Page 2 of King of Clubs

Full of righteous indignation, my eyes flashed with anger.

“Yourword? Your word doesn’t meanshit! Youliedto me!”

He leaned back on the velvet sofa, bringing his cards close to his chest before his dark eyes flicked up to me.

"Sit," he commanded, gesturing to the empty space next to him.

“Not until you tell me where I am.”

He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head.

“You don’t call the shots in my club, Alice.Ido. Now sit.”

“Go to Hell!”

I watched as the King of Clubs calmly set down his hand of cards and rose smoothly to his feet. Exuding all the power and danger of a panther, he stalked over to where I stood. The Vorpal Sword shone in the candlelight from where it hung on his hip.

He was just as tall as Hatter, and I could tell that underneath the perfectly tailored black three-piece suit was an equally flawless body. If I punched him, there was a good chance my hand would feel nothing but rock-hard muscle.

I crossed my arms and jutted out my chin, glaring up at him as if my Malibu-born-and-raised brand of entitled reality TV star bitchiness alone would stop him from whatever he was about to do.

It usually worked with most people.

The King of Clubs wasn’t most people.

He wasn’t evenhuman.

He had fangs. Not huge ones, but the white canines bared to me weren’t normal. Did Wonderland have vampires?

I was about to find out.

“What did you just say to me?” he asked in a low growl. But instead of looking angry, I could clearly see something inside of him light up with excitement at my choice of words.

Whatever this display of power was, I knew it was all for show. Guys like him—guys who wore pinky rings like he did—always had something to prove. It was obvious that this was all being done to put me—a woman—in my place.

Who cared if he was butthurt? There was no way he’d actually hurt me in front of Callister. Snickering to myself, I rolled my eyes at the king, then repeated myself so that he wouldn’t misunderstand a single word.

“I said: Go. To. Hell.”

His cold, calculating eyes suddenly lit up with bright flames of gold.

“Oh, darling...I was born there,” he hissed through a twisted grin, revealing his pointed teeth. “I was going to go easy on you, but I might as well skip the formalities and give you a taste of what’s to come.”

I didn’t have time to think of a bitchy comeback.

I didn’t have time to do anything.

I watched in horror as he brought his hands out in front of his body and pulled off what I could only describe as an invisible cloak. A scream lodged in my throat as the sharp scent of ozone and brimstone assaulted my senses. My heart pounded wildly, fear coursing through my veins.

Two pairs of twisted black horns were now jutting out of his head—the set above his forehead was smaller and pointed up and back, while the set coming from above his pointed ears was massive and curled like they belonged to a demonic ram.

The suit jacket and gold vest disappeared from his body, revealing a collection of esoteric symbols tattooed on his muscular chest and arms. Then a massive pair of leathery black wings unfurled behind him. They beat in unison, sending a few gusts of air through the room.

I was already running towards the bed. I dove underneath to hide from the hellish monster.

It was no use.

A powerful hand shot under the bed, grabbing my ankle in an iron grip. I shrieked as my silk nightgown rode up my thighs when he dragged me out from under the bed and across the floor. My body slid against the polished marble tiles like a raindrop dripping down a window.

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