The Hunt for Snow (8 page)

Even knowing this would surely come back to bite me later, I pulled out my Sig and clicked the cocker. The sound of the hammer being pulled back caught her attention, and as she turned I noted with satisfaction the flicker of surprise over her face until she replaced it with her usual cool mask of indifference. I moved forward swiftly through the tables until I stood just a couple of feet away. I was a helluva good shot. I wouldn’t miss. We both knew it.

A collective gasp of shock rounded the room, and murmured whispers about what the hell I was holding in my hand made it to my ears. When Naomi’s brain exploded across their fancy china, they wouldn’t care what it was, but they’d know I meant business. I held the gun at eye-level, pointed at her face. “Leave Gerald alone,” I said, my tone brooking no argument.

Naomi stepped away from the table. “You think a weapon will protect you against my magic?”

I grinned and saw her mask of confidence slip. “Yup.” I waggled my eyebrows. “Unless you can conjure your magic to travel a couple of thousand miles per hour, the odds are you’ll have a bullet in your brain way before you even think about firing off one of your fancy spells.”

The room was tense, but I was confident. I’d trained for this, damn it, against some of the best people in the world. They might not be magical, but they didn’t have to be. We weren’t immortals; we were merely more than humans. Harder to hurt because many of us possessed magic, but not impossible to kill. The smile held firm on my face as I watched Naomi’s mind work furiously to think of a solution that still involved killing Gerald but not taking a bullet herself.

“It’s not going to happen,” I said. “You walk away now, and I give you my word I’ll let you live. If you raise one finger against Gerald or anyone else in this room, I’ll riddle your body with holes and throw your body into the closest pit I can find.”

The sound of one person clapping rang out in the back of the room, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet room. I flinched, but held the gun steady. Seconds later, the sound of a second person clapping rang out, then a third. A fourth, and soon the entire room rang out with roars of approval and the sound of hundreds of people clapping. Goosebumps ran down my skin, but still the gun remained trained on her. Anger bloomed on Naomi’s face, redness spreading across her cheeks and down her neck.

“If you stand against me now, there will be no forgiveness when we return home,” she said, but no one except me heard her. She stood up straighter and raised her voice. “Do you hear me?” she shouted. No one acknowledged her. “I will slaughter all of you!” she screeched, as the mask of cool and calm melted away, leaving behind the stench of her insecurity.

I didn’t smile this time. It was heartbreaking to see her laid bare. She smoothed down her hair. “I hope you know what you’ve done, Snow. I’ll see you burned at the stake for this, and when I’m done I’ll make sure your lands, your subjects and your castle lies in ruin.”

I kept my face blank. “I know exactly what I’ve done. I’m taking my kingdom back.”

We stared at each other, her gaze unsure and mine deadly. Without a word, she spun around, threw her hands up in the air in a defiant gesture of red smoke and magic. When the smoke cleared, Naomi was gone.

I lowered my gun, trying to hide the shaking in my hands.

“Bloody brilliant!” someone screamed.

A firm hand enclosed itself around my elbow. “How about some wine, superhero?” Belle gave my elbow a squeeze and led me back to our table. The applause was deafening to my ears, and I was unsure how to react. I settled for a lame wave and a wan smile. As soon as I sat down, Red handed me a glass and clinked it with her own.

“Cheers to the first person in ten damn years who had the balls to stand up to that wicked witch.”

The sound of a throat clearing clued me in to the fact that Max was still sitting at the table. Suddenly I was bone-deep weary. “I think Naomi meant to take her flying monkeys back with her, so shoo.” I made a gesture with my hands at him.

He did that one eyebrow thing, but I didn’t miss the flash of red that traced across his iris. “Always so glib, Snow?” He stood and gestured to the queen’s guards to follow him. He motioned for them to go ahead, and as he started to walk away, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I like women with guns. Meet me in my room at midnight.” He slipped a keycard in the back of my waistband, away from the curious gaze of my friends.

I said nothing, but I watched him walk away.

I was gone, gone, gone. Most girls would love to get invited back to a hotel room. I was terrified I’d open the door and get blown away by an IED. Max was that big of a sick fuck.

But God help me, I still wanted to meet him.

Maleficent soon came over to the table and kneeled down by me. Despite her unsavory reputation, I kind of liked her. She was bad in a very gray way, so I tended to understand her more than most. Plus, she wasn’t a gratuitous murderer or bitchy. She was quite funny in a dark Quentin Tarantino way.

