Hatter leans down and kisses the tip of my nose. His grin is saccharine. “You’re pure magic, regardless, Clara Bee. You could never know what you mean to me.”
I don’t miss a beat when Hatter smooths the paper out over his thigh. “You’re mistaken, Dear Hatter, I already know; it’s me who must have needs to show.”
He grins in answer. “I love when you do that.” With the paper spread over his bent thigh, Hatter lifts the pen. “Dear others, shit is hitting the fan. It’s chaos and fucking destruct—”
“Hatter,” I chide, holding out my hand for the paper. He obliges quickly, pressing the pen into my hand and curling my fingers around it, before offering his back for me to write on. I press the paper against his back, but I don’t resist stroking a hand down his spine, sending a shiver through his body.
“Hurry up, Clara Bee, hurry up. I’d like to get you in our tub.”
“Your rhymes are worse today,” I muse as I start to write. Normally, Hatter’s madness stays at bay with me around. The stress of the strange events around Wonderland must be wearing on his madness. Carefully, I write out the letter and sign it, before gesturing for Hatter to turn. “We should send it to White.”
Nodding, Hatter takes my hand and we both close our eyes for a moment, sending the thought into the air. We have no way of knowing when it’ll reach them, if it will across worlds, but I hope it does. Something strange is happening in Wonderland, and we need their help. I hope everything in Neverland is going okay. I hope they’re not in trouble.
“Now,” I murmur, taking Hatter’s hand. “I believe you mentioned a tub?”
With heated eyes, Hatter scoops me into his arms and carries me inside. I dismiss the strange animals from my mind, at least for a little while. All hell will break loose later. For now, I just enjoy the time I have with my Hatter.
Dear Others,
Shit is hitting the fan. It’s chaos and fucking destruct
White,
Something strange is happening in Wonderland. Animals from my world and others are somehow finding themselves inside our world. We checked your door and it remains as locked as ever. We hope all is well in Neverland, but the second you finish, we need everyone here as quickly as possible to find out the problem plaguing our land. Hopefully, it’s more a glitch than a problem, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Signed,
Clara Bee
Chapter Thirty
THE CHESHIRE CAT
I look up just in time to see the Pixie Queen look away again and feel the bad idea it is in my veins. I know what Cal will think. She won’t like it one bit. A Pixie Queen staring at her brother? She’ll go on a rampage of beating ass, and she’d probably kick my ass for noticing it and not mentioning it to her.
I can smell the scent of blood on the Pixie Queen, telling me all I need to know. She’s dangerous, and even though she’s a Daughter, she might as well be a threat. The power in Neverland is different from ours in Wonderland, and if any of the Daughters suddenly decides to eat us, I’m not sure if we’ll all make it out okay.
“Atlas,” I call, drawing his attention. He’d been in the process of carving a small bird from wood. I know he’s intent on gifting it to the little girl, know he’s been making her some when he has spare time, and any normal person would have went mush at the sight, but I’m not any normal person. Of course, I won’t talk about helping set up a tea party for Aniya. When a little girl asks you to join her tea party, you join it, regardless if you’re the Cheshire Cat or not.
When the Berserker looks up from his carving, I motion for him to come closer. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, bro.”
I growl. “We’ve talked about this. Don’t call me ‘bro’.”
“But you’re essentially my brother-in-law,” Atlas points out, grinning. “I just shortened it.”
Sighing, I run a hand through my hair and glance back towards the Queen. “Bro makes you sound like one of the idiots on main street drunk off their asses.”
“I’m one of those idiots.”
“Shut up,” I growl. “You know what I mean. But that isn’t what I want to talk to you about.”
“What is it, BIL?”
I need a drink, a strong, all-consuming drink of something that’ll make me loopy for a few hours. “Look, I’m only saying something because Cal will kill me if I don’t, but you need to tread a little carefully around the Pixie Queen. She’s been watching you, and though that’s not a threat on its own, I’ve seen you glancing at the pixie in return. I’d advise against fucking the most dangerous woman in Neverland.”
