Page 16 of Escaping Wonderland

“That damned fool,” he muttered. He brushed a thumb over the red skin; despite the wicked claw at its tip, his touch was whisper-soft.

Alice watched Shadow in silence. From what she’d seen of him so far, he was unpredictable, unfocused, and absolutely mad. She had the sense that he was…untethered, like his presence had no grounding in this virtual world, like he’d just float away at any second. But for a moment he seemed almost sane; as he examined the damage on her wrists, he looked like he actually…cared.

I can work with this. I can use this to my advantage.

“Shadow?”

He lifted his eyes, and his grin widened as he purred, “Hmm?”

“Would you help me escape this place?”

His thumb continued its gentle caress. “Escape? That seems a bit overly dramatic, doesn’t it?”

Alice’s brow lowered as she struggled to focus on the conversation, on the situation, and not on the way his tender ministrations made her skin tingle and warm—or how his other hand was moist and sticky with blood. She reminded herself for the thousandth time that this wasnot real.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Escapeis such a strong word, Alice. I was just going to walk out the front door.” He looked away for a moment. “At least I think it’s the front. Sort of hard to tell by looking at the outside of this place, isn’t it?”

Without thinking, Alice lifted her hand and placed it on his cheek, turning his face back toward her. He didn’t relinquish his hold on her. “No, I don’t mean justthisplace, I mean the simulation.”

He stared into her eyes for several seconds as though searching for something. Then his brow smoothed, his eyes lit up, and his grin—which sheshouldhave found deeply disturbing rather than intriguing—only grew. “I’ve met a lot of crazy people in my time, Alice, but you may be the maddest of all.”

Alice dropped her hand from his face. “I’m not crazy, Shadow.”

Holding her gaze, he tilted his head to the side. “That’s exactly what a crazy person would say.”

Frowning, Alice turned away from him.

“And because that makes you the most interesting person here, I’ll help you, Alice.”

She looked back at him as hope sparked inside her. “You will?”

“Let’s see it through to whatever end we reach. It soundsexciting.” He leaned closer to her, his expression falling into that eyes-half-lidded smolder. “And it should give us some valuablealonetime.”

Alice’s heart fluttered, and she blushed. “I’m not a…dolly, Shadow.”

Shadow moved closer still—close enough that she could feel the tickle of his warm breath against her skin. “No, you’re not a dolly, Alice. But you’re mine all the same.”

CHAPTER 5

Alice’s delectable pink lips parted as she sucked in a sharp breath. Her vibrant blue eyes flared, and her cheeks flushed beneath her pale makeup.

She and Shadow stared at each other for what seemed a long while, her lips occasionally moving as though she meant to speak—but she didn’t utter a single word. And Shadow was content to stare. He’d not seen anyone as beautiful as her in all his time here, and he suspected she was even more beautiful without the makeup the Hatter’s people had caked on her face.

This Alice was a strange creature, an intriguing creature, and she heated his blood in a way he’d never experienced. Many of the people who came to Wonderland were confused and disoriented, sometimes for a great while, but she was different. She was unique. No one, in all his time here, had so adamantly and confidently proclaimed reality unreal. It only piqued his curiosity further.

He had the sense—nearly overwhelming in its surety—that spending time with her would be far more entertaining than his games with the Hatter and the Red King. His time with her would be far more…fulfilling.

Alice’s eyes shied away from him as she cleared her throat. “Are we…leaving, then?”

Shadow blinked. “Oh. You meant you wanted to leavenow?”

She looked at him again, and the corners of her lips twitched as a hint of humor entered her gaze. “Yes. I’d rather not stay here any longer than necessary.”

“All for the best,” he replied with a resigned sigh, taking her hand as he slipped off the bed. “As you’re currently not interested in deepening our relationship, I suppose this peace and quiet would’ve eventually grown stifling, especially after my eighth or ninth hour of staring at you.”

“Eight or nine hours…” She arched a brow. “You’d stare at me for that long?”

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