Page 98 of Hunt Me

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Luka’s mood had gone from bad to worse after ending his meal with David. Ultimately, the wolf agreed to the deal in exchange for certain liberties and guarantees: his transgressions against the crown would be pardoned, the land Luka had originally agreed to lease to Moonshire for agriculture would be leased for half the cost, and their bloodlines would be unified.

Luka vehemently opposed the final condition. His child had yet to be born and was already betrothed to the enemy. Solidifying peace for centuries by merging bloodlines was common practice, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He felt pacified, knowing that the conditions weren’t a guarantee. David had to defeat their pack’s gamma, delta, beta, and alpha. The odds weren’t in his favor, especially in his present condition; however, disloyalty was a deadly motivator.

Luka’s eyes narrowed when he observed Belzara rushing down the corridor towards him. She bowed her head in greeting. “My King, I bear the unfortunate news that Queen Matilda has… she has… I slumbered for a moment and—”

“She is gone,” Luka stated harshly.

“Aye,” she replied, still bowed.

“Return to your quarters. If I find her and any harm has come her way, do know that you will pay dearly. Remove yourself from my presence.”

He noticed how the orc’s clenched fists shook at her side, but he cared not for her anger. She had one simple task, but then again, who was he kidding? Matilda couldn’t be contained and had not only given Ezra the slip but him as well—a few times, in fact.

They parted ways, and he frowned at the open window in their bedroom. He peered out of it, noticing Matilda’s footprints in the snow leading to the forest.

“This woman is infuriating,” he mumbled, releasing his wings. It didn’t take him long to find her. Her scent saturated the air, but the smell of blood was even more potent. Panicked, he shot off into the distance, finding her in a matter of seconds. His feet touched the ground several yards from her. He took unsure steps towards her—baffled by her appearance.

“My King,” she whispered, still with her back to him as she feasted on the reindeer’s liver. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

“You shall never hide from me. I forbid it.”

“Am I one of you?”

“I couldn’t say.”

“I want you to promise that you won’t turn me if anything happens to me.”

“You’d ask me to break a promise?” he asked, growing closer. She laughed and abandoned what was left of the liver. It plopped in the snow, and she fell to her hands and knees. Luka rushed to comfort her as she expelled a copious amount of blood into the white powder.

“You poor thing. You over consumed,” he whispered as he caressed her back. “Are you satisfied, my beloved?”

“I hunger no longer,” she admitted.

“Good. We shall return to the castle and get you cleaned up. This behavior is unacceptable. In the future, you’ll drink blood from a donor or from me. Do you understand?”

Matilda’s head lolled back, and she grinned at her fiancé. “May I have you for dessert?”

Luka was moments from denying her when the bloodied minx began teasing him with her touch. Her hand traveled from his chest until she reached below the belt. He coughed and ignored how he grew in her hand.

“If the queen wishes to have me… then she will.”

She released him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Take me to the moon?”

“Always.”

36

Terms and Conditions

She was covered head to toe in blood, and to him, she was the most erotic being he’d ever laid eyes on. Her dark eyes swam with contentment from the blood and hunger for him. His patience had ebbed to a thin thread, and if she kept looking at him as if he were her entire world, he’d snap.

Matilda grunted when Luka ripped the front of her bodice, exposing her swelling breasts to the soft flicker from the wall sconces. She closed her eyes when his fingers, still cold from the elements, smoothed across her blood-caked cheeks down to her neck. He grazed the ruby medallion that rested against her bosom and paused to feel her heartbeat thump in rhythm with his own—slow, steady, and tortuously loud despite the whipping winds outside their window and the crackling from the hearth.

Her teeth sank gently into her bottom lip as she attempted to hold back a moan.

“Do not silence yourself,” he urged, wanting to hear her fall apart from the most tender of touch.