BY THE TIME MOUSE HAD landed near the White Palace, he was ready to wring Lilly’s neck. The younger girl had screeched and cried the entire flight back to her home. Lory had done her best to try and soothe the girl. But it seemed the closer that she got to the castle the more upset she became.

“You don’t understand!” Lilly was sitting on the ground with her pretty white dress covered in grass stains and mud. Her white blonde hair hung limply around her face and her cheeks were red and splotchy from her tears.

Lory was attempting to reason with her, “Help me understand, Lilly. Why are you so afraid to go home?”

“This isn’t home! This isn’t Wonderland. We have all fallen further into her trap. Don’t you understand?”

Lory looked perplexed as she glanced up at Jay.

He shrugged and bent down to talk to Lilly, “How do you know that this is trap if you don’t go see your parents?”

Lilly’s lips trembled, “She wanted to split us up we are weaker that way. We need to stick together!”

Lory was torn. On the one hand she really believed that Lilly felt they were in danger. The girl wasn’t practiced enough to pull off this level of upset on the sly. On the other hand, Lilly had been under the care of the Red Queen. That evil sadistic bitch could have convinced her anything was possible.

“Can we at least go see your parents?” Lory offered, “And if something is wrong, Mouse will take us out of there immediately.”

Mouse looked up and then nodded, “Absolutely.”

Lilly’s uncertainty was written clearly across her face, “I guess we could try that.”

The three of them walked the short distance to the gates of the White Castle. As soon as one of the soldiers saw who it was he sounded the alarm and men came running out to greet them. Lilly clutched Lory’s leg and hid her face making it hard for Lory to walk.

Eventually, Mouse had to pick Lilly up in order for them to pass inside the gates. It was then that the trumpet sounded, informing the kingdom that the queen and king would be arriving. The three of them walked through the cobbled streets toward the palace.

Many of the subjects in the kingdom had come out to witness the return of the White Pawn. But instead of cheers ringing through the streets it was eerily quiet. Lory moved a fraction of a step closer to Mouse as they strode toward the White King and Queens who had descended out of the castle onto the steps.

Lory didn’t know a whole lot about parents, she hardly remembered hers. But Lory knew that if she was missing Alice would tear the world apart trying to find her. The fact that the White Queen and King just stood there and watched their approach instead of racing to their lost child was concerning.

“Mouse,” Lory hissed, “Something isn’t right.”

He didn’t look her way before responding, “It’s too quiet, maybe Lilly was onto something.”

“I told you,” Lilly whimpered in his arms, “I tried to tell you both.”

The smiles on their royal faces engendered a feeling of revulsion in Lory. It was a split-second decision but the moment she uttered the words she knew it was right.

“Get us out of here!”

Mouse unceremoniously dropped Lilly and shifted. The look on the queen’s face was one of pure malice.

“Get them! Off with their heads!” she screamed, and the soldiers began to close in.

Mouse grabbed Lory and Lilly with his clawed hands praying that he hadn’t harmed them and took flight. It was a hair’s breath away from the attacking soldiers. Arrows were shot at him, but they bounced off of his metal like scales.

His wings pumped through the air as the ascended higher and higher. He headed back toward The Glass House, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and the soldiers. Once he felt they were out of harm's way he landed and set the girls down.

He had just finished phasing back when Lory launched herself into his arms. Her tall willowy frame no match for his muscular one he caught her easily and held her body against him.

“Are you hurt?” he muttered into her hair. Her lithe form fit his perfectly. Mouse could hardly believe that she was touching him—hugging him.

Lory pulled back, her cheeks flushing as she looked down, “I’m sorry. It was just that you saved us—again. I’m sorry that I said all those mean things about you, Mouse. You aren’t so bad after all.”

Mouse grinned, “I will remind you that the next time I leave my shit around and you start screaming at me.”

Lory met his eyes, “I hope that we get 'a next' time.”

They both glanced down at Lilly who was looking at them with a hint of disdain.

“You aren’t going to kiss, are you? Because this day has been bad enough.”

Mouse laughed at Lory’s horrified expression, “Of course we are going to kiss. The hero always gets a kiss when he saves a beautiful woman.”

If Lory’s cheeks were pink before they were downright red at this point, “I am not kissing you.”

Lilly uttered a sigh of relief, “Thank heavens.”

“Then I had better kiss you,” Mouse’s voice had deepened, and he stepped into Lory’s space gathering her into his arms.

“You can’t do this?” she was distracted by the blonde stubble on his tanned cheeks and the way that some of his long wavy hair had come loose from its bun.

His eyes sparkled, and he licked his lower lip, “I bet I can.”

“Not in front of the kid,” Lory hissed, hating the way that her voice had become high and tight.

“Ugh,” Lilly groaned, “Grownups are disgusting.”

Mouse ignored Lilly. He ignored the fact that the White soldiers were after them and that they needed to get the hell out of there. His only focus was on Lilly. Her high cheekbones and sassy mouth that was constantly bitching at him. He hadn’t realized how much he had come to like her nagging at him.

Her body felt so amazing under his fingertips and he wanted more than anything to pursue this further. Her brown eyes were wide and warning him that he was about to cross a line that she hadn’t even known was there.

But Mouse knew it was there. He had watched her every second that she had her head turned. He knew every curve of her face. What she looked like when she was mad or holding back a smile. He knew when her eyes were tired and the flash of fire that would appear when she was angry.

Lory just might be finding out that there was more between them, but Mouse had always known.

He pressed her body flush against his. She felt his arousal and it only helped to increase the tension surrounding them. Her heart was racing, and her breasts wanted to be free of the corset. He couldn’t do this—not here—not now!

Mouse lowered his face until his lips were nearly brushing her own. He heard her sharp inhalation of breath and smiled so sexily that Lory was soaked with desire.

“Don’t you think I deserve a kiss?” his minty breath teased her face.

She knew that she should push him away. Lory was smarter than to fall for this playboy. But there was something between them, something pulling them together as much as she fought to keep them apart.

And Lory was sick of fighting. For once she just wanted to give in to temptation. To taste his lips and know just what she was missing out on, and today would be that day.

“Yes,” she breathed, and his eyes dilated.

Lory closed her eyes waiting for her world to be rocked when she felt a firm pair of lips placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“You can look now, kid.”

Lory’s eyes popped open and she saw Mouse ruffling Lilly’s hair. Did he kiss her forehead? All of that for a peck on the forehead?

Mouse’s cocky smirk ate at her, “Expecting more, Angel?”

Never.