Wonderland: King of Diamonds

by Cheyenne McCray

  At least the rain has let up. Mist dampened her cheeks and hair reminding her of San Francisco weather. After wearing primarily miniscule sheer dresses over the past weeks, her jeans and T-shirt felt strange, uncomfortable even. Mud weighted down her doeskin boots.

  Annie realized she actually missed padding barefoot through the mansion and wearing those next-to-nothing dresses. She even missed her collar.

  For Karn. I loved wearing the dresses and collar for him. Even the nipple rings.

  Just the thought of Karn made her heart ache, but she would not allow herself to regret a moment of her time with him. Even though he wouldn’t or couldn’t fall in love with her, their time together had been special and she would never forget him.

  Likely she would never love another man.

  From beneath the cloak Abra shifted and gave a muffled “Mewl,” as if telling Annie that she loved Karn, too.

  Her steps slowed and she wondered if she was doing the right thing by leaving. Should she have stayed and accepted whatever piece of Karn’s heart that he was willing to give?

  Annie pushed thoughts of her former lover away to focus on her journey and locating her cousins. Once she found Alice and Alexi, her mind would be free of worry and she could make a decision about her future.

  While she passed the outskirts of the village, the clang of the blacksmith’s hammer rang out across the night. She caught the smell of fresh bread from the bakery, mixing with the salt and brine smell of the ocean. The ever-present sound of crashing waves was a discordant reminder of home, yet tonight it was not soothing like the ocean rimming San Francisco had always been to her. The closer she got to the cliffs, the louder the sound was, and the more unsettled she became.

  To avoid as much of the moors as possible, Annie had decided to work her way northeast along the cliffs, and then alter her course so that she was heading toward Hearts. She’d learned a lot from Aleana over the past week, and felt confident that even on foot she would arrive in Hearts within three days.

  When she reached the cliffs, Annie paused and peeked over the rim to the jagged rocks below. Waves crashed and pounded the shore over and over, a fierce battle of water and stone. Annie shivered and moved away from the cliff’s edge.

  She paused and stared at the warm and welcoming lights of the village.

  It would be so easy to turn back.

  Again she wondered why she hadn’t waited until morning to set out, and again she couldn’t answer the question. She had felt compelled to leave, as if everything depended on it. Her life, the twins’ lives, everything.

  A few sprinkles landed on Annie’s head, her cheek, and even the tip of her nose. Soon a steady drizzle drenched her hair all the way down her braid. All the parts of her body that were exposed outside the cloak were quickly soaked from the rain. A chill seeped into her skin that the cloak and Abra’s warmth couldn’t begin to dispel.

  A chill that seemed beyond the cold of the rain, beyond the blast of frigid air rolling off the moors.

  Annie stood as silently as possible, listening into the night, hearing only the sound of steady rain and the ocean. But every fiber of her being told her she wasn’t alone.

  Something else was out there.

  * * * * *

  Without a backwards glance at Beya, Karn shifted into a tiger, opened his bedchamber doors with his magic, and bounded through to find his bride. His paws made no sound upon the tiled floor as he rushed through the mansion. Long before he reached the front doors, they swung open, and then slammed shut once he passed through.

  His keen weretiger senses immediately caught a hint of Annie’s vanilla scent and her woman’s musk. Why hadn’t he noticed it earlier? Likely he had been too absorbed in forcing back his feelings for his mate rather than facing them and acknowledging his love for her.

  Her perfume grew stronger as he rushed through the moors, toward the cliffs. Familiar evening noises filtered through the misty night along with the ever-present roar of the ocean. Rain began to fall, masking Annie’s scent only slightly.

  But in the next moment a powerful stench invaded Karn’s senses.

  His gut twisted and he doubled his speed. The king shelenna! Night be damned but of all the beasts that haunted the moors, he was by far the most dangerous.

  He should not be out of his winter hibernation yet, not ‘til spring.

  By the skies, what woke him?

  Karn neared the cliffs when he saw the hideous man-sized two-headed beast.

