Her fingers cup my chin and turn my head until we’re gazing into each other’s eyes. This close, the pink of hers swirls and flexes, an intricate design of sparkling glitter, as if the pixie dust she carries in her veins is present in her eyes. “Stop, Atlas. If given the option to do so over again, knowing what I do now, I’d still step in front of that blade for you. I’d still save you. I may have lost my wings, but you’ve given me my heart.”
Her words hit me with the force of a Mack truck right in the chest. They’re such profound words, ones I’ve never imagined hearing from a woman’s lips, and I’m entirely grateful to whatever fate decided I was the Lost Fourth Son of Wonderland, and that I was able to step into Neverland and find Tink.
“When things settle, I’ll find a way to help you fly again, Pixie, I promise.” I press my lips against hers, gentle, sealing the words I say, but she only smiles gently at me.
“I know you will, Berserker, and I look forward to taking you into the skies.”
Pixie dust dances around Tink, and it’s something I’m thankful didn’t change. I’d always assumed the pixie dust came from her wings. It turns out, she doesn’t need the wings at all. Now, pixie dust swirls from her skin, dancing along it until she glitters. I’m always covered in the stuff but it’s difficult to complain when it’s a small price to pay for the woman I’m in love with.
As her pixie dust swirls around us, we both lift slightly into the air, hovering over the shingles, but we don’t go very high. I’m not sure if Tink trusts herself yet to go high at all, not without wings to catch her if she falls. I don’t know how to tell her I’ll always catch her if she falls without sounding like an idiot. So instead, I hold her a little tighter, offering everything I am to her.
“Let’s just breathe for a moment,” she murmurs, watching the sunrise for the first time. “Tomorrow, we’ll face whatever comes after us, and save those we can.”
Because not every world will understand the danger. Not every world will know what’s happening. The human world, I can’t even imagine what they’re going through, the lives that will be lost when they start wandering into other worlds with hungry creatures. Too many will perish for being too focused on the adventure and not the danger. Too many might think to explore and never make it further than a single world over. And what of the monsters that come into their world, where they think they’re safe? Massacres. I can’t imagine the panic.
Smiling despite my thoughts, I press a kiss to the top of Tink’s head. “You know, when I was thrust into this world, I never expected to fall in love with a Wicked Pixie Queen.”
She chuckles softly. “I never expected to love a Berserker,” she shoots back. “But here we are.”
I look down at her, at how vulnerable she opens herself up for me. “Here we are,” I repeat, thankful she isn’t running from me any longer, from the connection between us. I’d keep chasing her if that’s what she wants, but I love being able to enjoy a moment on the roof, watching three sunrises.
Even with the sight before us, nothing is quite as beautiful as the sight of a Pixie, even without her wings, as the sunlight catches the sparkles in her pixie dust. It sends small dances of colors around us, until I have to wonder if we look like a disco ball or our very own galaxy.
“Hey! You two finished being lovey dovey?” Cheshire calls up from the ground, a scowl on his face. “We have work to do.”
I flip him the bird. “I don’t interrupt you and my sister when you’re getting lovey dovey, Cat. I’ll tell Cal you’re being a dick again.” It’s a low card to pull, to tattle tell on the Cheshire Cat, but effective usually.
“So what?” he growls, his tail flicking around behind him. “I’m not afraid of—”
“Who aren’t you scared of?” Cal asks, stepping from beneath the porch to meet him, her brows raised. She’s trying hard to hide the smile on her lips, but I know my sister. I’m glad she’s found her happiness. After everything she’d been through, everything she’d done for me, it’s nice to see her able to smile so freely again. Gone are the days where we have to worry if we’ll have enough money for food. Now, we’re fancy creatures blessed by Wonderland. Sometimes, it’s a curse, but not always.
“I’m not scared of you,” Cheshire bites out, grabbing Cal and tugging her close. Though there’s a growl in his voice, the kiss he lays on the top of her head is as gentle as a butterfly. Even with claws, he never hurts her, a testament to his love. I’d always envied them before. Cheshire, with the features of a monster and a heart as soft as cotton, loving the woman with a spine of steel and a heart that used to be held behind a wall. Somehow, they’re perfect for each other, neither seeing a monster.
And now I’m a monster, too.
“You’ll pay for that later, kitty cat,” Cal teases Chesh.
“Don’t,” Tink murmurs, holding me closer.
“I’m not doing anything,” I argue, raising my brow at her.
She shakes her head. “Transforming into something else with your power doesn’t make you any different in my eyes, and it shouldn’t in yours. You’re powerful, Atlas, and sure, you look a little different when using the powers, but which of us doesn’t?” She slides her hand down my bicep, stroking. “Having monstrous physical attributes doesn’t make you a monster. It’s what you do with them that can.”
“But what if I transform during. . .well, you know?”
She shrugs. “You kissed me when I was in the height of bloodlust. Do you really think I’d shy away from the beauty you are while full Berserker?”
I blink at her, and suddenly, the image that flickers through my mind forces me to shift in place. Why does that sound so hot? I save the thought for later, right alongside the idea of Tink in a leather jacket and riding on the back of my motorcycle. It’s one way I can give her back her wings, to fly over roads, and I can’t wait to take her there.
