Page 47 of Escaping Wonderland

Part of him also recognized that, somehow, she was the only thing keeping his mind from being consumed with worry. To withdraw from her would mean an end to the sensations currently distracting him. It would mean facing their current situation head-on.

Shadow sighed softly, lifted his head, and placed a kiss atop Alice’s hair. “Nothing is the same since you came.”

Moving as carefully as he could, he slowly rolled Alice off him, withdrawing his still erect cock from her heat with a pang of regret. She stirred as he settled her onto her back but did not wake. His heart thumped when he caught sight of the faint smile on her lips. He reached forward and delicately brushed away a strand of hair from her face with the back of a claw.

Propped up on an elbow and with his tail lazily flicking beside him, Shadow happily took time to admire her body—their joining had offered unfortunately little opportunity to do so.

Her skin was as fair on the rest of her body as it was on her face, its pure white broken only by a pair of moles on her inner right thigh and a light pink birthmark on her hip. Even now, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She was so soft, so smooth, so warm. He traced her collarbone with the pad of a finger before running that finger between her breasts, which were round and pert, each a perfect fit for his palm. He followed the progress of his hand with his eyes as it trekked steadily lower.

Alice’s flaring hips curved in such a way that they also seemed designed to fit precisely in his hands. He ran his finger around her belly button before continuing down. His hand halted at the uppermost edge of the little patch of hair on her pelvis. The hair was neat and short—though he could tell, despite its length, that it tended to curl—and was a shade darker than the blond hair on her head.

He dipped his eyes lower still, and barely contained a lustful groan. Alice’s legs were parted, granting him full view of the drying nectar on her thighs and the pink petals of her glistening sex. The air was perfumed with the lingering scent of her arousal.

His cock throbbed, and he wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing it with the hope of alleviating some of the sudden ache.

Despite what they’d just shared, Shadow yearned for more. Had she not looked so exhausted when they’d come down from their climaxes, he would’ve woken her now—perhaps with the tip of his tail brushing over her folds, or by spearing her with his tongue again. But his Alice needed rest. Even if he could not understand the stresses and fears she’d endured in Wonderland—because this place had never affected him like it affected her—hedidunderstand that it was all taking a toll on her.

Yet his gaze lingered on her sex a little longer. Something seemed wrong, seemedoff, but he couldn’t immediately place it. It wasn’t Alice or her body, wasn’t her sex…butsomethingwas missing.

His mind stilled when he realized what it was—none of his seed had seeped out of her.

With brow furrowed, Shadow sat up. He raised his hand from his shaft and sniffed his fingers. All he could smell was Alice’s scent, as thrilling and intoxicating as ever but not enough to pierce his sudden unease.

He’d felt himself come, had felt heat pouring out of him, and her body had demanded more.

So where was the evidence of it? Where was his seed, which should’ve been trickling down her pale skin or seeping from the slit at the end of his cock? Where was its scent?

Shadow lifted his gaze to her face. Her features were serene in her slumber, unburdened by worry—for now, her quest to escape Wonderland was forgotten. For now, she’d accepted him, had accepted this place, and had found some peace in that acceptance.

But what if…

What if she’d been right all along? What if Wonderland wasn’t real?

What ifI’mnot real?

He leapt off the bed and paced at its foot, the fur of his tail standing on end as it lashed restlessly behind him. He shoved the fingers of one hand into his hair, tugging the strands back, glancing at Alice’s peaceful form each time he passed her. His chest felt tight, like his organs were constricting.

Everything she’d said flitted through his head, colliding with Jor’calla’s nonsense—much of which didn’t seem quite so nonsensical right now. Even the Red King’s words supported Alice’s claims, if only from a certain perspective.

“No, no,” he muttered under his breath, “the rules can’t justchange. This is all…all…”

Not real? I don’t seem to follow any of the rules, myself. That can’t be how reality works, can it?

Shadow lifted his other arm to clench two fistfuls of his hair—as though the sting on his scalp could somehow end this bout of madness.

It’struedeath, Shadow!

No. The only true death in Wonderland was the kind where people came back a little while later.

He halted abruptly and fixed his gaze on Alice. Sweet, sweet Alice—so beautiful, so small, so vulnerable. Could he risk disbelieving all this talk about true death? Could he risk the chance of losing her forever?

He hurried to the bed and knelt beside it, sliding his arms beneath her. With all possible gentleness—and while holding his breath—he lifted her off the bed and cradled her against his chest. Her only reaction was to curl trustingly against him.

“I’ll keep you safe, Alice,” he whispered. “No one will harm you. You’re mine.”

Using a combination of one foot and his tail, he peeled the bedding back. He settled her on the mattress. Lying on her side, she nuzzled her cheek into the pillow and let out a contented sigh.

Shadow wanted nothing more than to lie down beside her and hold her in his arms through the night, but he covered her up without joining her. These questions of reality were too loud inside his head; he needed a distraction until he calmed down, until he came to his senses and could see past all this madness.

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