Carved in Ice and Glass: A Snow White Fairy Tale Romance

11. The Hunter

Ifelt as if I’d been trampled by a dozen stallions. It wasn’t quite as painful as the slice of a dark fae’s claws, but it was pretty damn close.

Groaning, I sat up, wincing from the sharp throbbing in my head. Shivering bones, this headache was worse than the hangovers I’d get from faerie wine, back when I spent every night drinking myself into a stupor. That had been just after?—

I shut that thought down. I hadn’t reflected on those years in a long while. That certainly wasn’t about to change.

I still drank, just not as frequently, and in much smaller doses. A stiff drink didn’t keep one’s wits very well, and without my wits, I’d be dead.

I was in some sort of small circular cave, filled with cots and several piles of blankets and quilts. A dozen lights shone from the ceiling, glistening in purples and blues and greens. It didn’t take long for the memories to come flooding back.

The pixies. The princess. Her strange trickery with the blood bargain.

“Shit,” I muttered, staggering to my feet and clutching at my head again. Blood and ice, that pixie magic was a bitch.

But I had to get up. If the princess had fled because I’d passed out, I would never forgive myself.

A quick glance over my body had me cursing again. I’d been so sloshed I hadn’t even woken when someone had bathed me. I no longer reeked of dark fae blood, and I was wearing a fresh tan tunic and brown trousers.

Shaking off the disorientation, I snatched the leather coat left for me next to my bed, then stumbled past the empty cots along the cave floor and made my way out into the snow. The bitter cold nipped at my skin, but it was far better than the blizzard from the night before. At least the wind was gone, and there were no flurries to blur my vision.

As soon as I stepped out of the cave, I sucked in a sharp breath. With the air clear, I could see everything from this high up. Several pointed mountain tips formed a ridge line that descended until it met the gleaming pearly spires of the Taerin palace. The surrounding villages were capped with snow, and in the distance, I could make out the Gray Lake, which was frozen solid. Its marble surface reflected the light of the sun.

The Winter Court was breathtaking. I often forgot that.

“Ah, he lives,” grunted a familiar voice.

I paused and found Mauro the stag rising to his feet. He must have been resting just outside the cave.

My eyes narrowed. “Were you standing guard?” As if I were some sort of prisoner.

Mauro huffed. “We couldn’t have you running away in the dead of night, now, could we?”

I rolled my eyes. “If I came all the way to Knockspur to find the princess, what makes you think I would just flee when she’s still here?” I paused. “She is still here, isn’t she?” I hated how vulnerable my voice sounded and wished I could take the words back.

Mauro snorted as if laughing at me. “Of course she’s here. She’s just down the slope with the pixies.”

My mouth fell open. Eira was with the pixies? And she was still alive? It couldn’t be…

Without another word, I descended the slope, pausing frequently to steady myself along the slippery ice. Faint music resonated from downhill, no doubt from the pixies’ revelry. When I rounded the corner, I stopped.

A vibrant, jaunty tune was playing from some instruments I couldn’t see, and the entire crowd of pixies was dancing around the colorful fire still blazing in the center of the plateau.

It didn’t take me long to spot the princess. She stood almost a foot shorter than the pixies, and her pale white skin was like a translucent beacon amidst the colorful shades of the pixies’ flesh. She was near the fire, her body twisting and turning in rhythm to the music. Her arms lifted above her head, her wavy black hair tossed about with her movements. She had washed and changed out of her blood-stained clothes. Now she wore a light blue tunic with a leather corset cinched around the middle, her sleeves flowing and free. Just like her. Leather riding pants hugged her legs, accentuating her curves. Especially when she danced like that.

A wide smile lit her features, making her almost unrecognizable. I’d seen her smile, of course, but not like this. Not this carefree expression of freedom and release, without a care in the world. The grins I’d elicited from her had been calculated and taunting, like a mask she wore to protect herself.

But this was the true Eira. The persona she didn’t want me to see.

I stood there a moment, allowing myself to drink her in completely. This infuriating princess had surprised me in every way. Not just in outwitting me, but in facing the dark fae head-on and risking her life in a bargain to save mine.

She was nothing like what I’d pictured. When Calista had described her wayward stepdaughter, I’d expected a spoiled, belligerent princess intent on dividing the court and wreaking havoc. But here she stood, dancing among the pixies as if they were her dearest friends. Somehow, despite marching into a tribe that would see her as an enemy, she had turned them into allies.

