by Anna Santos
“She still needs him. She can control him once Snow is out of the picture, and the kingdom doesn’t have an heir,” I muttered. “Once I find Snow, I’ll have the queen’s head.”
“Let’s find your princess first. Once that’s done, we can think about ways to keep her safe. We can’t go around killing other kingdom’s evil queens.”
I grumbled and waved in dismissal. He was right, but I would kill anyone who tried to hurt my fated mate. Still, it was the first time that Luke hinted that Snow might be alive. That possibility was the only thing preventing me from falling apart and going mad. A vampire without their beloved was an empty shell with no purpose in life. I might as well die avenging Snow’s death instead of facing eternity alone.
Ten minutes later, we were sure that we were following a lead. Snow’s horse had steered from the main road, and there was a trail of evidence left behind. There was also evidence that they were being chased. Tracks of werewolves were found by us deep in the forest.
“There’s a shallow grave over here,” one of my guards shouted.
My heart raced. I ran to where he was, followed by Luke.
“It’s not a woman, milord,” the guard said, sniffing and digging. “It’s a werewolf’s rotten human body.”
“Probably one of the men who attacked the royal entourage,” Luke speculated.
“The body is already decomposing,” the guard muttered, covering his mouth and nose. “Should we dig him up and take him to our kingdom to find out how he died?”
“Leave it.” I covered my nose. “He’s naked. He most likely died in his werewolf form.”
“His skull is smashed,” the guard informed.
“Do you think the princess killed it?” Luke asked me.
“Snow isn’t a trained warrior, and she’s human. She wouldn’t be strong enough to do this.”
“He seems to have been stomped,” the guard added.
“Probably her horse,” I inferred. “Cover it up, and let’s look for more clues.”
I looked around to see if any of the dispersed guards had found anything else. An uneasy feeling burned in my chest. Finding a dead attacker should have given me hope, but it did the opposite. A dead werewolf meant that they caught up with my princess and her horse. Thunder had fought for survival, but that also meant that Snow might have fallen from his back and hurt herself.
“They had the time to cover their tracks,” Luke said, walking beside me. “There’s no reason for the gloomy face.”
“It’s a big forest. Werewolves are good hunters.”
“It’s a big forest, indeed. People live here, and she might be hiding in one of the hunter’s cabins or—” He squinted. “Do you feel as if we are being observed?”
I sniffed the air and browsed around.
Luke whistled, but the sound was strident enough for our men to raise their heads and march to our side.
“We are on unfamiliar terrain,” Luke said to the nine guards that were with us. “Make groups of three, and keep your hands on the hilts of your swords. Don’t relax, and keep your senses sharp.”
“Someone should keep an eye on the horses,” I said.
“Are you volunteering?” Luke asked with a teasing grin.
“Do you want to be demoted?” I teased him back.
“Of course not, my prince.” He bowed theatrically. “But examining animals’ excrements isn’t something a prince should be doing.”
I folded my arms, sneering. “Just keep searching for a piece of fabric, traces of blood, anything that might tell us the direction that Snow’s horse took.”
“These woods are creepy. We’ve traveled for hours and didn’t see a living soul. Why would a group of assailants ambush anyone here?”
“You already know the answer to that, Luke. The queen wants everybody to think that the werewolves hiding in this forest are outlaws. She also wants to get rid of the princess. Snow’s trip to my kingdom gave the queen the perfect opportunity to try and kill her.”
“Yet, she spared the king. The entourage returned with ten guards out of fifteen.”
I relaxed my arms and rested my back against a tree. “If the princess doesn’t return, there’s no one to question her leadership now that the king is bedridden.”
A breeze rustled the leaves. I looked at the tall redwoods and felt insignificant compared with the ancient tree spirits inhabiting those woods. “If only we could talk to the trees. I’m sure they know what happened here and where Snow is.”
“There are probably sprites living here, though I doubt they want to talk to us. These woods are eerily quiet.”
