Page 79 of Royal Bite
Stormey slid away from Hegna, needing a little breathing room. She stood at the bar nursing a non-alcoholic drink. She inhaled and slowly breathed out. A year ago, she was just a lowly housekeeper working in a small inn trying to make ends meet. Now fast forward, and she was the mate of a vampire princess where she had any and everything she could ever dream of.
Stormey glanced to her side and took in a female vampire standing with her back to the bar sipping on a large goblet. She looked over to Stormey as if sensing her gaze. Her lips lifted into a smile. She came over to Stormey.
“Miss Jaymes, how do you do?” she asked, her words slightly accented.
“I’m doing well. I’m sorry, you seem to know my name, but I don’t know yours.” Stormey returned her smile.
“My name is Monica.” Her hair was dark, pulled away from her face in a loose bun with tendrils escaping. Her form-fitting red dress hugged her slim figure, and high heels shod her feet. “So you are the mate of our princess.”
It wasn’t a question but a statement. The narrowing of her eyes was sending an alert through Stormey. For some strange reason, she was getting a weird vibe from her. The woman’s gaze swept down Stormey before returning to meet hers.
“I am.” Stormey expected to be tested by some of the vampires. She wasn’t going to back down and appear weak to any of them. If she were to rule beside Hegna, she needed to be just as strong as her vampire. “Are you a member of the council?”
“No, I’m an old friend of Hegna’s.” She sipped her blood and looked out at the dance floor.
“Oh, you mean the princess?” Stormey corrected her. Her smile slipped from her lips. She wasn’t a fool. Hegna had a life before Stormey was drawn and brought to her. This must be one of her prior lovers.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Yes, the princess. I forget in public I need to be formal.” Monica rolled her eyes and barked a laugh that was faker than her eyelashes.
“From this day forward, you need to remember to be formal at all times.” Stormey sniffed. She took a drink from her glass before setting it down on the counter. Hegna was her vampire now, and it would be best for this woman to remember. Stormey didn’t care the woman was a vampire and would be stronger than her. The training she’d received may have been for self-defense, but it would come in handy kicking some random vampire’s ass.
“Why did you leave my side?” Hegna murmured, drawing Stormey back into her arms.
Stormey relaxed, her body melting back against Hegna. She hadn’t heard her until she’d spoken. Her arm draped across Stormey’s abdomen with her hand hovering near Stormey’s center. Stormey arched her neck slightly, allowing Hegna to lean down and drop a kiss on her exposed skin. Her lips brushed the spot where she’d bitten Stormey. A shiver rushed through her.
“You appeared to be needed, and I didn’t want to interrupt.” Stormey’s voice grew husky.
Hegna’s warm breath brushed her skin as she dropped another kiss on her neck.
Stormey raised her glass to hold it up where Hegna could see it. “Plus, my throat was a little parched.”
“Hmm, one of the guards could have gotten you something to drink,” Hegna said. She lifted her head, her eyes taking in Monica.
Stormey felt her stiffen and pause. It was hard for her to tell if Hegna recognized the woman standing next to them.
“Is there any reason you are standing next to my mate?” Hegna asked.
Her hold on Stormey tightened. It would appear Hegna didn’t remember Monica. Stormey smirked, a feeling of satisfaction racing through her. Monica’s confidence faltered slightly. She recovered, a smile reappearing on her face.
“We were just making small talk.” Monica shrugged. “I was just mentioning that we were old friends.”
“We were never friends,” Hegna snapped. Her fangs were bared, while her chest rumbled with a low growl. “I would appreciate if you didn’t spread such lies.”
“But, Hegna—”
“Is there a problem, Your Grace?” Kendrick, one of the royal guards, appeared. He was massive in size, standing well over six and a half feet tall. His dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. He glared at Monica, resting a hand on the sword that was sheathed at his waist. “You will respect your princess and call her by her official title.”
“No, there is no problem, Kendrick,” Hegna replied. “This woman was just leaving our presence, and she won’t be speaking to my mate ever again either.”
Monica stared at Hegna momentarily. She took a step back, gripping her goblet.
“Yes, I was just leaving.” She spun around on her heel and disappeared into the crowd.
Kendrick turned to them and pounded on his chest. “Is there anything you need from me, Your Grace? Miss Jaymes?”
“We are fine, Kendrick. Thank you,” Hegna replied. She twirled Stormey around and brought her flush against her. She pressed a soft kiss to Stormey’s lips, blazing a trail along Stormey jawline and down to her neck.
“So we aren’t going to talk about your little ex-girlfriend?” Stormey asked. She bit back a moan, feeling Hegna’s hand slide along the curve of her bottom.