She smiled at me, and I was struck again by how damn gorgeous everyone was around here. It gave a girl a complex. “Would you like me to ward the ballroom against unwanted return company?”

I thought about it for exactly a second. “Well, hell yeah. You can do that?”

“Child…” she said as she stood up to her full six-foot height. “I’ve been wanting to ward against that bitch for a decade. It will be my pleasure.” She projected her voice across the room. “Not to fear, my friends, I’m warding the room so we can enjoy our dinner. You will be safe as long as you remain inside. Once you cross back out, your life is in your hands.”

She cast her arms out to the side, and deep, purple black magic poured out through her fingers and sealed over all the doors, vents and entrance points in the entire room. A thin veil of shimmer remained once Maleficent released her power. Applause burst out again, and she bowed once in good humor. “Eat well and hearty, my friends.” She gave me a sly glance. “For tomorrow we will undoubtedly be at war.”

She glided back over to her table without looking at me. I was unsettled because there was truth in her words. Pulling the gun on Naomi was to openly declare war on her. I had no choice but to take my kingdom back now. From the unsettled murmurs in the room, others were beginning to realize it too. Cyndi looped an arm around my neck and pulled me close. “It was time, Snow. It’s right. We got this shit.”

I snorted and then took a long sip of my wine. I could do nothing but enjoy this night. I was among friends and loved ones again. I studied the people in the room, so many whom I used to know so many years ago. Smiles of joy lit many of the faces. My gaze lingered on Robin at the next table. He raised his glass at me, mouthed
I’m proud
, and gave me a wink before he turned back to his flavor of the night.

I shook my head. Rapunzel was about to get her heart broken. But I didn’t feel sorry for her. Everyone knew she would never be as good as Belle. Was that bitchy? Umm, yes. Was it true? Yep. Belle sat, leaned back in her seat, and I watched her try not to trail Robin’s every move.

“For Christ’s sake,” I muttered under my breath. It was hard to watch my normally steely friend reduced to high school flustered looks and angst. She was doing a good job at hiding it, but I’d known her way too long not to know her jig was up. Once all this craziness was over, and I was no longer under the threat of certain death, I planned on getting those two together under false pretenses, taking away anything they could stab each other with, and locking them in a closet until I either heard murder sounds or screams of pleasure.

This was the Longest. Day. Ever. I couldn’t wait to collapse face-first on my nice soft bed and get comatose quick. Thoughts of Max drifted through my horrible brain, and I wanted to forget his offer, but the hard plastic of his hotel room key stabbed against the skin of my back making it all but impossible not to think about him. Fortunately, the servers came out then, bearing gifts of delicious goodness. My stomach growled, and I felt my mouth water. I was starving.

The atmosphere in the room lightened once food was on the table. The sounds of happy chatter filtered through my ears, giving me a lightness I hadn’t felt in awhile. Cyndi and Red were cracking up over something, and everywhere I looked I saw joy. It was a nice feeling.

I opened up the lid on my plate, delighted to see roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with brown gravy and Goselberries. I felt a delighted smile break across my face. “Goselberries,” I said to no one in particular. “Holy crap, Goselberries.” I felt myself get suspiciously sniffly, so I bowed my head for a moment to get myself under control.

Belle reached over and patted me on the back. “It’s okay to get emotional,” she said with a smile in her voice. “They really are that good.”

I wanted to hug those berries. “I love these,” I said in a choked voice. Belle reached over, grabbed her own plate and scraped her Goselberries onto my plate. I gave her a watery smile and dug in, the ripe fruit bursting with sweetness on my tongue. Found only in the Enchanted Forest, the only thing I could use to describe them was just think of what would happen if a blueberry and a strawberry had a rock star love child. I moaned my pleasure and scraped another forkful into my mouth.

I missed these. Horribly. Yet another reason to go back. After eating an embarrassing amount of berries and almost licking my plate clean, the sound of music began trickling in from somewhere. Magically inclined, I was sure. Bright white light filtered in through the room and all the tables and chairs in the room shifted gently. I held on to the table to keep from falling out of my seat and laughed out loud. Someone was making room for a dance floor and didn’t want to waste time with everyone getting up and moving. I was the only one with a visible reaction. Everyone else was so used to it that the majority kept eating without even flinching. Cyndi and Belle looked a bit surprised, but they got their bearing back almost right away.

