Chapter Eight

 

 

“Where is my mother's sword?” I asked as I stepped out of the ring of mushrooms.

“My work is done.” Barnabus sighed and laid back on his mushroom to enjoy a good smoke.

“How did you... ?” Bevan stared at me in shock. “I'm sorry, but is it just me or is Queen Alice even more beautiful than when she stepped into the mushroom ring?”

“It's the Wild in her emerging,” Jaxon said with wonder. “You are most striking, Queen Alice.”

“That's all very good,” I said crisply. “But where is my mother's sword? The Wild says that I will need it to win back Wonderland.”

“The Vorpal,” King Draven stepped forward. “That is the sword you speak of. It was taken by Queen Rina when she subdued the Jabberwocky.”

“The Queen of Hearts was able to subdue the Jabberwocky when my mother couldn't?”

“Well”–Draven exchanged a heavy look with the other kings–“in a manner of speaking, yes. Queen Rina used her love magic on the Jabberwocky and bound it to her. The creature has become another source of power for the Queen of Hearts.”

“After the King of Hearts died, she needed a new battery,” I huffed.

“Yes, precisely,” Jaxon said. “Queen Rina needed another magical being to feed off of. The bond she created has subjugated the beast and turned the Jabberwocky into Rina's personal predator.”

“And the sword?” I asked.

“The Vorpal was abandoned, allowing Queen Rina to claim it,” Draven said.

“But she cannot wield it, Your Majesty,” Nick added as he stared at me intensely with his green cat eyes. “Only a Wild Queen can use the Vorpal.”

“Then we must get it back.” I headed down the pyramid, and the men followed.

“Queen Alice”–Nick floated up to me–“we'll need to sneak into the Kingdom of Hearts before we march on it.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because you'll need the Vorpal in your possession before you fight the Queen of Hearts,” Jaxon said as he came over and gripped my upper arms. “Take a deep breath, Alice. You were just hit with a world of magic and information. You need to acclimate before you make any decisions.”

I blinked at Jaxon and realized that he was right. I felt a little lightheaded and tingly. I needed to sit down. So, I did. I took a seat on one of the marble steps and looked out across Tulgey Wood and over to the Wilds. I remembered it now. I could see its soaring ceilings, gilded in gold. I recalled walking through its echoing hallways and playing in the vast gardens. It was more home to me than Uncle Ted's Victorian, and I suddenly wanted to be there. I wanted my home back.

I took another deep breath, knowing now, that this was just the magic settling inside me. I had a lot to filter through, and I needed more than a few seconds to figure things out. But I did know that I needed my mother's sword. It was a driving force lodged low in my belly, urging me to move.

“How do we sneak into the Kingdom of Hearts?” I asked the men, who had gathered around me.

“Stacking rooms are out.” Nick rolled through the air. “Rina blocked her doors.”

The kings looked at each other and began to smile.

“We burrow beneath the castle,” Bevan answered. “Underland will save us again.”

“So be it,” I agreed. “We'll tunnel beneath the Heart Castle and steal back my sword, and then I'll return to battle Rina with the Vorpal firmly in hand.”

“You'll need to practice those new magics of yours too, Queen Alice,” Draven said. “We need you to know exactly what you're capable of when we finally march on Hearts.”

“What I'm capable of,” I whispered as I looked over the three kings. “And what we're capable of.”

“You feel it now.” Bevan smiled softly at me, and I couldn't look away from his sweet face.

Bevan's eyes were warm and kind, but his lips were strong and determined. Next to Jaxon, Bevan appeared slimmer, but he wasn't a small man. The curves of his biceps pressed against his tunic, and a sleek expanse of solid chest could be glimpsed through the V neck. He blinked long-lashed eyes, and I took another deep breath.

“Queen Alice?” King Draven laid his hand on my shoulder.

I looked over at his hand. Long fingers attached to a soft palm; this was the hand of a hedonist, a man who knew how to give and take pleasure. I looked up into his bedroom eyes and licked my lips. The motion made his stare drop to my mouth, and I saw him swallow convulsively. The column of his throat was fair and pampered, but I traced the line of it to his wide shoulders and knew that Draven hid more power than he revealed. He would let his enemies believe his mask of lazy sensuality until they were right upon him, and then he would strike.

“Alice!” Jaxon snapped his fingers in front of my face.

My stare jerked to him and widened. All of these gorgeous men were mine. I knew it now with complete certainty. These were my Card Kings, and I could play them as I saw fit. I stood abruptly and grabbed Jaxon by his tunic. His eyes darkened to indigo as I jerked him forward and set my lips to his.

Our kiss was as wild as my magic–a triumphant reunion with the man I was meant for. Did I love him? I didn't know. But did I want him desperately? Yes, I did. I wanted them all, and I put that desire into our kiss. Jaxon's hands went to my waist and pulled me tighter to his solid chest. I groaned and ground myself against him, luxuriating in the feel of him hardening between us. Magic tingled along my tongue, and he drank it down.

Then I felt the other kings surround us.

Jaxon eased back, heavy-lidded and happy as Draven came forward. I turned to my Diamond King with a smile and drew him against me slowly, sliding my hands up his chest. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, basking in the attention. My hands crept up his neck and bracketed his face as I began kissing his sharp jawline. I nuzzled his face as he moaned and then brushed my lips over his.

“Alice,” Draven whispered just before I claimed his mouth.

We sank into each other sensuously; an erotic dance of hips and hands, of licking and nibbling. His fingers threaded through my hair, massaging my scalp as he made love to my mouth. Where Jaxon's kiss had been conquering, Draven's was pure pleasure. It was over too soon.

But then there was Bevan.

He smiled softly as I went into his arms, one gentle hand going to my cheek. Bevan just looked at me for a moment, taking in every nuance of my face before he laid his forehead against mine. We breathed together as he took my palm and placed it over his heart. Then he laid his hand on my chest.

“I've waited so long for you,” Bevan said.

Then he covered my mouth with his and kissed me with all of that longing. He stoked the fire of my desire steadily until I was pulling at his shoulders and slashing my lips over his. But Bevan pulled away just as gently as he had begun, and smiled into my hot gaze.

“Welcome home, Alice.”