Beau and Lily’s story is now available in all eBook stores worldwide! If you’re following the Rebel Court series, this is part two of the seven-novella series based on Snow White’s seven allies. These are definitely romances, and definitely with a LOT of steamy content. You also get bits and pieces of Snow White’s story through these novellas, which may or may not lead to Snow’s own story in her own book at the conclusion of this series. đ
If you already know what this one is all about, here are the links to buy the novella at your favorite store:
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If you’re unsure, or want to know more, read the first chapter below!
Chapter 1
Ten years ago, somewhere in the ElderwoodâŠ
Just a few more minutes. Dammit! Another candle burned down, turning the cavern pitch-black. And they didnât have any more.
Beau breathed in deeply to stave off panic. Their main supply lines had been severed, but the Rebels had others; they just took a little longer to deliver, that was all. Another shipment would be delivered any day now, he was sure of it.
Careful not to disturb the map heâd been drawing on, Beau stood, rounded the desk, and shuffled out into the main tunnel.
Blessed light. This cave system used to be a diamond mine. Now it served as the Rebelsâ stronghold and base of operations, and the nineteen-year-old Beau, as their master strategist, had been tucked all the way in the farthest reach of the most convoluted tunnel for safe keeping. After Snow White herself, Beau was the most important person in this war.
He emerged into the main caveâa massive, natural cathedral currently housing the bulk of their meager supplies and a handful of foot soldiers passing through to give their progress reports to Snow. Here, several small campfires and three great fairy light orbs banished the shadows, but what they illuminated was almost worse than the darkness: gaunt bodies, harried faces, haunted eyes.
Beau walked among them, taking note of every shaking hand and every unshed tear. Darius and Sebastian were sitting together near the back, resting after a successful defense campaign. Graeme, standing guard at the mouth of the cave, wore a slightly darker scowl than usual. With Saxon down for the count and Haig gone, Graeme had first, second, and third watch until someone else could relieve himâ
âBoo!â
Startled, Beau looked down at the girl whoâd just snuck up on him. Her big, blue eyes gleamed bright in her sooty face as she grinned at him as if sheâd just won a game of hide-and-seek. âWhat are you doing here?â he demanded, doing his best to look tall and intimidating.
The infuriating brat giggled. âWhat are you doing here? I thought you werenât allowed to come out of your cave.â
Beau scowled. âThatâs what you get for eavesdropping. Half the story and no context to understand what youâre talking about. Go away, Lily. I donât have time for you right now.â
Lilyâs smile dropped. âIâm sorry.â Then she turned on her heels to shuffle away, dragging her feet to add to his guilt.
He sighed. âWait.â
Lily stopped, turned back around, but didnât raise her head. Her flaming red curls, even tousled and tangled, shone like copper around her. At fourteen, she already had the makings of an unparalleled beauty, and Beau pitied every man who took a fancy to her. Lily would play them like a fiddle and send them packing after she was done.
âWhy are you out here?â he asked. âIs something wrong?â Miss Kiki and her girls were rescues from a fire Zoranaâs troops had set to the brothels in Kesteran. Theyâd lost their home and place of business, but had escaped with their lives and dignities, which was more than others had. Yet even with Snow White assuring the women they were safe here, Miss Kiki didnât want any of her girls around the men, especially her too-young niece, Lily.
Lily hitched her bony shoulders up to her ears. âNo one wants to talk to me in there. They think Iâm too young for them to tell me whatâs going on, but I still hear them whispering about it. I thought⊠Well, I hopedâŠâ Pushing her hair out of her face, she gazed up at him. âYouâre the closest to my age here. I know youâre super busy and all butâŠâ She stared helplessly, at a loss for words. Then, seeming to light on an idea, she fumbled in her pockets and pulled out a pair of wooden dice so old their dots were almost completely rubbed off. âI have these! Will you play with me? Please?â
Beau looked from the sorry state of those diceâprobably shaved to rig the gameâto her pathetically hopeful expression. Without more candles, he couldnât do any proper work, anyway. What harm could it do to play dice for a little while? âI suppose I can spare a few minutes.â
The radiant smile Lily gave him all but broke his heart. She grabbed his hand and tugged him to a secluded outcropping with a patch of smooth floor to play on. After yanking him down to sit beside her, she placed the dice in his hand. âYou go first.â
âYouâll lose,â he warned. âAre you ready for that?â
She scoffed. âSweetheart, I was born ready.â
He laughed and threw the dice.
They played until his ass hurt and his legs went numb. For hours, the two of them bounced a pair of decidedly shady dice against the cave wall, making outrageous wagers neither of them could ever cover: money, jewels, lumber, raw magic wells. And for those few hours, Beau felt neither poor, nor scared, nor tired.
âYour turn,â he said, his face hurting from grinning more than he had in the last year and a half. âThree Clydesdales and a milking goat says you canât roll a seven.â
Lily rattled the dice in her hand, considering the wall with the intensity of someone staring down an opponent on a dueling field.
âWell? Do you take the bet?â
âI donât have horses, or goats.â
He shrugged. âBet something else, then.â
With a quicksilver glance sideways, she threw the dice, declaring, âIâll wager a kiss.â
Beau had barely registered the words before the dice settled. A two and a six. Sheâd lost.
They stared in silence at the faded black dots as the cave got dimmer, hotter. And the silence stretched on, getting more awkward by the second. Say something! he thought as he slowly collected the dice. Say itâs getting late and you have work to do. Laugh it off and say youâll collect that kiss when she grows up. No, too dangerous. Sayâ
Lilyâs cool hand touched his cheek, turned his face toward her, and then she pressed her lips to his. Beau sat frozen, hands curled into fists on the cold cave floor while his face burned. He wasnât breathing. Should he be breathing? Should he kiss her back? She was just a kid, for crying out loud!
