Page 10 of Protected

"Do you not think she's been taken in by the rebels?"

I could only hope. "They are likely on the search for her as well. The faster each of you can get to one of the lands, the sooner we'll know what we're up against. I'll take the Land of Snowflakes."

They looked at me like I'd grown a Christmas tree on my head, but I ignored them. "Divide the others up amongst yourselves and use the mice to send me a message when you're sure she isn't being hidden by the locals."

I got a round of yes, sirs and more than one look that said they knew what I was doing. Yes, we all knew she was most likely to be in the Land of Snowflakes because that's where the rebels were operating out of. We knew that. The Queen did not.

It also meant I was the most likely to be captured or killed in a battle against the elite trained Nutcracker Guard who'd sided with the rebellion. So be it. With the princess here, getting captured may be my best chance to infiltrate the rebel alliance of the other lands, from the inside. One way or another, her presence here after all these years, would bring this war on Christmas to an end, and someone would have to die to do it.

"Go, and Godspeed." With their dismissal, each of them shifted into their animal forms and a moment later, I did the same. It was easier and faster to travel this way. One of the only advantages of being one of our kind.

I sped through the snow and cold to the northernmost Land in the Realm. I would have to pass through the Land of Comfort and Joy and their Christmas tree forest to reach my destination. The marzipan fairies would provide even me with respite from the journey.

I ran and ran, pushing my body as hard as I could. A more leisurely pace would allow me too much time to think. Better to push myself until exhaustion. If I couldn't consider what I had to do, it would be easier to carry out my duties.

The edge of the forest came into view and the first thing I noticed was the flurry of activity where it should be normally quiet. The messenger angels were all aflutter, and the marzipan fairies were glowing with their light of joy at serving someone.

It couldn't be the princess. That would be too damn easy. But that was exactly whose scent I caught. Princess Clara who smelled of cinnamon, licorice, and fate.

I'd found her, which couldn't be just luck, and she appeared to be all alone. She was dancing in a chapel of birch trees, and I was fucking mesmerized.

I shifted and hid behind one of the trees, watching her, wanting her. She twirled and smiled filled with a joy I would never know. I selfishly wished for the gash in her dress to tear open further to give me a glimpse of her legs.

What I wanted to do to her with my face between her legs wasn't descent. I grew hard thinking about hearing her cry out as I gave her orgasm after orgasm and had to grind my hips against my own hand. My pants became distinctly uncomfortable with visions of wrapping her hair around my fist and pushing my cock into her mouth.

A princess like her would never get on her knees for a prince of the Land of Animals. The Fae princes, maybe, the Gingerbread Viking Prince perhaps, but never a lowly Mouse Prince. Which made my fantasies all the more taboo and delicious.

Now what to do with her. I was sworn to bring her back to the Mouse Queen. However, the queen made a mistake when she didn't specify that I do that immediately. She'd given me far too much time to comply with her commands.

No one else even knew where I was, nor would I be missed for several days. I could so easily kidnap sweet Clara and have her all to myself. She would learn to love how a beast could make her feel like a dirty plaything.

The princess halted her twirling and scurried back into the light of the Christmas trees. Fuck. I'd missed my chance at nabbing her because I'd let myself daydream about having her all to myself.

I stalked quietly through the trees, following her, and discovered her sitting on the ground next to Nuss. The snow around him was stained with blood, but he wasn't dead. I refused to feel guilty about his wounds. He and the other princes betrayed me and my people so deeply, that I would never forgive them.

Not even now that they'd finally found the Princess and brought her back to the Winter Realm. No, now was a race between us to see who would help her access the powers of the seven crowns and ultimately who would get control of the Winter Realm.

Never again would I allow my people to be subjugated by those who thought they were superior.

Speaking of which, here came the Fae Princes I'd once called friends, riding their steeds through the snow like an avenging cavalry. How had they too found her so fast with Nuss unconscious?

Princess Clara had a message in her hands, and a messenger angel sat on Nuss's chest. I looked up and saw the trail of gold the angels left in the air along their paths. Sneaky bastards. They'd sent him a note and then followed the angel as she searched them out. Very clever.

I should have killed Nuss. Even an angel can't deliver a message to a dead man. Then I'd have the princess to myself, and they could all get fucked. Instead, they would now be the ones with the opportunity to make her theirs.

Nuss was too pure of heart to sully her with his own wanton needs, but the Fae princes would seduce her just as much as they did any man or woman in their paths. They were too fucking beautiful for their own good, unmatched in beauty by anyone but Princess Clara. But unless they knew where the broken crowns of their lands were, it would all be for naught.

Without the Gingerbread Viking here, and Nuss too injured to fight, I had a chance at beating them and capturing Clara. It would be a good fight, but I always was better with a sword than either of them. I had to be.

I drew my weapon and snuck closer, looking for the right opportunity to take them down and grab Clara. I could have dived in at once, if my feet hadn't been swarmed by an entire platoon of mice. Mice that were under the queen's control, not mine.

The Three Horsemen of Christmaspocalypse

ClaraMarie

The sound of horses galloping toward us caught my attention. I looked around wondering if I'd see people or something else strange like centaurs coming at me. What I found was two ethereal men who were far too pretty to even look at charging toward us astride their horses.

Fae princes. Like in Drosselmeyer's stories.

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