Page 138 of Hunt Me

“You will die by my hands tonight, King Alesi.”

51

Primal Urges

“You are angry,” Luka whispered. “As you should be. But you came back to us,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.

Matilda closed her eyes against the sensation that was a trivial distraction from the hunger that wrenched her stomach. She forced the hunger down, focusing on the child in her arms, breathing softly against her collarbone.

“You killed me,” she replied, voice low and brittle.

Luka’s hand slipped from her shoulder, and he traversed the room to peer out the window at the snow that cascaded into her vacant grave.

“It was not a wise decision. I know that now.”

“You poisoned me while I lay bleeding from childbirth,” she hissed. Silence fell between them like an ice wall. “While I was gasping for air, you were by my side, clutching my hand, crying like it pained you more than me. But what I wanted didn’t matter because you got what you wanted—your heir.”

“That isn’t true!” he snarled, whipping around on her.

The hunger twisted again. That time it was sharper, and her ears awakened fully to the blood moving through Luka’s veins. It was thick, and the scent of his noble blood seemed to seep out of his pores. It called to her like an old spell that could only be found in the darkest grimoire from the underworld.

Slowly, Matilda rose from the rocking chair and crossed the room to the cradle beside the bed. She laid Denalia inside, tucking the fur gently beneath her chin. She sighed but didn’t wake. Matilda lingered for a moment, brushing a finger across the child’s warm cheek.

“Sleep, my princess,” she murmured.

She turned and faced Luka head-on. The woman he knew was gone. He realized that when her eyes darkened, and her pupils went thin and predatory. Her lips pulled back just slightly, revealing the sharpness of her new teeth.

“You stole my life,” she growled.

“I did. I was a coward, and I feared you would change your mind if you had time to think. Night Falls would never accept a mortal queen, and time was of the essence. They would’ve killed you.”

Matilda’s jaw tightened.

“You robbed me of my choice.”

“I saved you.”

She moved so fast that the candles flickered as if a sharp breeze had entered the room. Her hand closed around his throat, restricting his breath. Matilda slammed Luka into the wall with enough force to crack the stone. He barely flinched.

“You are stronger than I expected,” he confessed softly.

Matilda snarled, then hurled him across the chamber. He smashed through the tall window in an explosion of glass. She plunged from the shattered window, and Luka’s wings unfurled with a thunderous snap. They caught the wind and lifted him into the sky. Matilda crashed into him midair, sending them tumbling together in a violent spiral. Her fingers dug into the base of a wing where bone, muscle, and tendon met. She ripped downward with everything she had.

Luka roared when the wing partially tore. Blood sprayed into the night, flecking the snowy ground with red streaks.

Matilda bared her teeth as they spiraled. “You will die for this!”

Luka twisted violently, breaking her grip. They crashed into the palace courtyard, shattering the iced fountain.

Luka’s body took the brunt of the impact, and although his beloved had maimed him in an attempt to end his life, he still managed to wrap his arms around her protectively.

She recoiled from his embrace, landing in a crouch, a few yards away, eyes blazing like fire. Luka slowly pushed himself up, blood flowing freely from his damaged wing. He smiled despite the injury.

“You were formidable as a human, but by the gods, you are unstoppable as a vampire,” he declared proudly.

A soft whine caught Matilda’s attention, and her gaze flicked toward the palace above, then back to him when she realized Denalia had settled down. She surveyed his injuries—torn between hating and loving him. His injured wing dragged across the stone, leaving a dark trail behind him. The torn membrane fluttered uselessly in the wind, but would eventually heal.

She stalked toward him, and the rage that propelled her forward was beginning to shift into something far worse… insatiable hunger.