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What did this Alice of the same age have to offer, aside from the ability to dress like a common whore and drink to excess and complain about how difficult her life was?
She knew absolutelynothingof how difficult life could be.
Most of my young Alices knew at least that much. I recalled one of them arriving in Wonderland so malnourished that I refused to train her for an entire fortnight. Watching her eat her fill had been so satisfying...
Unlike my current Alice.
She’d been born into privilege yet remained willfully ignorant.
“Why must she be so vexing?” I muttered under my breath, knowing that my voice wouldn’t carry far in the falling snow.
Just then I caught a movement in the corner of my eye. I spun, ready to strike. It was only a rabbit. Not much sport in taking such a small creature. I stared deep into its glittering black eyes.
“Lucky for you I’m not that desperate. You’d better run while you can.”
The rabbit’s nose twitched at me in understanding before it darted away into the underbrush.
With quiet grace, I continued walking through the darkness, careful not to disturb the serenity of the forest. The wind began to pick up, sending my cloak billowing around me like a ghostly shadow.
Suddenly, there it was. The faint scent of a deer in the near distance, its warm, earthy aroma calling to the primal hunter within me.
My pulse quickened, adrenaline surging as I zeroed in on my target. It was a doe, camouflaged by the dense cover of pine trees that brushed against the low clouds above.
But it didn’t matter if I couldn’t see her.
I could smell her.
It wouldn’t be long until she was in my arms, thrashing desperately, fighting to live.
Let the chase begin.
My bloodlust led me by the nose through the snow-dusted trees, my boots barely making a sound as I quickly found tracks of my prey. My mouth began to water in anticipation of the hot, metallic taste of fresh blood. She would be more than enough for me to drink my fill. I ran my tongue along my fangs as I caught sight of the doe in a small clearing among the trees.
In one fluid motion, I leapt from tree to tree, closing in on my target. I landed gracefully behind the doe in a surge of speed, pinning her to the ground beneath my weight. Her legs thrashed about wildly, but I held fast.
The warmth of her body against mine, and her struggle to live was intoxicating.
This very moment was what I lived for.
My existence was not much different than the wild animals of the forest...or the jungle...or the plains—
Kill or be killed.
Hunt or become the hunted.
Of all the deadly creatures in this forest, I was the apex predator.
The doe thrashed and bucked as I sank my teeth deep into her jugular. My mouth closed around the wound, and I drank freely and deeply, drawing her life force into me. Warm blood filled my mouth and gushed down my throat, licking at my insides like a lover’s tongue...satisfying a thirst that would never truly be quenched.
The thrashing slowed as the doe accepted her fate. Her heartbeat thudded in my ears, urging me to take my fill. Enormous brown eyes blinked in understanding as she surrendered her life to me.
She had just learned the lesson that I’d spent my entire life teaching—
Every living thing must someday die.
In the distance, I could hear the familiar hunt calls of wolves, foxes, and birds of prey. I swallowed one last mouthful of precious blood, then let her neck slip out of my hands and into the snow. I knew that after I’d satisfied my own hunger, this creature’s body would continue to feed many more.
I wiped my mouth and headed straight for the castle. My intent was to locate Queen Amari and update her on Alice’s progress in training, as I did with all my apprentices, then retire back to my chambers.
