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“It was her first time. Give her a break.” Jace defended.

Gage rolled his eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

“We need to figure out where Scarlet is sleeping tonight.” Jace said.

“I can sleep down here. I don’t want to burden anyone.”

“Perfect. Problem solved. Goodnight.”

“Just wait.” Enzo said, grabbing a bottle at the center of the table and spinning it. “Open end is the winner.”

I watched as it spun and spun and slowed to a stop, pointing at Gage.

“No fucking way. Try again.”

“It’s really ok. I can sleep down here.”

“Nonsense. You can have my room.” Enzo offered.

“You’re at the very top. You want her to walk up five flights of stairs?” Jace inquired.

“Good point.” Enzo puckered his lips out.

Jace looked at me. “You can have my room. It’s on the first level, right across from Gage.”

I stared at Gage, but didn’t say anything.

“Great. Can I go to bed now?” Gage asked, not waiting for an answer.

“Yes. Did you want to take her with you?” Jace asked.

“Not a chance in hell.”

Chapter six

Huntsman - A Deal with the Devil

“Calmdown,girl.”Isaid to my brown-haired mutt, who was jumping up and down by the window and barking. I walked over and patted her on the head, and peeked through the dirty glass pane. “There’s no one out there. Come on and get some dinner.” I grabbed her collar and led her away from the window to her bowl across the room.

While she devoured her food, I sat my boots by the door and had a flashback to last night. I saw Snow rush out of the door, right into the arms of the Queen's waiting henchman. He had just arrived right before she walked outside, so there was no time for me to warn her or the King. I thought about intervening, but saw the Queen walking up and knew there was nothing I could do except make matters worse. At least if she didn’t know I was a friend of the family, then I could try to still help them.

Snow ran into the woods, just down from where I was waiting on the edge of the field. She was too far for me to catch up to her, but I erased the tracks she left to help her as much as I could.

There was a knock on the door. I looked at the dog, but she still had her nose buried in her food. “Some guard dog you are,” I mumbled, walking past her to the door. I opened it to find a man standing there with a royal hat on and a roll of parchment in his hand. “Can I help you?”

“Huntsman, is it?”

I had a name, but no one seemed to know or care. “Yes.”

“The Queen requests your presence at the castle right away.”

I looked down. “Right this second?” I was still in my sleeping clothes.

“Well, you can change, of course. I will wait.”

I shut the door and walked over to my dresser. This can’t be good. Had the Kind betrayed me and told her the truth about our relationship? Who knows what the Queen has done to him…

Ten minutes later, we were on horseback heading towards the castle. I was curious what condition she and the King would be in. Her, because she was shot with an arrow and the King… well... because she was shot with an arrow. The Queen would surely punish him for his daughter’s actions.