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“You don’t want anything at all?”
Shooting me a curious side-eye, Jack sat back in his chair, then held back a smile. Good. He was finally warming up to my charms.
“All I want is to train you, Alice. Surely you must be getting full.”
I glanced down at my plate. I wasn’t just full—I wasstuffed—but everything was so damn delicious. I studied the remaining syrupy waffle sitting all alone in a small pool of butter. I didn’t need it...
But Iwantedit.
I polished off my second mimosa and washed down that incredible waffle with a third drink. By the time I’d finished, I was feeling grateful for wearing a spandex leotard.
“NowI’m full,” I told Jack as I pushed my chair back and stood up. My head spun so hard that I leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the table. It had been a while since I’d done any day drinking, and all those mimosas had gone straight to my head.
“Come along,” said Jack, curling a gloved hand around my arm. “We have work to do.”
He led me through the palace of white stone and sparkling ice, navigating the frosty grounds until we reached a large private courtyard. It was surrounded by tall, imposing walls of crystalline ice that seemed to shimmer in the pale blue light. Frosted windows diffused the sunlight, I assumed to keep Jack safe from the powerful rays.
The cold, crisp air was a stark contrast to the smoggy sunshine and heat of Los Angeles, and the sultry darkness and warmth of the Rabbit Hole. My breath formed small clouds as I exhaled.
The whimsical beauty of Wonderland was breathtaking, but I was buzzed and my stomach was more than full. I felt ready to burst. All I wanted at that moment was to fall back into my soft bed and sleep off my exhaustion.
“Here is where we will practice your swordsmanship,” Jack explained, gesturing to the open space before us. The ground was a mirror of smooth, slick ice. It reflected the balcony that wrapped around the entire space and the weapons mounted on the icy walls below.
I could name some of them...sword, crossbow, dagger, spear. But there were more than I’d ever dreamed of, all hanging from the balcony surrounding me. I wondered if I’d be obligated to master them all...
Metal ball with spikes. Thor’s hammer. Pokey-pointy-stabby thinger. It seemed like the only weapon missing from the wall was the Vorpal Sword. It hung at Jack’s side, the hilt caressing his narrow hips with a dangerous, yet sensual allure.
I took a step onto the smooth floor and immediately slipped and fell on my ass.
“What the hell?” I groaned as I carefully pulled myself back onto my feet. “Exactly why are we practicing in an ice skating rink?”
Jack was wearing another one of his faint, yet sinister grins.
“Training on ice demands exceptional balance and footwork. You’re not merely going to learn the art of the blade—you’re going to learn the dance of agility and precision.”
I jutted out my chin in defiance.
“What if I don’t wantyoufor a dance partner?”
“Oh, Alice...you and I are not going to dance,” he murmured. “You’re going torun. You kept me waiting five hours this morning, so that’s how long you will run. Begin.”
He shooed me away with a bored motion of his hand.
Well...
He tried.
“Five hours? Are you serious?” I protested, clutching my stomach as it churned from the mimosas and all-you-can-eat brunch buffet. “I can’trunright now!”
“Perhaps you need some motivation,” Jack smirked, his red eyes flashing with cruel intentions. He whispered something under his breath, and suddenly a bone-chilling howl split the air.
I whipped around to see a pack of terrifying black monster-dogs gathering in one corner of the courtyard. Their eyes glowed bright orangey-red, like fire. One of them howled again, revealing long, razor sharp fangs.
“What the hell are those?” I trembled as my stomach turned.
“Abyssal hounds,” Jack replied with a twisted grin. “They prefer to disembowel their prey and eat it while it’s still alive.” To my shock and horror, instead of protecting me, the White Knight leaped twelve feet into the air and landed on the balcony above me. He pulled up a chair and sat down as if he had box seats to a Broadway show. “They look hungry. You’d better start running.”
The abyssal hounds were fanning out, growling, and stalking towards me. I let out a shriek of terror and took off in the opposite direction, scrambling and slipping on the ice.