  And Annie was only feet away from the king shelenna.

  Trembling with intense fear, Annie dropped the torch on the wet ground. It continued to glow, lighting up the night and the hideous beast in front of her. The monster was at least seven feet tall and its two heads bobbed up and down in the rain, both shark-toothed maws open wide. Its six eyes burned a furious red and the fists of its four hands clenched and unclenched.

  Annie fumbled with the dagger beneath her cloak and managed to jerk it out of its sheath. The beast’s stench alone nearly drove her to her knees—a stench like rotten meat and a backed-up toilet.

  As she gripped the dagger in her fist, her eyes locked with the beast’s. Annie’s entire body stiffened. All her muscles turned to ice, and even her thoughts seemed frozen. She was unable to move, unable to decide what to do. She clenched Abra tight in one arm and gripped the dagger in her other hand. Her heart pounded in her ears and her body shook from the rush of adrenalin.

  The beast put her in mind of the Grendel, but she was no Beowulf.

  At her back was the cliff with the tremendous drop to the rocky shore below. In front of her the two-headed beast. To each side was the small clearing and then the moors beyond. If she darted to the left, would the monster lunge at her? Would she be better off waiting for the beast to reach her?

  Abra squirmed, struggling to free herself from Annie’s death grip. With a “Yerowl!” the cat broke loose, tore across the small clearing and vanished into the grassy moors.

  “Abra!” Annie shouted. A fresh wave of fear rushed through her for her feline friend.

  The monster paused, now maybe ten feet away from Annie. Three of the beast’s red eyes tracked the cat while the remaining three stayed focused on Annie.

  Annie held up her dagger and braced her feet in the slippery mud. Likely she would meet her death now, but she wouldn’t give up without a fight.

  The monster took another step forward. The coppery taste of terror filled Annie’s mouth, and despite the rain her skin flushed hot.

  The beast roared so loud that Annie almost dropped her dagger. Her ears rang and her knees went weak.

  Earth rumbled beneath her feet as the monster charged.

  Annie stumbled back a step, her dagger held out before her.

  A flash of white tore in front of Annie and slammed into the beast.

  Karn’s fury was so intense that his vision blurred and turned to red. He lunged at the shelenna, throwing all his weight against the creature. The shelenna roared even as he crashed to the ground, landing flat on his back in the mud.

  His talons sliced through Karn’s fur to his flesh. Karn’s claws and teeth ripped into the shelenna, tearing through the beast’s tough armor-like skin. His four arms shoved Karn away, tossing the tiger into the moors. He landed on all four feet and threw himself at the creature that had regained its footing.

  No matter Karn’s fury, the shelenna was an opponent that would normally take several weretigers to bring down.

  But Karn would never give up. He was determined to best this creature and save Annie.

  Cold fear washed through Annie as she watched Karn battle the horrid beast. The torch lying on the ground clearly illuminated the two figures fighting and slashing at one another with their tremendous claws. She clenched her dagger, wanting to help Karn, but not knowing how. She had no experience and she was more likely to hurt him than she would the monster he battled.

  He’s bleeding, so much!

  Sparkles filled the sky, so dazzl
ing that Annie was nearly blinded by them.

  The monster paused, squinting its six eyes against the brightness.

  Karn tore into the flesh of one of the beast’s necks, the sound of ripping flesh almost causing Annie to vomit.

  Blood spurted from the wound, bathing Karn’s white fur in dark red. The beast’s undamaged head shrieked as the first fell limp against the monster’s huge chest. The remaining head dove for Karn’s neck, and Karn barely dodged the jagged teeth.

  At the same moment, Annie saw tiny figures charging through the rain, toward Karn and the monster, each one of the small people holding long spears and shouting out a shrill war cry.

  Munchfolk!

  Annie’s relief was so great she almost dropped her dagger.

  She recognized Derk and thought she saw Ront, Lia, and even Beya too, but everything was an incredible blur of mud, fur, blood, fangs, scales, and spears. The sound of metal piercing flesh sickened her, yet all she truly cared about was that Karn would come out of this alive.

