Page 44 of Royal Bite
Hegna narrowed her eyes on the two. Stormey’s lips curved up into a smile. Her eyes softened, and she listened to Zeke.
“Good job, my lady,” Zeke said. He scoffed and pushed Stormey’s outstretched hand away. He stood and bent, picking up his staff. “You can knock me down, but I refuse to allow you to help me up.”
“Seriously? Why, because I’m a girl?” She snorted. She grinned up at him, playfully pushing him away. “Don’t tell me your ego is so large that I can’t help you up.”
Hegna could no longer hold back. She didn’t like the playful banter. This should be a serious training. Someone could get past their defenses and take her human. They needed to make sure Stormey could protect herself until help could arrive to her side.
Hegna growled low and made her way over to them. Bijou’s soft curse was faintly heard beside her. Hegna ignored the bows and fist bumps to the chests made by her warriors. Her focus was on Stormey who was bestowing her beautiful smile on a man.
“Let’s do it again—” Zeke’s words died off when he saw Hegna and Bijou approaching. He turned to them, his smile disappearing. He was a mid-level warrior who was climbing the ranks of her army.
She studied his face and would consider him to be a handsome vampire. Bright-blue eyes, short brown hair that ended in curls, tall, and muscular. Hegna’s nails bit into the palm of her hand. Zeke stood to attention, his arms at his sides. He then bowed his head and thumped his fist over his heart.
“Your Grace. General.”
“At ease, warrior,” Bijou announced. “Walk with me, Zeke.”
Bijou and Zeke walked away, leaving Hegna alone with Stormey. This wasn’t a place for them to have a personal conversation. There were at least twenty warriors in the room, all vampires and all with heightened hearing.
Hegna stared at Stormey. This was the first time she had been this close to her since that night.
“Do you need something from me?” Stormey asked. She rested the staff on the floor and gripped it close to her.
Hegna swallowed hard, truly unsure why she had come over here.
“No.” Hegna cleared her throat. Her eyes greedily took in Stormey’s curvy frame. A fine sheen of sweat rested on Stormey’s brow, neck, and her arms. Hegna had the sudden, intense urge to drag her tongue over the small trails of sweat that ran down Stormey’s body. She blinked, and instead, jerked her chin toward the staff. “You seem really comfortable with that.”
“Well, I had plenty of practice back in Wichita.” Stormey rolled her eyes. She brought it up and rested it on her shoulders with her hands holding on to it. The move pushed Stormey’s breasts out.
Hegna had a hard time keeping her eyes from the mounds she had worshipped before. Her eyes locked in on a trail of sweat sliding down from her neck and disappearing into her cleavage.
“What does that mean? You were a fighter?” Hegna had finally read all of the paperwork that had been sent to her regarding her mate, and there was no mention of fighting experience. That wasn’t something they would have left out.
“Not officially. I was a housekeeper and used a broom a lot. That broom came in handy when men would try things with me.”
“You were attacked before that night?” Hegna growled. She may take a trip back to Wichita and deal out lessons. Human males just had no manners. If one of them had harmed Stormey, then she would gladly go back to Wichita and teach him a lesson, by ripping his arm off.
“I was never hurt, thanks to my handy-dandy broom.” Stormey chuckled. She glanced away, biting her lip.
Hegna distinctively remembered how sweet those lips tasted.
“Why were you laughing and smiling at Zeke?” Hegna couldn’t help but ask. Something that she assumed was jealousy was rearing its ugly head inside her. She had never been jealous before and didn’t know how to deal with it.
“What? Why do you care who I laugh and smile at?” Fire blazed in Stormey’s eyes. She narrowed them on Hegna and swung the staff down to stand it beside her.
Hegna stiffened. There were very few people who questioned any of her motives, but they certainly didn’t do it when her men were around. Hegna glanced over her shoulder and caught Zeke’s eye.
“Give me your staff,” she ordered.
He jogged over and passed it to her. She slid her hand along it. This weapon wasn’t one she preferred. It had been a while since she had used one. Not that it mattered. She was a lethal vampire, and anything could become a deadly weapon in her hand.
If her human wanted to test her in front of other men, then she’d punish her for doing so.
“You were lucky in striking Zeke,” Hegna began. She twirled the long stick with one hand before holding it up in front of her. She loosened her knees and flashed her fangs. “Try that on me.”
The room grew silent. Hegna didn’t have to turn around to see that all eyes were on them. She was sure her taunt was heard by every man and woman in the room. Hegna watched as the wheels turned in Stormey’s head. It didn’t take long for her to reach her decision.
Stormey gripped her weapon with both hands, fury burning bright in her eyes. She drove forward, swinging her staff at Hegna who raised hers and blocked the attack. Hegna brought hers back and aimed it for Stormey. Her mate jumped back and sidestepped, barely missing the taste of Hegna’s staff.
