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

feel as cute as a little peasant maiden.
    When I return, Hunter is holding his elbows and frowning. “I’ve thought of a problem. If we kill the queen, who will rule the kingdom? You’ll have to do it, you’re next in line. Which means we can’t live in that tower.”
    “I don’t want to rule the kingdom,” I say firmly. “It never makes anyone happy. Let the people find a new ruler among themselves.”
    “It will throw our land into chaos.”
    “Oh Hunter, now you’re stalling. None of this changes the fact that we have to kill Cinderella, or she will kill me. The rest will sort itself out.”
    Hunter sighs. I give him a comforting hug and rub his back. I wish I could go with him, to help him be brave. But it’s far too dangerous.
    “So where is this secret passage?” he asks.
    I point to the well behind us. “Right here.”
    Hunter stares at me in disbelief.
    I giggle. “It is! It starts in the dungeons below the castle and ends here at the well. It was built as an escape route for the royal family in case they were under attack. But those who know how can also use it to get into the castle.” I beckon him to the side of the well that has crumbled down. We crouch on the dirt and peer inside. Much of the well’s inner shaft is grown over with ivy, so it’s hard to see far. “Look there.” I point to the far side of the shaft. “There’s an iron rung built into the wall, like the step of a ladder. Do you see it?”
    Hunter nods.
    “There are more of them. You can climb down. Now, once you’re at the bottom, it’ll be tricky. There’s a tiny door, about half your height, made to look like the wall. You’ll have to crouch and push until it opens for you. From there the passage leads straight to the castle.”
    “And what do I do about the guards?”
    I hesitate. I know what I’d do if I had a crossbow and came face-to-face with those cowards who did nothing to help me yesterday. But I’m made of tougher stuff than Hunter.
    “Avoid them if you can,” I say. “Take the back stairs used by the servants until you get to the main floor. If you get caught, say you’ve been summoned by the queen to hunt the traitor, Snow White. They might take you to her.”
    Hunter nods without looking at me. He secures the crossbow to his back, shifts his legs into the well, and lowers himself in. When only his head and shoulders are still above ground, he turns to me, one hand gripping the top rung of the iron ladder. “Wish me luck,” he says with an uneasy smile.
    I’m still crouched on my knees, so I lean forward and kiss him, my hands holding both sides of his face. For the first time ever, I feel reluctance from him, like he’s only receiving the kiss and not giving it. I will have to get the Love Apple soon.
    I draw back but let my lips hover just above his. “Kill her quickly,” I whisper. “And bring me the baby. I’ll be waiting for you at the tower.”
    “I will come,” he says. And then he drops out of sight, into the well.

~*~ 13 ~*~
     
    Back at the tower, I find a shallow wood crate with some walnuts at the bottom. I shake them out, carry the crate up to the high room, and stuff it with my white dress. There. Now the baby has a soft place to sleep.
    There’s still a lot that we will need. Tables and chairs and pots and bowls and curtains and rugs. And a bed for me and Hunter. My body blushes hot at the thought of it. I will need to find a friar to marry us first. Hunter is the noble sort and I know he won’t share the bed with me until he’s made me his wife.
    I walk to the window, though night has settled in and I can’t distinguish the trees from the sky. It should be over now. Hunter should have the baby in his arms, heading back to me through The Wood. And Cinderella should be dead in the palace, lying in a lake of her own blood. I hope he did it in front of The Mirror.
    My stomach grumbles so I eat a handful of raspberries I collected earlier. I wonder if the baby is a boy or a