Chapter The Hunter #2
I hated this. I hated working for a queen who was so cruel and murderous. But I had no choice. Thanks to my father, I was trapped in a contract with her.
No, I firmly told myself. You will not think about that horrible man.
Ever since my father died, I vowed never to think of him again.
He wasn’t worth it.
I pushed him from my mind and swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, I tried to prepare myself for my turn to face the queen.
When the floor was spotless once more, Calista’s dark eyes fixed on me. “Come, Theron.”
I obediently strode forward until I stood where Hector had been moments before. I could still smell his blood and sweat in the air.
“Report,” she commanded.
I briefly went over the details of my mission, explaining how I killed Sir Ethan Bloodwright without being spotted or suspected.
“I’m impressed, Theron,” Calista said, her thin eyebrows lifted and her blood-red lips curling into the cruel smile I knew so well. “You’ve never completed an assignment this quickly before. You must be anxious to take your leave.”
Queen Calista often teased me, trying to get under my skin, but I never acquiesced. Years of hunting and killing had taught me how to brush off the pointed barbs of an opponent.
“But I must admit,” she went on when I made no response, “I’m a bit disappointed. You did not bring me the man’s heart, as I requested.”
“He was not alone, my queen. To stay and carve out his heart would have exposed me to witnesses and jeopardized the mission.”
Calista’s lips grew even thinner until they practically disappeared into her face.
Her sharp, angular cheekbones gave her quite a skeletal look as she surveyed me.
She almost resembled a terrifying fae beast. But the pointed ears that supported her glistening silver crown marked her as a full-blooded seelie fae.
“I understand the risk,” she said coldly as she rose from her throne, her midnight blue skirts swishing behind her. Along the walls, several of her most trusted guards straightened as if sensing the lethal edge to her voice.
I sensed it, too. I went perfectly still, treating the queen as the predator she was.
“If there were witnesses, they might have marked you as a member of my court,” Calista went on, drawing closer to me.
I stood more than a head taller than her, but her powerful presence still made my skin quiver.
“And we can’t have that. However…” Her sharp eyes drilled into me.
“There is another solution that I’m shocked you didn’t consider. ”
“You mean killing the witness,” I said impassively.
She smirked again. “Yes. You are, after all, a killer. And a good one at that. It’s why I have you in my employ.”
If she only knew the witness had been a human.
Humans were lesser than dirt, especially in the queen’s eyes.
She would have been outraged to know I had let one live.
“The witness was not my target,” I said.
“If you wanted me to kill Sir Ethan and any surrounding civilians, you should have specified.”
The queen went rigid, her eyes flaring with rage.
Shit. Too late, I realized my mistake. I bowed my head in subservience, sinking to my knees before her.
But the damage had been done. Even the soldiers lining the walls shifted their weight in discomfort.
“Give me your hand, Theron,” the queen whispered, her voice soft and dangerous.
I extended my wrist obediently, my body stiff with apprehension. I clenched my teeth hard as one of her long fingernails struck the back of my hand, drawing blood. Pain burst within my skin as my blood boiled from the contact. My magic swelled, rising to my defense, but I pushed it down.
This was a fight I would not win.
Calista lifted her hand, surveying the drop of my blood coating her nail. “Such a small drop yields so much power,” she mused, bringing her finger to her mouth and sucking the droplet. She smacked her lips and shot me a feral grin.
Agony exploded within me, coursing mercilessly through my veins. I cried out, my limbs going stiff, my back bowing under the intensity of her power. Darkness filled my vision, and I groaned, my arms shaking. Her magic sliced into my bones, my organs, my very soul…
“I own you, Theron,” the queen hissed. “Your blood belongs to me. Never forget that.”
With a wave of her hand, she released her hold on me, and I crumpled to the marble floor, panting and covered in sweat. I struggled to catch my breath as she resumed her perch on her throne.
“I apologize, my queen,” I rasped, slowly rising to my feet, my chest heaving. “I am at your complete disposal.”
“That’s right,” she said smugly. “For your insolence, I require one last assignment from you.”
My nostrils flared. She wouldn’t—she couldn’t—
“Ah, I see the look of defiance on that handsome face,” she crooned, the delight in her eyes revealing just how much she enjoyed my torment.
“You think I mean to break my bargain with you. But I believe the official wording of our deal was, ‘If you bring me Sir Ethan’s heart, then you will be free to take your leave for the season.’ So, our bargain is not fulfilled, as you refused to bring me his heart. ”
I stilled, digging through my memories to recall the exact terms of our bargain.
Shivering bones, she was right. The agreement was for me to bring her his heart. How could I have been so foolish?