The table descended gently about ten feet away from where we first sat, and now we were sitting close to Robin, Rapunzel, and the rest of the fairies. Belle would be thrilled once she noticed. A small amount of couples left their chairs and headed to the dance floor, swaying to music that sounded Celtic, but was unique to the Forest. Tears pricked the back of my eyes. I recognized this song. My father used to play it for me while my mother was still alive.

I watched for a while, content and feeling safe under Maleficent’s warding. I checked my watch discreetly and noticed it was already close to midnight. I was tired. And curious about Max. I made my excuses to the table and stood. Everyone was concerned about me leaving the ward, but I put their fears at ease once I revealed how heavily I was armed.

Belle looked heavenward and let out a frustrated breath. “We can’t take you anywhere,” she said, but her lips twitched with good humor. “Be careful,” she said in all seriousness. “We won’t be too far behind you.”

I didn’t mention my plans to slip by Max’s room. I nodded and left them sitting there. As I began to walk out of the ballroom, the applause rang out again, and chants of, “Hail, Queen Snow” followed me out the door.

No pressure.

My skin tingled as I passed through the ward. Strong, deep magic I had become unaccustomed to since I’ve been on Earth. I squared my shoulders, looked around for Naomi and her henchman and began to walk with speed in the direction of the elevators. I slipped Max’s keycard out of my waistband and saw his room number scrawled in masculine writing on the back of it.

I drew in a breath. Was I going to do this? More important, was I insane? I stood in front of the elevators, my finger hovering over the up button and thought
yes
to both questions. I could take care of myself physically. My heart was a different story, and it was the one making the decision here.

I stabbed the button, my heart beating in a crazy samba, and entered as the doors slid open a few moments later. It was empty. I kept my attention at laser focus this time, just in case someone thought it would be fun to ambush me. I hit the 6th floor button and bit my lip as the elevator slowly ascended. When the doors slid open, I stood there petrified for a moment, only to step through as soon as the doors started to close. I glanced down at my watch. 11:58. Two minutes left to back out.

Could this be an ambush? Yep. I took my first slow steps to room 646, looking carefully around the hall for a trap. Once I stopped in front of his door, I raised my hand to knock, but he opened the door before I could connect, causing me to squeak in fear.

He leaned against the doorjamb, one arm resting against it. And dear baby Jesus, he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Unnggh,” I said.

He smirked.

I coughed, cleared my throat, and tried again. “Max,” I said, trying not to giggle hysterically.

In response, one of his arms shot out and he pulled me into his room. I felt a second of terrifying fear, but suddenly his hands were all over me, pulling my pretty fuchsia shirt out of my pants and spanning the width of my bare waist with his large warm hands.

Okay. So it was probably a good sign he hadn’t tried to stab me yet.

“Snow,” he murmured against my ear. “Maleficent warded my room tonight. I have freedom from Naomi for the first time in years. Until the morning.”

He raised his head and looked at me. For the first time I saw complete lucidity. And heat. And something else I was too afraid to name. “Does she know?” I whispered.

He shook his head, his throat working. If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was nervous. “Maleficent spelled the door to allow you entrance.”

I stiffened, not sure how I felt about her knowing my business. “Relax,” he whispered, “she is trustworthy. Once the door is opened again, the ward will fall.”

His words struck home with me, and my heartbeat picked up even faster. “You’re asking me to stay with you,” I said, knowing no question was necessary. His intentions were clear.

“For tonight.” His hands rested in hesitation, his thumbs just brushing the undersides of my breasts. “Please.”

My good intentions warred with my sense of self preservation. But the look on his face told me he was telling the truth. The telltale flicker of magic behind his eyes was gone. He looked natural…like just Max. I could see no evil lurking on his face, no traps or lies.

He saw my hesitation. “If you open the door and walk out, the ward will fall and my respite will be over. We don’t have to do anything you don’t wish to do, my lady.” His hands fell away from my waist and my shirt fell down, disheveled, but I was covered. His lips hovered close to mine. “But if you do want to do the same thing I want to do, I will make it well worth your while.”

I blinked. This was the devil’s bargain. “And what of tomorrow?” I asked, moving my head a hairsbreadth closer to his lips.

“Do not worry of tomorrow, fair Snow. For tonight, I am a man who only wishes to love you.”

“You tricked me,” I said, but with no real heat in my words. As the slow heated smile began to form on those lips so close to mine, I closed the distance. He crushed me against his chest, his lips warm and soft against my own.

