FORBIDDEN FAIRYTALES
The Complete Trilogy
by
Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti
Contents
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book One
Kingdom of Thieves
I crept across the terracotta tiles, half holding my breath as my feet threatened to slip on the shiny surface. It was hot. Too damn hot for this kind of work but then it always was this close to the edge of the Lyrian Desert.
The full moon hung low in the sky, giving me plenty of light to see by but also lining my silhouette in silver for every guard in the kingdom to see if they should just look up...
The Countess moaned in pleasure, her voice carrying to me from the window beneath me. I snorted a laugh. Balthazar had drawn the short straw there. I was all for seducing the mark to distract her but not when she was twenty years older than me and had a moustache. She moaned again and I slid down the tiles, aiming for the window Balthazar had thrown open for me.
I caught the edge of the roof and swung down, dropping through the window and landing silently inside the huge building.
Balthazar looked up at me from his position on top of the Countess and he pushed her face down into the pillows as she continued to wail in response to his efforts. His brown eyes glimmered with irritation at just how long it had taken me to make it inside. But what could I say? It had sounded like they were enjoying themselves. And yeah I might have waited out there for longer than necessary but I wanted to be sure he had her completely distracted before I made my entrance.
I picked up a heavy vase and took a moment to thrust my hips back and forth at it in a mockery of the act he was performing, winking at Balthazar as he mouthed a curse at me.
The Countess tried to raise her head and he shoved her down more firmly. “That’s it baby,” he growled as she moaned again and I stifled a laugh at his attempt at faking pleasure in her company. Points for him on taking her from behind so that he didn’t have to look at her face though. I placed the vase back where I’d found it and pushed my black hair out of my eyes as I surveyed the room.
Aside from the four poster bed which currently contained the Countess and her less than enthusiastic companion, the room was richly decorated.
Heavy pieces of furniture filled the space and thick rugs covered the wooden floor. I gave the Countess and her husband a mental thank you as I used the rugs to my advantage, creeping further into the room.
I slipped across the floor silently, pausing at a huge dressing table and lifting her jewels from it, filling my pockets with necklaces, rings, bracelets, broaches. I didn’t waste time checking them over but I spied diamonds, rubies, sapphires, the works. Egos would be more than pleased with this haul.
That should keep his wrath off of me for a while.
I crossed to the door, pausing for a moment to make sure Balthazar held the Countess’s full attention. I winked at him again as I left him to keep her busy and his scowl deepened. I may have just earned myself a bout in the ring with him but it was worth it. I’d remind him of this conquest as often as humanly possible for the rest of our miserable lives.
I slipped out into the corridor and headed across the wide landing, managing to keep my steps silent despite the wooden floor and pitch darkness of my surroundings. But then they didn’t call me the best because I was easily thwarted by creaky floorboards.
A thick, curving bannister lined the stairs and I grinned as I leapt onto it, sliding down it quickly and bypassing any groaning steps like a pro.
I landed on my feet like a damn cat and almost swore aloud as I realised no one had seen it. Where the hell was Pip when I needed him? If ever there was a time to have that kid’s adoring gaze fixed on me then it was when I did something awesome like that. It was half the reason I’d recruited him in the first place.
I slipped across the hallway, heading for the back of the huge house so that I could let the other thieves in. The sound of voices carrying to me from outside made me pause and a shiver raced down my spine. I stopped beside the doorway, moving closer to listen. The rest of our gang wouldn’t have made noise like that.
“If there’s anything else I can get you my lord then please just send word,” a male servant said.
“No, I only require my bed tonight. That was a long journey but no doubt my wife will be pleased to have me home early. All I wish for now is a restful sleep.”
Looks like the Count cut his trip short.
I pressed my back to the wall beside the door just as it swung open. The carved wood almost collided with me and I gripped the dagger at my belt as the Count strode into his house.
“Why is it so dark in here?” he bellowed and I held my breath as he turned back towards the door but he didn’t notice me where I hid in its shadow.
Adrenaline trickled into my veins and prepared me to run. I hadn’t gotten far enough to let the rest of the gang in through the back and I silently thanked my luck. If the Count was home then he’d no doubt be bringing his servants along with him and getting the whole gang out undetected would be a lot more difficult than just getting my own ass clear of this place.
Balthazar’s cover was solid and unless the Count decided to kill him for defiling his pig ugly wife he should be able to run with his trousers around his ankles before they ever realised I’d relieved them of their jewels. And as Balthazar was at least thirty years younger than the Count, a foot taller and twice as mean, I wasn’t too concerned for him if it came to a fight.
My stomach rumbled in protest as I prepared to run out into the night. The kitchen should have been my next stop but it made more sense to take my chance at escape than it did to try and hunt for a solution to my empty stomach.
There’s always broth waiting back at the den. Which may or may not have been bulked out with rat meat this week...
Of course, I’d never been one for sensible.