Lily spared him additional embarrassment when she let go of him and drew back. Gods, he almost followed. What was wrong with him? She searched his gaze, then blushed and gave him a shy little smile so unlike her exuberant grins it felt like a punch in the gut. âThanks for playing with me,â she said, then pushed to her feet and ran off, leaving the dice behind.
He was still staring into the dark tunnel where sheâd disappeared when Graeme shouted for help from the cave entrance. Swiftly pocketing the dice, he hobbled over to see what happened.
Graeme half-dragged, half-carried a bloodied Haig through the cave, yelling at the crowd to part. Holy godsâŠ
âMake way! Move!â Beau hurried ahead, pushing people aside to clear the tunnel to Declanâs infirmary. He spared Snow a grave look, but she couldnât leave the troops in the middle of their reports, not even for one of her Rebel Seven.
Once they made it to the infirmary, Graeme helped Haig onto a cot, careful of the bleeding cuts all over his back. âWhat the hell happened to you, man?â he growled.
âAmbush,â Haig said, wincing as Declan rolled him to lie on his front and tore off the bloodied shirt to reveal long gashes so deep Beau could see glimpses of bones.
His stomach dropped, knees weakening. âWhat ambush? Where were you?â He hadnât ordered any actions in days; theyâd lost too many men in the last one and heâd needed time to strategize their next attack.
Haig turned his head to look at him. âDonâ worry âbout it,â he said, then moaned in pain when Declan began to wipe away blood from the few patches of unharmed skin he still had. âMy fault. Got cocky. But itâs done. Mission accomplished, like I promised.â He was shaking, his teeth chattering.
Then his words registered, and Beau shared a confused look with Declan. âWhat mission?â Beau asked. Had he missed something?
Haig tried to roll his shoulder and ended up hissing in pain and biting down so hard on his own arm he drew blood.
In an instant, Declan went into full-on healer mode. âEveryone out. I need room to work.â
Graeme dragged Beau out of the infirmary by his sleeve. âThink long and hard,â he snarled. âWhat did you do? Where did you send him?â
âIâŠdidnât,â Beau replied numbly.
âHe said something about the supply lines when he showed up.â
Beau shook his head. Trying to figure out what possible reason he might have had to send Haig out alone, all he could think of were maps. Supply lines severed, one after the other. Strategic hits that must have been planned out with meticulous care, well ahead of time.
Had he suspected another mastermind in Zoranaâs forces?
He couldnât remember!
Graemeâs ominous scowl cleared slightly as he sighed. âLook, I know you didnât do it on purpose. Weâve been putting a lot on your shouldersâweâre all counting on you to think us out of this mess, and it isnât fair. Youâre just a kid, for fuckâs sake. You should be chasing pretty girls and playing dice, not wasting away in a fucking burrow. So I get it, okay? We all slip. We all make mistakes. But we canât afford them from you. If you fuck up, we all die. Understand?â
Beau nodded, staring at the far wall, only half-hearing the words as he kept slamming against the same dead end in his own reasoning: Why would he have ordered Haig out on assignment? Why?
âGraeme,â Declan said from the doorway. âHaig wants to talk to Beau.â
âHe should be out cold by now,â Graeme snapped. âDidnât you sedate him?â
âI tried,â the Ravenskin healer replied evenly. âHe insists on speaking to Beau first.â
All three of them returned to Haigâs bedside. Haigâs eyes were half closed and unfocused, his hands loose over his head. Declan had covered his back with a light sheet of bandage that was already soaked red with blood. Looking at him, Beau was terrified Haig wouldnât make it through the night.
After an encouraging nod from Declan, Beau sank to his haunches to put himself in Haigâs line of vision. âHey, man,â he said as calmly as he could.
Haig blinked. âHey, kid. Howâre ya doinâ?â
âBetter than you. What happened?â
Haig winced, sucking in a pained breath. âBastard had assassins guarding him. Six of âem. Shoulda seen that coming.â
âWho are you talking about?â
âShoulda retreated when they came out. Had a way out, butâŠwoulda lostâŠsurprise. Had to get it done. No matter the cost.â
The words chilled Beau to the bone. âIf the cost is your life, it fucking matters!â
Haig choked out a chuckle. âThatâs cute, kid, really. Listen. âm âbout to pass out here in a second butâŠtell the Network: Strike now. Strike hard. Get outâŠquickâŠâ His eyes closed and his mouth went slack.
âItâs okay,â Declan assured them. âHeâs just sleeping. Heâll be fine once I close the wounds, but heâll hurt like hell for a while. Weâre down one man for the time being.â
Beau pushed to his feet to find Graeme frowning at him. âDidnât you say last week you were waiting for an opportunity to strike at Zoranaâs spies?â
Beau nodded. âI seem to recall I had a plan in mind, but I canât remember what it was.â
Graeme uttered a long string of foul curses. âI know what this is,â he said, rubbing a hand over his face. âGet the word out to your Network as fast as you can, got it? And after that, I want you to take a few daysâ break.â
âButââ
âWe can handle things without you for a little while. You planned well ahead for any contingencyââ
âYet I somehow missed this?â Gods, how could he have missed this?
âTrust me, kid, you didnât. Go. Do what you need to do. Iâll tell the others.â
Later, once his mind had cleared, Beau would remember this conversation and get furious that the others had left him in the dark about something that could have cost Haig his life. For now, he was too rattled to do anything except mumble a message to his runner and then walk aimlessly through the cave system.
Somehow, he ended up sitting on the ground just off the main tunnel, far enough to hide in shadow, but close enough to see the light.
And somehow, when he woke up a while later, he found himself clutching an old pair of dice so hard theyâd left sharp impressions in the palm of his hand.
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