  Mud and blood covered Karn and the Munchfolk as they fought, and Annie could do nothing but feel helpless as she watched them.

  A body was flung aside by the monster. It hit the ground and slid across the mud. The tiny man bounded back to his feet and charged toward the melee again. Two other bodies sailed through the air. One of the Munchfolk jumped up to rejoin the battle, but the other lay still.

  Annie started to move toward the injured man.

  Her path was blocked by a pure white tiger. Its fangs were bared and it crouched, ready to spring at Annie.

  The shelenna was weakening. Fatigue and loss of blood hampered Karn’s fighting abilities, but he wouldn’t stop until the creature was done for, once and for all.

  “Save your Queen!” Derk shouted to Karn as he rammed his spear into the shelenna again and again.

  Karn whirled away from the beast. His heart pounded nearly out of his chest as he saw a white tiger.

  It had Annie backed up against the cliff’s edge.

  Mikaela!

  The sister who had betrayed Karn and his brothers was now attempting to kill Annie by forcing her off the edge of the cliff.

  NO! Karn shouted in thought-speak, trying to catch Mikaela’s attention.

  Her head swung toward him and she shifted, white fur to skin and black leather, from tiger to human form. In her hand she held a long black whip, the leather writhing like a snake upon the muddy ground. With her eyes focused on Karn, she snapped the whip at Annie, coming within inches of her.

  “Why do you think I brought her here?” Mikaela smirked and propped one hand on her hip. “With a mindspell I convinced her to leave this very night. And I woke the king shelenna from his winter nap to ensure her death.”

  Leave her be. Karn’s paws slipped in the mud as he took a step forward and considered his options. He had to take care because he knew Mikaela’s talent with the whip was great and she could easily send Annie to her death with a flick of her wrist. Kill me if you must, but let Annie live.

  Mikaela shook her head. “It will be so simple to send her body to the rocks below.”

  A chill rippled over Karn’s skin that was even colder than the rain pouring from the skies. He shifted into his man’s form even as he moved another step toward Mikaela. His body was covered in mud, and his countless wounds bled freely, yet he barely felt them. From behind, the sounds of Munchfolk battling the shelenna continued to fill the night.

  Karn’s gaze focused entirely on Mikaela. He would beg for Annie’s life, whatever it would take to save her. “Please do not do this, sister.”

  A blank look flashed across Mikaela’s angular features, as though surprised that Karn had referred to her in a familiar way. But the look vanished, replaced by cold calculation. “I will kill her, brother. If only for the joy of seeing you in pain. Why should you have what I do not—you, one of the four who received all from our parents?”

  “I miss you.” The thought escaped Karn before he had a chance to consider his words, but he plunged ahead. “I miss the sister I once knew and loved.”

  Mikaela looked taken aback for a moment, but regained her composure in mere seconds. “That person no longer exists.”

  “You’re wrong.” Karn held out his hand. “She’s still inside, in your soul. Please…do not damage it further by taking away the one woman I love with all my heart.”

  Annie’s eyes widened and she lowered her dagger. “You love me, Karn?”

  Mikaela raised her chin. “That is why she must die.”

  “Do you not recall how close we were?” Karn took another step toward Mikaela. “Remember how we played ‘catch the monkey tail’ in the jungle behind the castle? And when we used to filch pastries from the kitchen and eat them in the grand turret where we were not allowed? Before the fever. Before the misunderstandings, the fighting, the hatred.”

  “Those days are gone.” Mikaela’s expression shifted, as if she was struggling with some inner battle. “I intend to rule Tarok. All of you and your mates must be exterminated.”

  Karn clenched his fists and took another step closer. “This is not the real Mikaela speaking.”

  Her eyes flashed red and her face hardened. “This bitch must die. They all must die.” She raised her whip and snapped it at Annie.

  Annie felt the sting of leather as the whip wrapped around her waist. A quick yank and the whip pulled free, causing Annie to slip on the muddy ground. One foot met air and the next thing she knew the ground vanished beneath her.

