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“If I’m so important, then why are you being so awful to me?”
An amused smile passed briefly across his lips.
It faded fast.
“I never said you were important. You’re more of a last resort. Your actions do not only affect you,” he lectured. “They affect the suffering people of Wonderland. Every minute that you spend indulging in sleeping and fucking and eating and drinking to excess is another minute that the people of Wonderland suffer and die at the hands of the Red Queen. The only way to save them from her tyranny is for you to master the Vorpal Sword as soon as possible.”
The harsh reality of his words cut me to the core, and I felt more aware and ashamed of my selfish behavior than I’d ever thought capable. People were suffering and dying, and I had the power to stop it.
And I wasn’t.
Because of what? An all-night fuckfest with the Cheshire Cat? Free refills on mimosas?
Flashbacks came flooding into my mind; me finding out my boyfriend was cheating when his side chick’s money shot video went viral...
Me finding out secondhand that little kids in sweatshops were building my shoe empire...
Me getting booed off stage at a charity gala for those same exploited children...
Me sitting in a bathroom toilet stall as my entire world crumbled all around me...
But at least I was still alive.
It was more than I could say for some of the people here in Wonderland. People like Callister’s brother.
Tears stung at my eyes but I immediately wiped them away. It wasn’t going to do any good to beat myself up...not when Jack was already kicking my ass. I silently vowed to show him just how wrong he was about me.
Maybe I didn’t know how to defeat the Red Queen...
But I could learn.
“Fine, I’ll try harder,” I said from the ground. “But you don’t have to be so mean to me.”
Jack’s nimble fingers unfastened the buckles of his armor, then let it slide to the frozen floor. I watched him roll up the sleeves of his shirt, unable to look away from the ropes of veins that highlighted his muscular forearms.
“Oh, Alice...you haven’t evenbegunto see the depths of how cruel I can be. By all means...test me if you like.” He caught my gaze and lifted an eyebrow at me in warning. “But I don’t recommend it.”
I wasn’t sure whether to obediently nod my head or shake it. In that moment, all I knew was that I had zero interest in testing the limits of the White Knight’s cruelty.
“Now...you still owe me two-hundred and ninety-three minutes of running.”
Somehow, I managed to drag myself back onto my feet. My hand was still throbbing in pain, but I was determined not to let him see it.
“I swear I’ll make it up to you, especially if it doesn’t have to be all at once. Please, Jack. Can we just get on with our lesson? I’ll run some laps when we’re done. I promise.”
A flicker of crimson lit up his dark red eyes, giving me the smallest shred of hope.
“Very well,” he conceded, his expression softening ever so slightly. “But remember, Alice, the stakes have never been higher. Wonderland is depending on you. I expect you to step up and become the warrior you were destined to be.”
A warrior?
I almost scoffed at the thought.
It wasn’t the first time I’d been told about my destiny to save Wonderland, but it was the first time I’d seriously pictured myself in that role.
“I’ll try.”
Jack shook his head, his long platinum hair catching on his shoulders. He seemed less imposing without all the bulky armor.
