“Do you know where it leads to?” I ask Wolfbane, turning to see him staring up at the door with a clenched jaw.
“Who cares? As long as it’s not Neverland, I don’t have a preference.” His eyes focus on me, the blue flashing to Crocodile green and focusing on me. He’s barely holding the shift back now, obviously struggling to remain a man, but he fights against it. “Now break through the door and we’ll be free of this place, just like you’ve always wanted.”
It’s true. I’ve wanted to escape Neverland for so long, to be free of this horror, but not at the expense of those I care for. I won’t be doing so now. Even as I think it, I feel the others moving closer. Now that I’ve seen the door, it’ll be short moments before they storm the camp.
“Why fight the monster?” I ask Wolfbane, noticing the strain in his shoulders. “Why not just shift?”
His eyes meet mine. “Because I don’t want you to see me so monstrous, little bird.”
I frown at him, tilting my head. “It’s too late, Wolfbane,” I whisper. “You’re already the monster in my story.”
The fight runs out of him and he shifts completely, scales taking over flesh, but when he looks at me, there’s sadness in his eyes I don’t expect. I turn away abruptly, dismissing any sort of pity I might feel for him. Wolfbane deserves no pity, not from me, not when he’s killed innocents for this power play.
I press my hand to the door.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Tiger and I lead our group slowly up to the border and pause. I can see Wendy speaking to the Crocodile, asking questions, pressing buttons, just as I knew she’d do. She’s trying to get as many answers as she can, even while she races against a clock we have no idea how long will tick. I grimace when Wolfbane forces a kiss on her. I’m proud of her reaction, but when Hook asks me what is wrong, I only shake my head. I don’t need Hook rushing into the Dark Side by himself because he’s pissed Wolfbane kissed Wendy. There will be plenty of time for his revenge.
Atlas stands beside me, his armor molding to his body, his large axe in his hand. When I look over at him, he winks and leans in close. “You look beautiful prepared for battle,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder.
I’m hardly prepared for battle. I’ve never needed armor and it’s difficult to wear with my wings. The most I’ve done is fix my hair to the top of my head and shimmy into a dress that stops at the tops of my thighs rather than going to the ground, making it easier to move. When Atlas’ fingers gently touch the bare skin of my thigh, I second guess the decision. It’s too easy to be distracted by him.
“So do you,” I murmur, purposely not closing myself off from him. His hair is tied back to the nape of his neck, a few tendrils hanging down around his face. His armor shines, emblazoned with his Berserker symbol, the same symbol that’s on the large axe.
“I’ve never been called beautiful before,” he grins. “Think I could win a beauty competition?”
“I could submit the video I have of when you were a kid dressing up in mom’s—”
Atlas growls at Cal, but there’s no menace in it. There’s still laughter in his eyes. “Don’t be telling the woman I like about that kind of stuff,” Atlas says, but the smile tugs at his lips a second later. “At least, not before battle. She can see how cute I was a kid when we’re finished here.”
I laugh softly and take his hand, but before I can say anything else, Wendy’s vision flashes across mine.
“She’s found the door,” I rasp, turning towards everyone else.
“Of course she has,” Hook nods. “She’s smart, my Wendy Bird. I suspect the Crocodile is growing desperate by now.” He lifts his curved sword, the reason for his moniker more than the silver hook that replaces his hand, and rolls his shoulder. “Are we ready?”
In answer, the land pitches hard against our feet, sending many stumbling even as I snap out a hand to hold onto the nearest tree.
Flam grimaces where he stands next to Doe, as casual as always. He won’t be able to shift anywhere with trees without becoming a hindrance more than a help, but if he gets into the clearing, he’ll transform quickly. Doe will be protecting his back. “This world is all kinds of angry,” he murmurs, tilting his head back even as we all look at him.
“Angry?” I ask. No one has ever mentioned the land is angry.
“Yeah, can’t you feel her anger? She’s livid. I can sense the death threat in my bones.”
