Page 3 of Hunted in Holly

I closed my eyes again, then inhaled deeply, taking in the peppermint bark fragrance that permeated my pillow.

A dream. It must have all been a dream. The fire, my brother’s screams, my kingdom in ruins. What madness had my paranoia manifested in my sleep? There was no reason to panic. This bed was so comfortable and inviting, why would I want to move anyway?

Because I had a job to do.

Because he deserves to die,the thought surfaced again. I fixated on those crackling flames, and the image of my bed, my furniture, my entire home crumbling under the blaze played over my vision like a horror movie.

The image of my mother, my brother, my everything, charred and gone, flashed too vividly in my mind.

The new flood of anger freed my body from stillness. I pressed my palm into the soft red velvet sheets, and I attempted to push myself upright with all of my strength. I made it to my elbow, but the weight of the blanket was like a restraint tying my down.

Maybe it was the drug still in my veins, inhibiting my ability to move or run. I wasn’t normally this weak.

Right, I’d beendrugged. I came here to kill him, and now I was a prisoner in a soft bed.

“Feeling stuck, Sweet Noel?”

My whole body jerked, and I sucked in a sharp breath. The deep and gravelly voice was an intrusive melody in this once peaceful space.

I turned towards the sound, only to lock gazes with those glowing red eyes again. My heart stopped when he caged me in that intense gaze. The low lighting cast shadows on his face, highlighting chiseled cheekbones, sharp features, and a too handsome face. Messy, snow white hair lofted around his temples, culminating into the barely-there stubble on his defined jawline. He was leaning against a closed door, his arms crossed over his chest, and his ankles stacked beneath him. He was noticeably tall, with easily a foot or more on me, and his demeanor was casual, despite the elegance of his finely tailored suit, his crimson tie, and the white fur trim around his jacket collar.

“Y-you’re Nicholas.” I stumbled over my obvious and nervous statement.

“And you’re clearly lost” He responded with a hint of playfulness. “What were you looking for, scampering around my kitchen?” The Saint examined his fingernails as though I was a waste of his time.

“How did you catch me?” There was no point in denying anything, but I’d made such an effort to be careful. Not one person had spotted me. And yet, he had been in that kitchen, ready and waiting to take me down.

“I see everything that happens within my domain, Dove. You only got that far at all because I allowed you to.” His eye roll was more amused than mocking, but it still raised my hackles. “It’s Caroline, correct? The newly appointed Queen of the South Pole? I hear you’ve run into some trouble recently.”

Of course he knew who I was. The last time we’d been formally introduced, I was still a small child, but considering he’d recently ravaged and brutalized my entire continent, I would hope he’d recognize the figurehead of the nation he’d personally devastated.

“Trouble?” I was shaking as I forced a half scoff, half laugh. “Is that what you call murdering my entire family while they slept? Burning my home to the ground?”

Nicholas raised a single brow. “Is that what you came here for?”

“Why else would I be here. You’ve taken everything from me. You’ve destroyed my home. You thought I would just sit idly in the rubble while you ruled your comfortable little kingdom? Just wait for you to come back and finish what you started?” Just seeing his face, I was too angry to come up with a clever lie. Heknewwhy I was here. It added insult to injury to pretend he didn’t. I wouldn’t let him toy with me any further. “I’m here to make you pay for your crimes, as my mother should have done back when you signed that pointless treaty.”

“Precious.” A smirk lifted one side of his lips. “So what? You’re going to kill me? For my ‘crimes’?” His relaxed and arrogant posture boiled the blood in my veins. He titled back his head, exposing his neck like he was an unbothered predator playing with his prey. “Well, by all means then. How would you like to start?”

Do it. The thought pulsed through my head like a migraine.Kill him.

While he was still across the room, I made new effort to free myself from the heavy quilt. I slotted myself out of the blanket, and felt accomplished when I conquered what felt like his first trap.

To my relief, I was still fully dressed in my base layers—thick, form fitting wool with flattering green lines that followed my figure. In my periphery, my coat had been hung in the corner of the room with my boots neatly placed at its base. If not for the fact that he’d committed genocideagainst the entirety of my nation, I might have found him unexpectedly accommodating.

I got to my feet, then took a deep breath. I was better poised to attack now, but it wasn’t as if I had any advantage over him in this situation. I had to read every movement carefully and choose my course of attack. He wouldn’t mock me if he thought I had any chance, but it was just like a Saint to underestimate the South. The best way I could think to disarm him and gain advantage was to start with misdirection and distraction.

“I’m not here to kill you,” I lied. “I came here to ask you why. Your answer will determine how this plays out.”

My words were so resolute, I even impressed myself. Of course I was here to kill him, after all, but I wanted an explanation, too. We’d never done anything to provoke our Northern allies.

Allies. I thought with emphasis, because that was what he was supposed to be. Now that I was Queen, he owed me an explanation.

I’d have preferred to grill him while he was bound, disabled, and at my mercy, seconds before I pierced his heart, but I’d settle for this moment of tension, in a bedroom that smelled of peppermint.

“What doyouthink my reasoning might have been?” He asked while still confessing nothing. I certainly noticed that he’d been dodging every question and accusation with these inquiries of his own. “What would motivate me to destroy your cute, insignificant kingdom? I’m the King of the North and an immortal Saint who’s worshipped by my subjects. I stand at the pinnacle of the world, while your family lives at the bottom. If I wanted to stamp you out, I could have done so at any time.” He resumed admiring his fingernails. “And yet you come here,playing at monarchy as a self-proclaimed queen, with no experience, and nothing to offer, thinking you have any power to ask me for my methods or machinations.” His laugh was low and guttural. “So tell me, Caroline, what motive did you come up with in that adorable little head of yours?”

“I didn’t come here to discuss theory.” I balked. I’d seen one of his men starting the fires. I wasn’t blind. He wasn’t slick. “I actually pride myself on the fact that Ican’tempathize with a tyrannical fucking psychopath, so I don’t know why you did it, and I don’t know what you’re trying to gain.”

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