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“Ican’t,” I clarified. My gaze focused outdoors as I stared out at a path that lead into the dark woods. I wondered what I’d find if I ever walked through the unknown gap in the trees. Would it lead me to freedom? To a road not yet crossed?
“I’m tired of your games, Alice. Alice!”
The slamming down of a chair shook me out of my stupor, and I turned my weary eyes back to the frazzled doctor. He was standing behind his chair, staring down as the force of his rage waged across his body. His knuckles were turning white from how tightly he was gripping onto the back of the wood. A small muscle ticked in his jaw as he lightly ground his teeth. Skin flushed, he growled out his displeasure.
“I’m not playing games, Doctor. Do you think this doesn’t scare me? I want out of this goddamn fog!” I screamed, yanking at my chains in despair and anguish.
My scream of anger and frustration filled the air and he simply continued to stare until I was breathless and drained, my body falling limp against the seat.
“Are you done being a petulant child now, Alice?”
“Fuck you.”
He smirked. “If only I could.”
Electricity crackled in the air between us as I realized he wanted me just as badly as I needed him. It was a raw, visceral need. A need of comfort, desire, and pure fucking lust, but it was also as palpable as the sweat on my skin, the space that we shared, and the very air that we breathed as it drifted across our bodies.
He hung his head, breathing out the intensity of the moment. The doctor remained silent for a long time and then he slowly looked up, our eyes meeting with a quickness that nearly stole my breath. “We’re done here, Alice. I can’t continue to help you if you’re not willing to be honest with me.”
“It’s not like you’re being honest with me either. Don’t think I can’t see straight through your lies,Zachary.”
He stared back with that same intense look of barely concealed violence, sneering as if he wanted to inflict harm. Not in the physical sense. Oh, no. He wanted me to feel the level of pain that resonated deep inside, to bear the burden of his broken and angry tirade. And, for some dark reason, I wanted to linger in that agony and torment with him. I had a swift yearning to share the darkness and stand alongside him as he clutched my body close. I wanted to sink into the layers of his skin and help heal his wounded soul.
“You’re here for a reason, Alice.” His tone changed, more malicious. “You did something very wrong,” he continued, narrowing his eyes on me slowly, prowling my way with all the stealth of a wild animal on the hunt.
“You were found covered in dirt and blood.” He dragged his fingers through my hair, and I gasped as he tugged my head back harshly, forcing my eyes to meet his wounded gaze. “You were brought tome, because this is where you belong.” He paused for a long moment, his eyes tracing my lips as every inch of my body responded instantly. “With me.” His voice hardened. “You belong withme,” he whispered huskily, his lips brushing mine as he snarled, obviously furious.
Abruptly, he released me, my head falling forward as my hair covered my eyes. Through the dark strands I watched him stalk towards the door, his back stiff with rage.
The doctor was a coward. He ran at every opportunity.
So effortless it was for him to just walk away, closing me out as if I meant nothing. Tears filled my eyes and fell, slipping in warm, salty rivulets down my cheeks.
Maybe he was right. Maybe my path led me here to him for a reason.
But, that man, my rescuer . . . the one who haunted my dreams, was hard to ignore. I needed to know who he was because I had a feeling down deep inside that he wasn’t one ofthem. He wasn’t part of Wonderland, not like the others.
Maybe he was my way through this fog and warped fantasy.
Maybe, just maybe,hewas freedom.
Chapter 9
Zachary
What am I doing?
I’m exposing myself to her, my feelings.
She’s breaking me down little by little and she doesn’t even know it.
Alice lay on a dark blue chaise lounge set only feet from where I sat in the small office I occupied. I’d demanded this to be a private therapy session with the excuse that her experiences were too traumatic, and I needed her calm and cooperative. No one would ever know what happened here between us. No one everneededto know.
Her hands were still chained together to links that wrapped around her slender ankles. My appreciative gaze trailed along her delicate form, dragging across the pale silky nightgown she wore as it clung to each luscious curve. Her body was a distraction but her mind was just as deliciously enticing. I was ensnared by her ability to keep my attention and hold it, even when fury dominated my every action. The thought that her dreams focused on another man sparked instant irritation. I wasn’t sure why, but anger rolled through me in unexpected waves, compounded by the uncertainty in Alice’s eyes.
A White Knight.
That was what she’d called him.
