Page 40 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
“Good point, maybe not.”She chuckles.“Now remember midnight.Head west along the path!”she repeats, gripping my shoulders.A sudden knock on the door makes us freeze.“Just a minute, she is changing.”Shelley sings out, and I quickly finish getting dressed, pulling the sandals on and ensuring the sleeves cover me completely.However, when I tug the sleeve down to my wrist, I notice the first rune on my arm is fading.I stare at it, and Shelley glances at the door before looking at me.
“What is it?”I point to my wrist.
She grabs my wrist, turning my arm, studying the rune before yanking my sleeve up, her fingers tracing over them like it is the first time she’s truly looked at them.
“But these are cloa—” her words are cut off when the door opens, and the door handle twists and breaks, hitting the floor.Shelley yanks my sleeve down, and King Regan steps into the room.
“I said an hour.A king does not wait,” he snarls, and Shelleydrops my hand and her head.
“Sorry, My King.We must have lost track of time,” Shelley answers, apologizing for me.Yet time hasn’t really passed that quickly, has it?Shelley gives me a worried look, but one growl from King Regan sends her rushing from the room.
“You don’t have to be so rude,” I snap at Regan before tapping my leg.Hunter gets up slowly from his spot in front of the fireplace and wanders over, his tail wagging.
“Leave him here,” King Regan says abruptly.
I look at the king, but his eyes are on Hunter.“He needs Zeke’s blood, he is weakening, and soon he will start to decay.”
“What?”I ask horrified.“Decaying?”
“Yes, he needs his master’s blood.”
“Can’t you give him yours?”King Regan shakes his head and crouches next to me, ruffling Hunter’s fur.
“No, we’ve tried in the past.It makes them sick.They’re sired to their master only.Only Zeke can fix him,” King Regan says, grabbing his face.He tilts Hunter’s head up, prying his mouth open and looking inside his mouth before doing the same to his eyes.
King Regan clicks his tongue.“You need to give him back to Zeke unless you want him to die.He’s gone too long without blood,” he says, standing up.
I chew my lip nervously.I don’t want him to die.“Maybe we can find Zeke together.”I am surprised when Regan nods.
“Hurry up then.”The king walks out, and I follow with Hunter.
“Where is Gnash?”I ask.
“Away from you,” Regan mutters, leading me through the castle.We have to slow a few times to wait for Hunter, who is growing worse by the second.It also makes me wonder if this is what will happen with Shelley when the king dies.
Regan leads me through the castle to a huge entertainment room.A bar takes up an entire wall, and big screens play something.A few guards stand around laughing and talking to Zeke, who is drinking and already wasted.Peering through the door, I see a young maid looking petrified, pushed up against a billiard table by two of the vampire guards.As I go to enter, King Regan grips my wrist andshoves me back out the doors.
The moment King Regan enters ahead of me, all chatter dies.“Leave us!”He orders, and the guards instantly scatter, almost falling over each other to leave the room.
“Now why did you have to wreck my fun, brother?I was about to make Lincoln and Pablo bend the maid over that table and fuck her so I can watch,” Zeke drawls, and I wander inside, stepping into the huge room to find he has the girl by her elbow.
“Go back to your station,” King Regan snaps, and she nods, eagerly wanting to escape the situation she has been placed in.
She goes to leave, but Zeke’s grip tightens on her arm.“Only if she is replacing her,” Zeke taunts, his eyes turning black as he licks his lips.I walk into the room further, and the maid’s eyes dart to me.
“Let her go, Zeke, you’re—” My words are cut off when he moves impossibly fast.One minute he was across the room, the next, his fingers are wrapped around my neck.
“Are you volunteering, love?”he purrs, yet his grip grows tighter.
“You can’t hurt me,” I chide, and he laughs.
“Wrong, I can’t kill you, there was no rule about hurting you.”Zeke smiles wickedly, and Hunter growls at my feet.His eyes dart down, and his grip tightens.
“Zeke!”Regan warns, but Hunter’s growl has not even half the menacing sound it usually carries, and I know he is too weak to actually attack him.My face changes color, and I grip his wrist.
“Zeke!”Regan snaps.
“What did you do to him!”Zeke snarls angrily.I clutch his wrist as the blood rushes to my head.He pushes me back, and my ass hits something solid.I glare at him before lifting my knee between his legs.
