Page 31 of Royal Bite
Blood.
She backed away. Jasper had shared that the servants had prepared Hegna’s room for her return. They’d left her a goblet of blood to drink. Stormey’s hand came to rest on the side of her neck.
Once they were mated, would Hegna only drink from her? Or would she still need to be supplemented by blood banks or live donors? This was something she would have to ask. That hadn’t been in any of her readings.
There were a set of french doors that opened into a vast bedroom that was much larger than hers. A monstrous fireplace sat on the left side of the entrance. The fire burning bright in it warmed the air.
Warm colors decorated the room. Massive drapes lined the windows, softening the sight of the metal shades. Stormey’s gaze landed on the bed that was at the center of the wall opposite her. She walked across to admire the handiwork of the wood. Four posts rose high. Deep sangria drapes were organized around the bed. She imagined they allowed Hegna to enclose herself and whoever shared the bed—
Stormey didn’t want to think of Hegna with any other female. Her hands balled into fists at the thought. She suddenly had the urge to want to commit violence against the faceless women.
She glanced around and tried to figure out where it would be best for her to wait for Hegna. She eyed the rug in front of the fireplace. It would be perfect. The hearth would keep her warm. She slid the robe from her shoulders and padded over to a chair in the corner. She tossed it on the chair and made her way to the rug. It was located a few feet from the fireplace. She knelt and waited.
Hegna gave a nod to the guard, Jasper, who stood outside the human’s room. She inhaled sharply, unsure why they had put her in that room. But then Edward wouldn’t have known how Hegna truly felt about mating.
“Good morning, Your Grace.” Jasper bowed his head and thumped his chest over his heart in fealty to her.
“Everything is well?” she asked. Her gaze flicked to the door again. The ache behind her eyes pulsated slightly.
“Yes, Your Grace.” He straightened and met her gaze.
“Good. Well, see you in the evening.” She spun away and let herself in her room. It was odd that the door was unlocked. She had gone away, and usually her door would be locked. But seeing the fire blazing in the fireplace, she remembered the servants would have come to prepare her room. Jasper was manning the hall and would have alerted her if something was out of the ordinary.
She winced slightly from the headache and leaned back against one of the couches and removed her boots and socks, dropping them onto the floor. The servants would take care of them later. She walked into the dining area and took notice of her waiting goblet. The delicious aroma of the sanguineous drink waiting for her would be what she needed. The pain in her head was probably a result of an extended time between feedings.
Hegna lifted the goblet and brought it to her lips. She took her first healthy gulp and immediately glanced down into the cup. The taste was slightly off. It wasn’t terrible, but something was different. She sniffed it and didn’t pick up on any poisons or chemicals. The scent appeared to be fine.
Then why was she sort of put off by it?
Maybe it was because it wasn’t her favorite type. She shrugged and took a small sip. She needed some sort of nourishment before she went to bed. It had been a long night, and she just wanted to unwind. She undid the belt that held her daggers and placed it on the table. She moved down to her ankles and took off the two smaller knives that were strapped to them. She dropped them down beside the other weapons and hefted up her goblet.
She strolled into her room and immediately drew to a halt. With a grimace, she drank more blood, draining the cup almost dry. Hegna paused, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. Someone was in her room who shouldn’t be there. She slowly turned her gaze to the fireplace in her sleeping quarters and paused.
Never would she have imagined she’d come home to something that beautiful and tempting.
The human knelt on the rug, dressed in something that hid none of her body. Hegna’s grip tightened on the goblet. It bent slightly from her hold. Her eyes greedily took in the brown-skinned female who watched her with wide brown eyes. Her dark hair, no longer in braids, flowed around her shoulders. Her voluptuous body was encased in a lace dress that put her full breasts on display.
Hegna wanted to see her closer. Her fingers itched to tear it off of her so she could have her in all of her glory.
“What are you doing here?” Hegna rasped. Her throat constricted slightly. She swallowed hard, trying to wet her suddenly dry esophagus. Why else would words barely be able to come out of her mouth? She couldn’t look away from her human if she tried.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” Stormey’s hands slid along her bare thighs, garnering Hegna’s attention.
Hegna had the strong urge to part those thick thighs so she could find the delicious cunt that would be waiting for her. She inhaled sharply, detecting the sweet aroma of her human’s arousal.
“Is that so?” She arched an eyebrow and slowly brought her gaze up to meet the human’s. The goblet fell from her hand, ignored. Was the woman part witch? Did they not screen her enough to detect the heart of a witch? It could be the only reason why Hegna was feeling like she was under this woman’s spell.
She blinked, finding herself standing in front of the human. She had somehow managed to walk over to her. The aroma of her arousal was thicker. Hegna’s gums burned and stretched as her fangs forced their way through and descended.
“Yes, we did.” Stormey’s lips curled up into a sensual smile. She held her hand out to Hegna. “Hello, Your Grace. My name is Stormey Jaymes.”
Hegna eyed the small brown hand extended to her. She took it and immediately felt a jolt of energy race up her arm. She gasped, holding on to Stormey’s hand. She hadn’t wanted think of her by her name, but she couldn’t help it any longer.
“Hello, Stormey. My name is Hegna Riskel.” Hegna didn’t recognize her voice. She slid her tongue along her sharp fangs. Her gaze was drawn to Stormey’s neck and locked in on the sight of her pulse pounding away. Hegna could hear the rush of the delicious blood she knew was waiting for her. “Why are you on your knees, Stormey?”
“I wanted to please you,” Stormey replied softly.
Hegna’s gaze snapped to Stormey’s face. Her expression was open and honest. The yearning burning in Stormey’s eyes almost brought Hegna to her knees. She reached out with her other hand and cupped Stormey’s chin.
