregnancy,” Matilda confessed suddenly.

Luka’s breath caught from the unexpected confession. “Where is the child?”

Matilda focused on Obsidian’s gleaming coat, recalling parts of her life she wished to forget.

“I was eighteen and ready to prove to my family that I was worthy of the title of huntress. We heard about vampires lurking in the woods near our little village. I was warned to never go into the woods alone—for safety reasons. But… I didn’t heed my parents’ warning. I knew I’d emerge from the woods victorious with a severed head. I donned my favorite cloak and armed myself with my hand-carved daggers, bow, and quiver, and braved the forest. It didn’t seem so bad at first, but then I felt I wasn’t alone. The rumors were true; there were vampires in the woods. I was outnumbered, and despite my extensive training, I wasn’t prepared. One vampire, yes. Two vampires, not so much.”

Matilda paused and blinked back her tears. She failed and attempted to hide them in Obsidian’s coat. Luka stood by, shaking with rage, knowing exactly where her story was going. “I will spare you the gory details, but I was attacked. At some point, I blacked out. I don’t know if it was from the blood loss or physical pain, but I remember waking up, face down and bare on the forest floor.”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear anymore,” Luka said, waving her off. He was sick to his stomach.

“I don’t know how long I lay there. I had hoped they’d return and finish the job, but they never returned. So, again, I donned my favorite cloak, gathered my hand-fashioned weapons, and made the painful and laborious trek back home. It wasn’t long before I found out I was with child. I didn’t know what to do. I was in a state of fear for weeks. I couldn’t confess to my parents because I was fearful they’d exile me. Yet, my biggest fear was my child coming into the world because there was a cruel king who determined that hybrid vampire children were illegal and would be swiftly dealt with.”

Luka looked away with shame. It was his father who banned hybrid children, but he was the cruel king who upheld the law.

“What did you do to the child?”

“What did I do to the child? I did nothing but love it and fear for its life like any mother would. I had planned to run away, to another town where my child would be accepted, but fate had other plans. I miscarried. Looking back, it was probably for the best. I was a young, naive woman who knew nothing of the world. I can’t imagine what kind of mother I would’ve been.”

Luka reached for her, gathering her hands in his. “I promise to my last dying breath that I will find them and make them pay for what they did to you.”

Matilda laughed through her tears. “I’m sorry, but you’re a few years too late. I found them. They weren’t too bright and stuck around town. They were my first kills, and gods did it feel glorious. I couldn’t call myself a mother, but finally, I could call myself a huntress.”

“Matilda,” he whispered sorrowfully.

“I need something from you, Luka.”

“What do you require of me?”