I moaned in pleasure. This was just…Max. No crazy, heated psycho moments, although as much as it pained me I had to admit those were hot. But, this was just as good. His hands found their way to the top button of my shirt, moving quick, but it was a new shirt and the buttonholes were stiff. He made a sound of frustration, and the sound of silk ripping and buttons pinging against the floor and television made me so hot I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my fingers into his hair, never losing contact with his lips.

“Jesus,” he whispered. He staggered over to the bed and fell on top of me as gently as he could. “Since the day I saw you I’ve wanted to do this.” He pushed the ripped shirt down my shoulders, fingering the strap of my bra and pushing that down too.

I writhed under him, my legs still wrapped around him tightly. He pushed the cup of my bra down and took my breast between his teeth, working the nipple gently. Heat bloomed in my chest as he laved it with his tongue. I couldn’t even think, couldn’t do anything except whisper his name. He lifted my back up gently, never breaking contact with me, and pulled the shirt off and unfastened my bra with skills I didn’t want to examine too much for fear it would break the spell I was under. But one out of place thought did that for me.

He didn’t know I was a virgin.

I pushed at his head. “Max,” I whispered. He didn’t acknowledge me, only turned his attention to my other breast, and I almost lost my nerve to tell him. “Max,” I said, this time louder. He looked up at me as he released my breast. I wanted to weep.

“Please don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts.” He groaned as he sat up.

I laughed hoarsely. “Hardly. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

He blinked. “Now?”

I snorted. “Yes.” I looked down at my hands, nervous at being so bare in front of him. I reached over for the remnants of my shirt, but his hands stilled mine.

“What is it?” he asked, serious now.

“I’ve never been with a man before.” I spat it out and it lay like an anvil between us.

The look on his face was priceless. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. “Never?”

“Never,” I confirmed.

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair. “Jesus. I—I’m so sorry, Snow. You must think I’m an animal.”

I laid a hand on his tan arm. “Hardly. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

A surprised expression lit his face. “Truly?”

I nodded. “Truly.” I looked away. “I just didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

He laughed, ragged and harsh. “Christ, Snow. You were about to give me the greatest gift a woman could ever give a man, and you thought I’d judge you?”

I smiled at him then, my heart lighter and in deep, deep trouble. “About to? I hope to still give it to you.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he bowed his head. “I do not deserve this, Snow. Think long and hard before you give up something like that to the likes of me. Naomi—she makes me do things, and you are not safe around me. This,” he waved a hand around the room, “is a temporary gift given to me. Tomorrow I will be hunting for you again, the urge to murder you almost too strong to ignore.”

I tilted his chin up. “But tonight, you are just Max. And I am just Snow.” I threaded my fingers in his and pulled him closer. “Tonight, just teach me to love. We can worry about tomorrow when it gets here.”

He stared at me, so much emotion shining on his face for me. He pulled me against him, his fingers threading through my hair for a long few moments. “Aye,” he finally whispered, “but remember this, Snow, there will never be another woman for me.” He pushed my head away and held it in his hands as he forced me to look at him. “Remember me tonight. Remember me this way, for it is me. For you are the girl who has haunted my dreams for a decade, Snow. Thoughts of your wicked black hair and azure eyes have lulled me to sleep for far too long. This is a precious gift, and even in my darkest hour I shall not forget it.” He ran a finger over my lip and slowly leaned in for a soft kiss full of promise.

I spent the night in the Huntsman’s arms. I knew that even in my darkest hours I would never forget the feel of him, never forget the taste of him on my lips, and never forget the look in his eyes as he hovered over me and claimed me as his own.

It was eight a.m. and I was doing my very first walk of shame back to my room. I was deliciously sore and satisfied. My skin burned at the thought of what Max taught me last night. I felt my cheeks flush at how many times he made me scream with pleasure. But this morning was excruciating. For the first time I cried, and begged him to see if there was a way out of his compulsion.

Max clammed up then and told me the compulsion was necessary because Naomi held something precious of his. No matter how I tried, he would not divulge what it was. This, of course, made me even more determined to find out. I left his room, tears trailing down my face, and the imprint of his lips against mine burning with goodbye.

I trudged back to my room, again checking the elevator for crazy birds. Once I slipped the keycard in, I cringed at the reaction I was bound to get from Cyndi and Belle. They were probably sick with worry. I pushed the door open, walked around the corner, and saw both of them still in their pajamas grinning like crazy people at me.

