A Hunt So Wicked

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. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of acopyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, includinginfringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishableby fines and federal imprisonment. 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 Click the image to listen! 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 Chapter one “And 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