I lock eyes with Tiger at his words. There’s still a chance that after everything we do, Neverland won’t let us leave, that we can get our people through, but we’ll be locked to the land. It’s something we’ve known, but now, faced with the possibility of being successful, it’s something we’re forced to think about. We might not ever be able to leave.
March stands beside Tiger, looking between us, and I know he realizes what we’re thinking when his hand tightens on Tiger’s, when he moves just a little closer. Whether we escape or not, March will fight tooth and nail to stay beside Tiger, even if it means death. My eyes flick over to Atlas, seeing the same reflected in his eyes even if he doesn’t understand the looks.
“Don’t,” Hook growls, his lip curling up.
“Don’t what?” I ask, but I know he knows. Hook always knows, has no doubt thought of the same thing and has been refusing to linger on it. If given the chance, if we can’t leave, Wendy will shove Hook through the door before he can argue, saving him and dooming him to heartbreak.
“I see what you’re thinking in your eyes and I refuse to think of it.”
White glances between us and then to Jupiter. I watch them closely, seeing they’re having some sort of conversation, but when White meets my eyes again, I make sure he’s listening well. “If it comes down to it, and we can’t get out in time,” I say. I don’t speak my fears of the Daughters not able to leave. I leave it with if any of us are stuck. “You will not perish with us here. Open your door, and escape.” White opens his mouth to argue but I hold my hand up to stop him. “More lives will not be claimed than needs be. You will open your door and save your own people.” My eyes flick over to Atlas and he stiffens, his face twisting with anger at my decision. “All of them.”
Atlas’ eyes go hard, but I’m already turning away from him, unable to bear the look there. I know he’ll fight to stay if I can’t step over the threshold, so when I look at Calypso, when I offer my plea with my eyes alone, I see respect flash in her eyes before she nods the barest amount. If Atlas tries to stay, she’ll save him. She’ll make sure he gets out. It lifts a weight from my chest I hadn’t realized I was carrying.
“It’s time to move,” I tell everyone, trying my hardest not to look at the Berserker at my side but I can feel his presence as heavily as I can feel my wings on my back. “Wendy knows where the door is, now we attack while she figures out how to open it.”
“Together we ride,” Tiger says, words we’ve never spoken but somehow mean so much more. “Together we fall, and together we rise.”
“Second star and straight on ‘til morning,” I murmur, and it’s repeated throughout our people. Many understand the words, the way to get to Neverland. And now we’ll use the words to leave it.
After the finish, I straighten my shoulders and lift my chin. “And now, I need everyone to do something,” I say, and they all grow silent.
“What is it?” Tiger asks, her eyes hard, but when she sees it in my eyes, a grin tugs across her lips.
With my wings spread wide behind me and the Berserker at my side, with my chin tilted up and steeling myself for it, I say the words that will be our weapon against the Lost.
I smile. “It’s time to think happy thoughts.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
THE MAD HATTER
Chaos surrounds us as I tug Clara Bee behind me, dragging her through the absolute shit storm that’s descended on Wonderland. The world is shaking, and in the distance, it’s almost as if it’s not just Wonderland anymore. For a moment, I fear every insane thi
ng in my mind has bled into real life, but this has nothing to do with my madness.
This is something else entirely.
We’re running through the trees, the branches snagging on the outfit Clara wears, and I curse the fact I hadn’t dressed her in armor this morning against my better judgement. I’d had a feeling about it, but I’d ignored it in favor of seeing Clara in the yellow jacket. At least she’s not wearing a dress. Pausing for a split second to tear the long train of the jacket free with a loud rip, she doesn’t complain when it leaves her in a too short jacket and high leather pants. She’ll be able to move better now.
I don’t know what sort of beast it is chasing us, but it certainly isn’t from Wonderland. Clara had murmured the word “minotaur” before it ever started chasing us, but that word holds no meaning for me. Whatever it is, it’s crashing through the trees behind us, its large horns pushing them over as if they’re twigs, as it barrels after us.
