But the ones who did hate, who didn't want to take any help, would be the ones guarding the border. "If the cave we saw Clara enter in the dance is where I think it is…"
I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. I didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up that we could possibly find two pieces of broken crowns at the same time. because finding both the Sweet Fae and the Flower Fae crowns would mean our two peoples had been fighting for the wrong reasons since the beginning.
I redirected my attention on Clara. Her emotions were all of wonder and hope, and I needed them to feed my spirit. There were so many intense emotions pushing at my consciousness and it was hard to tell the difference between those of the people around me and my own. It had been a long time since any of us had been at such a large gathering of people.
Since the beginning of the rebellion, it had mostly just been the four of us, recruiting more residents of the winter realm to the underground resistance, and fighting back in small groups. The sooner we left on this quest for the Sweet Fae crown the better. "You won't be able to enter the cave we saw in your dance without both of us."
Zucker crossed arms and nodded gravely. I irritatingly found old prejudices against the Sugar Plum Court bubbling up inside. If he was familiar with where this cave was, and so was I, we both had more knowledge of each other’s lands than the average Fae. Which likely meant that Zucker had spied in my land in his youth, just as I had in Sweet Fae lands.
Why was I the one being suspicious, and he only thinking of our mission? I’d blame that on the swirl of emotions all around us. Not the ones buzzing around inside my own chest.
"Okay." She waved her hand between the four of us. "I sort of thought we'd all go there together anyway."
Nuss narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "I hoped we'd at least have one night of peace here. I'll go on the offensive and keep Konig distracted while the rest of you go find that broken piece of the crown."
Leb grabbed the back of Nuss's shirt to stop him from moving. "Oh no you don't. You're not getting out of being there when Zucker and Clara bond. Good try."
Clara bit her lip, trying to keep the hurt in her heart from showing on her face. It didn't work. Nuss took one look at her and went from determined to horrified.
"No, I... Clara, I swear to you, I'm only trying to protect you."
While we were all training to find and protect her, we should have given Nuss some lessons in protecting her heart too. Or fucking being around a woman at all. When the hell had he gotten so damn awkward?
"Then come help me retrieve this crown. I promise I won't make you join the bonding. I don't ever want you to do something you're not ready to."
All right. Now I wanted to kick Nuss's ass. What I was going to do was make sure he was watching every single minute of the consummation of the bond between Clara and Zucker, and then the same when she and I bonded too. I'd admit I was mad at him for not joining us in bringing her pleasure. Stupid Snowflake and his stupid religion.
But maybe the dumbass had actually learned a lesson. He stepped up to Clara, lifted her chin and stared into her eyes with so much want and need pouring off him, I could practically taste it. He licked his lips and I swear he was going to kiss her. But of course, he controlled himself. "I think that's what I'm supposed to be saying to you."
The Sugar Plum Queen cleared her throat, but it took Nuss and Clara a moment to break their gazes from each other."While I'm the last fairy to tell you to get a room, perhaps you could restrain yourselves from until we can get you out of the castle and on your quest to find the crown?"
If we didn't get him naked during the next couple of bonding's I'd be surprised. Even the stoic Nutcracker Captain could only hold out for so long. Nuss still didn't step away and I was about to shove the two of them together just to relieve the tension.
"I swear to the Christmas star, we should have gone to the Land of Snowflakes for your piece of the broken crown. But since we didn't, you're going to have to keep your dick hard a little longer. Now, let's get—"
A burst of emotion, a craving deep need, hit my psyche like a punch to the gut, taking me almost to my knees, and stealing my breath with its intensity.
Zucker grabbed me under the arm to steady me. "What is it?"
"The mouse army..." my voice creaked out, "they're inside the barrier to the Sweet Fae lands, and Konig is with them."
Clara's face paled and then her cheeks lit up like pink petunias. She was trying hard to bank her feelings. Toward Konig.
She was fucking attracted to him.
I'd never wanted to forsake the empathic gift I had before. I'd worked for years to hone the small amount of magic that came with being Fae, but in this moment, I wish I didn't know how she felt at all. Clara didn't know him like the rest of us. She only saw him as the dashing captain of the opposing army.
The rest of the guard were more focused on me, and I wouldn't give up her secret just yet. Once she and I were bonded and her magic amplified my gifts for her use, she would see the real Mouse Prince for what he really was. A traitor.
The sooner we got her away from him, the better. "Zucker, your majesty, you're not going to like that I know this, but I promise when it's all over we'll figure how to deal with what I'm about to say."
The Queen gave me one raised eyebrow. "Go on."
If we were in the Land of Flowers, and I was Zucker... no, I couldn't think like that. The Sugar Plum Queen had accepted me. It was another step toward peace between our people. Clara's spirit and magic would be the leap forward we needed. A leap we wouldn't be able to make if we couldn't get out of the castle and find that crown. "I apologize in advance, your majesty. You should close the castle up tight, draw up the bridge and make this the fortress I know it to be."
Zucker shook his head as if what I was saying was no big deal. "Everyone knows Sugar Plum castle is ready for battle."
Yeah, but few knew this next part. I lowered my voice so only the six of us would hear. "And we should escape into the peppermint caves through your network of tunnels beneath the castle."
