Happily Harem After

by Amy Sumida

  They were all wonderful, but I felt incomplete. We were missing one king, and my heart knew it. It made me ache and also made me angry. I wanted to hurt the Queen of Hearts, not just conquer her. I was looking forward to killing the woman who had murdered the lover that I would never be able to love. My King of Hearts.

  “Are you ready, Alice?” Jaxon stood in the doorway, staring at me curiously.

  “I'm ready.” I went over to him and kissed him gently.

  “I'd rather you just stay here–”

  “Jax,” I growled, “we've been over this.”

  “You're not to leave my side, Alice,” he said firmly. “Just you and I are going in there, so don't run off, not at any moment, or for any reason.”

  “I understand, Your Majesty,” I teased him.

  “When this is over, I shall show you my kingdom,” he whispered. “The mountains so tall that they seem to spear the sky–”

  “And an ocean as blue as your eyes,” I interrupted. “I've seen it already, through the wild magic, but I look forward to experiencing it with you.”

  “I love you, Alice,” Jaxon said softly.

  I didn't even hesitate; the words were already waiting upon my lips.

  “I love you too, King of Spades.”

  “Yes, that's very sweet,” Nick said. “But, Your Majesties, I really must protest once more. I should be attending Queen Alice. I am the last Cheshire left, and the man her father, King Altair, appointed as her guardian.”

  “And my last living relation,” I added with a smile.

  Nick gaped at me. “You know?”

  “I know.” I tapped my heart. “Why didn't you tell me that you are Uncle Ted's son?”

  “I didn't want you to feel as if I had expectations of you.” Nick lifted his chin. “I have a duty to protect you–”

  I pulled him into a hug and cut him off.

  “Family is more important than duty, Nick,” I whispered. “Thank you for looking after me, but this time, you're staying behind.”

  “Your Majesty–”

  “Nick, call me Alice.” I kissed his cheek. “And the answer is still; no.”

  Jaxon and I headed for the tunnel that was finally finished, the one that would take us directly below the Heart Castle grounds.

  “Your Majes... Alice”–Nick hurried after us–“I'm at least coming into the tunnel with you.”

  “Fine, Nick,” I tossed over my shoulder. “But you're waiting there. We can't draw any attention to ourselves. Two people sneaking in is already pushing it.”

  “Have you forgotten that I can turn invisible?” Nick huffed, and we stopped walking. “Ah, now you see my point.”

  I looked at Jaxon.

  “No,” Jax snarled, “I am not being left behind, Alice.”

  “It seems that Nick would make a better companion in this instance, Jax.”

  “No.”

  I grabbed Nick's hand and pulled him along. Nick smiled brilliantly as Jaxon sputtered in indignation.

  “I am the King of Spades,” Jaxon huffed as he hurried up to us. “I am the finest warrior in all of Wonderland. You need me beside you when you infiltrate Heart Castle.”

  “Actually, darling”–I stopped and kissed Jaxon's cheek–“I don't need a warrior today, I need someone sneaky. Someone like a cat.”

  “Damn it all!” Jaxon cursed. “How did I become the man waiting in the tunnel?”

  “Thank you, Jaxon,” I said sweetly and walked on with Nick.

  The tunnel grew smaller the further in we went until there was only enough space for one person to crawl through it at a time. That didn't bother Nick at all, who simply turned into a cat and floated ahead of me. Then we reached the end of the tunnel. It sloped upward into a night alive with the flashes of lightning and the booms of thunder.

  “Stay here a moment, Alice”–Nick went invisible–“I shall scout ahead.”

  I sat beneath the hole anxiously until Nick's head appeared, hovering before me.

  “It's clear”–he floated upward–“this way.”

  “I'll be right here,” Jaxon said. “Do not tarry.”

  I looked back at him and nodded before I climbed out of the tunnel. I came out into a garden. Oddly enough, there was no rain, although lightning illuminated the beds of sleeping flowers and hedges trimmed into the shape of hearts. A fountain was off to my right and beyond it was a gigantic chess board. Before me, there were rows of roses planted behind low stone walls. Some of them seemed to be bleeding.