“They are probably haunted.” I grinned, knowing that Luke was afraid of ghosts. He was a strong warrior and talented spy, but his courage stopped when it came to wandering spirits that couldn’t find rest in the afterlife.
“Poltergeists are worse than the bloodshed,” Luke said. “I’d rather face a bloodthirsty vampire out of control than a spirit that I can’t kill.”
I was about to tease him when my body tensed. I wasn’t sure about what tipped me off since there was no scent to warn us that we were being ambushed. Nevertheless, I drew my sword at the same time as Luke. I wasn’t fast enough to prevent one of my guards from getting his throat slit by one of the cloaked men who materialized from the surrounding trees and greenery. Swords clashed against daggers, and we raised our silver cloaks to protect us from the descending arrows. Our weapons and armor were more advanced than that of humans. Vampires weren’t just faster and almost impossible to kill, we were also technologically more evolved. The material of our clothes was enough to withstand arrows, sharp weapons, and fire.
As we sped to our enemy and fought, it was clear that we weren’t dealing with mere humans. I also realized that they were trying to kill my men and not me.
“Grab your horse and get away from here,” Luke shouted, fighting off two assailants.
“Over my dead body.”
“I’d rather not take your dead body to my king.”
“I’m not abandoning you and my men,” I assured him, shoving aside one attacker and stabbing my sword into the chest of another. Blood spewed from his mouth and dirtied his brown chemise. His eyes flashed yellow when he dropped to his knees. I looked at the brooch securing his cloak around his neck. It was a black leaf. Gazing around, I noticed that they all had that brooch. Elven houses usually had nature symbols as their crest.
Swinging my sword, I wounded a few more enemies and grabbed one by the neck. I removed his cloak and looked at his ears. No pointy tips. They seemed too short to be elves, but one could never know. However, by removing the cloak, the pungent scent of the individual reached my nostrils, and I clenched my teeth, so I wouldn’t gag.
“Werewolves, turned werewolves,” I spat.
I lost the concentration for a second. That was enough to feel a strong thud on my back. Twirling around, I swung my sword and cut the arms of the guy that had attacked me from behind. His scream pierced through my ears and made me grimace. I stepped back, so the blood didn’t soak my clothes.
“They are too many. We need to leave,” Luke warned.
“These might be the ones who attacked my princess. We need to keep killing them until there’s a few left for me to question,” I shouted.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement coming from the trees. More enemies were coming as if we didn’t have enough already. My only choice was to retreat if I didn’t want my guards and best friend killed.
I raised my arm in the air. “Let’s—” I clamped my mouth shut when I saw wolves led by a giant white wolf running in our direction.
In the blink of an eye, the wolves jumped at the cloaked men. Screams and shouts echoed in the forest as the beasts clawed and bit.
“Don’t hurt the werewolves,” I ordered my guards.
They stood with their swords in their hands, observing the unexpected event.
“Which ones?” Luke asked, flashing his canines at our enemies.
&n
bsp; “The ones helping us, of course,” I replied.
Once the White Wolf and his pack arrived, the fight ended fast. The cloaked men retreated and disappeared into the woods, and everything turned quiet as if lives hadn’t been lost and blood spilled.
I followed the beasts’ movements as they made sure that the enemy was gone and paced around the perimeter.
Luke used his enhanced speed to stand by my side and grabbed my shoulder when I made a move to stride to the White Wolf. “We don’t know what they want from us.”
“They saved us.”
“You’re trespassing,” a male voice said.
I looked around and saw that one of the wolves had shifted into a man. Instead of finding a naked man, I saw a fully-clothed one with broad-shoulders, rough beard, and short brown hair. My gaze aimed at the White Wolf that had edged closer to my group.
“I’m searching for my bride. Maybe you’ve seen her. She’s the Meadows Kingdom’s princess. I know you don’t like the queen, but Snow…”
“My alpha wants to know if you’re Prince Dorian,” the man said.
