Page 27 of Protected

I sent my little mouse that spent the night with me back down with a message for my army. My trackers should take a patrol and follow the woman in the red dress and her men, but weren't to attack, only report back which land they were traveling to. They didn't need to know the intricacies of my plans.

The four bands of travelers mounted their horses and disappeared into the secret tunnels carved into the rocky mountainside that served to keep the stronghold of the Gingerbread kingdom safe from my army.

I shifted into my animal form and snuck into the tunnels behind the decoys, the princess, and her lovers. They Vikings were smarter than I thought and had covered themselves in spices so rich that it overwhelmed any other scents. Had any of my other trackers been trailing them, they wouldn't be able to our more sensitive noses to differentiate between the real princess and the others.

My eyes watered with the intensity of the ginger soaking into every cell in my body. I'd have to warn the others to keep their distance. But even with their disguises and their covered scents, I would know ClaraMarie from any other. Just as her consorts did.

Once they were all away, I would send the attack back through those tunnels, but also up and over the mountains to reign down vengeance for the deaths of so many the Gingerbread Vikings had claimed in this war.

They were the last land to be conquered by the Queen. They would be the hardest to get to fall in line. Not like the Land of Spirit and Magic that had seemingly given up so easily. The Queen assumed they'd submitted to her will, until she found out they'd hidden the prince and princess.

She'd taught the other lands a lesson when she destroyed Spirit and Magic. All these years later and still no one ventured anywhere close to their borders.

Except me.

I followed the true princess and stayed focused for any opportunity to snatch her from them, even if that meant killing them. I would likely have a good ten days before I had to report in to the Mouse Queen. Ten days to save my people. Ten days to save myself.

In that time, I either had seduce the princess, or force her to see the reality of what was really happening in the Winter Realm. Even if that meant to do that, I had to destroy her.

The Cliffs of the Gingerbread Kingdom

ClaraMarie

My life in the human realm was quickly fading from my mind. There I had no purpose other than to be the doormat walked all over by society, my friends, my family, and even my fiancé.

I regretted leaving my father behind, but it wasn't as if he'd even realize I wasn't there. Drosselmeyer would ensure he was taken care of. That meant I could be free to fulfill the destiny I was so clearly meant for here in the Winter Realm.

For the first time since I was a young girl and had taken my first ballet class, I found myself looking forward to whatever would come next. The adventures of the Vivandiere and her soldiers were fresh in my mind, and we had only to follow the stories to find the missing pieces of the fabled seven crowns.

The Sugar Plum crown in the Land of Sweets was the one I remembered the best, so we were headed to Zucker's family first. I was giddy with the anticipation of finding their crown and consummating the bond with Zucker next. He seemed to know my body better than I did. I loved knowing that not only would he and I bond, but it would bring him and Tau closer together too. They rode side by side, behind Leb and I, guarding the rear.

Nuss was leading the way, still quiet today, and on guard. The new sword Mother Gingerbread had made for him overnight sparkled in the morning sun, dangling from his belt. Every time he reached for the hilt, I saw how frustrated he was by not being able to use his other arm, having to switch between his weapon and the reigns of the horse.

"If you keep those thoughts to yourself, churning in your head, lass, smoke will start coming out of your ears. Share your burden with me." Leb gave me a squeeze, pulling my body even closer to his.

Since I knew little to nothing about horses, I'd chosen to ride with him again. I enjoyed his warmth, but worried about the hardness of his cock that had been rubbing against me for the past hour as we rode down the mountain. How long could he endure that?

Perhaps we'd have to stop and take care of it. "I'm just wondering how long I have to wait before we make camp and can take care of your little problem poking me in the butt."

"Oh, it isn't little. You know that well enough." He gave me a little pinch for my troubles. "But there's something else bothering ya."

There was, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. Just the odd feeling like we were being watched. But that wasn't exactly it. I didn't get the sense of eyes on us, more like a dark presence following and surrounding us.

At first, I thought it had to be the dark warrior, Konig, the Mouse Prince. But I refused to believe he meant me or any of us real harm. He could have killed or captured us all back in the Christmas Tree Forest yesterday, but he didn't.

He'd saved me from his own army, kissed me like he meant it, and then told me to run. I hadn't yet relayed that part of the story to the others yet. There simply hadn't been time what with all the bonding we'd been engaged in. I felt their distrust of Konig in a way that felt like paper cuts on my heart.

Healing that was on my to do list. But one step at a time.

No, it wasn't Konig that was making me uncomfortable. There was something or someone else. Perhaps the Mouse Queen herself.

I wasn't ready to face her yet. I still had to finish my role in this rebellion and use my magic to reawaken the spirits of the people in the Winter Realm. Then the Vivandiere could reveal herself and rejoin the story. She was the one who would usurp the Mouse Queen.

Not me.

In my heart of hearts, I prayed that the Vivandiere was my mother. That she too had gotten sucked back through the Christmas tree portal and into the Winter Realm. I imagined she was waiting for me, and when the time was right, when I'd restored the Land of Spirit and Magic, she would ascend to her throne once again and lead the rebellion against the Mouse Queen to victory.

So much else in my life up to now had been a lie, why not her death?

"I don't know what it is. I have this uncomfortable feeling that something is about to happen and burst our happiness. It's probably only that I've never felt so happy and fulfilled before so I'm waiting for something bad to happen."

"Ah. Don't worry, we'll always be here by your side, fighting whatever battles, both military and mental that come your way. I won't say our road ahead will be easy, but I do promise to fuck the worries right out of you anytime you need."

I laughed, because Leb wasn't joking even a little bit. He was sweet, and sexy, and protective, and horny all the time. I was grateful he was the first one I got to bond with because his fierce faith in both me and Zucker, Tau, and Nuss was the perfect way to start this journey of love.

Leb's horses snorted and kicked up, dancing back, recoiling from something in our path. "Whoa, whoa. Hold on, lass."

Another horse jumped into our path from behind an outcropping of rocks, and my heart that had been flying sunk like a crashing Christmas bulb into the bottom of my stomach.

"Hello, little sister. I always knew you were a whore."