Page 54 of Royal Bite
The door opened, and immediately she was hit with the familiar scent of the one person she couldn’t stop thinking about.
Stormey stood in the doorway with her attendant behind her. She took in the room and hesitated. Her large brown eyes connected with Hegna. A twinge of her abdominal pain reappeared as if to remind Hegna of what she needed. She cleared her throat and waved for Stormey to enter.
“Stormey. Did you need something?” Hegna asked. Her gaze greedily took in her human who was dressed in thick leggings, high boots, and a blue sweater dress that hugged all of her curves. A floral perfume filled the air, but Hegna was able to scent Stormey’s natural aroma. She inhaled deeply, and immediately, her core clenched.
She needed the human.
“I don’t mean to interrupt. I can wait. It was nothing,” Stormey gushed, her gaze flicking between Corbin and Bijou.
“Well, you are here now. What is it?” Hegna asked, preferring this distraction as opposed to another useless meeting. She folded her arms in front of her chest to keep from reaching for Stormey.
Stormey slowly strolled into the office, her hips offering a gentle sway. Her hair was left down with the front tied back. Stormey stopped a few feet from Hegna who bit back a growl, wanting her closer.
“I would like to go visit the Fountain of Hope. I was told this trip wasn’t authorized,” Stormey announced. She stood to her full height and met Hegna’s gaze. “I met a few people from there when we went to the marketplace, and I promised them that I would come.”
“Fountain of Hope?” Hegna frowned. The name rang a bell, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Yes, it’s the local orphanage. Volunteering at orphanages was a passion of mine before I came to Black Hollows. I spent time in a few growing up, and it’s very dear to my heart,” Stormey said.
Hegna turned and rifled through the papers on her desk and pulled out the one with the name Fountain of Hope on it. She had received a letter requesting donations a few weeks ago. She raised it and scanned the letter. They were going to hold an event in the spring to help raise funds, but they needed help getting started.
Maybe she would take an interest in something Stormey liked.
“When would you like to go?” Hegna looked up from the paper.
Stormey bit her lip, her fingers entwined together. “Soon. It’s five-thirty, and it would be nice to go now so that it won’t be too late for them. They are human and aren’t nocturnal like we are,” Stormey said.
Like we are.
Hegna liked how Stormey included herself. Hegna dropped the paper on her desk and moved to stand in front of her. She rested her hands on her shoulders.
“You can go now, and I’ll come with you,” Hegna said.
Stormey’s eyes widened at the announcement. “What? Are you certain? You appear busy. I can take my guard with me, and we—”
“I’ll go with you, and we’ll take a team of vampires with us for protection.” Not that Hegna was worried, she could protect her human, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
Her mate was precious.
Hegna swallowed hard. She stared down into Stormey’s eyes, and a twinge tweaked in her chest. Her heart skipped a beat from the feeling of warmth radiating from Stormey’s shoulders. The memory of her mate’s taste on her tongue and the sound of her cries came rushing back to her.
“Okay,” Stormey whispered. She took a step toward Hegna, closing the gap between them.
“If visiting orphans is something that is a passion for you, then maybe I should become involved as well,” Hegna replied. She ignored the gasps from the room. This was a big step for her, and from the look of excitement and happiness spreading across Stormey’s face, it let her know it was the right decision to make.
Hegna realized that maybe she had been difficult.
She had always been a firm believer she controlled her destiny, but maybe this once, fate or that damn test, was right.
Stormey was hers.
Hegna made a vow she would make up for her harshness toward her mate. When she ascended the throne and Stormey was there by her side, she would be ruling over not only vampires, but humans as well. Stormey would be the highest-ranking human on the continent.
“That would be nice.” Stormey leaned up on her toes and placed a chaste kiss on Hegna’s lips. “I hope you like kids.”
Stormey sat beside Hegna with butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She hadn’t expected Hegna to come with her. She had been shocked when she had asked for someone to take her to the Fountain of Hope and was told that due to increased security, the princess had to approve her outing.
So Stormey had stalked her way to Hegna’s office and had planned on demanding she be able to go to the orphanage, but the second she’d opened the door, her bravery had faded.