“I am.”
“Follow us,” he instructed.
The wolves turned around and strolled deep into the woods.
“Wait,” I requested. “Is Snow alive? Do you have her? Is she safe?”
The man stopped and looked at his alpha. “It’s not safe here. My alpha will answer all of your questions once we’re inside the walls of our kingdom.”
“You can’t possibly be considering—” Luke tightened the grip on my shoulder and prevented me from following the werewolves.
The man looked behind me. “Bring your escort and your horses. If we wanted you dead, we wouldn’t have saved you from the queen’s men.”
“The queen’s men?” I looked at Luke. “The enchanted cloaks and the turned werewolves.”
Luke nodded. “But why would she attack us? It wouldn’t look good if you died here. Your father…”
“Please follow us,” the man urged. “The sooner we arrive at our kingdom, the sooner we can talk about what’s going on.”
“We have a wounded soldier,” I reminded them, glancing back and seeing one of my guards helping the other one with the wounded neck. Generally, slicing wouldn’t kill a vampire if the head wasn’t detached.
“Do you have something to help carry him?” the werewolf asked.
“We can use our cloaks to build a stretcher and my men will carry their friend.”
“We’ll leave men behind to help your guards if you trust us,” the man said.
I nodded to the guards. “Lower your swords and do all you can to help Gerard. Luke and I will be waiting for you and the horses in their kingdom.”
The guard closer to me removed his cloak to help to build the stretcher.
I patted Luke’s shoulder, hoping he’d relax.
“I should stay back and report to your father,” Luke said.
I knew what he was doing. He didn’t trust anyone or anything. In case this was a trap, he was making sure that one of us stayed behind to save the rest or, at least, report to my father.
“If you stay behind, you won’t be able to find us,” the alpha’s speaker informed.
“If Snow is alive, I want you to meet her. Come with us,” I requested.
Luke sighed, rubbing his temples. “At least, if this is another trap, we’ll die together.”
“Always seeing the bright side.”
In any case, I felt better for having Luke by my side.
Chapter EIGHTEEN
Marlena paced back and forth in the throne room with fisted hands. “You had one job!” She halted and spun around to face the captain of the guards. “You had to separate the prince from his guards, knock him out, and bring him back here. I need him if I want my plans to work.”
“We were ambushed,” the captain explained again.
“You were the ones doing the ambushing. You had magical cloaks and more men. How did they win?”
“They are vampires. Their weapons are superior. They are stronger and faster than us.”
The queen climbed down the steps and narrowed the distance between her and the captain. She was a tall woman and intimidating when she had to be.
Beads of sweat formed on the captain’s forehead.
The queen’s voice was steady but dark. “You told me that my stepdaughter was dead. You even brought me her heart to prove it. I should have asked you for her head.” Her eyes narrowed. “I suspect that she’s not dead, and the prince will find her. If that happens, he’ll know I ordered Snow’s death.”
“What can he do to you, milady? He’s not married to her and has no claim to the throne.”
“His family is powerful, and his army mighty. We don’t want them as enemies.” She stepped back and shoved her long black hair behind her shoulder. Grinning, she added, “The prince isn’t just a brave warrior, he’s also beautiful and charming. I want him for myself. He’s the companion I’ve been waiting for. Not only will he stay young and attractive forever, but he can also turn me into one of them.”
“Werewolves stay young for a long time, too, your majesty.”
“Fool.” The queen laughed as if he had said something hilarious. “Vampires are the elite. Werewolves are just beasts, foot soldiers that we can use.”
“Then why turn us into them?”
The queen frowned at him. “It was Tristan who turned you. I’m not a vampire, and I don’t have any idea how to become one. The stories about being bitten to become one are fake.” She waved at him to leave the room. “Leave me. I need to be alone with my thoughts and think about what I’m going to do now that you’ve failed me.”