  I frowned and stepped closer. When I touched a flower, my finger came away with a thick substance coating it. I rubbed my fingers together and scowled at the tacky feel as the smell of paint hit my nose. Who the hell would paint roses?

  “This way,” Nick was a floating feline head again. “Follow my tail.”

  His head disappeared, and the tip of his tail popped into view. I followed it carefully down the line of rose bushes, then into the castle. Men in white uniforms with red hearts emblazoned on their chests came striding by us several times, and I had to press myself into dark corners to hide. Nick just went completely invisible. It was a shame that he couldn't hold the Vorpal in his cat form, or I would have just sent him in to fetch it.

  We edged around another corner and then down a set of steep stairs. As soon as my feet hit the stone floor, I felt it. The Vorpal sword was nearby. I started walking faster, passing by Nick's flicking tail.

  “Your Majesty,” Nick forgot to use my given name, “please wait. There will be locks to circumvent ...” he trailed off as I held up a hand and then slashed it down.

  The door in front of me swung open.

  “Cutting,” Nick whispered. “You've mastered that magic, Alice.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I headed into the room.

  The Vorpal sword was placed horizontally across a stand that was set upon a stone pedestal at the far end of the room. I took one step into the room and felt the other traps the Queen of Hearts had laid. I smirked and lifted my hands. With a flinging motion, I shuffled the mechanism she had placed beneath the floor, sliding its gears out of place. Then I dealt a card of energy out toward the trap set beneath the sword itself, springing it and destroying it at the same time.

  I walked across the floor unimpeded and picked up the sword triumphantly. I was about to say something terribly witty when I felt something else. One more precaution that the Queen of Hearts had taken... stolen, in fact.

  “What is it?” Nick asked as he popped into view. “And also; well done, Alice!”

  “I feel him,” I whispered and rushed out of the room.

  “Him? Who him?” Nick floated out after me. “Whoever he is, stop feeling him. I don't imagine your lovers will be happy with it.”

  “He's near,” I went further into the subterranean level of the castle, and it became clear that it was a dungeon.

  “You there! Halt!” A guard had been lounging across a table, having his dinner, when he spotted me.

  I turned my hand and folded him in upon himself. He gasped as he tried to draw enough breath to speak.

  “Easy now,” I said as I approached him. “It will wear off soon, but do not anger me, or I will use another wild magic against you.”

  The heart soldier nodded. Satisfied, I reached down and removed the keys from his belt. Then I turned toward the cell he'd been guarding. Nick stared at me with wide, kitty eyes as I opened the thick door. Inside the cell was a man laid out on a spartan bed. He turned to me in shock when I entered, then stood to face me.

  He had deep mahogany hair and eyes that shifted from green to gold in the torchlight. His body looked malnourished, but he still had thick muscles giving it definition. His cheeks were gaunt, displaying bone structure that was elegant and masculine, all at once. He swallowed with some difficulty and wet his cracked lips before he spoke.

  “Alice?”

  “Kyran?”

  And then he was in my arms, my missing king. Henry had not been meant for me, after al
l. It had been his brother, Kyran, who Wonderland had chosen. When I had bonded with the other kings on Barnabus' pyramid, my magic had surged out seeking Kyran too... and it had found him. I just hadn't realized it until I was close enough to feel our connection.

  “I saw you,” he whispered. “I felt you inside me, but I didn't dare to hope. You found me, you actually found me.”

  “Yes, this is wonderful,” Nick exclaimed from the door, “but perhaps we'd best save the reunion for later. Perhaps when we're not standing inside a dungeon? No one wants to hear that bitch scream 'Off with their heads!'”

  “We'll return and restore your kingdom to you,” I promised Kyran. “But for now, the Cat's right; we need to leave Hearts.”

  “I go where you go, love.” Kyran smiled at me, and just like that, my heart was his.

  Chapter Ten

  The look on Jaxon's face when Kyran jumped into the tunnel after me was priceless. I had to push Jax out of the way so that the diggers could come in behind us and fill in the hole. We didn't want a heart soldier to stumble across a tunnel into Underland.

  “Kyran!” King Bevan said as soon as we cleared the miners.

  “Bev!” Kyran hugged the King of Clubs tight. “It's good to see you, my friend.”