“We need the others!” Clara pants. She’s stronger now than she’s ever been, but we’ve been running a long time, trying to find somewhere safe from the creature, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all. “We can’t keep running like this!”
After Flam and Doe left, even in the midst of all the chaos, with Flam reassuring us they wouldn’t be gone long, everything has gotten worse. Our friends in Wonderland are trying to help, but Clara and I are the only ones left with enough power to make a difference, and now our combined power isn’t enough to take on this beast.
An explosion from our right sends a heat wave over us, feeling as if it singes my eyebrows, but I don’t know what’s gone up in flames. I can’t look. I have to keep Clara safe and that’s it. Even with all the stress, my madness isn’t slipping out right now. Soon after chaos hit, it’d taken a back seat, as if everything going on around us is mad enough without me adding to it. I’ve never been more thankful and worried about something at the same time.
We skid to a stop in a clearing because both of us are panting and we can’t keep going. The only option is to face the beast head on. We back up, leaving just enough room for the large creature to slam through the trees and pause at the sight of us standing still. Its eyes are riveted on Clara, completely ignoring me as it puffs out a breath of stagnant air and paws the ground with one hoof.
I look between us. I’m dressed in mostly black, my jacket my signature dark purple, but Clara wears a yellow jacket and brown leather pants. My eyes widen.
“Clara,” I hiss. “Take off the jacket!”
“What?”
“It’s attracted to the yellow.”
Clara wastes no times. Even though she only wears a lace bra underneath, she rips the buttons free and jerks the jacket off, handing it to me. The beast’s eyes follow the movement, focusing on the jacket closely.
“I’m going to throw it and then I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and run.” Clara can’t keep running, and while I’m moving, she’ll have to keep watch for anything else that may attack us before we get to my house. I don’t know if it’ll be safe with all this shit happening around us, but it’s our best bet. The problem is, everything seems like it’s growing, so it’s taking longer to even reach the house.
“One. . .” I murmur, shaking the jacket. The creature paws the ground like a bull and leans forward. “Two. . .Three.” I throw it in the air, spin, and grab Clara in the same movement, tossing her over my shoulder. I’m in the trees before the creature can even dart forward. “Is it following?”
“No,” Clara breaths, clinging to my backside. In different circumstances, I might have liked it. Now isn’t the time for such games, however.
With an arm locked around her thighs and my breaths sawing in and out, I slow far enough away I think we’re safe and set Clara gently down on a boulder. Both of us are panting hard, desperately trying to catch our breaths. I don’t even remember struggling to breathe like this before. We ran far longer than I ever have.
“Are you okay?” I ask, taking her hand. Her small circlet had been lost somewhere far behind us, her hair in disarray around her shoulders. She’s wearing only the lace bra and high-waisted leather pants. At least she wears her combat boots, though they aren’t her favorite black pair. Even in such a state of undress, she looks regal.
“I’m fine,” she rasps. “Minotaurs? What else is going to step into Wonderland? We’re at a serious disadvantage.”
“I have no idea what’s happening,” I murmur, removing my hat and running a hand through my hair. Through some force of luck, my hat stayed on my head during our mad dash away from the creature. “The others are close. I can feel it. As if something is saying they’ll be here any moment.”
“They better be,” Clara growls. “I thought when we defeated Alice, we would at least get some time for peace and now look at our world.”
I grimace even though her referring to Wonderland as equally hers as much as mine makes my heart flip. Clara is all in, her heart as much mine as mine belongs to her, but there’s always this fear that she’ll wake up one day and decide she misses her world. She talks about tacos a lot, and sadly, I don’t know how to make them, even with her descriptions. I’d planned on asking White to procure some for her before shit hit the fan.
We’re sitting there, still catching our breath, when the bushes in front of us start to rattle, gently at first before violently. I grab Clara, holding on in case we need to run again, but when a tiny ordinary rabbit creature hops out, we both relax.
Chuckling, Clara shakes her head. “I thought it was going to be something worse.”
