Sneaky Snow White (Dark Fairy Tale Queen Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

would do anything for me?”
    He shakes his head. “Please don’t ask it of me.”
    “You didn’t see her, Hunter. She said she would rip out my heart with her fingers. If you don’t do this for me, I’m as good as dead! Do you want that?”
    “No, but… killing her will also kill the baby.”
    I forgot about that. I think for a moment. “Aim high. The baby will be fine. Once Cinderella is dead, we can get it out of her.”
    Hunter leans back, horrified.
    I exhale impatiently. “Haven’t you ever gutted a deer? I know you have, this is no different. You are a hunter, Hunter. Hunt her!”
    Hunter looks away from me. I feel bad at how conflicted he looks; the poor boy is too sensitive. I will have to be brave for both of us.
    “I think the queen is misunderstood,” he says. “Can’t we just destroy The Mirror?”
    “Yes, we can. But Cinderella goes first, I’m not backing down on that. If you love me as you say, you will protect me. Do you love me, Hunter?”
    Hunter’s leaning on his knees, his head bowed. His rakes his fingers through his thick, dark hair. Then, with his eyes closed, he gently nods his head.

~*~ 11 ~*~
     
    Hunter and I make our plans to kill the queen. We will meet at the well at sundown. Hunter is going to bring me some clothes, something more practical than my poufy white gown. I have to show him the entrance to the secret passage that leads inside the castle. From there he will go on alone. The guards, I suspect, will be under orders to kill me on sight. I will return to the tower and wait for Hunter there.
    I’m thrilled to learn Hunter didn’t know about the tower. He has seen the cave but never went in, since caves are not considered safe places to explore. That means our tower is well hidden. I tell Hunter about my plans to turn it into a home for us, but he doesn’t seem to be listening. I can tell he’s nervous about what he has to do.
    He presses me against him before he leaves; kisses me between my eyebrows. He lends me a hunting knife from his belt, since I dropped my pretty dagger when I attacked Cinderella. Once he’s gone, I head back to the tower, noting landmarks along the way. I need to memorize how to find this place.
    I grab apples off the trees and eat them as I go. Oh my stars, I’m so hungry. I think about the Love Apple. Cinderella won’t make it for me now, which worries me. I need that apple for me and Hunter.
    A Love Apple, according to the spell book, will grant everlasting happiness to you and your lover. It will keep your love as fresh and magical as when it first blossomed, never letting your hearts grow weary, like those of an old married couple. And it prevents your lover from ever straying to someone else. Both of you must bite the apple to complete the spell. And then you live happily ever after.
    I grope my way through the cave again and return to the meadow with the tower. My heart is much lighter now. Soon I’ll be rid of Old Cinders and the darkness she brought into my life. I explore the clearing for a while and discover some raspberry bushes at the edge of the forest, and a bit further back, a shallow stream. I cup my hands and drink the cold water, then wash the dry blood off my arm. I will try to clean up the tower next, though it won’t be easy without a broom. I need to make things suitable for the baby.
    I can’t help smiling as I think about it. That baby is the only thing Cinderella cares about. And I’m going to take it from her. So in a way, I’m doing to her what she wanted to do to me. I am ripping out her heart.

~*~ 12 ~*~
     
    Hunter, always early, is waiting for me when I return to the well. He’s got a leather pack slung over his shoulder and from it he draws a simple gray dress. “It was my mother’s. But I think it will fit you.”
    “Thank you!” I take the dress and slip behind the broad trunk of an oak, to change. It’s a much more sensible dress than the white – at least the skirt isn’t three feet wide. I