Before I even have time for my voice to crack or grow hoarse, the bright colors of the portal disappear, and then I’m falling for real through open air. I scream again, but I shouldn’t have worried. Just when I think I’m going to crack open my skull on the black and white tiles below me, I land in the Hatter’s arms with an ungraceful oomph.
“Nice of you to drop in.” He grins, his arms strong around me as they cradle my body to his.
I roll my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart, but a small smile curls my lips anyways. He sets me on my feet, and I wobble before I find my balance. I glance down at my arm and smile.
“I’m normal again,” I exclaim.
“Well, as normal as normal can be.” Hatter chuckles, the grin still on his face. “But what do you consider normal as, to me, you look quite different?”
I laugh at the absurdity of the Mad Hatter telling me I’m not normal. I laugh that I went to the Hereafter, to the literal Afterlife, and I survived. A high fills my body until I feel like jumping up and down and twirling in circles. I’m giddy with joy, happy that the Hatter is here with me and the reason I’m still alive.
In my excitement, I throw my arms around his neck. He stiffens against me, surprise on his face as I smack a noisy kiss on his lips in excitement. The world freezes as I lean back a bit to look into his eyes. His pupils widen slightly before the color darkens from the bright gold of happiness to old gold, glittering like diamonds as he stares into mine. It lasts maybe a second before he growls, the sound animalistic, turning me on in a way I never knew it could.
Before I can respond, the Hatter lifts me by the waist and pushes me back against a wall I didn’t even realize was there. His lips slam against mine in a scorching kiss, fire trailing through my body and straight to my core. I let out a squeak of shock before I’m kissing him back just as furiously. I don’t hesitate. I guess almost dying really put things into perspective for me. I knew if there was one thing I would regret not doing, it would be not giving into the chemistry between us. So, here I am, sandwiched between a wall and a hard place. Well, a hard something. I’ve never been so thankful that the Hatter only wears a coat as my hands slide along his defined abs, his muscles tightening beneath my nails as I scrape the rigid lines.
Our teeth clack together in our passion. I have the overwhelming urge to get closer. We’re so far apart even though we’re so close together. As if he knows what I’m thinking, Hatter’s hands drop to my ass and grip tight, hauling me up and against him, my core lining up with the hardness in his pants. I wrap my legs around him, and another growl rumbles in his throat. One hand stays beneath my ass, holding me up, his grip like iron. His other hand slips beneath the hem of my coat, his rough fingers scraping against my skin deliciously. Those fingers slide up my ribs until his thumb barely brushes the underside of my breast. I thread one of my hands into his hair, knocking the top hat from his head. He doesn’t seem to care. I tighten my hold to the point of pain as my other dips lower along his abs, towards the waistband of his leather pants.
Someone clears their throat.
Hatter breaks away, a snarl curling his lips, his face more animal than man as he sets me on my feet and twists, hiding me behind him. I’m panting for breath, confused, and so turned on, I might die if I don’t get what I want. Uncaring of the threat, apparently, in front of the Hatter, my hands slide around and under his jacket. He was already tense, but when my nails trail along the edge of his pants, his spine cracks as he straightens even more. A breath hisses from his teeth, and his hands still mine against his skin gently. His hand is shaking the tiniest bit, like he’s having trouble keeping focused.
“Clara Bee,” he sings softly, so only I can hear. “We have company.” I don’t really care, too deep in my pleasure to ask, but I don’t have to. “Meet Tweedledee and Tweedledum.”
Chapter 13
Interest and worry cuts through the haze of pleasure flooding my body. I shake my head to clear it, a bit appalled with how easy it was for me to lose myself in the Hatter. It just isn’t like me. I guess I’m not really complaining, though.
In all the stories back home, Tweedledee and Tweedledum are short, chubby little men. When I peek around the Hatter’s tense shoulders, I stiffen, my fingers clenching in his jacket. There is only one similarity to the stories. They’re twins. That I can easily see. Besides that, there’s nothing cute or happy about them.