  “No!” Karn shouted and lunged toward her.

  As she fell, Annie clawed the slippery ground with one hand, digging her fingers into the wet soil. With her other she drove the dagger in the ground. For a moment she stopped, clinging to the side of the cliff with her free hand and the dagger. Her feet flailed, trying to find purchase on the wet cliff side. But she was slipping. She couldn’t hold on much longer.

  “Annie!” Karn threw himself to the ground and grabbed Annie’s hands just as the dagger slipped free. It flipped over her shoulder, through the air, and headed down to the jagged rocks below. “Hold on,” he shouted as he grasped her wrists tight and pulled.

  But Mikaela was advancing on them, whip in hand. Just as she raised it to strike, a small black and white creature bolted across the clearing, its green eyes blazing. It was all but a blur, it happened so fast, as the creature clawed its way up Mikaela’s leather pantsuit, straight for her face.

  Abra!

  Mikaela shrieked and raised her hands to push away the cat that clawed at her face and gave a loud “Yerowl!” as though it were the fiercest of tigers.

  Karn yanked Annie’s arms, pulling her up over the cliff’s edge and onto the ground at the same moment Mikaela was fighting off Abra.

  The woman shifted into a tiger and Abra tumbled to the ground. Just as Mikaela swiped a massive paw at the cat, her back legs slid in the mud and out from beneath her, right over the side of the cliff.

  Annie was on her knees, ready to dive for her cat.

  Mikaela slipped over the edge, her front tiger claws pawing at the ground.

  Karn threw himself toward Mikaela, reaching out to grab one of her paws.

  But it was too late. Mikaela gave a loud roar, then vanished from sight.

  Annie scooped Abra into her arms and buried her face in the cat’s drenched fur. Everything was silent, outside the roar of the ocean and the sound of rain pounding the moors. Even the battle with the Munchfolk and the shelenna had gone quiet.

  Slowly Annie raised her head to see Karn on one knee, both hands over his face. He ran his palms upward, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “Maybe it is for the best,” he said quietly. “Her soul has been tortured for far too long.”

  With a sob, Annie threw herself at Karn. He wrapped her in his arms, and Abra mewled at being caught between them. The cat slipped out of her grasp and landed gently on the ground as Karn brought Annie tighter into his embrace. They were on their knees in the rain, clinging t
o one another for a long moment and not saying a word.

  Finally, Karn said, “I love you, Annie. With all my being, I love you.”

  Annie tilted her face up to look into his serious midnight eyes. “The moment I saw you in the painting before you brought me here, you had my heart, Karn. It belongs to you, just as I do.”

  He kissed her then, soft and sweet. Annie tasted rain and mud and blood mixed in with his unique flavor. At that moment, she didn’t care about anything but being in his arms and knowing that he loved her.

  After Karn made sure his mate was unhurt, he forced himself toward the edge of the cliff. His heart ached for the sister he had known and loved so long ago. He would go down the path to the shore, recover Mikaela’s body, and see to it that she received a proper Tarok burial.

  But when he peered over the edge, nothing was there. Only ocean pounding rock and shore.

  After the Munchfolk had buried the shelenna in the moors, they vanished in so many sparkles, taking their dead and wounded back to their homeland.

  Despite Annie’s protests, Karn insisted on carrying her to the mansion, even though he was wounded and covered in blood. With Abra in her arms, Annie snuggled into Karn’s embrace, feeling warmth in her heart and soul that chased away the chill from her drenched skin.

  Without pausing to greet Beya who held the door open as if waiting for them, Karn strode up the staircase to Annie’s chambers, and into the bathing room. The moment he set Annie down, Abra bounded from her arms, straight for Beya who appeared in the doorway in a burst of sparkles.

  “Will you be needing anything, Sire?” she asked as she scooped up the cat. “If not, I will see to Mistress Abra.”

  Karn smiled. “Do care for that ferocious little beast.” He turned his smile toward Annie. “I will see to this one.”