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And perhaps beyond.
I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t lose my grip. I had to remain vigilant. My duty to my queen outweighed any trivial matters such as emotions.
Feelings weren’t part of my existence. Feelings belonged to creatures who didn’t have to kill, to drink fresh blood to survive.
But Alice stirred something within me. Something...human.
And I hadn’t been human in hundreds of years.
The only sensible course of action was to tamp down those intrusive thoughts. I was a knight. I had plenty of armor...physical and mental. I would use it all to guard my heart. For my sake, and for Alice’s.
For Wonderland’s.
As I navigated the secret path to my private chambers, I made a decision—a vow etched in the cold stone of my heart. I would do everything in my power to suppress these primal desires for Alice.
I would be her mentor, her protector...
But nothing more.
I knew that in the dance of predator and prey, the heart is the most vulnerable target, and I could not—would not—be the one to break hers.
* * *
ChapterEight
ALICE
From dawn to dusk, I belonged to Jack, but from dusk to dawn, my time was my own.
Eight or nine hours of that time was spent sleeping. At least one hour was spent eating. One more for showering, brushing my teeth, dealing with my hair, and changing my clothes. Another hour was spent icing my newest bruises and sprains from the intense training until one of Amari’s healing apprentices could fix me up.
It didn’t leave a lot of time to play with my wicked boys or hang out with Queen Amari. She seemed to have her hands full and was constantly in meetings with bigwigs from her royal council.
There was a rumor going around court that the Red Queen’s army was causing trouble near the border of the Kingdom of Diamonds and Ice, and the Kingdom of Hearts and Roses.
One night I tried asking Amari about it. She simply said, “It’s nothing to trouble you with, my dear. How’s your training coming along? Jacques says you’re making steady progress.”
I don’t know why, but knowing that Jack had praised me to the White Queen made me blush bright red.
“Yeah, he’s a good teacher,” I told her, then faked a yawn and went to bed early. I didn’t mind hanging out in my Insta-worthy private suite.
The truth was that even with Jack’s one-on-one tutoring, I was starting to feel the pressure of killing the Jabberwocky. The book Amari had lent me was simultaneously useful, and not helpful at all. I read every night until I fell asleep.
Apparently the demon had night vision that could put any Hollywood club’s VIP room to shame, but bright lights were its kryptonite. It reminded me of trying to walk the red carpet in blinding flashes – totally disorienting. But getting a giant demon to walk past a horde of paparazzi?
Not gonna happen.
And even though this monster had decimated entire villages, it had a weak spot. Right at the base of its neck, the scales were way softer. Hitting it there was the secret to bringing down this nightmarish creature. It was like trying to spot the perfect Louboutins in a sample sale – not impossible, but good luck finding what you wanted.
“Ugh!!!” I groaned, and tossed the book to the end of my bed. “How am I supposed to get close enough to the Jabberwocky’s weak spot in the first place? I’m not a demon slayer!”
A pair of brilliant green eyes appeared a few feet away from my face. They were floating in the air without a body.
I was completely unfazed.
“Hi Chess. How long have you been in here?”
“Not long,” he purred. “I like to check on you from time to time...make sure you’re safe...and not in need of anything.”