If I had made a verbal vow to do so, I would be dead right now. The fae magic would have claimed my life as soon as I’d left Sir Ethan in the woods. Luckily, only Calista had spoken the words.
Which now meant she was no longer bound to let me take my leave.
Calista laughed, her smile widening to reveal her perfectly white teeth. I was half surprised she didn’t have fangs glistening with my blood.
“Who is the target?” I asked tightly.
“Princess Eira. My stepdaughter.”
My eyes widened. “The Snow Princess?” I’d never met the princess, as she had been banished years ago.
But there were whispers of how she had been cast out for wreaking havoc among the court after King Judas died.
The people still spoke of the Snow Princess and how she lived in the frost itself, always disappearing before anyone could find her.
Calista’s smile vanished, her eyes full of fury.
“Yes. The exiled princess. She continues to cause disturbances in the lower towns, rounding up human rebels for her cause. Riots, brawls, thievery… Her latest exploits left the village of Raya burned to the ground. But she’s crafty and has managed to evade even my most skilled soldiers.
” She shot a glare toward the guards lining the wall, as if they were directly to blame for this.
“This has gone on long enough,” she continued. “You must find and eliminate her before her crimes escalate and she starts a civil war among my people.”
“Can you not command her with her blood?” I asked. As the queen’s stepdaughter, surely the Snow Princess’s blood would be among her stores, just like mine. That was how her magic worked—all she needed was a single drop to control someone.
Calista’s nostrils flared. “She is too far for my magic to reach her.”
My eyebrows lifted. Clever princess.
Calista leaned forward, bracing her arms on the gilded edges of her throne. “Do not fail me, Theron. I must have her heart. Agree to this bargain, and you will be permanently released from my service.”
My mouth fell open in blatant surprise, my calm facade shattering.
We had originally agreed on just the storm season.
Holed up in the mountains, I would have been undisturbed in my cabin, as it was dangerous to travel during a snowstorm, and the queen would have been limited in her dealings as well.
But permanently? Could she truly continue without my services?
“You mean, I will be released from my contract?” I clarified. I needed her to say the exact words.
“Yes. You will no longer be in my employ. I trust the generous funds you have received from me over the years will be enough for you to live comfortably for quite a while.” The knowing gleam in her eyes indicated she knew just how enticing this reward was for me.
She knew how much I hated being her weapon.
And she was right. I did have enough funds saved to live comfortably for the rest of my life.
“I will not be labeled a traitor to the crown?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. It seemed like something she would do, to free me from my debts only to turn around and hunt me to the ends of the earth.
Calista laughed. “You are clever, my fearsome hunter. I swear on my life and my crown that when you are released from my service, you will have no obligations to me or this court, and you will be labeled a free and respected citizen, provided you continue to abide by my laws.”
“And my blood?”
The smile vanished from her face. “What about your blood?”
I knew she had a vial of it stored away for emergencies, in case I decided to betray her.
This time, it was my turn to smirk at her.
Did she really think I would agree to a bargain that only teased me with the illusion of freedom?
No, if I was to be truly free of her, she could no longer hold on to my blood. “I’ll be wanting that back.”
Her nostrils flared. “Once blood goes into my vault, it does not come out.”
“I will never be truly free as long as you have it,” I countered. The pain of her magic would be more potent if the blood was fresh, but even a supply of my old blood would be powerful enough to cause severe damage.
I didn’t know if my cabin in the mountains was far enough away to escape her reach. And I didn’t want to test those limits.
Calista’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment. “Very well. Upon your release, I will also relinquish all of your blood to you.”
Shivering bones, she’d actually agreed to it. I didn’t think she would. Her hold on me was iron-clad as long as she had that vial. This bargain told me just how much she needed this assignment done—and done quickly.
She was desperate. Desperate enough to let go of her most skilled assassin. My brain worked furiously to come up with some kind of loophole in her terms, but I couldn’t find one. Still, I said nothing. This felt too easy.
Her eyebrows rose at my hesitation. Before she could revoke the terms of our bargain, I blurted, “I accept. I will bring you Princess Eira’s heart in exchange for freedom from my duties to you and the crown, as well as any amount of my blood that you still possess.”
“Very good.” Calista waved an idle hand. “Now, be on your way. I’m certain you’ll want to get started right away. After all, Princess Eira will be a difficult target to locate.” Her mouth widened in a satisfied smile. “Probably your most challenging assignment yet.”
I sketched a quick bow before departing the throne room. Each step sent a quiver of pain up my legs—an echo of the torture the queen had inflicted on me.
But it didn’t matter. That would be the last time she would ever hurt me.
Because, challenging or not, I would kill the Snow Princess.