Below us, Cal thumps Cheshire on the chest and takes off running, the cat giving chase with laughter in his eyes. They act like children and I don’t begrudge them it one bit. I laugh at their antics, at the chase they play, and Tink sighs.
“One day, I hope to do that,” she murmurs against me.
“What?”
“Laugh so freely.”
I look down at her with a smile. “I’ll spend the rest of my life making you laugh, Pixie, as long as you let me.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re going nowhere, Berserker. I claimed you.”
“As long as that means I get to claim you, too.” Her eyes crinkle and I know we’re going to spend the rest of our lives figuring out what it’s like to live.
There was so much they all sacrificed, and as much as it pains me, I understand. We went through the same thing in Wonderland at the end of Alice. We gave up so much. Hell, Cal was willing to give up the man she loved, but he came through in the end, choosing to not give up the one thing that mattered.
Neverland died, so many died, so many chose to die there, because it was time for an entire world to end, and apparently, time for the rest to merge. As we sit on Hatter’s roof, staring out at a world changed forever, my mind goes to the three Daughters of Neverland. Though each of them has given up something great to be here, siblings and wings, hearts, there’s nothing quite like seeing your people safe from the threat that plagued them.
I’m starting to think the Crocodile was only a proxy rather than the true villain of Neverland, especially after Flam confirmed he was no World Breaker. Had a World Breaker caused this? Will there be more?
“Together,” Tink whispers, as if she can hear my thoughts rapidly shifting between one subject and the next. “We’ll face it all together.”
My heart swells with the love in her voice. For the rest of my life, when someone asks what I’m most proud of, I know I won’t say my powers, or some skill. I’ll tell them I’m most proud of convincing a certain Pixie Queen to love me. I’m most proud to be the reason the corner of her lips curl and her eyes sparkle.
“Until the mo
ment we stop breathing,” I promise, “and then even after that.”
Tink presses a kiss against my cheek and then we sit there and watch the rest of the sunrise. “We begin as stardust,” she says, Wendy and Hook’s words somehow perfect for the moment.
Holding her close, with my heart in my throat, I finish the line. “And so we return.”
A Berserker and a Wicked Pixie Queen walk into a world and come out on the other side. How do you make a monster realize she’s not a monster? The words flit through my mind and I wonder if I’m getting as mad as Hatter talking about writing desks and ravens. But I answer the question anyways
You give her something soft and gentle, something she could crush if she wants but chooses not to. You wipe the blood from her claws and remind her she holds you between them, over and over, until she hears it. How do you convince a monster she’s not a monster?
You love her, and you remind her of that for as long as she needs.
“Better creatures could love you,” she whispers suddenly, and I realize, perhaps, we’re thinking along the same lines. Her pink eyes tilt up to meet mine. “But now, they’ll have to get through me to do so.”
It should be a threat, but I know it’s a promise. Though she doesn’t think she deserves happiness, I’m going to spend the rest of our lives showing her how much she does. None of us know anything until we realize monsters have nightmares, too.
Mine would look a lot like losing Tink.
“I’m going to follow you to the end of every world and back,” I reply, grinning at the Pixie.
“No,” she shakes her head. “We’ll walk side by side, Berserker.”
We stare in each other’s eyes, drowning in the colors there, and the worlds stop turning.
Just for a while, they stop. . .
. . .but we have each other. We all have each other.
And in the end, that’s what matters most.
Even if every fairytale has a twist we’re not prepared for.
Even if we must walk into another battle with our heads held high.
The burning sun will rise and set regardless. What we choose to do with the light while it’s here is up to us. And if it doesn’t burn a little, well then, what’s the point of playing with the fire in the first place?
There’s no place like home, I think as I stare out at Wonderland, and the bells of prophesy echo in my bones, but I push it aside for another day.
Today is meant for love and burning.
The rest can wait until I’ve had enough time to love my Pixie.
Epilogue
THE CROCODILE
I open my eyes slowly and blink at the sudden bright light filtering through trees that don’t belong to the Dark Side. Confusion takes over as I try to regain my memories of what happened. I remember reaching out for Tiger Lily, glad my sister had decided to give me another chance. I remember staring at her, Tink, and Wendy standing in the doorway that had taken major sacrifice to open. I remember the earth buckling beneath my feet. I remember guilt. . .
Fuck, I remember so much guilt, and it still eats at me now.
I blink harder. None of that tells me how I ended up here.
The trees around me are strange. Though they’re not black like Neverland Dark Side trees, though they don’t reach out for me as I stand, there’s something insanely eerie about them. There’s a steady beat echoing in my ears I’d dismissed as my throbbing head, but now that I’m standing, I realize it’s coming from around me.
Carefully, I take a step to the nearest tree, studying it closer, but it’s only when I move around to the other side that I realize what it is. I stumble back in horror, coming into contact with another tree much the same. I stumble away, tripping, falling on my tailbone as I stare at the sight before me.
