Page 17 of Escaping Wonderland

Shadow helped her off the bed and onto her feet. “I don’t mean to be insulting. I’d gladly stare at you for longer, but I would think you’d be quite ready for a break by that point. I don’t want to assume your endurance.”

“My…endurance? From staring?”

“I can only imagine that constantly looking as beautiful as you do is a tiring affair, and I don’t want to overburden you.” He led her through the door and into the Hatter’s parlor, where the cakes and the carpet alike had soaked up much of the blood. The carpet made little squelching sounds as he stepped over the body.

Alice gasped behind him, and her arm stiffened, suddenly resisting his lead.

Shadow paused and glanced back to find her staring down at the Hatter, her face paling beneath her already ghostly white makeup. “You were in such a hurry a moment ago, and now you want to dawdle? Do you really want to be here when he gets back?”

She looked up at him, startled. “When he getsback? What do you mean? He’s…dead.”

“For now.” A flicker of silver caught his eyes. Shadow turned his attention to the bracelet on Alice’s wrist.Eat Mewas written upon the charm attached to it. He grinned. With quick, nimble movements of his fingers, he unlatched the bracelet and held it up between forefinger and thumb. “I’ll have to make good onthislater.”

Her gaze caught on the bracelet and a delectable blush stained her cheeks. “What?”

Shadow chuckled, pocketed the trinket, and took her hand again. He tugged on her arm gently. “Come along. This building is far more pleasant from outside.”

Her hold on his hand tightened, but she came without resistance. The small, simple action—her clutching his hand—made him feel warm inside. She was taking comfort in his presence.

He liked that feeling. He liked itverymuch.

When he reached the door leading out of the Hatter’s quarters, Shadow produced the keys he’d taken from the Hatter once again. He slipped the appropriate key into the lock, unlocked it, and left the keys dangling in the door as he pulled it open.

The Hatter’s door guard, a broadly built human who was roughly the size of a small house, turned to glance at Shadow and Alice as they emerged from the darkened chamber. His eyes widened.

Without missing a step, Shadow led Alice past the guard, giving the man a hardy slap on the shoulder.

“Hey, stop!” the man called, seeming to snap out of his shock as he hurried after them.

Shadow turned, slipped an arm around Alice’s waist, and swept her onto his lap as he sat on the sloped, curving bannister. He curled his tail around her middle.

Alice threw her arms around his neck. “What are youdoing? We’ll fall!”

“Thatwouldbe a more direct way down,” Shadow replied. Wrapping her securely in his arms, he kicked off one of the steps just as the guard lunged toward him.

He and Alice slid down, leaving the guard’s hands to close on empty air. Their speed rapidly increased, and Shadow’s stomach flipped; he laughed in delight as they passed doors, hallways, and startled patrons on their way down, everything soon becoming a blur.

Alice shrieked and buried her face against his neck, clinging to him. Her lips brushed his throat as she muttered quietly but frantically to herself.

“Enjoy yourself, Alice. It’s not real, after all!”

She only clung to him tighter.

Shadow grinned.

Guards shouted on the levels above him, patrons gasped as he sped past them, and the hypnotic music from below grew steadily in volume as he wound lower and lower around the cylindrical chamber. His heart raced, adding to his giddiness; its speed was almost matched by the heavy footsteps thumping on the stairs overhead.

When they finally neared the place where the staircase met its twin and merged into one, Shadow unwound one arm from around Alice and thrust himself off the bannister. His momentum carried him and Alice through the air for a few yards. He swept an arm beneath her legs, cradling her against his chest, until his feet came down on the central landing.

The people around him cried out in startlement; for a moment, all eyes were upon Shadow and Alice.

Shadow unwound his tail from Alice and settled her on her feet, keeping an arm around her waist as he dipped into a low bow and swept the hat off his head with his free hand.“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Please, do not allow me to interrupt your debaucheries.”

“You!” A woman in a red gown and a beaked mask broke from the thick crowd below—the Tea Party’s madame, Cecilia. “You don’t belong here!”

Shadow laughed as he straightened. “None of us do. None of this is real!”

Alice turned her face toward him, and he could feel the question in her eyes. But she had no opportunity to ask it aloud; Shadow swept her off her feet, clutching her against his hip, and bounded down the steps three at a time. She released a startled squeak and clung to him, her fingers digging into the fabric of his clothing. His ears perked in unexpected satisfaction; suddenly, he was quite interested to learn what her blunt little nails would feel like against his chest or his back without any clothing in the way.

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