  “The sight of you is not so good,” Draven drawled as he set a hand on Kyran's shoulder. “What happened to you?”

  “That bitch killed my brother and then she tried to drain me,” Kyran growled. “I didn't fall for her love magic, though: my heart was meant for another.” Kyran looked over to me and smiled. “So, Rina threw me into the dungeon and left me to rot.”

  “Until Queen Alice found him,” Nick declared proudly. “And that was after she used her magics of Cut, Shuffle, and Deal to get the Vorpal sword. Then she used Fold to subdue a guard and free His Majesty.”

  “His Majesty?” Jaxon lifted a brow.

  “Kyran is the true King of Hearts,” I said. “My magic bonded to his. It's how I found him.”

  “Well, then welcome to the deck, King Kyran.” Jaxon held out a hand to him.

  “Thank you,” Kyran said sincerely.

  “Now, let's get you back to your former stature,” Bevan declared. “Come with me, Kyran.”

  Kyran cast another long look my way as Bevan led him down a hallway, and I smiled softly at him.

  “You've done it now, Queen Alice,” Draven purred.

  “What's that?” I asked.

  “You've got your four kings,” Jaxon explained. “An unbeatable hand in Wonderland, especially when you add the Wild card.” He tapped the Vorpal sword which I'd strapped to my hip. “As soon as Kyran recovers, we're taking back Wonderland. It's a sure bet.”

  “But for now”–Draven slid up behind me and set his hands to my waist–“I think we should celebrate.”

  “Just the three of us,” Jaxon agreed with a wicked smile.

  The King of Spades pressed forward, kissing me as he eased me into the arms of the King of Diamonds. Draven's mouth went to my throat as his hands roamed my body, and soon, we were moaning and writhing together.

  Someone cleared their throat as they passed by, and we broke apart guiltily.

  “Right,” Jaxon said, “perhaps a room would be more appropriate.”

  “As long as it has a bed in it.” Draven picked me up and carried me down the hallway. “In fact, I know the perfect place.”

  “Draven, your room is too ...” Jaxon strode after us.

  “Too what?” Draven smirked at Jax. “Too fine for the likes of you? Yes, I know, but our queen deserves the very best for our first time together.”

  “Shouldn't we wait for the others?” I worried at my lip.

  “Do you truly want to make love to four men at once?” Jaxon asked as Draven opened his bedroom door.

  “Valid.” I grimaced.

  “At least not for your first experience,” Draven amended, and I set my wide eyes on him. “Trust me, Alice, you'll want the four of us together once we marry. I've been told that there's no experience quite like the mating of the Deck.”

  “The Deck?” I giggled. “That sounds a bit naughty.”

  “Oh, it can be,” Draven purred as he laid me on his velvet swathed bed.

  Jaxon closed and bolted the bedroom door behind us.

  “The Deck is the name for the married royals of Wonderland,” Jaxon explained. “We were one short before, but now it's full. You will have the four kings to support you.”

  “Ah, double meanings.” I smiled. “I like that.”

  “You'll like this even better,” Draven vowed as he unbelted the Vorpal.

  “Be careful with that,” I warned him.

  “I have it,” Jaxon took the sword and placed it on a nearby table. “Relax, Alice.”

  Then Jax pulled off his tunic, and I nearly fainted. Jaxon's chest was wide and sculpted perfectly, with a golden tan accentuating his thick muscles. He undid his pants and dropped them without artifice, stepping clear of them as if he stood nude before me every day. I whimpered.

  Draven glanced at Jaxon and huffed, “Yes, he's built like a soldier. But I know how to make you feel like a queen.”

  Draven had removed my clothing while I was distracted by Jaxon, and he eased me back onto the bed gently. I slid over the luxurious velvet and sighed as I watched Draven remove his clothes in a much slower manner than Jaxon. My breath caught as Draven eased his tunic up over the taut muscles of his stomach, drawing his long fingers over his chest as he pulled the material over his head. Then he untied the drawstring on his pants and slowly, ever so slowly, eased them over his hips. His erect member jumped free and reached for me, its smooth tip flushed and anxious.