The Count slammed the front door but didn’t notice me as he turned away sharply and strode across the entrance hall to the stairs. I watched him go, half tempted to follow and see his face when he found Balthazar buried in his wife, though I really should have been taking my chance at escape. My stomach growled more urgently and instead of stealing away into the night, I turned from the door. I crossed the cavernous hallway and slipped into the kitchen.
People with this much wealth should really share it willingly if they don’t want to risk thieves getting in.
I started opening cupboards as soon as I made it into the room, hunting for anything I could eat on the run.
I drew open the pantry door and groaned beneath my breath at the hoard I found waiting for me.
I snatched a cloth bag from the back of the door and started throwing bread, cheese, biscuits and cakes inside. I stuffed a cake into my mouth and moaned with pleasure at the sweet taste which overwhelmed my senses.
A shout of alarm came from upstairs and I stilled as I listened to the sounds of Balthazar being hounded out of the Countess’s bed by her husband.
I released a breath of laughter and threw the bag over my shoulder before elbowing the pantry door shut.
I froze as I came face to face with a kitchen maid and her lips parted with surprise. She had dark hair which hung to her waist and wide eyes which shone with fright at her discovery.
“It’s alright,” I breathed, holding my hands wide so that she could see I didn’t mean her any harm.
She backed up a step and I could see that she was about to scream.
I gave her my best smile and pushed my hair out of my eyes as I took a slow step into the
moonlight which washed in through the window.
I saw the moment her hesitation was extended by the sight of my face.
“What’s your name?” I murmured.
“Perdu,” she replied and I knew I had her as her eyes skimmed over the exposed muscles on my arms.
“Well, Perdu. I’m just a bit hungry. Can this be our little secret?” I begged as I took a step towards her. “When the guards ask, you never saw me?”
She backed up and bumped into the counter as I moved into her personal space.
“I never saw you,” she agreed on a breath.
“And this never happened either.” I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine. She gasped in surprise as she turned to liquid beneath my touch but I really didn’t have any more time to waste.
I broke our kiss, giving her a wide smile before turning and running from the room as she sagged against the counter.
I took the servants’ exit from the kitchen just as I heard the Count screaming for the guards and the Countess wailing apologies. Balthazar should have been running down the street with his pants around his ankles right about now and it was time I made my escape.
Egos wouldn’t be happy that we’d had to abandon our raid before finding any coin but hopefully the jewels would be enough to appease him.
I ran until I found a large window and forced it open. I leapt outside just as the bells started ringing in the city and the sound of marching footsteps announced the arrival of the guards.
They shouldn’t be looking for me though. I just had to skip away into the shadows and-
“My jewels!” the Countess cried in horror, her voice reaching me from the open window above.
Shit.
I crossed the stone courtyard and dove into a thin passage which ran between the stables and the kitchens. A horse whinnied in protest to my arrival and I cursed again as another kicked the side of its stall.
I forced my way around the back of the wooden structure and the wall which ringed the property and started moving. The horses were making more noise as the sound of me struggling to fit my broad chest along the narrow gap upset them and I growled my irritation. They were going to give me away if I couldn’t get out of here quickly.
I looked at the gap above my head and leapt up, finding a hand hold in the rough wall so that I could heave myself higher.
The bag of food snagged beneath me but I refused to release it. I hadn’t eaten anything that good in over a week and I hadn’t come this far to go hungry again tonight. We usually had enough food available in the den but nothing as good as this.
The rest of the thieves had long since fled so that was something. I just had to get myself out of this mess and we could all celebrate our close call back at the den. Right after I demolished this food - I wasn’t sharing a scrap of that.
I scrambled higher and a horse snorted angrily from within its stall.
Damn these stupid beasts.
I managed to grab the roof of the stable and heaved myself over the edge just as the sound of the guards arriving reached me.
“Did you see anything, girl?” a man barked and I flattened myself to the wooden roof, peering down at Perdu as she cowered before the guard. She started shaking her head and he closed in on her, towering over her with his unnatural height. “Do you know who I am? I’m Captain Marik of the Royal Guard. And if I have any reason to believe you’re lying to me then I’ll throw you in the dungeon with the rest of the thieving scum just as soon as I catch up to them!” he snarled.
“He went that way,” she breathed, pointing towards the stables.
Dammit, that kiss should have bought her silence. I should have used more tongue.
Captain Marik turned my way and three more guards ran into the square to back him up. They held swords ready to skewer me if they got close enough and I glanced around desperately, hoping to spot some way out of this shit storm.
“Hey assholes!” Pip appeared on the far side of the square, waving his arms at the guards to get their attention and my heart plummeted.