The captain bowed his head and left the room without protest. He was probably happy to be dismissed. As always, it was up to Marlena to find a way to fix other people’s failures.
She sashayed to the king’s throne and sat down. Crossing her legs, she sighed deeply. “Maybe this had happened for a reason. If Snow is still alive, I need to think about what to say to feign innocence. The king won’t get better unless I want him to. Once the prince brings Snow, I can give him the love potion, and he’ll finish what my captain didn’t. He’ll kill her, and we’ll be together like it was meant to be.”
Her mad laughter echoed in the throne room.
Chapter NINETEEN
Snow’s POV
I was entranced by living among the werewolves. Their ways were different yet similar to our own. Their sense of community and loyalty was touching. Belle was entirely in love with her mate as was he with her. I always believed all races were equal but living among another was very new to me. Never being outside my kingdom made me most used to humans. The werewolves embraced me as a friend and were protecting me. If not for the circumstances, I wouldn’t have any worries. But I was still trying to contact Dorian, and my stepmother wanted me dead.
I couldn’t pretend that I wasn’t anxious to know what was happening beyond the borders of the werewolf kingdom. Especially with my father. I hoped he wasn’t hurt or suffering too much after my presumed death. For days, I mourned the knights and servants who died to protect me. Life was precious, and I never wanted anyone giving up theirs for me. Yet, Belle and her werewolf husband decided to save me. I was thankful for having allies despite all odds.
Meanwhile, Dorian lived on without a clue if I were alive or dead. The idea of never seeing him again made my heart ache. A missive was sent, but the roads were being watched and, by the time that the messenger arrived, the prince had already departed to my kingdom. Dorian was going straight into the belly of the beast, and I had no way of warning him about the danger. Was he heartbroken? I was sure he was. I would be, too, if the opposite had happened. The time he spent battling had left me fearing for his life and our future together. Men went to war. That was a given, but I’d never expected to love a warrior prince. Dorian had duties, and I had to be prepared for the worst. Our letters had kept me sane through that ordeal. Now that he was safe,
I was the one missing. I had to tell him I was well, and my stepmother had plotted my death.
My hours were spent in worry. My only solace was my sweet Thunder. He was recovering fast from the bite marks. Hugging my horse and telling him that we were safe, and he didn’t have anything to worry about, was a way to convince myself of the same. Helping Belle with her duties around the house and village was also a way to spend my time. I watched her interact with Drake, and it made me happy. They loved each other and were expecting a child. I could only hope to live long enough to experience the same joy with Dorian.
“Snow, I have news, please come with me,” Belle said, entering my room.
I put the book I was reading on the bed and followed her.
We left the house and trailed the path that led to the community kitchen. They liked to gather around there for meals at night.
“Are we going to help prepare the meal tonight?” I asked her, unable to contain my curiosity.
She held my hand and looked ahead. “No, honey.”
I glanced forward and saw men gathered around the wooden tables. Some were seated, but the majority were up and wearing a bronze armor with purple cloaks. “That’s the White Cloud Kingdom’s armor.” My heart raced. “Did you find Dorian?”
She prevented me from running off. “He’s not amongst them.”
The disappointment made me halt. “Didn’t he want to come?” I looked at her as my heart slowly shattered. I gasped for air and covered my mouth with worry. “Is he hurt?”
“Drake arrived in time to save them. He’s fine. He’s not there because he’s waiting for you in the kitchen. You can talk to him without any prying eyes there.”
“Dorian is here?” My heart raced again. “In the kitchen?” I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I ran to the kitchen and ignored everybody until I found him.
He had his back to me and was talking to Drake.
I stopped at the threshold.
Dorian must have felt me coming because he turned around, and his eyes widened. “Snow.”
My name on his lips was the only incentive I needed to run into his arms. My body glued to his as I wrapped my arms around his chest. “I’ve missed you so much.”