Rejected Queen by Meg Xuemei X.
Prologue
Loki
The Hell Cat who called herself Snow White refused to tell me Tessa’s secrets.
When I sent her to guard Bunny between the trials, the cat asked for a hefty payment: to grant her the ability to shift so she could turn into a ten-year-old girl whose life goal was to sneak to Earth to get ice cream and cake.
As King of the Underworld, I could just order her to do my bidding, but then that damn cat wouldn’t give her best. I needed her highly motivated to guard my mate.
“Why not turn into a beautiful woman, Snowflake?” I asked, puzzled.
“Nah.” The cat shrugged, a distasteful expression pinching her face. “It’s too much work to be a woman. And I don’t want ‘horny dicks, like big sticks’ to come after me, as Tess said. It’s gross, and no man is worth it—not even you, King Loki. No offense intended. On the other hand, being a powerful ten-year-old girl has all the pros and no cons.”
Childish. But I kept my thoughts to myself. I still had a use for her.
The Hell Cat was the only creature I could send to aid Tessa without violating the rules of the trials.
“You’ll have the power to shift only after Tessa survives the final trial,” I reminded her.
She cut me a look, and I almost smacked her snobby nose. I missed my loyal hellhound terribly. I might send word to Lilith to ship my hound back, and then I’d see what I could do about that smug look plastering her feline face.
“My original plan was to become a beautiful chick every dude desires,” Snowflake hissed, then she sighed, rubbing her face with her front paw. “Until Tessa read me a smutty fairytale romance and I started having nightmares. I think I need to see a shrink on Earth. If you can ask Princess Marigold to hook me up with a cheap one, I’d greatly appreciate it.”
“What kind of naughty story did she tell you?” I asked, beyond curious now.
“I’d rather not say.” The Hell Cat spat. I stepped aside swiftly to avoid the saliva aimed at my shiny leather shoes.
“Why not? Give me an example,” I encouraged her.
“You don’t want to know, Your Majesty, believe me.” Her nose wrinkled like she was tasting something tart. “It’s better if you never hear about the dirty romance between Snow White and her Seven Dwarfs.”
