Page 24 of Jack of Diamonds

Amari nodded with enough enthusiasm that her long purple coils bounced with a life all their own.

“It truly is. He should be able to leave the infirmary in a day or two,” she replied with a reassuring smile. “But I wouldn’t wake him now. The more sleep he gets, the faster he’ll heal.”

My gaze wandered down to the two cupcakes in my hands. Then I held them out to Amari.

“Want one?”

“Thank you,” she said, taking the shimmering pink and yellow frosted one. “Moonblush berry is my favorite.”

“I have no idea what flavors I grabbed. I just thought they were pretty.”

Amari nodded, then motioned to the pearlescent rainbow-frosted one I was still holding. “That flavor’s dreamdew drop. It tastes like...well, like a dreamdew drop.”

Unsure if she meant dreamdew drops tasted like ass or like champagne, I watched as she started to delicately peel the silver foil wrapper off the side of her cupcake.

“Would you like to join me for a walk in the ice gardens? Unless you have other plans, of course.”

“Oh, I don’t have any plans besides going to bed early.” I hesitated for a moment, caught in disbelief at the words that had just come out of my mouth. I, Alice Darling, who always knew where the hottest parties in Malibu were, was going to bedearly?

On purpose?

When the fuck had I become such an adult?

“My new personal trainer wants to meet at dawn,” I added.

With an elegant wave of her hand, Amari motioned for me to walk with her.

“Yes, that sounds like something Jacques would require of you. I know he can be quite demanding. That’s what makes him the most qualified candidate for the task.”

I considered asking her to define the word ‘demanding,’ because it didn’t sound like we had the same interpretation. But I was distracted by something else she’d said.

“Amari, can I ask why you call Jack ‘Jacques’? Am I saying his name wrong?”

She gave a little hum, like she was reminiscing about something that had happened a long, long time ago.

“No...he’ll answer to either. I call him Jacques because that’s his name. His given name. He wasn’t born in Wonderland like the rest of us. He came from Earth, just like you.”

I almost dropped my cupcake.

“Really? How?”

“The same way you did. He followed Winston through a rabbit hole.”

“Winston?” I racked my brain trying to remember where I’d heard that name before. “Ohhh! You mean the White Rabbit?”

With her mouth full of moonblush berry cupcake, all Amari could do was nod politely as we walked down yet another shimmering hallway. She finished chewing, then licked off the bit of frosting from her full bottom lip.

“The one and only. Winston’s running an errand for me right now, but when he returns, he’ll be so happy to see you. I can’t tell you what a relief it is that you’re finally here.”

We stopped at a gleaming silver gate. I was surprised when Amari pushed it wide open and invited me inside. I thought there were special rules when it came to queens...like having butlers and footmen to do mundane tasks like opening gates.

As Amari and I stepped into the ice garden, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d stepped into a winter wonderland. The crystalline structures and sculptures glittered in the soft, colorful light from above, casting an otherworldly glow on the frost-covered ground.

The ethereal vision spreading out in front of us sparkled and shimmered under the dim, yet colorful colors of the deepest, darkest twilight. Soft, colorful lights moved around the garden, dancing over the ice, buzzing around the plants, creating a dazzling display.

The plants were a mix of greens, purples, and splashes of magenta, popping up everywhere despite the frosty sheen that covered them. Flowers were frozen in time, yet still moved enough to catch the light.

Amari motioned towards a bench that sat under a tree in the center of the garden. She walked so slowly that it seemed like she didn’t care if we ever got to it. I think she just wanted to give me enough time to take everything in.

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