“Dee is on the right. Dum is on the left,” Hatter whispers to me, and I look closer.
Dee is definitely a woman, beautiful like a serpent. I have the intense feeling that I’m the prey in this room, and I’m suddenly very relieved for all the weapons strapped to my body. Dee is wearing a skin-tight dress, a dark gold in color. The skirt falls in soft waves from her hips, flaring around her the way models pay someone to arrange. I suspect it has everything to do with the way she moves. Her chest is completely covered in shimmering armor scales, falling across her shoulders and draping down to her navel. The skirt glitters, as if it’s covered in crystals that catch the light. The crystals seem to move. When I look closer, I realize they aren’t crystals at all. Small metallic beetles crawl across the material, clinging to the fabric.
That isn’t even the creepiest thing about Dee. No, her face is the real kicker. From her nose to her neck, she has the most beautiful face I have ever seen. Lips every man wants wrapped around him, a graceful chin and jaw, she’s heavenly. But she has no eyes. On her head, great sweeping horns rise high, magnificent dark horns. They curl around her head before coming together in the middle, raising to form sharp points at the top. A few more sharp points stick from the side where the horns are thicker. The base of the horns come down over her forehead, covering where her eyes should be, forming a sort of shield. Something drips down the horns. I don’t have the courage to look too closely at it. Dark wavy hair falls down past her shoulders, moving in a nonexistent breeze.
Dum is very much a man, his face as haunting as his sister’s. He has eyes, beautiful ice-blue eyes I can see from where I stand. He has a strong jaw, a sharp nose, sharp cheekbones. He also has matching curling horns sprouting from the side of his head, where his ears should be. His are still thick but the curves are more angular whereas his sister’s are more smooth. Again, the horns drip something, something red.
Where Dee is all glittering gold, Dum is shades of metallic peacock blue. Armor scales cover him the same way Dee’s does, protecting his chest and broad shoulders. The scales stop at his hip where it turns into a long skirt. Long strands of something seem to connect Tweedledee and Tweedledum below the waists, almost like spun thread tying them together. It creates this illusion of a web that the beetles use to climb back and forth between them. Dum’s skirt is covered in the insects, as well. I fight the shiver that passes through my body as the twins focus on us. They’re beautiful and terrifying all wrapped up together. I tighten my hold on the Hatter.
“Is that who I think it is?” Dum asks, his voice echoing with agony long forgotten.
“It isn’t who you think it’s not,” Dee replies. They both tilt their head to the side at the exact same time. I would have noped right out of here if it wasn’t for the Hatter.
“What is it that you see, Tweedledum and Tweedledee?” Hatter’s voice is dripping with menace. I’m glad he never uses that voice with me.
“We don’t know if it is.” Dee.
“But it definitely isn’t.” Dum.
“It must be Clara Bee,” Dee finishes. Jesus. This is too much. Goosebumps rise along my arms. The hairs on the back of my clammy neck stand on end.
The Hatter rolls his shoulders but doesn’t respond. I slip my hand into his, finding my courage, before coming to stand at his side, my back ramrod straight. I’m not prepared when their full attention turns to me at the same time. My heart skips a beat, but it helps prevent me from running. My flight sensors are going haywire, though.
“Are you friend?” I ask, my voice surprisingly strong. “Or foe?”
> The Hatter growls softly, his hand tightening in mine, but he doesn’t say a word, letting me speak.
“Would you see us as a friend?” Dum.
“If you thought we were a foe?” Dee.
“If you’re only a foe, then you’re no friend,” I reply. “If you’re a friend, then you’re not a foe.” My voice is unwavering as I meet them head on.
“What if we are both?”
“What if we are neither?”
“Then you have an opportunity.” My voice takes on the same tone I use in the courtroom.
They tilt their heads to the side.
“Do you wish to make a deal, Clara Bee?” they ask together, their voices at once the same, neither masculine nor feminine.
“What does a deal entail?”