The beast comes out of nowhere, leaping at the rabbit and catching it in its paws. Clara jerks back against me, her eyes as wide as mine as we watch the large feline rip the poor rabbit to shreds. It turns beautiful eyes to us, its stripes slicing across smooth orange fur. The urge to touch it overwhelms me, but I hold myself back. It’s obviously a predator. It returns to its meal without attacking us.
Clara’s heart beats loud enough for me to hear. “Oh my God,” Clara whispers, staring at the thing. “It’s a fucking tiger. After everything, there’s a fucking tiger in Wonderland.”
I frown, watching the tiger devour the rabbit and when it lays down to enjoy it’s meal, I glance down into Clara’s eyes. She’s afraid but not as much as she’d been of the other creature. I can see claws and teeth, obviously dangerous, but compared to other Wonderland creatures, it seems relatively harmless. Something slithers in my brain, an urge, and I grin. “Can we pet it?”
She raises her brow at me, looking between me and the tiger, considering the options, but before she can make a decision, the large predator stands and walks over to us, making the both of us tense in case of an attack, but the beast only bumps his head against Clara’s stomach, encouraging her to pet its ears.
“It likes you,” I laugh, reaching out a hand, but the tiger snaps at me, flashing sharp teeth, and I frown, pouting my lip out. “That’s entirely unfair, you cretin.”
Clara giggles at me and continues to pet the tiger, but she leans over and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Don’t worry, Hatter. When we have time and the world isn’t going insane, I’ll pet you.”
Grinning, I kiss her shoulder, much to the tiger’s displeasure. “Promises, promises, Empress.”
I get a nasty claw for the gesture, but it’s worth it. Everything about Clara is worth it.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Red. Crimson. Death. Everything drops over my senses like a curtain with the true potency of the happy thoughts that slam into me. I don’t fight the transformation this time, and somehow, it gives me more control than I’ve ever had before. I’m able to look at Atlas, at the others, and I don’t have the bloodlust I’ve always had before. It’s frustrating to realize that the craze came from me fighting the overwhelming sensation, and now that I’ve accepted it, it feels like I’m simply at a higher plane than normal.
I lead the way over the Dark Side border, Atlas by my side. Tiger, March,
and Hook stand beside us as well as the other Wonderlandians. We’re all armed to the teeth, prepared for an attack, but so far, the Lost are all concerned with the sinking land and the Crocodile, too focused to realize there’s a whole mass of enemies creeping into their midst. I don’t wait for them to take notice of us before I flare my wings wide and rush into the Lost camp.
The moment the sound of my wings fills the air, I see the Crocodile spin around, Wendy’s eyes already on me. His face twists into a snarl, showing me every crocodile tooth.
“I knew this was a trap,” he growls and gestures with his hand. The Lost turn and swarm our party but we’re prepared.
With the bloodlust flowing through my veins and my vision red, I begin to cut my way through the throng of the Lost, intent on my target. Get us to Wendy, protect her while she opens the door, get off this island. In my mind, I tick them off even as I slaughter Lost after Lost, their blood coating my skin in a spray of gore. Beside me, Atlas swings his axe, killing as many Lost as I do, protecting one side while my other is protected by Tiger. He’s glorious in battle, the axe that should be too large for him to carry so easily swinging back and forth as if it weighs no more than a feather.
My eyes find Wendy where she stands with the Crocodile, his face snarling at us, completely dismissing the Sea Captain. That’s his mistake. I’m close enough to see her sweep his feet from underneath him before getting in a good thwack with the butt of her blade that sends him backwards and away from the door.
“Told you I was planning to kick you ass,” she shoots at him, just as Hook makes it to her side, his curved sickle blade swinging violently, drawing blood as much as I do.
There’s chaos on every side, but I notice two Lost linger by Wendy, not in menace, but as silent sentinels. They attack no one, make no move to do so. They simply watch as we fight our way through the hundreds of Lost.
Wicked as a Pixie (Daughters of Neverland Book 3) Page 18