“Like what you see, hunter?” drawled a voice.

I sighed and turned to find Frisk the fox grinning slyly at me. “Why are you still here?”

“I’ll never leave Snow’s side,” he said, lifting his chin in determination.

“I mean why are you and the princess still here? Why haven’t you left yet?”

“She has a bargain to fulfill.” Frisk’s whiskers twitched. “Much as I hate that she is tethered to you, of all people, Snow never goes back on her word.”

“If she’s fae, it’s because she has no choice,” I muttered.

“You know it’s more than that,” Frisk snapped. “She didn’t have to make a bargain to save your sorry ass, you know. That’s twice now she’s saved your life.”

“Twice?” I laughed.

“Yes, twice. She killed the dark fae, didn’t she?”

The smile slipped from my face, leaving a scowl in its place. I hated that Frisk was right. To be fair, she wouldn’t have been able to kill the creature without my help. But saying that now would only sound childish.

“We’ll need to get moving if we’re to make it down the mountains before the next blizzard hits,” I said, making my way toward the crowd of pixies. A few parted to let me pass, but most of them were unperturbed by my presence. One tall, pink pixie even drew close enough to grind against my backside, her giggles echoing in my ears. It took all of my restraint not to bury my dagger in her thigh. But I figured such actions wouldn’t be well received.

I reached the princess just as she twirled into my arms. Instinctively, I caught her against my chest, and she laughed loudly, raising her face to meet mine. She froze, her pale eyes still crinkled with delight, the joy etched into her face and gleaming in her gaze.

Slowly, her smile faded, and the light left her. She jerked away from me, clearing her throat and smoothing her palms along her tunic. “Hello, hunter,” she said stiffly. “I see you’ve recovered.”

A small part of me deflated at the sight of her so rigid and formal around me. The glow on her face had been much more preferable.

But I’d never admit that.

“I am,” I said gruffly.

An awkward silence fell between us. Her eyes fixed on mine, her chin lifted in defiance, as if she refused to look away first. I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling chagrined.

“I, uh, owe you thanks,” I muttered. “For bargaining for me.”

“Yes, well, I can’t fulfill my terms with you if you’re dead, now, can I?”

I frowned at that. “If I die, our bargain is nullified.”

“I still need you to get me into the palace.”

“Ah, yes. This palace you grew up in and likely know all the passages leading into. And you need the help of me, the assassin everyone at the palace recognizes, to sneak you in without notice.”

She glared at me. “What’s your point?”

“I don’t think you need me at all. I think you can get in yourself.” My body shifted so I angled myself closer to her. She instinctively leaned away from me, and I grinned. “I think there’s something else you need me for. Something you’re not telling me.”

To my delight, a blush spread across her face. “I don’t…” She hissed out a breath, gritting her teeth.

Ah. I’d caught her. She was going to insist I was incorrect, that she wasn’t planning something else for me… but she couldn’t lie.

“Careful, princess,” I said, lifting a hand to her face and dragging a knuckle along the length of her jaw. “You wouldn’t want to say something you’ll regret.”

Her eyes flashed, her nostrils flaring. The flush deepened in her cheeks, and I reveled in the victory of unsettling her. But something heated stirred in those pale blue eyes, and she didn’t pull away from my touch. Her breathing turned sharp and heavy, and I realized we were so close that our chests were flush against each other. I could feel her heart beating rapidly against mine. With the music pulsing around us and the bodies of the pixies pressing in, we were jostled even closer together, more points of contact flaring into awareness as her thighs pressed against mine. Her breath tickled my face. That alluring pine scent filled my nose. I was consumed by her, those silvery blue eyes, the raven black hair that fell in waves, framing her smooth, alabaster skin…

“He lives!” roared a voice nearby, jolting me from my hazy thoughts.

Eira and I sprang apart as a male pixie with orange skin clapped me on the shoulder, laughing raucously. “The queen’s magic is powerful indeed. You must feel rejuvenated, boy.”

“Yes,” I grunted. “I feel like a new man.”

The pixie only laughed again.

“Tell the queen we thank her for her hospitality,” Eira said, all formal and polite as if she hadn’t been dancing wildly just a moment ago. “But we must take our leave.”

The orange pixie inclined his head. “Of course, princess. The queen will be expecting to correspond with you quite soon.” The way his dark eyes glittered made this sound more like a threat than a promise.

“I expect to as well.” Eira nodded at the pixie and shuffled her way out of the crowd without a second glance at me.