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“I’m well aware of the situation, Hatter. I meant, what happened to Callister?”
"Roxanne did a number on him," said Chess while easing Callister onto one of the two velvet sofas.
Ransom cursed under his breath, turning away to conjure himself a drink. The glass shattered in his grip, the shards turning into a glittering cloud of gold as his rage intensified.
Fury bubbled up inside of me as well.
“Who the fuck is Roxanne?” I demanded.
“The Red Queen,” Callister winced, clutching his ribs as gingerly repositioned himself on the sofa. Ransom came over, standing across from him, his arms folded across his chest in anger. “I didn’t tell her anything, Ransom. She doesn’t know we’re here, but she knows Alice is.”
“She doesn’t know that for a fact,” Chess clarified as he turned to Ransom. “What shedoesknow is that Alice was seen with Callister. There must’ve been a spy at Hatter’s tea party. And she knows Callister was with you quite recently.” He tossed a small gold object over to Ransom, who caught it in midair. He held it out and studied it, then frowned.
My heart nearly stopped as I realized what he was holding.
It was a gold chip from The Rabbit Hole casino.
The same kind of chip used for the card game he and Callister had been playing when I first arrived here. I remembered they’d been playing with stacks of those chips.
Ransom's eyes squeezed shut, his jaw clenching. When he finally met my gaze, there was so much unspoken regret in his eyes.
Nobody had betrayed him, after all.
It was a mistake. A terrible, horrible, stupid mistake.
And poor Callister had paid the price.
My heart clenched at the sight of the teal-haired caterpillar, so battered and broken in comparison to the Cheshire Cat sitting next to him. Although our relationship had been rocky at best, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for Callister.
I stepped past Chess and sat down beside his friend—our friend—and imagined a first aid kit and a bowl of warm, soapy water, and a stack of clean washcloths. They appeared on a small table next to me.
"Let me help you," I murmured as I soaked one of the cloths in the clean water. I wrung it out and carefully dabbed it against the violet blood covering Callister’s face. He flinched slightly but didn't pull away.
“Would you like a hand with that?” Chess asked, taking off his jacket and rolling up his sleeves. “I can stitch him up. I’m rather good with string.”
“Sure.” It was impossible not to grin at the thought of the enigmatic and sensual Cheshire Cat batting at a piece of string. He caught my gaze with his hypnotic green eyes and I knew he was searching my thoughts, making sure I was okay.
I gave him a soft smile and nodded.
Given the circumstances, I was doing alright.
"I'm so sorry," I said to Callister as I continued to wash away the blood and grime coating his skin. Guilt gnawed at my insides whenever he winced, every movement I made clearly agony for him. “This was my fault. If I hadn't come to Wonderland in the first place...if I hadn't needed your help finding the Vorpal Sword...none of this would’ve happened.”
Callister cracked his good eye open and peered down at me.
“You’re not the one who beat the ever-loving-shit out of me. You’re not the one who killed my brother over arose. You’re not the one who’s singlehandedly destroying Wonderland.”
The more blood I washed the blood away, the more clearly I saw just how deep some of Callister’s wounds went. I switched places with Chess to let him stitch the deeper cuts. My stomach turned at the sight as I imagined the torture he must have endured. I swallowed hard, fighting back tears.
Now wasn’t the time.
Besides...
Tears weren’t going to help anyone.
“Maybe it’s not my fault directly,” I told him as I ripped open a box of butterfly bandages, “but it doesn’t stop me from feeling sorry that this happened to you.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I’ll heal. And besides...” His gaze softened. "You're worth it."