The Hatter is growing agitated, shifting from foot to foot. He’s obviously nervous about the turn of the conversation, but he doesn’t stop me. When I glance at him from the side of my eye, I can’t help the sweet feeling that spreads through my body. The Hatter doesn’t seem to trust anyone, not even himself. And here he is, trusting me.
“We can make a deal,” Dee says.
“For a price,” Dum adds.
“Always a price,” Dee finishes.
The way they talk puts me on edge, but I’m growing used to it, paying attention to the little nuances between them. Dee seems to be blind, obvious from her lack of eyes. I’m pretty sure Dum is deaf, judging from the horns growing where his ears are supposed to be. But there’s no way you can tell it from the way they talk. It’s more apparent by the fact that they are holding hands, and when I speak, Dee seems to squeeze Dum’s hand. She is his ears, he is her eyes. It works with the freaky twin thing they have going on.
I turn to the Hatter.
“What are the ramifications of making a deal with them?” I ask.
“You must word your wish just right, or else they’ll rob you of your sight. Think wisely, then think again, because Dee and Dum are not your friend,” the Hatter sings softly, his shoulders quaking with suppressed tension. His eyes don’t leave Tweedledee and Tweedledum, keeping them in his sights.
“So, they like to twist the fine print, huh.” I smile. “Good thing that’s what I do for a living.” I turn back towards the twins who are waiting patiently, the only movement from the beetles. “What would your price be to ensure you are our allies?”
Neither speaks. They tilt their heads together like they’re having a conversation, their horns missing each other in a way that tells me they are completely in tune. Who knows, they probably have telepathic powers or something. Finally, they lift their heads, focusing on us again.
“A friend ally?”
“Or a foe ally?”
“Both,” I reply. “I need both a friend and a foe fighting by my side. I need someone who can think like both.”
They tilt their heads together again.
“What are you doing, Clara Bee?” the Hatter whispers. “This won’t end well.”
“I’m here for a reason, aren’t I?” I answer, just as softly, my face serious.
“To overthrow the Red Queen, The Alice.”
“Exactly.” I squeeze his hand in reassurance. “And I can’t do that alone. We need allies.”
His chest puffs up, his eyes sparkling as he meets mine. “You have me.”
“Do I?” I ask seriously. “When the time comes, you’ll stand by my side?”
His face softens, a small smile curling the corner of his lips. He lifts my hand up and kisses the back of it.
“The Mad Hatter and Clara Bee have always been meant to be,” he sings, a sweet note in his voice. Then he looks back towards the twins who are waiting patiently for our conversation to finish. I realize we hadn’t been watching them that time, and it freaks me out.
“What is your price?” I wait for their answer with bated breath, expecting some sort of treasure or magical item, or my first born child.
“Sight,” Dee says.
“Sound,” Dum adds.
I wrinkle my eyebrows, glancing at the Hatter.
“Can we do that?” I ask.
He nods his head once. “As long as we succeed.”
“Very well,” I announce. “In exchange for sight and sound given after we prevail, you will stand at our sides against the Red Queen, before, during, and in the aftermath of the Battle. You will remain loyal to our good cause and be involved.” I look at the Hatter. “And you will not harm anyone we consider friend. You will provide council when needed. I will strike this bargain. Do we have a deal?”
They tilt their heads together again, but this time it’s a much quicker pause before they speak.
“So, it is now,” Dee says.
“So, it shall be,” Dum finishes.
A ripple climbs through my body at the finality in the deal. When my wrist begins to burn, I glance down at it in alarm to see a symbol appearing like a brand in my skin. It’s a circle with two lines through it in the same shape as the twins’ horns. My skin sizzles where it appears, and I grimace at the pain.
The Hatter stares at it, anger flashing in his eyes, but I know it’s not directed at me.
“And so, it begins,” he snarls. “Down with the reign of the Red Queen.”
