Page 64 of Escaping Wonderland

“They won’t anymore.”

“That means they should beespeciallyfriendly and talkative today.”

He increased their pace. Despite everything, Alice’s heart beat with a touch of excitement; hurrying through the streets with Shadow was, in its own way, thrilling, and that thrill was certainly more pleasant than dwelling upon the uncertainty and danger they were rushing toward.

After more turns than she could count—including several through alleyways of varying sizes and degrees of filth—they turned onto a street wider than the rest. The electric lampposts, which lined the streets all over Rosecourt, were positioned at more regular intervals here, and the open space seemed designed specifically with pedestrians in mind. More oversized vegetation was on display in sculpted planters along the street, but they weren’t what caught Alice’s attention now—her eyes were drawn to the building directly ahead, at the end of the street.

At least one or two hundred people were gathered outside of it, their degrees of intoxication implied by their levels of unsteadiness. There was plenty of space for them—the Stark Rave itself appeared to be comprised of more than a dozen smaller buildings mashed together, all perched upon a single column that ran to the ground. It reminded Alice of a bird house. Every one of the clashing planes on the structure was a differentcolor and pattern. Vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and pinks hit cool splashes of green, blue, teal and purple, sometimes in stripes, checkers, or spots, none of it matching and yet somehow comprising a greater, oddly coherent whole. Some of the smaller buildings had balconies upon which more revelers were dancing and talking—the highest of which had to be at least a hundred and fifty feet off the ground.

As far as Alice could see, there was only one entrance—a pair of large doors at the base of the column, which itself seemed far too thin to support the structure above it. A pair of burly guards in dark suits flanked the doors, occasionally stepping forward to block people’s entry.

The guards would’ve looked right at home at the Hatter’s Tea Party.

Alice’s eyes widened as they neared the Rave’s grounds. There were several people having sex outside—on the ground, amidst the large-leafed bushes, on the benches and tables scattered all around, even a group of three up against the building’s support column. Everyone else was talking, drinking from vials, swallowing pills, or eating little cakes. The drinks and drugs seemed to be provided by masked, tuxedoed waiters wandering throughout the crowd.

Alice eased a bit closer to Shadow. This place reminded her too much of her brief time at the Hatter’s. Was this the sort of scene that would’ve awaited her had she remained there? Would she have wound up as one of these drug-addled revelers, sharing her body with strangers, her inhibitions and free will cast away and forgotten?

Something in her gut told her that it would’ve been somehowworseat the Hatter’s.

Shadow led her to the outskirts of the gathering and turned to walk along the edge of the grounds. As Alice swept her gazearound, she noticed several more stoic guards posted at various intervals.

Were all those guards—so big, so intimidating, so calm—patients in the asylum, too?

“How are we going to get inside?” she whispered.

Shadow turned his head to glance up at the building. “I think you already know, dearest.”

She followed his gaze with her own. The Stark Rave looked even larger from up close, nearly as tall as the giant trees between which she’d spent so much time walking. At least she had some idea of what to expect inside—the same as out here only more, only louder.

“Hey!” someone shouted.

Alice swung her gaze aside to see one of the guards shoving through the crowd toward her and Shadow, his expression hard. A spike of fear pierced her chest.

“Hold on, my sweet,” Shadow said an instant before sweeping Alice into his arms, dipping her back, and covering her mouth with his.

Alice’s eyes widened, and she clutched at his arms. Despite her fear, she couldn’t deny the heat that sparked within her in response to the feel of his mouth against hers. Her eyelids drifted shut; she was vaguely aware of the air wavering around her, and then music with thumping bass pulsed over her.

Shadow broke the kiss, and Alice opened her eyes. He offered her a grin before raising her from the dip.

Alice glanced around their new surroundings. They were at the edge of the dance floor in a huge, domed room. Countless bodies writhed nearby, their faces obscured by dim, flickering lights and a thin but prevalent cloud of smoke. The air was redolent with a mixture of powerful scents, but alcohol and that sweet smoke were the strongest of them.

Something tickled Alice’s scalp, and she turned to see an alien woman beside her with a thick strand of Alice’s hair in her fingers. The alien’s skin changed wildly from moment to moment under the pulsing lights—vibrant pink when the bright lights touched it, and a deep purplish-blue under the ultraviolet lights.

The female smiled and raised Alice’s hair higher, rubbing it against her cheek, before she met Alice’s gaze. She extended a webbed hand and ran her fingers along Alice’s collarbone and down to her breast, which she cupped in her palm.

Alice’s breath hitched.

“Such a pretty thing,” the female said, smiling to reveal shark-like teeth.

Shadow spun Alice away from the female, and, with a metallic flash, pressed the blade of a knife to the alien’s throat. “Hello. We haven’t met, but that won’t stop me from slicing you open from top to bottom.”

Alice peeked around Shadow’s shoulder. He kept an arm around her, his fingers curled possessively on her hip. She could feel the press of his claws despite them being separated from her skin by both her skirt and her pants.

The female alien’s glowing yellow eyes flared, and she backed away, raising her hands. “Faceless One, I meant no disrespect. I only sought to taste the pretty.”

“She is forme,” Shadow growled, angling the knife to keep its tip pointed at the female, “and no one else.”

The alien recoiled and bowed her head, averting her eyes. “Of course. Of course.”

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