Page 18 of Escaping Wonderland

At the edges of his vision, guards were shoving through the crowd, forcing their way toward him, and he knew more were hurrying down the stairs in pursuit.

He’d not been sure how any of this would turn out when he’d followed Miraxis and Alice inside earlier. Though he alwayshopedfor excitement, those hopes were rarely fulfilled—but this was thrilling on so many levels.

And the Hatter would belividwhen he came back.

Shadow darted through the crowd, carrying Alice as he dodged and wove between patrons and dollies.

“Stop,” Madame Cecilia shouted. “Release her, or you will bring the wrath of the Red King upon us all, you cowardly wretch!”

Shadow spun around and met the woman’s gaze. “You’ll have to catch me first!”

A guard shoved toward him, reaching out with one large hand. Shadow swayed backward. The guard’s fingertips brushedover the fabric of Alice’s dress, but the man was unable to get hold of it. Shadow turned toward the exit; he reached it in a few quick strides and tugged the door open, darting through.

He ran for the railing ahead, stooping slightly to lift Alice fully into his arms again.

She looped her arms around his neck, her wide blue eyes meeting his. “We’re too high!”

“Maybe,” he replied. He leapt into the air. His leading foot came down atop the railing, and he used it to launch himself forward. That fluttery feeling returned to his stomach, and, for a few wonderful moments, he and Alice were weightless, soaring at least fifteen or twenty feet above the ground.

Alice made a frightened sound and closed her eyes. She squeezed him, holding his head against her breasts in a viselike grip as though she were facing her impending demise. The hat tipped back and fell off his head. He caught it on the tip of his tail. The fabric of their clothing fluttered, and her hair streamed around them.

Once again, he couldn’t help but notice how much he enjoyed the feel of her clinging to him—especially the way her soft breasts yielded to him. Her scent filled his nose, almost overpowered by whatever spicy floral perfume they’d sprayed on her when they dolled her up, but unmistakable—warm honey and vanilla, so subtle and pure. There was no one who smelled quite like she did, no one whose scent could make him feel intoxicated.

His feet came down on one of the paved pathways that formed a convoluted web around the Hatter’s Tea Party. The impact jolted up his legs; his knees bent, but he remained upright, stumbling a few steps before resuming his run. The pain caused by his landing was fleeting, like most pain was for him—there for an instant and then gone, carried away on an unseen wind never to be felt again.

“This is insane,” Alice whispered. She lifted her face from the top of his head. “They’re running down the stairs.”

Shadow shifted his gaze to the nearby woods. He had an urge to slow his pace, to give up his lead, so the guards would chase him into the forest. He could keep just ahead of them for hours, leading them deeper and deeper in. Most people couldn’t find their way anywhere in those woods without the aid of a path. The thought of the Hatter’s goons lost and wandering for days amidst the towering trees was an appealing one.

But he found himself far more tempted by the thought of having time alone with Alice; he couldn’t have a very meaningful conversation with her while they were fleeing, not while she was in the clutches of fear. She needed some time in relative safety to learn that she had nothing to be frightened of—at least not while she was at Shadow’s side.

He wouldn’t allow any harm to come to what was his.

Shadow ran his tongue across his teeth, held Alice a little closer, and increased his speed.

Perhaps her madness is rubbing off on me.

The shouting behind them faded as the surrounding vegetation gradually thickened. By the time Shadow and Alice had entered the forest proper, the guards were little more than a memory. Shadow shoved aside his pang of disappointment. He had the greater prize right here, in his arms.

Ignoring the purple-stone path, he sprinted between massive trunks, bounded past towering flowers and giant mushrooms, and carried his female deep into the woods. Eventually, he slowed. Alice’s grip on him—to his regret—eased. In retaliation, he tightened his hold on her.

“I think they’re gone,” she said.

“Quite easy to shake pursuit when you’re lost,” he replied.

Alice leaned back to meet his eyes. “We’re lost?”

Shadow arched a brow. “Obviously. Isn’t that the best way to avoid capture? If you can’t find yourself, how is anyone else meant to find you?”

Her features were strained with worry. Even wearing that expression, she really was an exquisite thing—especially because of her revealing, vibrant eyes. His hands, one of which was on her bare thigh, flexed. Were he to slide that hand up, he’d feel the intimate heat between her legs. It was a tempting thought.

“You look worried, Alice,” he said huskily, barely resisting the desire to shift his hand.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Her gaze flicked behind them. Her fingers idly twirled and brushed through the hair at the back of Shadow’s neck, sending delicious pulses of pleasure down his spine. “Everything here is…different. Strange. The things I’ve experienced here, all the fear, pain, the um…” Her cheeks reddened. “It all feels so real even though I know it’s not.”

Shadow continued onward in a casual stroll, paying no mind to direction. He was more focused on her; she’d not tried to get down yet, and he wouldn’t relinquish his hold on her voluntarily. “Ah, so we’re back to that again. Have you ever stopped to consider that thisisreal?”

Her eyes locked with his. “But it’snot, Shadow. Isawthem. The coffins. The…pods they put us in. There were wires and tubes and needles. They’re keeping us asleep, keeping us in this simulation like prisoners.”

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