Chapter 14
The trek back to the Hatter’s is interesting. Dee and Dum float silently behind us. They make absolutely no sound, not even the swish of fabric. I have half a mind to ask if they’re ghosts after I turn for the fifteenth time to find them much closer than I expect them to be. I’m pretty sure they know they’re making me uncomfortable, and I think it amuses them to some extent. If they’re capable of feeling emotion that is. The more I think about them, the less I actually know.
I feel weird with them at my back. I know they’re predators and turning your back on a predator never ends well. But we had made a deal sealed by the mark on my wrist. I know they can’t hurt me while it remains in place, or so the Hatter says. After the battle, and after they receive their payment, they will be even more dangerous. I’ll have to make sure to watch my back.
After a long journey through the woods, quicker than the first time since I’m wearing normal shoes, the Hatter’s house finally comes into view. Thankfully, I don’t have any more run-ins with the Beezles. In fact, all the creatures of Wonderland stay clear of the Tweedles. I can’t blame them. It it wasn’t for our deal, I would have left them far behind.
I breathe a sigh of relief at the house only to remember that the Knave is the reason that we left in the first place.
“Do we need to worry about the Knave?” I look at Hatter with worry. I don’t really want to meet him again for a little while.
“He’s gone.”
“How do you know?”
Hatter looks at me, his face half serious, half smiling.
“My house is my house, and I can feel every soul.”
I raise my eyebrows but ultimately shrug. That isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve heard in Wonderland. Not by a long shot.
Before we can push through the front door, Dormouse opens it from the inside, his face as serious as ever.
“You’re late.” His voice is bothered, but that’s all the emotion I can glean from it.
“For what?” I ask.
“Tea.”
I sigh and surprisingly, the Hatter does, too. I was really looking forward to a nice long soak in the tub. Looks like I’ll have to put that on hold again.
“The Knave left hours ago. He stuck around for a few minutes but stormed off when you didn’t immediately return,” Dormouse informs us as we all make our way towards the ballroom. “He was a right prick about it, too.”
I’m surprised the Knave didn’t just stick around, but when we open the doors, and I see how many guests there are, I realize he had left for a reason, to punish us. There are a total of ten members sitting for tea, and I gasp at the number. Hatter seems equally anguished as we make our way down the table towards our seats. He nods at them all and calls them
by name as we pass. The guests nod reverently to him before their eyes flick to me. Every single one of them looks happy to see me, and it makes my heart hurt. I hadn’t been able to help them. I need to move faster. I can’t shake the feeling that something much worse is coming, and that I need to be prepared.
We take our seats, Hatter in his usual spot and me beside him. The Tweedles take a seat further away, their eyes watching the guests around them. A few of the guests eye them warily, but no one comments as the Tweedles begin pouring themselves tea.
The table, this time, is piled high with food, and I eye it suspiciously. I’m starving, but I don’t know if it’s worth the risk of getting buzzed. Hatter smiles at my hesitation as he pours us tea.
“It’s normal food.” He drops the tea pot with a clatter and threads his hands together, placing them under his chin as he watches me. The move gives him a more innocent look that doesn’t quite work because I’ve spent enough time with him. I can see the mischievous glint in his eyes and the tick in his jaw, a telltale sign that he’s anything but.
“Normal like me, or normal like you?” I ask. I’m not taking a bite until I know for certain it won’t inebriate me.
“Like you.”
I lift one of the croissants and take a test nibble. When I don’t feel the answering fuzzy sensation, I gobble it down quickly, my starvation taking precedence over manners. Hatter frowns.
“Remind me to make sure you have food more often. I forget that you need nourishment.” I hear the shame in his voice at forgetting I might be hungry. I smile at his comment as I wolf down another croissant.
“It’s okay. We’ve been a little busy.”
I notice our chairs are dragged closer together now than they usually are, so that our knees brush against each other beneath the table. I fight the urge to slide my hand up his leg and into his lap. It probably isn’t appropriate for tea time.
Mad as a Hatter (Sons of Wonderland Book 1) Page 9
