Page 30 of Escaping Wonderland

Shadow groaned and looped his other arm around her middle, tugging her against him. Alice didn’t resist. She slid her hands up and buried her fingers in his hair, clutching the thick strands. His hand settled on her lower back, and the prick of his claws through her dress sent tingles of delight across her skin.

His tongue swept past her parted lips. Alice met it with her own, flicking and caressing it; his tongue was rougher than a human’s, and that knowledge brought to mind delicious imaginings of where else his tongue might delve, where else it might stimulate and pleasure.

She moaned as he took her mouth with a reckless abandon. His lips caressed, his tongue stroked, and his fangs grazed—and Alice submitted. She’d never feltso intensely as she did in that moment, wrapped in his arms with his mouth against hers. She’d never been soalive. Her sex clenched in desire, slickening with liquid heat. Her clothing felt suddenly burdensome and restrictive as it scraped against her sensitive flesh and hardened nipples.

I want him.

Shadow’s chest swelled with a deep inhalation, and he released a rumbling purr as he murmured against her mouth, “You smell even more delicious now.”

Alice gasped.

What am Idoing?

Play the game a while. Enjoy yourself while you’re here.

And in playing that game, she risked losing herself completely to this place—tohim.

Alice wrenched herself away from him. There was a sharp prick of pain on her bottom lip as she stumbled back on unsteady legs. Her heart thundered, and her breath was harsh as she stared at Shadow.

He stared back at her dazedly; his pupils were dilated, his ears perked, and the hat had fallen off his head. The hand that had been cupping the back of her head lingered in the air for another second or two before he lowered his arm and curled his fingers into loose fists. His tail flicked restlessly behind him.

“I believe you’ve taken enough,” Alice said.

“It’s nottakingif you give it willingly,” he rasped.

She narrowed her eyes, brows falling low; it wasn’t pleasant having her words thrown back at her, especially because they were true. Shehadgiven in willingly.Toowillingly.

Something tickled her lip, and she lifted the back of her hand to wipe it away. She stilled when she saw the streak of blood on her skin. Slipping her tongue out, she lightly dabbed the tiny cut and licked away the remaining blood.

Shadow’s eyes were focused on her mouth, his pupils narrowed to tiny points of black. The heat in his gaze only intensified.

Alice swallowed thickly and squeezed her legs together as though that could quell the desire raging through her veins. Her thighs were slick with her arousal. “Don’t we need to find Jor’calla?”

“Yes… I suppose thatiswhere we were going.” He slid his foot to the side, calling her attention down to the hat. She watched as he deftly kicked it into the air, caught it in one hand, and brushed the dirt and mud off it with the other. His eyes never left her throughout his movements. When the hat was in place atop his head again, he extended a hand to her. “Shall we, dearest?”

“I-I think it would be best to keep our hands to ourselves.”

His grin returned. He shrugged, flipping his palms skyward, before lowering his arm and turning away from her. He started walking without hesitation. “Keep close, Alice. I’d rather not see your lovely legs covered unnecessarily in muck again.”

CHAPTER 8

Alice stayed as close to Shadow as she could without touching him; sometimes, the fog was so thick that only five or six feet of separation seemed enough for her to lose sight of him, and she didn’t want to find herself alone in this place again. It wasn’t that it was frightening—okay, so maybe it was alittlecreepy—but it was a sadplace. She couldn’t help but again liken it to a graveyard, even though the people here were alive. She had no idea why the sleepers had never woken, had no idea who any of them were, but there were so many of them here in this misty limbo that she couldn’t help but mourn the lives they were missing out on.

It felt like she and Shadow walked forever, picking their way across narrow patches of relatively solid land that stood above the water. They were forced to cross the water in several places. Alice was left shivering after the first such crossing—the water was colder than seemed reasonable—and Shadow took to carrying her across those spots afterward, ignoring her protests.

And, despite those protests, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him every time, silently appreciating his caring and thoughtfulness.

Still, it seemed like the swamp would never end, like she’d already spent a lifetime traversing it with those dark, motionless figures always nearby in the mist.

Shadow stopped when they came to another stretch of deeper water. She didn’t bother complaining as he scooped her up; it had become routine by now, and the body heat radiating through his clothes was too comforting to forego.

“It feels like we’re never going to get out of here,” she said as he trudged into the water.

He was up to his waist after a few strides. “Do you mean the swamp or thesimulation? Either way, I’m content—it gives me an excuse to hold you.”

When Alice met his gaze, he grinned and waggled his eyebrows.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “You’re impossible.”

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