Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings (by jessica hall)

Lycan Queen's Prey Chapter 43

~Lyon~

Fury pounds in my veins as I dial Zeke's number and hit call, Zeke's name glowing ominously on my

phone screen. I feel a tinge of unease about my father, but I trust in Regan's word. He has always been

the most rational one, the one that does all the jobs we don't want to do. He deals with the surrounding

kingdoms, so we don't have to. He handles treaties, taking on most of the hard work, so I don't doubt

when he says he'll handle it, but it's always best for everyone to be on the same page. Zeke answers,

and I relayed everything to him that Regan wanted me to pass on. "No, I am not far out from your

kingdom, about an hour away max," I tell him.

"How's Zirah?" I ask him.

"Sleeping," He answers, and I know she marked him, and I could feel the change in our bond, hers

morphing and twisting into desire overnight before I felt his presence alongside hers. It reminded me of

the blood bond I shared with my brothers, yet not feeling Regan is a little odd. Kind of like losing your

comfort blanket as a kid. He's always been the first one to pick up on us, our anger, and fears while

keeping his tightly locked away until it bursts like it did earlier.

I knew she would find out about Regan not honing his sins, though I am slightly surprised Zeke let her

see his. Yet his, he turned into redemption, which I find is the most startling. He twisted fate, turning a

sin into some twisted version of a virtue. Hanging up the phone, the car jolts as it slows down quickly.

"What's going on?" I find myself asking the driver as the sleek black car slows down, my eyes catching

sight of warning signs flashing in the morning light. The driver's reply grates on my nerves, adding to

my discordant thoughts.

"Road work, my king," he grumbles, his voice a jarring contrast to the quiet of the car. The car crawls

along, matching my mounting impatience. When the driver mumbles something under his breath, I turn

towards him, my curiosity piqued.

"Pardon?" I probe, straining to catch his words. He motions outside, his eyes focused on the road

ahead.

"We're driving at a snail's pace, sir. But I don't see any roadwork," he grumbles. I lean forward,

scanning the road beyond the windshield. The car inches around a sweeping bend, only for us to be

confronted by a massive truck blocking our path.

"Would it kill 'em to put the signs a bit closer?" The driver complains, the irritation in his voice mirroring

my own. "We've driven five miles only to find the road work still here."

I try to defuse the tension, murmuring, "Probably a safety thing," but the words taste sour in my mouth.

As the car comes to a stop, I whip out my phone, quickly texting Zeke that I'm just outside his kingdom,

stalled by the roadwork.

The sharp ping of a notification, followed by a strangled grunt from the driver, pulls my attention back to

the front seat. "Are you okay?" I ask, my heart pounding in my chest. But before he can respond, I look

up to see his lifeless eyes staring back at me, a bullet hole in the center of his forehead as he slumps

over the steering wheel yet the car revs loudly. A rush of adrenaline courses through me as I realize his

foot is still pressing the accelerator.

The car lurches forward, careening wildly, and I only just steer it around the truck as I grip the wheel.

We hit the guard rail, the car screeching as it picks up more speed when the car jerks and I lose my

grip on the steering wheel. Peering out the windshield, I see the car has straightened slightly, yet we

are on the bend and heading straight for the ditch. I lunge for the door handle, praying for an escape as

the guardrail ahead looms threateningly. But it's locked. The car, now on wheels, smashes through the

guardrail, plowing into a tree.

Panic seizes me as I hurtled through the windshield, shards of glass slicing through the air, turning my

world into a whirlwind of pain and disorientation. I barely have time to register what’s happened before I

find myself sprawled in a ditch, groaning, with a coppery taste of blood on my tongue.

I lie there for what feels like hours until I finally muster the strength to roll over. Looking around, I see

the car is a twisted wreck, and it gradually dawns on me that the driver has been shot - murdered - right

in front of my eyes. Fear claws at my heart and my breath comes in short gasps. I hear an engine start-

up nearby and know that whoever shot him must be coming back for me too.

My body aches as I attempt to get onto my hands and knees, to find one arm not working properly, it is

bent in the wrong direction and I rip it back into place, the jutting out bone forced back beneath my skin,

a grotesque sight as I watch it close. I can hear the crunching of gravel nearby, and my heart tightens

in fear. Looking up, I see a pair of boots approaching. As they come closer, I lift my head and find

myself looking into the cold eyes of a vampire. His sneer is full of contempt and anger as he stares

down at me. Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Before I can make a move, he kicks me hard, sending me sprawling back onto my back. But still, rage

surges through my veins as I snarl a curse at him. He merely laughs in response, but there's a glint in

his eye that makes me shudder when I see his fangs poke out from behind his upper lip. In an instant,

he lifted his gun and fired two shots straight into my chest before I even had time to blink. I stare down

at the darts, pulling them out. Poison ravages through me, and I gasp, choking on it. I can taste it in the

back of my mouth, feeling the burn through my bloodstream.

The world spins as pain radiates out from where the darts punctured my skin, my veins feeling like

they've turned to lava, and darkness slowly descends all around me. As everything fades to black, I

can only think of Zirah...