Page 49 of Alec in Wonderland (Rainbow Tales #1)

Alec stood atop the castle wall, staring at the Card Army that ranged across the open plain before the White Castle walls. Card soldiers stood in neat rows that formed orderly squares, spears and swords at the ready. Several groups of archers were further back, then there were mounted knights. And then, behind everyone, stood the Queen of Hearts on a grand war carriage fit with a viewing platform that elevated her several feet.

But Alec's stare went even higher—to the sky.

Because there, hovering above the Queen of Hearts, waiting upon her command, were the Jubjubs. Their commander was front and center, wearing his horned helmet. Bax had his sword at the ready and when he noticed Alec's attention, he pointed the weapon at him.

“I'm so fucking doomed,” Alec muttered.

He held a sword too. The sword. The Vorpal blade was in a special sheath made to accommodate its weird tip. It hung from a new belt that was buckled around Alec's shiny new armor. The White Queen's champion had to wear the best stuff even if he didn't know a damn thing about battle. The only combat he knew wouldn't be possible in this getup. Judo in armor? Nope, not a thing.

Alec looked up again, one champion eyeing another. But Bax wasn't his target.

As if the thought summoned the beast, a roar rent the air. Alec's body responded immediately, sending a jolt of fear down his spine. He nearly peed his metal pants. Because even though he couldn't see the creature, Alec knew what had made that terrifying sound.

The Jabberwocky.

And there it was. A dragon. A fucking red dragon large enough to cast a shadow over half the Card Army. And it was a huge army. The monster undulated across the sky, flying over the Jubjubs, who raised their swords to the beast in salute.

Alec frowned at that. Saluting a monster? Well, he supposed there were stranger things done in Wonderland. And the beast didn't attack the card soldiers. They might think it was one of them, loyal to their queen. But Alec knew it was dark magic that held the dragon's leash. Evil commanded it.

Dragons had always fascinated Alec. He loved them. Whenever he saw them in movies, he sympathized with them, even if they were the bad guys. He always thought that animals, no matter what their size, shouldn't be judged by the standards of people. They only did what instinct told them to do. But this dragon wasn't a mere animal. It wasn't coming for Alec because Alec had blundered into its lair and threatened its young. This wasn't a dragon at all. It was the Jabberwocky. A true monster.

Alec's mind spun off, trying to distract him so he wouldn't run away screaming. He did run. He did move, however. Alec's body seemed to know exactly what to do. His hand pulled the Vorpal Sword free of its sheath and held it down along his thigh as he rapidly descended the stairs into the courtyard.

“Open the gates!” Alec called. There would be no hiding for him. Nor would he stand back and watch the battle from a safe spot like the Queen of Hearts. The time was at hand. Destiny awaited and all that hero crap. Alec just wanted this shit done.

Instead of obeying Alec, the guards at the gate looked at the White Queen for instruction. She sat astride a white horse, wearing a fucking ballgown under her delicate silver armor. Beside her was her son, looking a bit more appropriately dressed. The White Prince had his sword out too, and he used it to salute Alec. Where the fucking King was, Alec had no idea.

“Open the gates!” the White Queen called. “And follow my champion! We will not cower behind walls. Today, we drive the Cards back to whence they came!”

Soldiers roared and moved forward in formation as Alec kept walking. He didn't pause on his way to the silver gates. He knew they'd open. And they did, just as he passed through.

The White Queen's Champion walked in a daze, something guiding his feet forward. Something lifting his hand. The one holding the Vorpal Sword. Alec felt destiny breathing down his neck. And he kept walking anyway. There was no fear anymore. Just a sense of relief that it would soon be over. Either dead or victorious—by the end of the day, Alec would be at peace.

“Bishops!” the White Queen shouted.

“Rooks to Field Five!” someone answered.

“Knights to Field Nine!”

“Pawns at the ready! Archers!”

And then Quin shouted, “Ravens to the sky!”

As black-winged men launched from the castle walls, the fighting began on the ground. Orderly rows clashed, battle cries rang out, and metal clanged. It should have distracted Alec. At the very least, he should have been concerned about someone attacking him. But he knew they'd leave him to the Jabberwocky. He knew it because it was his destiny.

Sir Alec of the White Kingdom lifted his stare to the sky once more. Fate descended on crimson wings. Talons the size of a car opened. Teeth the length of his arm dripped saliva. A tail the length of a sycamore lashed at the air. Alec braced himself. The Vorpal Sword vibrated.

Snick-snack , it went. Snickity-snack.

Alec clutched it loosely, letting the blade sing and guide him. It was hungry.

The beast struck. Air whooshed out of Alec's lungs as claws closed around his body. The ground fell away. His vision filled with red scales. It didn't matter. The sword knew what to do.

