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.”
“I can assure you it is.”
“If that were the case, then you wouldn’t be here to personally send me off.”
Ezra glanced at Luka. “Please make haste and leave. The sun should be rising soon.”
“Thank you, Ezra. I must have a word with you before we depart.” Ezra noticed how Luka discreetly motioned toward the corridor.
He rolled his eyes and left the royal chamber with Luka bringing up the rear.
They entered the empty courtyard, and the king began to pace. Ezra folded his arms over his chest.
“Speak now or hold your peace.”
“I told her that I loved her.”
Ezra balked. “You told who that you loved them? I wasn’t aware you still had a painting of Anastasia hidden somewhere.”
“Matilda. I told her that I loved her,” Luka admitted, heaving a sigh.
“That confirms it.”
“It confirms what?”
“She’s a witch and must be burned at the stake.”
A vicious snarl erupted from Luka at the mention of harm coming to her. “Very well. We can skip the burning, but love? This is preposterous. It wasn’t too long ago when the two of you had your first romp in the forest.”
“I’m aware! That is what is so maddening about it! It got me thinking.”
“May the gods help us,” Ezra muttered.
“Can you stop being an insufferable prick for one minute?”
“Just one. That’s all I can afford you.”
“It’s soon, but what if… what if this is by design?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not following.”
“What if we are fated mates?” Ezra stared at Luka blankly, blinking periodically. “Hello? Is anyone home?”
“I’m here, but I regret opening the front door. Do you hear yourself, Luka? Fated mates? You and the huntress? That sounds like ill-fated mates to me!”
“Why do you protest so much? I thought you were growing fond of her.”
“You give me too much credit. My urge to kill her has lessened, but I’m a nosey bastard, so I’ll ask: how did she respond?”
“She asked me if I were fooling.”
Ezra grunted. “That would’ve been my reaction if I were in her shoes. I might’ve taken it a step forward and asked if you ingested the black-capped mushrooms from the Black Forest. Do you desire my opinion?”
“I’m not quite sure any longer,” Luka replied, feeling twice rejected.
He had these emotions roiling inside of him, rising like a tidal wave that wanted to burst forth, but what was he to do with them when the object of his affection and desire denied him and the one being he could call a friend discouraged him?
“It’s the baby making you feel this way, especially since this is something you’ve always wanted.”
“She tastes better,” Luka announced suddenly.
“Excuse me?”
“She tastes better than Anastasia.” Luka turned his back to his advisor and fixed his eyes upon the frozen water fountain.
“I find myself doing that often—comparing the two women. A shameful thought came to me, and I haven’t been able to rid myself of it since then. I’ve fully accepted it as truth.”
“What came to you?” Ezra asked. He was at the edge of his seat, waiting to hear what blasphemy would come from his king.
“She was weak, Ezra.” The advisor gasped behind him. “I do not wish to speak ill of the dead. It’s simply a fact. Anastasia was weak.”
Ezra’s footsteps fell behind him, coming to a stop. “I will ask this one question, and then I’ll take whatever you claim as facts. I will not judge or question you on your response—simply accept them as truths.”
“Very well.”
“How do you know you feel romantic love for her and not simply an infatuation?”
“Because I’d die for her.”
Ezra’s shoulders sagged. He had prayed Luka’s answer would be different. The vampire king was irrevocably in love with the huntress. “I accept your claim as truth.”
“Thank you,” Luka whispered.
***
“Are you demented?” Matilda grabbed Luka’s shoulders and shook him while she waited for his response.
Moments ago, after an hour of flight, they had touched down in Garden Ridge, located at the southern tip of the continent.
Back in Night Falls, the inhabitants shivered and huddled around the fire to stay warm; in Garden Ridge, it was like springtime—sun, flowers, a light breeze, and warm lakes.
“I’m with you, so I must be.”
She pouted at his response but refused to let the brooding vampire get the best of her. “You have to demand Garden Ridge back from Ezra.”
“A deal is a deal.”
“I am not worth this!” she exclaimed, sweeping her arm over the land. “You could’ve confined me to our quarters or the dungeon if you wanted to keep me safe.”
“It would never work. You’d escape or guilt me into letting you free. You simply cannot be contained.”
A smirk teased the corner of her lips. “You may be sharper than I thought. How is the hunting here?” she asked, itching to utilize her bow strapped to her back. Her injuries had healed quicker than expected, thanks to the hybrid blood flowing through her.
“Plentiful.”
“Wonderful. I shall return before nightfall.”
“You will not,” he said, grabbing her by the back of her cloak.
“Why not? You said Garden Ridge is completely secluded and safe.”
“‘Tis true, but you will not be hunting without me. We will tour the cottage, settle in, change into attire more suitable for the warm weather, and then…” Luka trailed off when Matilda shot a turkey from 50 yards away. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Oh, my gods. I think I love being pregnant.”
He raised a brow at her declaration. “And why is that?”
“Because it isn’t possible I would’ve been able to see that far if it wasn’t for the baby.”
“You wish to be with the child all the time? That can be arranged.”
“Always the lecherous one, aye?”
“I aim to please.”
“Which reminds me,” she purred, crowding the vampire’s personal space. He had no complaints. It was precisely where he wanted her… forever. “A bloodsucker vowed me five hours of pleasure.”
Luka chuckled and ran a finger down the scar of past battles down her cheek.
“I promised you five hours, but I never indicated it would be pleasurable.”
“You are correct. You did not. How presumptuous of me.” His eyes narrowed, knowing his conniving queen was up to something. “Will you retrieve my game? I’d do it myself, but…” She paused to place a hand over her belly.
“Of course, Beloved.” Luka traversed the field to retrieve the plump bird.
He cried out in pain when an arrow pierced his back.
“Fuck!” he yelled, reaching for the arrow.
Her laughter grew further and further away as she ran in the opposite direction to hide.
Luka ripped the steel tip out of his back and glared at it menacingly.
“I will ruin her!,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Calm yourself, Luka. She did it to get a rise out of you, and if she does that, then she wins,” he muttered to himself.
“It’s okay, Tilda. I’m not harmed. I’m sure shooting me in the back like a coward was a mistake. I forgive—”
His ears perked up at the sound of a whistle in the air. He caught the arrow before it penetrated his chest, and snapped it in half. “I tell you I love you, and this is the thanks I get?”
“But, my King. Didn’t you say you would die for me?”
“I said I would die for you, not by your hands. Wait. How did you know? Did Ezra speak to you?”
“Hybrid hearing,” she answered, voice echoing from her hiding place, alerting him of her location. His boots were nearly silent against the grass as he crossed the meadow to a rock formation where she was hidden. “You’ve found me.”
“I’ll always find you.”
“Hm,” she hummed. “So, you think you’re in love with me?”
“I more than think it.”
“Words are fleeting, Luka. You must prove it to me.”
“Prove it to you, huh.”
Luka walked in a tight circle with his hands clutched behind his back as he contemplated what grand gesture he could perform to prove his love for her.
They were to be wed. He abolished the ban on hybrid unions and children.
He dressed her in the finest of robes and jewels.
He gave her anything her heart desired. What more was there for him to give?
His blood.
Blood exchange between vampire mates was as sacred and intimate as could be.
“Very well, Matilda Helsing. I’ll prove my love to you tonight. For now, let’s visit the town.”