Atlas glances around us with my words, as if making sure no one else is listening. Then he levels me with a look that I’ve seen on Cal, the ‘are you serious right now’ look. The siblings share many of the same habits and it can be real annoying when they’re ganging up on you. “Really, Chesh?” he says, rolling his eyes. “I’m a grown-ass man now. If I want to fuck a pixie, that’s my business.”
“Look,” I growl, glancing around us, too. When I find no one else listening, I continue. “I don’t really care who you mess with. I certainly don’t tell Cal how many girls you’ve taken on your Harley.”
“Hey! You shouldn’t know—”
“I’m a cat, Atlas. You really expect me not to smell your scents all over the shop?”
Atlas crosses his arms, annoyed, but he can’t stop the blush on his face. As smooth as he is, as confident, it’s still easy enough to make him blush. “It’s not my fault you can smell it,” he grumbles.
“My point is, I don’t care who you fuck, Atlas. But I care if you end up drained of all your blood, or worse. If you let that happen, I’ll let Cal bring you back just to kill you again.”
“At least, I’ll probably have died with a smile on my face,” he teases, his embarrassment forgotten in favor of keeping the mirth in his eyes. No one has a spirit like Atlas, and though he’s strong, though he’s immortal, that doesn’t make him as invincible as he thinks.
Rolling my eyes, I watch Cal step from a building further away, her arms full of wood for the fire. Even here, she refuses to let anyone cater to her, choosing to help when she’s able. “You’re as bad as your sister,” I tell Atlas. “Always running headfirst towards dangerous creatures.”
“It worked for y’all.”
I glance back at Atlas and my face softens with his words. I can’t help it. It’s true I’m a world-class asshole at times, but I’d given my heart to a fiery Goddess in the Red Wars. I haven’t looked back since and neither has Calypso. “I’m pretty sure Cal would never wish any of what we went through on you, Atlas.”
“Don’t worry, BIL. You can’t get rid of me that easily. Besides, I’m immortal now.” Atlas grins and winks, and I know it for the bad sign it is as he takes a seat again and resumes his carving.
Atlas is a grown man, just like he said, but I’ll have to keep my eyes on him, at least from a distance. Cal will kill me if something happens to the kid. Not to mention the pain I’d feel over losing someone else I care about. But it’s easier to hide behind the excuse of Cal’s wrath than my own feelings.
“What’s wrong?” Cal asks as she comes up to me, a smile on her face. Though we’re in a different war, helping a different world, we still manage to smile at each other as often as possible.
“Thinking about how we met.”
“Oh, getting deep, huh?” she teases, glancing over at Atlas. “We’ll save this world, and then we can go home.”
“I’m already home,” I murmur, holding her close and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Wherever you are is home.”
“Damn,” she murmurs. “I didn’t expect you to go all soft on me, kitty cat.”
I growl against her hair, my tail coming around to curl over her hip. “Keep calling me a kitty cat and you’ll find out just how not soft I am, Cal.”
Tilting her head back, she shoots a look full of mischief at me. “Whatever you say. . .kitty
cat.”
I throw her over my shoulder, her laughter filling my ears while I storm to the building we’ve been sleeping in.
And then I show her all the hardness, and softness, I have to give.
Chapter Thirty-One
THE MARCH HARE
“Would you like some more tea, March?” Aniya asks, her eyes bright as she lifts one of the crudely carved teacups Cheshire had made for the little girl. Once we’re able, I’ll find Aniya a tea set worthy of her, but for now, it will have to do. She might be too old for such things by that time, her face lengthening and taking on more of her mother’s traits. She’d looked younger when I first met her. Now, she appears around nine, always growing, constantly changing. I would think it confusing for a child, but Aniya only seems to grow wiser with each growth spurt.
“Yes, please. I love tea!” I take the cup from her and tilt it up, frowning at the empty inside. I don’t know why I expected there to be tea there when we’re playing pretend, but I find myself disappointed.