  Then Draven crawled across the bed and eased between my thighs as Jaxon climbed up beside me. Jaxon slid his arms around me, pulling me in tight against him as he kissed me. Draven spread my legs and began nibbling his way up my thigh, stopping to lick and nuzzle every couple of inches. He massaged my calves and drew his hands up, beneath my knees, then drew my knees up and to the sides. I felt his hot breath on my intimate flesh and then the angle of his jaw rubbing into me.

  Draven's chin split me and then his tongue drew up my center. I screamed into Jaxon's kiss, and the men shivered with pleasure. A golden glow began to rise around us, just a faint haze, but I both felt and saw it. I reached out a hand to trail within the magical current before I pressed my palm to the back of Draven's head and urged him closer. He growled against me and slid a slim finger into me. I arched, and Jaxon transferred his kiss to my breasts.

  Ecstasy took hold of me as I was loved thoroughly by two of my kings. Emerald eyes flashed up at me, a sexy taunt as Draven gave me another long lick before he began to suck. Then Jaxon's deep blue stare claimed my attention as he bit at my breast. I writhed between them and moaned for more.

  “I had the first taste,” Draven lifted his head to say to Jaxon. “I'll give you the first thrust.”

  “Generous of you,” Jaxon said with some surprise.

  “I intend to teach Alice other things while you work.” Draven smirked.

  “It's hardly work,” Jaxon switched places with Draven and set himself between my thighs. “Alice, have you done this before?”

  “No,” I whispered.

  “I'll try to be gentle,” Jaxon said as he took hold of himself and eased into me.

  I moaned and angled my hips upward.

  “Easy now,” Draven purred and then bit my ear. “There will be another bite below. Let Jaxon work up to it.”

  And Jaxon did. He slipped a little in and then out, easing me open slowly. I cried out in frustration as he went halfway in and stopped against the barrier of my maidenhood. I tried to push up against him.

  “Here, my love”–Draven slid up further onto my pillow so that his manhood was level with my face–“focus on this for awhile.”

  I licked my lips and then him, drawing my tongue over his tip. He cried out and trembled, his hand going to my hair. I gained confidence from th
at and took him fully into my mouth, savoring the taste and feel of him. I eased down his shaft and then drew up it, firming my mouth around him. As Draven moaned, Jaxon drove into me fully, and I cried out. Draven drove himself in deeper too, and I was overcome by the sensation of having them both filling me.

  I worked Draven more ferociously as Jaxon began pumping faster. Hands went to my breasts and kneaded them as one of Jaxon's thumbs rubbed over my most sensitive spot. We became one mass of bucking, undulating, moaning pleasure. And then that pleasure broke, and we went crashing over the falls of ecstasy, diving into rapture so deep that I was certain I would never surface.

  Chapter Eleven

  It took another two weeks for Kyran to recover fully. During that time, I learned more about him and the other kings. Kyran, despite his rugged appearance (which was becoming more intimidating every day), was a romantic. I suppose he'd been born to be. Each of the men had taken to courting me in their own ways, regardless of the fact that our relationship was secured. We were still becoming familiar with each other.

  Jaxon's idea of winning a woman was showing her his prowess. So, I sparred daily with him, training with the Vorpal sword and my magics. Our training sessions inevitably ended with us on the mat, sweaty and panting for other reasons than swordplay. I loved our time together; it was always an adventure with Jax, and he was the most inventive when it came to new positions.

  Draven wined and dined me. I have no idea how he found such luxuries in Underland, but when we spent time together alone, he always had a lavish meal prepared and a gift waiting for me. I had a jewelry box full of treasure, and the man had only been wooing me for a few weeks. And always, after draping me in jewels and satisfying my hunger, he'd fulfill me in other, more erotic ways. Sometimes he wouldn't even wait until the meal was over... and he always had me leave the jewelry on.

  Bevan was more subtle in his affections. Neither he nor Kyran showed any jealousy over my being with the other two kings first. In fact, Bevan was happy to have his chance at an intimate interlude between us. For our first date, he took me out of Underland and up to one of the lookout stations. It was a perch, high in a Wonderland oak, just big enough for us to stretch out on and look up at the stars. He had brought a jug of wine with him, and we drank it together and talked about what we wanted our lives to be.