Page 66 of Hunt Me
She did it again.
Matilda was surprised when Luka gently shoved her away and put as much space between them as possible. “Luka!”
“It’s King Alesi to you.”
“Look, you prudish vamp. I have needs,” she snapped, scrambling over the bed to get to him. “Are you serious?” she exclaimed when he thwarted her advances by cocooning himself in his wings. She scrunched her face when her fingers pushed against the stretchy winged flesh. It was a little off-putting, but also slightly fascinating.
“We must leave at once,” Luka’s muffled voice came from the cocoon.
“Just give me five minutes of your time.”
“What would you prefer? Five minutes or five hours?” he posed.
Matilda paused to consider. “I’m listening.”
“Tonight… we hunt.”
She smirked. “Who will be the prey?”
“We can switch.”
“I accept. Hurry up, Luka. We should’ve been gone by now, but you’ve spent the morning dilly-dallying,” she accused.
“Dilly-dallying!” he exclaimed, unfurling his wings at lightning speed. His wings drooped slowly when Matilda’s lips pressed against his. He was no match for her and melted like snow on a spring day. He blamed this new profound weakness to her on the child that grew in her belly. He didn’t like the feeling because, as hard as it was to admit… he was afraid… terrified, actually. What if he couldn’t keep her safe? What if she was violently ripped away from him? He gave her a bullshit speech about her being human and the circle of life. He didn’t want her to die. He wanted her to rule by his side for a millennium, but how cruel would it be to turn her into the one thing she despised the most? The thing that robbed her of her innocence as a young woman? The thing that hunted and preyed upon her people? He felt selfish even asking it of her, and relented: if she went, he’d go too.
“I love you.”
24
Ill-Fated Mates
Matilda’s smile fell at Luka’s odd proclamation. “Surely, you jest,” she stammered, still suspended in doubt.
“Of course,” he agreed briskly, releasing her from his hold. She put as much distance between them as she could, throwing herself into readying for their journey. The idea of King Alesi being in love with her was alarming. All they did was draw blood from each other, argue, and have sex. What was there to love? Matilda shook her head and chalked up Luka’s premature proclamation to the fact he’d been a widower for a century and was starved for attention and affection. She was also carrying his child.
He is simply confused, she told herself.
As she dressed, she examined her own feelings for Luka. The man was a breathing conundrum and completely shattered her perception of him. He was a brute but inexplicably gentle. Cold as ice, but there wasn’t another being she wanted to warm her bed at night. Overbearing yet protective, and stubborn but yielding. He was broody but loved to jest. He frowned often, but her insides would warm when he smiled, showing off polished fangs. And when he touched her? The slightest caress, even by accident, left her yearning for more. When he kissed her, he stole the very oxygen she needed to live, and he brought her nothing but unspeakable pleasure when he drank from her. The blood exchange was too intimate to put into words. Letting Luka feed from her was captivating and brought her into another realm of pleasure and fulfillment. The act made them exclusively submissive to one another, neither having more power and dominance over the other. They were both vulnerable souls, giving and taking as they poured their energies into each other.
Matilda paused. Her thoughts troubled her. It sounded as if she was the one in love.
“Impossible,” she whispered with a shake of her head.
A knock at the chamber door drew her attention.
“I swear this man never rests,” Luka mumbled before opening the door.
“Good morning.”
“Good morning, Ezra,” Matilda greeted cheerfully.
“Lord Gustafson,” he corrected curtly.
“Not as of yesterday,” she reminded him. Ezra’s lips pulled into a tight smile.
“The castle will miss you like they’ll miss tainted blood.”
“You wish that were true.”