The Jabberwocky had his chance. Then it was Alec's turn. He moved with the sword and sliced at the Jabberwocky's foot. The Vorpal cried, Snick-snack! Alec thrust it upward.

The beast screamed.

Falling. Tumbling to the ground. The horizon turned. Then Alec hit. The landing wasn't so bad. He hadn't been that far up. But hitting the ground winded him, and it took him a moment to gain his feet. That moment was all the Jabberwocky needed to reclaim him.

Roaring in fury, the Jabberwocky flew higher and higher with Alec in its grasp. Too high for Alec to risk another stab. Then the beast left the battle. Alec stared back at the fighting armies through a cage of claws. In particular, his stare went to the group of flying Jubjubs who were engaged in combat with a flock of Ravens. The Ravens had already dropped their mad bombs, and card soldiers flung themselves about below, leaving formation to attack each other. But Alec couldn't have cared less about the madness. He locked his stare on the horned Jubjub. Bax dominated the sky, every swing sending a Raven hurtling to the ground.

But the Jabberwocky descended, and Alec had his own battle to focus on.

The monster had flown him behind enemy lines, up to a hill that overlooked the war. The Queen of Hearts pointed at them. They were even higher than her. Everyone could see them. She shouted something, but Alec couldn't make it out. Not that he cared. But the Jabberwocky did. It tossed Alec onto the grass, landed beside him, and extended its wings to shriek back at its mistress.

“Dumb beast,” Alec growled and swung.

The Vorpal Sword sliced into the Jabberwocky's belly. SNICK!

The Jabberwocky roared and knocked Alec onto his back. The fall sent the sword flying. It landed several feet away, still vibrating. Alec reached for it. As he turned, the beast tore his breastplate away. It went tumbling down the hill.

Opened like a can of tuna, Alec gaped up at the dragon. His senses returned in that instant, telling him that he'd been living in a fantasy. Fate? What the fuck was he thinking? That fucking caterpillar and his stupid vision were going to get Alec killed.

The monster lowered its head. Blood dripped down its belly, but it didn't seem to notice. It had one objective—to kill Alec. Jaws big enough to swallow Alec whole opened.

Alec did the only thing he could think of—he punched the monster in its scaly, red nose. The Jabberwocky reeled back and shook his head. Alec rolled away. He scrambled for the sword. His finger clawed at the jeweled hilt. Off to the left, the barbed tip of the Jabberwocky's tail slammed onto the ground, sending clods of grass flying.

Then the monster yanked Alec away from the sword.

Digging into the grass, Alec tried to stop his momentum. But the beast had a hold of his leg and lifted him with it. Dangling upside down before the Jabberwocky, Alec floundered. He bent and swung, trying to hit the monster. He couldn't reach it. At last, he gave up and went still. Well, still-ish. He swung from the beast's talon, staring at its ferocious face. Side-to-side, that face went, taunting Alec. Then the motion stopped, leaving Alec focused on the Jabberwocky's eye. A single eye locked on him.

A very familiar green eye.

A chill rushed through Alec. His whole being, his entire soul, vibrated with fear and denial. His throat closed up. His heart raced. Sweat dripped up his spine instead of down. Up was down. Everything got turned around. Topsy turvy. That wasn't an animal's eye.

“Bax?” Alec whispered.

The Jabberwocky cocked its head and peered closer at Alec. It leaned in. Then roared.

Alec covered his ears but wouldn't look away. The White Queen's words spun through his mind. Her rapid lesson. More important than swordwork.

See the one you want to heal. Look. Search with your heart, not your mind. Find them there. Buried beneath pain. And remind them of what it is to be whole. That's all healing is—reminding the body to be what it should be.

But Alec was too shocked. Too broken. He could only stare into his lover's eyes and weep. Tears gathered under his brows, little salty pools, then overflowed down his forehead. His body bowed with pain and a sob burst out of him.

“Bax!” Alec cried. “My Bax! No!”

The Jabberwocky shrieked, lifting its head to the sky. Above them, the Jubjubs circled, keeping the Ravens away. Their commander, the one with the horned helmet, looked down and met Alec's stare. He was close enough now that Alec could see that it wasn't Bax in that helmet. No, it couldn't be, could it? Because Bax was the Jabberwocky. The very monster Alec was fated to kill.

No. Wait. Not kill. Conquer. That had been the Caterpillar's word. Conquer.

“I love you.” Alec reached for the beast. “No matter what. Remember, Bax? No matter what . I am still me no matter what name I use, and you are still you no matter what body you're in.”

And then Alec felt the White Queen's presence with him. Guiding him. He remembered her words again. Her lesson sank in. Mixed with the words of the Caterpillar. Destiny. Maybe it wasn't a load of bullshit after all. Maybe the fantasy was real.