He was the newest member of our gang; twelve years old with long brown hair and built like a whippet. I’d watched him picking pockets in the market for weeks before I’d decided he was good enough to recruit. He had hands almost as swift as my own… possibly even a little lighter if I was being totally honest, though I’d never tell him that. He’d never alerted a mark to his presence so far as I’d seen and always got away from the take clean. Bringing him into The Forty had earned me some good favour with Egos and a life with us was certainly preferable to other fates. Like ending up as one of the street kids who washed up on the banks of the Carlell River each month with their hearts carved out. He was desperate to prove himself to Egos but this act was nothing short of stupid. And I sure as hell wouldn’t have risked myself like that for him.
The guards turned his way and he raised his middle finger at them. “Bet your fat asses can’t catch me!” Pip laughed as he turned and fled, saving my ass while endangering his own.
The guards raced after him with Captain Marik leading the charge. One of them pulled a crossbow from his back and fired an arrow which barely missed Pip’s small form before slamming into a tree beyond him and sending a huge chunk of bark splintering off of it.
I got to my feet and started running for the wall and the promise of freedom beyond it but a cry of fright made me pause.
“No, wait - please!” Pip begged in terror and I shook my head, mentally saying farewell to him as I prepared to leap into the freedom of the trees beyond the wall.
It was nice knowing you, idiot.
I made it to the wall and leapt up, managing to catch the top of it as I hauled myself towards freedom. Pip screamed and I stilled. My pockets were heavy with jewels and the bag was laden with enough food to stop me starving this week, so why wasn’t I running as far from this place as I could get?
The next scream held pain as well as fear and I swore as I released my grip on the wall and raced across the roof of the stables.
I pulled the jewels from my pockets as I sprinted forward, tossing them into the bag and grabbing a hunk of bread out. I ripped into the bread with my teeth, chewing as I ran in an effort to fill my stomach. If this went badly then I was going to be hungry a while yet.
The horses whinnied in fright as my feet thundered over the wooden roof above their heads and I launched myself off of the far side of it, landing in the courtyard and rolling to absorb the impact of my fall.
Perdu gasped in shock and I threw her a wink as I tore by. She might have given me away but the blush lining her cheeks told me she’d be dreaming of me tonight.
I raced around the corner and spotted several sacks of grain heaped by the side of the barn. I ran for them, tossing the bag of loot behind them as I went and shoving some of the sacks from the top of the pile so that they fell down to conceal it. I couldn’t do much better than that right now and I had to hope it was enough.
I ripped into the bread again, my stomach growling for more as I chased after the sound of Pip’s screams and found myself around the front of the huge house. Pip was in the arms of the guards as the Count watched over them beating him. One of them had pinned him to the wall by his throat and his nose was bleeding profusely, blood dripping to the ground beneath him.
I slammed into the guard who held the crossbow before they even noticed I’d arrived and he fell to the floor as I dove forward to claim his weapon.
I kicked him in the face as he tried to rise and yelled a warning as I pointed the crossbow at the guard holding Pip.
“Let him go,” I demanded, placing my finger on the trigger.
“Give it up, thief,” Captain Marik snarled. “You only have one shot loaded and you aren’t fast enough to reload before we gut you, even if you know what you’re doing with that weapon.”
Which I don’t.
“Ah, but is it really worth one of your lives?” I taunted. “One shot is still enough to end one of you.”
&nbs
p; The guard by my feet groaned and I kicked him again, sending him into oblivion.
I eyed the guard holding Pip and he released him with a growl of rage.
The boy stumbled towards me, his eyes glimmering with gratitude as he tried to wipe the blood from his nose. I tossed him the hunk of bread and he caught it as he moved to my side.
“Tell Balthazar I hid it and if they want it they’re gonna have to get me out,” I muttered.
“I’m not leaving you here-” Pip began.
“Get out of here you idiot. The thieves will come for me but they’d leave you to rot. Just tell Balthazar I hid it all.”
“But-”
I aimed a kick at his ass and he yelped as he darted away from me.
“What now, low-life?” the Captain growled as he closed ranks with the other two guards.
The city bells were still ringing and reinforcements would be here at any moment. I looked left and right, trying to figure out a way to get out of this which didn’t end with me being tossed in the dungeons but the prospect seemed fairly bleak.
“Well,” I hedged as I started backing up. “We could put this down to a big misunderstanding and you could just let me go?”
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure that Pip had made it out into the street and my heart settled a little as he disappeared into the shadows. He’d make it back to the den. And if I couldn’t get myself out of this shit then I knew the others would come for me. Balthazar had seen those jewels. I was worth the effort even without adding them to the deal. But I’d rather not get caught if I could avoid it. Egos was gonna be mad enough with me as it was.
“How about you surrender and we won’t kill you?” Captain Marik snarled in response.
“I want him dead!” the Count interrupted, pointing at me. “This man defiled my wife! My beautiful flower! He forced her to-”
“That wasn’t me,” I said firmly. “Have you taken a good look at me? I could do a lot better than her - she should need a licence to be that ugly.”
The Count shrieked in outrage but the guards held him back.
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 1