“You have to believe,” Aniya chides. “If you believe there’s tea, then there will be tea.”
“You’re right. My pretend skills are rusty.” I tilt the cup up again, believing with all my might that there’s chamomile inside it and get surprised with a splash of the hot tea on my face. I jerk back in shock while Aniya giggles at my plight, scooping up her own teacup and taking a delicate sip as I wipe the liquid from my face.
“This place is as mad as I am,” I grumble, sitting back down and eying the cup. Pretend tea that becomes real when you believe in it? I’ve never heard such a thing. “Will it work on cake?”
“If you believe there is cake, then there will be cake.”
I squint my eyes and think really hard about a triple chocolate cake with raspberry mousse, imagining the way the icing looks on it and the tiny berries on top. When I think I have the picture solid in my mind, I reach out with a finger to run along the icing, and happily stare at the chocolate on my finger.
“There’s cake!” I exclaim and immediately get to work cutting us some pieces.
Aniya giggles again and sticks a finger in the cake, tasting it, her eyes widening at the sweetness of it. “I like cake!”
“Who doesn’t like cake?” I grin. “They’d have to be a heathen to not like this.”
“I’m gone for five minutes and you have my daughter eating chocolate cake?”
I tilt my head back with a grin, looking up at Tiger Lily as she stands behind me. “What good is a Mad March Hare if he doesn’t do mad things?” I ask. “Besides, Aniya is the one who revealed believing in the food being here makes it appear.”
Lily’s eyes narrow. “That feels like a new power.”
Aniya shrugs, taking another taste of the cake. “The power of imagination, maybe.”
I watch as the small normal bird comes fluttering down and takes a seat on her shoulder, watching me carefully. I already know the large serpent sits at her feet, having accidently kicked it under the small table and been bitten for the slight earlier. More creatures hover in the trees further away. The little girl is getting stronger the older she gets, but thankfully, none of the Lost show up. Not yet. I have a feeling that will come if we remain here long enough, though.
“Can I borrow your tea party partner?” Lily asks and though Aniya scrunches up her face, she nods. “I’ll bring him back soon.” I stand, taking Lily’s hand automatically.
“Oh, cake!” Bear comes from nowhere and takes the seat I vacate, digging into the cake I put a lot of brainpower into with relish.
“There better be some of that left when I come back,” I warn as Tiger Lily drags me away.
“You snooze, you lose, Hare,” Bear teases, and then gets his hand smacked gently by Aniya when he reaches for some of the scones she makes appear.
The further we get away, the more a question forms in my mind. “How come you and Bear never. . .you know?”
The Chieftess grins at me. “Jealous?”
“Just curious. Though if you want attentions from the man, I won’t oppose to—”
“Gross,” she says, her nose scrunching up. “Bear and I are more akin to siblings. We’ve always been friends, but when Wolfbane went missing, he was there to pick up the pieces.” She shrugs. “We’ve never felt romantic towards each other.”
“There’s such a thing as platonic soulmates, you know,” I point out. “It’s very real.”
Tiger leads me to a fallen log that looks out over a cliff, the endless sea of Neverland before us. Though the land is dark, in the distance, the sun shines, teasing. I can see why Wendy and Hook miss the sea so much. We take a seat and I pull Tiger Lily close, wrapping her in my arms. Some of the madness always at the edges of my mind bleeds away as she touches me, and for once, the scent of blood isn’t carried on the wind.
“Do you think everything has a purpose?” she murmurs, taking her headdress off and setting it down gently before wrapping her arms more around me and laying her head on my shoulder.
“I’ve met Destiny,” I answer, remembering when I was Chosen. “I think everything has a purpose in her eyes, but I also think of Destiny as many strings and it’s a matter of which one we pull. Sometimes, though, there’s only one string.”
“Peter said he saw his fate written in the stars, and I wonder how long he’s known he will die here and dismissed it, only to die at a time where we might have been something more.”
