AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Lucien’s mouth spreads into a wicked grin. “I have more for you, if that’s what you’re in need of.”
My cheeks heat, and my legs tremble under the layers of my dress. I take an unoccupied seat across from Lucien and Nox, earning a frown from both of them, although the hatter’s is more petulant.
“What did I miss?” I ask. I lift the cup to my lips and hide my face behind the object. There’s not a bit of guilt in me over the fact that I listened in on their conversation. My only worry is that I’ll give myself away.
“Lucien and Baxter are going to help you with your blood-bending abilities,” Nox says.
Baxter shakes his head. “No, I will not. I’ve done what my brother has asked of me, and it didn’t include that.”
“I’m happy to have her all to myself.” Lucien winks at me. “Well, have fun together, little bird.”
Nox resumes his pacing from earlier. “Baxter, you have to supervise at least. I don’t trust the hatter to behave long enough for her to actually learn something. He’ll fill her lessons with sex instead of self-defense.”
“Again, you say that like it’s a bad thing,” Lucien says.
Baxter lifts a hand, and everyone’s attention shifts to him. “I will monitor her progress, but that is all.” He stands, looking down his nose at me. “The sooner she leaves, the better.”
Lucien rolls his eyes and Nox frowns as Baxter exits the room. I watch him leave, my thoughts of him a jumbled mess. It’s a string of knots I’ll unravel at a later time.
Right now, I need to sleep.
The alcohol has fully invaded my bloodstream, and I want nothing more than to lie down. I slump in the chair, my posture very unladylike, and it brings a lopsided smile to my face.
My mother would kill me if she saw me acting sloppy like this. That type of behavior once earned me a night in the dungeons where I was denied food and water until the following day. The jail master groped me until I made his eyes and nose bleed by using my magic. It was the first time I suspected I was a blood-bender.
I jerk upright in my chair as the memory fades. Nox is by my side in the blink of an eye. He takes my shoulders and yanks me to him, putting our faces less than an inch apart.
“What did you see?” he asks, his breath skimming my cheeks. And my lips, making them tingle with curiosity.
“I recalled a time where the queen punished me for not exhibiting proper etiquette. She made me stay in the palace dungeons,” I say. “It was the first time I ever used my abilities.”
Nox narrows his gaze, and his grip on me loosens. Only fractionally, as if he’s scared to let go of me. “What else?” When I hesitate, he digs his fingers in my skin. “What. Else.”
The pain of his hold has me sucking in a breath. Lucien sits forward and lays his cane across his lap, lightly tapping the walking stick. His gaze captures mine from across the room and briefly darts to Nox.
His message is clear: he’s going to kill Nox if he hurts me.
“The jailer tried to rape me,” I say. “I used my magic for the first time and almost killed him. Or did I? Maybe that’s—”
I clamp my lips and shrug. Nox slides his hands from my shoulders to weave his fingers in the hair on either side of my head. He clasps my skull firmly, and my heart beats so loudly between my ribs that I swear all of Wonderland can hear it.
“He will die a horrible death. That, I promise you, love.” Nox’s eyes take on an eerie glow, one that has both purple and blue mixing together, the bright colors undulating within his gaze. Like a vortex, I’m pulled inside. Everything around me fades except him.
Those amethyst eyes watch me from between my thighs as he lowers his mouth to run his tongue over my sensitive flesh. I give a lusty groan and arch my back as my legs tremble with the effort to stay still.
“You taste like Wonderland,” he says.
My laugh makes my breasts bounce. Nox runs his gaze over them, admiration and desire burning in the depths. He nibbles on my clit, and my amusement morphs into a gasp. Now it’s his turn to chuckle.
“You don’t play fair,” I say.
“Never have and never will, as far as you’re concerned.”
I purse my lips. “I know.”
“Can you blame me?” He licks me from my clit to my entrance and back. “You drive me crazy. Your scent, your skin, and your voice all render me mad.”
“We’re all mad here,” I say, throwing his words back at him. Understanding dawns on his handsome face, and he thumbs my clit. Rough and hard. “Damn it, Nox.”
