Page 41 of Hunt Me

16

A Queen for a Queen

Matilda growled when she parted the curtains in the private quarter. Instead of being met with sweet freedom, she was met with bars barricading her newly appointed bedroom window.

“You didn’t think I’d let you go so easily, did you?”

Matilda whirled on Luka, finding the annoying man leaning against the wall.

“You are deranged!” she snapped, looking for anything that could aid her escape.

“Deranged? I find my plan not only ingenious but fair—a queen for a queen.”

“I’m not marrying you! It’s bad enough that we’ve had relations a few times.”

“Six.”

“I beg your finest pardon?”

“Six. We’ve fucked six times; once in the forest, thrice at Prince Lykaon’s castle, and twice in the carriage.”

“Our encounters obviously mean more to you than me since you’ve been keeping score,” she retorted with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“There is no use fighting it. We will be married in a month’s time.”

“King Alesi—”

“Luka,” he corrected.

“Luka… we can’t.”

“We can and we will.”

“There are laws against such unions.”

“That law is in the process of being abolished as we speak.”

“What about my reputation and my bloodline?” she asked skeptically.

“What about it?”

“I am Matilda Helsing, the last of my name, a descendant of generations of vampire hunters. I will not taint the last of my bloodline with your hybrid monsters!”

Luka smirked. It would be a miracle if she weren’t carrying his future heir to the throne as they spoke.

“Any other remarks?” Luka drawled, growing weary of her temper tantrum. Arguing was pointless—he could not be coerced into letting her go.

“I’d look like a hypocrite. I’ve spent my entire life preaching about your kind’s evilness and how you must be eradicated!”

“It seems the feeling is mutual. What else?”

“The sex is horrible,” she said childishly.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “Of all the frivolous lies you could tell. I have you begging for it,” he snarled.

“That was the venom talking.”

“I would almost believe you, except I didn’t bite you in the carriage.”