I sigh, stroking my hand up and down her spine. “Destiny can also be cruel, Pretty Lily. Sometimes, she delights in stirring up our lives.” I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I know it’s hard right now, but I’m here for you.”
“That’s the thing, though,” she whispers. “It’s hard, yes, but not as hard as it could be, because I have you here with me, holding me together.”
“I’m doing nothing. It’s your own strength holding yourself together. I’m just the sexual relief.”
She snorts and grins up at me. “This is why you were here when you were. Fate knew I’d lose Peter, and to make sure I could handle it, she sent you to keep me a little insane.” Her smile softens. “We have so much we’ll have to face now. We have to save Neverland. We have to defeat my brother. I can’t even begin to think about what Wendy is going through.”
“It’ll be chaos,” I agree, “but it’ll be worth it in the end.” I worry my lip, a new question popping into my head. “When Neverland is saved, when everything goes back to normal, what will become of us?
“What do you mean?”
I look away from her searching eyes, out over the ocean hogging all the sun. “I’m the Keeper of Memories in Wonderland. You’re the Speaker of the Trees in Neverland. Can we even be together? I’d love for you and Aniya to come back with me, but your people—”
“March,” she interrupts, her fingers under my chin tugging my eyes back to hers. “We’ll tackle all that when it comes. There’s no sense making plans until we know the outcome. But regardless, we’ll be together. Don’t think I would allow you to disappear down your rabbit hole.”
She reaches down and scoops a handful of soil into her hand and I watch, amazed, as a tiny flower begins to grow there. White petals spring around the center, but one doesn’t grow, leaving an empty spot. I look up at the Chieftess in confusion.
“It’s missing a little piece,” she murmurs, a smile curling her lips. “Just like you.”
My heart melts. My blood melts. Wonder, I feel like I’m a puddle of goo on the ground at her feet. The action is so sweet, it triggers something inside me, my madness curling around me and coaxing me to react.
Eat it.
Before I know what I’m doing, I’ve plucked the flower and shoved it into my mouth at the urging of my madness, chewing it quickly.
I freeze when I realize what I’ve done, and grimace, but Tiger Lily only laughs and hugs me tighter.
“All my life, I’ve been called either Tiger or Lily,” she murmurs, snuggling close. “Tell me, March: do yo
u think I’m the flower or the beast?”
I swallow the tiny flower that will forever be a symbol of her love for me and tilt her chin up gently, looking deep into her eyes so she doesn’t miss it. I never know when my madness will appear again. “Neither,” I whisper. “You’re everything.”
I kiss her on the end of my words, a sweet soft kiss that makes her devolve in a fit of laughter. “What’s the matter?” I growl, but it’s half-hearted at best. I find myself smiling at her mirth, her happy thoughts infectious.
“You taste like flower,” she finally says, grinning wide. “Flower and madness.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I push her down on top of the log, covering her body with mine. She hooks her leg around my hip automatically, her fingers tracing along the scars on my shoulders beneath my shirt.
“No,” she whispers, kissing me gently. “No. It’s wonderful.”
And even though my form flashes with her words, even though I should have been too broken to love, Tiger Lily doesn’t flinch away from my scars or madness.
I’ll always be a monster, some twisted creature that shouldn’t exist, but I will choose what type of monster I am.
And right now? I don’t feel like a monster at all as I sit beside my Pretty Lily and breathe deep. If I ever lose her, if she’s ever taken away from me, I pity all those who witness the monster I’ll become.
Another tiny white flower grows at my feet, a single petal missing, and I melt again.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I stare out at the ocean, Aniya by my side. The others stand around us, watching, offering their strength for what I’m about to do. I know not all of them liked Peter, I know many of our people thought him evil, but that isn’t all he was. Peter Pan had long ago been broken by the world that created him, and though it’s no excuse for his actions, it meant for a moment, I’d been able to love him, and he’d loved me.
Fierce as a Tiger Lily (Daughters of Neverland Book 2) Page 20