What looks almost carved into the trunk of the tree is a person. The body shape is there, but the details are reserved for the face, carved in wood and opened in an agonizing scream. There’s so much detail, it looks real, but that isn’t the most frightening part. Nestled in the chest cavity, ribs split open for all to see, beats a blood red heart. Every single tree has a person, carved to look different as if they’re real, and each one’s heart beats inside their chest.
I only notice the tiny sign stuck in the side of the golden road I sit on after I calm the panic in my lungs. It’s crude, as if someone carved it with claws. ‘Forest of the Beating Hearts’ is scratched into it. How appropriate.
I’m in my human form, a fact I only realize when I drag myself back to my feet as I watch the horrible trees closely. I’m half afraid they’ll reach out and suck me into one as if that’s how they’re made. Taking stock of my body, I realize I don’t have the urge to transform to my crocodile skin like I did in Neverland, my deal forcing me to remain the beast more than the man. Now, I can feel the crocodile under my skin, but he isn’t forcing his way out.
I roll my shoulders. In fact, I feel better than I have since I made the deal in the first place, like a weight is lifted from my chest.
And with it, the guilt slams into me just as hard.
At least Lily made it out. At least her daughter did. At least somewhere in the world, Wendy is alive.
Which brings the most important question to my mind. What world am I in?
I never hear anyone come up behind me. I don’t even hear rustling of fabric. I don’t sense movement in the air. All I know is, one moment, I’m staring down the road in the distance, and the next, there’s a voice behind me.
I nearly piss myself.
“Well, hello there, Crocodile.”
I freeze and turn slowly, my fingers itching for a blade I don’t have. If I must, I can transform to the Croc, but it won’t be fast enough against someone who can sneak up on me.
When my eyes find the person behind me, my whole body tenses, but a scowl draws my brows down low. My claws come out at the new threat and I prepare myself for a fight. I don’t know what I’ll do, but my lips curl back over sharp teeth when I snarl one word.
“You!”
Twisted, twisted, wring out the fairytale
Until you no longer know what you have.
One world becomes two, two worlds become three,
Too many worlds sitting just out of grasp.
One direction leads to a forest so Grimm
And another leads down the yellow brick road.
Are you clicking your heels and thinking of home?
Are you kissing a frog or a toad?
Deadly dark stories and broken worlds,
Thrust into a nightmare that can't be paused,
Steel your spines and tip up your chins
As you prepare to meet the twisted Heirs of Oz. . .
To continue the adventure
Grab Monstrous As A Croc now!
http://books2read.com/monstrousasacroc
Acknowledgments
I have to thank my parents first on this one. They’ve been supportive through this all, and though they don’t quite understand what I do on the computer, they can’t ignore the books that show up. Lol. Because of them, I’m strong enough to keep pushing for my dreams. Love you, mom and dad!
Thanks to my besties, Poppy Woods, Katie Knight, and Mallory Kent! Without the three of you, I’m not sure where I’d be. I certainly wouldn’t be sane. No one understands my crazy ideas or encourages them as much as y’all do. Thank you for always being there.
Thanks to everyone who has a part in making this book presentable and awesome, including Ruxandra Tudorica of Methyss Design for the beautiful cover, Dani Black of Black Lotus Editing, Cynthia Krietz, and Mallory Kent of The Nutty Formatter. Thank y’all for being a part of this adventure.
And finally, thank you to the readers for continuing in this crazy universe with me. Y’all saw me with the Hatter, standing on my soap box, and you jumped in with me feet first down the rabbit hole. Because of y’all, I can continue to do what I love. I know Neverland was a little crazy, a little brutal, and the world for our favorite
characters is only going to get crazy. I hope you’re ready to click your heels together. It’s time to follow the yellow brick road.
About the Author
Kendra Moreno is secretly a spy but when she’s not dealing in secrets and espionage, you can find her writing her latest adventure. She lives in Texas where the summer days will make you melt, and southern charm comes free with every meal. She’s a recovering Road Rager (kind of) and slowly overcoming her Star Wars addiction (nope!), and she definitely didn’t pass on her addiction to her son (she did). She has one hellhound named Mayhem who got tired of guarding the Gates of Hell and now guards her home against monsters. She’s a geek, a mother, a scuba diver, a tyrannosaurus rex, and a wordsmith who sometimes switches out her pen for a sword.
If you see Kendra on the streets, don’t worry: you can distract her with talks about Kylo Ren or Loki.
#LokiLives #BringBackBenSolo
To find out more about Kendra, you can check her out on her website or join her Facebook Group.
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Also By Kendra
Sons Of Wonderland
Book 1 - Mad as a Hatter
Book 2 - Late as a Rabbit
Book 3 - Feral as a Cat
Companion novel - Cruel as a Queen
Daughters Of Neverland
Book 1 - Vicious as a Darling
Book 2 - Fierce As A Tiger Lily
Book 3 - Wicked As A Pixie
Companion Novel - Monstrous As A Croc
Clockwork Almanac
Book 1 - Clockwork Butterfly
Book 2 - Clockwork Octopus
Wicked as a Pixie (Daughters of Neverland Book 3) Page 22