Page 58 of Hunt Me

Matilda studied him. “You make it sound as though we are walking into battle.”

“In some ways, we are.” Luka’s gaze dropped briefly to her stomach before returning to her face. “You carry something extraordinarily valuable. Some would kill to possess it, and others who would kill simply to ensure it never draws breath.”

Matilda’s arms instinctively rounded around her midsection.

“Today, thousands of eyes will be upon you. Some will welcome you. Some will fear you. And some will begin plotting against you before I have finished speaking.”

“How comforting.”

Luka reached for her hand, threading his gloved fingers through hers.

“That is why you remain beside me.” He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss against her knuckles. “Promise me.”

“I will stay close.”

“How close?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Do not push your luck.”

He smiled in return.

“You know what I have learned?”

“I am afraid to ask,” Luka remarked.

“I’m fucked once I drop this baby,” she sassed, adjusting her leather gloves.

“I think a physician would recommend waiting a month or two before the fucking resumes,” Luka replied, knowing fully what she meant. She gave him the finger.

“Such queenly behavior,” Ezra teased. “Our constituents will be very pleased by your ability to display lewd behavior.”

“Your face should be considered lewd behavior.”

“How is that collarbone, Queen Matilda? That sling looks rather uncomfortable,” he taunted back.

“My sling is great. Thank you for inquiring, Lord Gustafson.”

“Great for hiding pastries,” he whispered under his breath.

“You son of a bitch.”

“Children, let’s try to focus,” Luka interrupted. “We will be approaching town shortly. Tilda, remember to stay close.”

“I will,” she promised, ignoring the knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. Not only was Luka announcing the official repeal of the ban on vampire and human unions, but he’d also announced his intentions of making her Queen of Night Falls. She feared for her safety, certainly, but the thought of facing the humans unsettled her most.

Some of those faces would belong to people who had watched her grow from a rambunctious little girl into a huntress. They knew what it meant to bear the Helsing name. They knew how many vampires had fallen beneath her blade. What would they think when they saw her standing beside one now, not as his prisoner or his executioner, but as his intended queen?

They would not look upon her and see a woman who had fallen in love. They would see a huntress who had abandoned her own kind for the very creature she had been born to kill.

***

Matilda swallowed around the ball in her throat when she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ezra as her future husband addressed the town. Everyone was in attendance, including many familiar faces. She noticed the look of pure shock on their faces. Last they knew, Luka had offered a hefty bounty for her and feared she was dead. Instead, she was dressed head-to-toe in riches, wearing jewelry that shone brighter than a full moon.

“How are you faring?” Ezra queried as Matilda edged herself behind him. He stepped to the side, exposing her to the public once again. “I know you’re afraid, but these are your people, and they need to see you as the overly confident woman you are.”

“You are correct, but that’s easier said than done.”

Ezra grunted an acknowledgment and returned his attention to Luka on the dais.