Page 13 of Hunt Me

“You say my name if we are lifelong friends.”

“Maybe that will be our fate after our… collaboration.”

“Excuse me if I’m not as optimistic as you are. State your purpose. We have no time for pleasantries.”

“You are right.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, but that doesn’t surprise me.”

“The vampires will take over. It may not be today or tomorrow, but it will be soon. The blood donation is a sham. The vampires are just buying their time until the right moment to strike. The humans are nothing more than cattle. King Alesi smirks as he looks down from his castle at his pathetic cattle that ignorantly graze the fields. He’s not only bleeding you all dry physically but financially as well. Have you all wondered about the very sudden tax hike? Something big is coming, and he must be sto-”

Matilda lifted a finger to pause the man’s enthusiastic speech while she guzzled the rest of her ale down. She released a heavy sigh, slamming the tankard on the table.

“What is your name, Vampire?”

“It’s dangerous to make such assumptions.”

“Not any more dangerous than treason against your king. What do you want from me, Bloodsucker?”

“I want you to kill King Alesi.”

***

Matilda drummed her nails on the frail tabletop as she glared at the cloaked vampire.

“It has been thirty minutes, and all you’ve done is stare.”

“Your point?” she asked indignantly.

“My point is that you must be seriously considering my offer.”

She sucked her teeth in annoyance before leaning forward in her seat, closing the gap between them. “You take me as some zealous fool, don’t you?”

“Prior to our meeting… yes. I was unimpressed with your martyrdom for your people.”

Matilda snorted. “There’s that word again.”

“Is there another word you prefer me to use? Sacrificial lamb? How about that?”

“You’re in no place to judge, Vampire. I might be a martyr fool, but you are a fucking traitor, and that is why I will be refusing your ‘generous’ offer.”

“Name your price.”

“There isn’t a price that will make me go into business with a traitorous pussy who refuses to get his hands dirty. If you’re willing to turn your back on your king, what would keep you from backstabbing me? Trust me. I prefer my head on my shoulders and my blood in my veins.”

The vampire grew irritated by Matilda’s refusal to accept his proposal. He’d kill King Alesi himself, but as the surly woman correctly guessed, he didn’t like getting his hands dirty. He preferred to pull the strings in the background—it was less risky. He’d admit he thought the enthusiastic slayer would take him up on his offer, no questions asked.

He had heard the whispers through the village of the brazen huntress with the curly hair, a scowl that could send you running in the opposite direction, and archery skills that couldn’t be touched. He sent his informants to bring him back information on the woman with the cursed surname.

Helsing.

He had hoped to kill two birds with one stone: kill King Alesi and have Matilda Helsing die in his proposed suicide mission. If he had a soul, her smugness would irk it. Even then, as he stared at her from across the table, he could barely hold himself back from draining her dry. It wasn’t just her attitude that was triggering; it was her scent. Some were wine connoisseurs, but he prided himself as a blood aficionado, often seeking new blood to add to his collection. He couldn’t describe the scent of her blood if you’d asked him. It smelled like a comforting embrace between two lovers in front of a fire on a wintry night. His thoughts grew increasingly morbid the longer he sat before the arrogant beauty. He’d drain every last drop of blood—slowly so that she could feel her life force leave her body and her wretched soul slip into the afterlife. However, it would benefit him exponentially if he kept her as a blood-enslaved person.

“My name is Gregorio.”

“You insult my intelligence,” she said, laughing as she stood from the table.

“How so?”