Page 54 of Snows Sinful Seven

Chapter 15

Regina

I’ve never felt more trapped in my life. I feel like I’m going out of my damn mind. It’s been two weeks. Two fucking weeks and I have no idea if Snow is okay. No idea if she made it out of the forest.

The thought of her hurt, or worse, makes me physically sick. I’ve only managed to get off the palace grounds once since she left. I went back to see Mrs. Bark and filled her in on what happened. She said that Snow never came to see her and was unsure where she would go.

Hearing that and having to leave to go back to the palace was hard. But I knew if I didn’t get back and the king noticed me gone, it would create more problems.

There are too many eyes on me now. After Snow escaped through the tunnel, I did the only thing I could think of. Kill the man who saw her leave. He couldn’t alert the king if he was dead.

Taking a life isn’t easy, it isn’t something I thought I’d ever do. But in that moment, the only thing that mattered was Snow. Snow needed to leave. She needed to run.

Because if that man got his hands on her, her father would have locked her up until he executes his plan. All eyes would have been on her, and there would have been no way to get her free and far away from this place. That was our one and only opening, and we took it.

Of course, hiding a dead body wasn’t something I’d have been able to do on my own. So I had to think fast. To give the king a reason why I killed one of his men. I lied and told the king that the guard tried to force himself on me.

It made me feel dirty; that’s not something I’d just accuse someone of doing. But it worked; the king was pissed that one of his men dared to try to touch what was his.

I’m not his; I’ll never be his. But I went along with it. I said what I had to say to save not only my own ass but Snow’s.

It also helped keep the king’s mind off Snow. He hasn’t asked about her once, too busy making sure his other guards keep their hands off me.

I’d do it all again. For Snow, I think I’d do just about anything to keep her safe. That's why I’ve been going crazy with worry since she left.

Doesn’t help that the maids have been following me around, by the king's orders to keep an eye on me. He says it’s for my safety, but I don’t think he actually cares.

Too many eyes, too much attention. Thankfully, everyone seems to be busy today, getting ready for some charity ball that’s happening later tonight.

I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t asked about Snow. Something like this would be a requirement to attend. Have the maids not noticed? They must have. The princess might not be someone who likes to make her presence known, but she’s not someone who could just disappear within her own home and be forgotten about. She’s a princess, she’s always on someone's radar.

Something has to be going on. And that has me worried. Did he find her and kill her already? Is that why he hasn’t bothered asking anyone about her, because she’s no longer an issue for him?

The thought makes a wave of nausea hit me hard.

I’m sitting on the bench in front of my bedroom window, looking out at the forest with Snow on my mind.

“Fuck it.” I get to my feet. Grabbing a bag I have hidden under my bed, I head for the door to see if the coast is clear. With everyone busy getting ready for the party tonight, this is my only chance to get back into town and hopefully find out some news on Snow.

The hall is empty, so I slip out of my room and carefully make my way to the part of the castle where the hidden door to the tunnels is, making sure no one is following this time.

Once I’m in, I click on my flashlight and start heading down the narrow tunnel. Everything is fine until I get to the part where the path breaks off. “Shit,” I hiss. Which way do I go? Apart from the time I went into the village to see Mrs. Bark to see if she had any idea where Snow might be and it was by sheer luck I took the right path in and out of here. I’ve only been in here one other time, the first time with Snow.

I should have paid more attention to directions, but it was kind of hard when all I could think about was the gorgeous girl in front of me who smelled amazing. Snow tends to have this way of making everything else disappear when she’s around you.

Unsure what way to take, I pick one and go left, praying it’s the right one. If not, I’ll just turn around.

I follow the path, but it’s not long until I realize that this isn’t the right way. I don’t remember there being another break-off in the path. The one that leads to the woods is a straight shot. But as I stop, I find four different directions I could go. Not wanting to end up getting lost down here, I turn around, ready to leave.

Then I hear voices. Pausing, I try to listen. My spine stiffens when I recognize the king's voice.

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