That was…disconcerting. I raised one hand in greeting, knowing I wasn’t getting away with anything. I was wearing my slacks from the night before and Max’s black T-shirt, so large it fell to my knees. I would never, never, never give it back.

Cyndi waved and motioned to the coffee pot. “You’ve got thirty seconds to pour a cup and come over here and tell us all about it.”

My mouth dropped open in surprise. “Maleficent told us when we couldn’t find you last night. Don’t worry, dirty girl,” Belle said, “your pervy little secret is safe with us.”

I sighed, dropped my purse on the floor, and poured myself a cup of deep dark coffee. I added cream and sugar and let it sit for a moment while I rummaged through my suitcase for a pair of lounge shorts. I whipped off my slacks, slipped into my shorts and felt about a hundred percent better. I grabbed my cup, sat Indian-style on the bed facing my two best friends and told them as much detail as I could without being gross.

“Wow,” Belle said with surprise. “Who knew Maleficent was such a humanitarian?”

Cyndi chuckled. “She is an interesting one, that’s for sure. But she gave you two a phenomenal gift, Snow. I would be sure to thank her.”

I nodded and sipped my coffee. “I plan to do more than that.” My thoughts roamed over my weapons armory back home and I grinned. I knew something that would be perfect for Maleficent. “Cyndi, I’d like to make a wish.”

The first session didn’t begin until noon, thank goodness. Once we’d finished gossiping and drinking copious amounts of coffee, I showered, and all of us scrambled to get dressed and finalize our schedules. I was still on the fence about attending anything, especially after last night’s debacle, but Cyndi and Belle were surprisingly unafraid about things.

If they weren’t scared of Naomi’s wrath, then I guess I shouldn’t be either. I pulled on a black pencil skirt, frowning the entire time, and noticed Cyndi’s sheepish look. “I promised your suitcase would be here today. I’ll make sure it is.”

I nodded, sucked in my slight belly pooch and zipped up the skirt. I looked good, but carrying a gun was going to be hard. I’d have to put it in my waistband again and hope I could still sit down. I slipped on a green sleeveless shirt, buttoned it up, and then stared at the cardigan Cyndi had lying across the back of one of the room chairs.

“Can I borrow that? I might get chilly in the conference.” I was lying. I wanted to slide my shoulder holster on and cover it up with the cardigan. That way I could carry my piece and not worry about getting the hairy eyeball from the hotel staff. Cyndi nodded, distracted in the mirror while twisting her hair into submission.

I did a silent fist pump, discreetly got my deep conceal holster out of the luggage, slid it on, and then put the cardigan on over it. My Sig fit perfectly tight against the side of my waist, and the cardigan was roomy enough to conceal it. I took a quick glance in the mirror, swiped on some mascara and lip-gloss, and took the blow dryer to my hair to tame it into some semblance of style.

Once everyone was ready, we headed out the door for a quick bite before our first class. I was scheduled for the Mythical Beings class, and as good as it would be to freshen up on my lore, the threat of Naomi’s deadline loomed over me and made it difficult to think of anything else. I now had less than sixty hours to find a portal back to the Enchanted Forest so I could reset the clock on the antiquated laws my father had in place. Once I was queen, those laws would be rewritten to prevent something like this in the future.

After a quick brunch of omelets and steak, we all split up to head out to our classes. The hotel was crowded and noisy, which surprised me. Everyone was going on about their business as if the disturbing incident last night never happened. They were all either extremely brave or too used to Naomi to care anymore. I wasn’t used to her, so I was hyper-aware of my surroundings, making sure I paid attention to the signs of her magic, and although I didn’t want to admit it, also for signs of Max. As much as it pained me to think about, today he would not be the same man.

I piled into the elevator with about twelve other people. Once the doors slipped closed, a short, pretty woman with wild brown hair and friendly green eyes spoke to me. “Princess Snow,” she said with reverence, “we hope to see you home very soon.” All the other people in the elevator nodded. “And,” she leaned toward me and in a conspiratorial whisper said, “the best person to open a portal around here is Maleficent, but her price might be too high. If you don’t want her, look out for Strega Sophia. She’s not as scary.”

I stifled my laugh. Maleficent did cut a magnificently terrifying figure, but I thought it was exaggerated just to keep people from screwing with her. I thought I’d probably feel better about going to her. If Cyndi made good on her word today, I’d have something to take to her to thank her for what she did for Max last night. I nodded, making sure I kept a properly somber expression on my face, and told everyone I’d do my best.