Page 11 of Alec in Wonderland (Rainbow Tales #1)
Baxenvir strode across the training courtyard, the buzz of Jubjub knights going through maneuvers vibrating in his ears. The flying soldiers spun above him, their membranous wings almost invisible from the speed of their fluttering. He'd been up there with them, going through the movements he knew by heart, until he spotted that fucking cat.
Cheshire had returned. And he'd brought someone with him.
The Knave of Hearts stomped into the keep, then through the corridors toward the front entry, his heart pounding rapidly though he knew not why. There was something about the man with Cheshire. He'd only glimpsed him, but even from that distance, the man looked familiar. Bax needed to see his face. Up close.
The pound of Baxenvir's boots matched that of his heart. It felt oddly magical. As if a spell was being woven around him, the power of it compounding the closer he got to Cheshire's companion. At the main doors of the keep, Baxenvir paused to compose himself. It wouldn't do for the Knave of Hearts to be seen confronting the Queen's consort disrespectfully. And Bax wasn't sure what there was to confront. Cheshire had brought a guest to the fortress. That wasn't a crime.
Ah! But it was something that should interest the Queen's Champion as a matter of security. Yes, that was it. Security. He needed to know who was entering the fortress. It was his duty to his queen.
With that settled, the Knave of Hearts strode out of the keep and over to Cheshire.
Cheshire saw him coming and paused in his ambling. But the Knave didn't look at the Queen's consort. His eyes were on Cheshire's companion. Hair as black as Cheshire's, eyes in the same almond shape, but smaller and more intense. And green! The man's eyes were the same color as Baxenvir's. But his eyes were the pale green of the fragile leaves that cling to a rosebud, not Bax's aggressive emerald. His cheekbones were high, his nose was like a button, and his lower lip was full while the upper was thin. The shape of his face was almost as lean as Cheshire's, but not quite the same, and the color of his skin had a yellow undertone to it. None of that individually was odd, but taken as a whole, that face seemed strange to Bax. No, not strange—familiar. The man tickled a memory, but Bax couldn't pull it forth. It was unnerving, especially when he felt the first stirrings of desire.
“Who are you?” the Knave of Hearts demanded, then bit back a curse. It was not how he wanted to start things with this man. So, he cleared his throat and tried again. “I mean, I've never seen you here before. Are you kin to Cheshire?”
“I believe it's polite to ask for an introduction from the person you're familiar with,” Cheshire drawled in his annoying way. “Rather than bluster about like a storm, demanding a name from a stranger.”
Bax glanced at Cheshire long enough to slice him with a glare, then returned to staring at the other man. He had a slim body, so graceful looking, but with his military eye, he could see the lines of muscles that could only be achieved with constant training. Training at what, though? The man didn't have the air of a soldier.
Despite his resemblance to Cheshire, Bax found him alluring. That black hair, darker than ebony, looked thick and heavy, falling in a straight line past the man's shoulders as if it couldn't bear to even consider a wave. Bax had a sudden, insane urge to run his hand through that hair. He had to clench his fists to stop himself.
Who was this person, and why did he affect the Knave of Hearts like this?