“I love you, Bax. That's who you are. My Bax. My love. You belong to me!” Alec swung forward and grabbed the Jabberwocky's jaw. He wrapped his fist around an enormous tooth and held on. Angling his head upright, he met the Jabberwocky's stare and flung himself down, into it.

The battle vanished, sound dulling into silence. Alec sank into darkness. Falling as if into a deep lake. But sparks flashed in the inky black. Explosions. Pink and green.

“Bax!” Alec called.

He kept falling.

“Baxenvir! You come to me right now! You said you could find me anywhere. Here I am. Come and find me, baby!”

“Alec,” Bax whispered, the voice surrounding him, caressing him. “Traitor.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I fucked up. Let it go. You know you're on the wrong side.”

“The Queen of Hearts.”

“She did this to you, Bax. She's been conducting experiments on people. Transforming them with evil. She cursed those men and made them bandersnatches. And she made you, her champion, into the Jabberwocky.”

“I am a monster.”

The words sounded like a memory. Alec did recall them. Bax had said that before. Now it made more sense.

“No, baby,” Alec said. “ She is the monster. You are her victim. All you wanted to do was to help her. Love her. But she made you into this. This is what her love does. It twists things. Taints them. Kills.”

“No!” Bax roared. “No!”

Alec went tumbling to the ground, his vision returning to the outside world. To the battle. It raged on, soldiers screaming in fury and pain. Madness running rampant. Shouts of tactical movements. The Queen of Hearts was laughing. The White Queen rallied her army. But everyone knew that the only fight that mattered was on that hill.

And the rules of that fight had just changed.

“Bax!” Alec shouted. “Baxenvir! That's who you are. You're a man, not a monster. Come on, my love. Remember who you are!” Alec ran for the Jabberwocky.

It bashed him aside. Right next to the Vorpal Sword. Alec looked down at the gleaming vibrating blade. Was this it? Did he have to kill the man he loved to save Wonderland? No. No, he couldn't do it. Leaving Bax had been hard enough. To kill him after discovering how the Queen had used and abused him? That he was the greatest victim of all? No, Alec would not do it.

The Vorpal Sword went, snick-snack.

“Fuck you, sword!” Alec grabbed the thing and lifted it for the Jabberwocky to see.

Bax's eyes focused on the blade. He still bled from his belly, but the wound was sealing, the scales pulling inward. Those beloved eyes looked down at the closing wound, then up at Alec. The Jabberwocky's arms lowered and his head lifted. Those terrible wings, the wings Bax never wanted, fell in acceptance.

Alec went still. Everything did. All of Wonderland held its breath as the Jabberwocky, the most fearsome creature in the world, gave its life for love.

The Vorpal sang its hungry song. It vibrated, urging its wielder to sink it deep into the wound it had already created. Push it up, into the monster's heart. End this!

“Never!” Alec shouted, his voice echoing across the battle. He tossed the sword aside and opened his arms. “I am yours. You are mine. No matter the name or body we take. I will never hurt you, Bax.”

“Kill him!” The Queen of Hearts shrieked. “Kill Alec!”

The Jabberwocky roared and launched itself at its prey. The great head came down, the body undulating forward, and Alec went under. Soldiers cried out. The Queen of Hearts was back to laughing. But Alec lay protected in a cocoon of scales and claws, the war blocked from view. His vision held only the face of his lover.

“Bax.” Alec set his palms on the scales below one giant eye.

Magic rose between them—a great, sparkling thing. Powerful and determined. Alec sent it into Bax, and then he followed it. Not with his mind. There was no need for that now. He'd already found Bax. No, he followed the magic with his lips.

Alec, Champion of the White Kingdom, kissed Baxenvir, Champion of the Hearts Kingdom, on his vast cheek. Just a press of lips against scales, but within that kiss was the magic of two worlds and a love that united them.

An explosion of crimson sparks burst outward from Alec and the Jabberwocky. It rained out and down over the battling armies. The fighting stopped. All stared up at the erupting hill. Arms lifted to shade eyes. But no one looked away. Even the monarchs gave their full attention to the lovers. All would be affected by their fate.

Alec's body shuddered from the rapid-fire magic. He fell to his knees. And still, he held on to the Jabberwocky. He didn't look away. That great green eye shrunk as Alec watched. The scales beneath his palms retracted. Skin rose to replace them. The beat of a wild heart came through this fresh flesh. Muscular arms circled Alec and pulled him close. Lips met lips.

And the explosion settled into a fall of sparks. They hit the grass and sizzled. Fireworks dying before doing any damage. But neither man paid them any heed. Love had a hold of them. And magic. But then, love is the greatest magic. Alec knew it wasn't his healing magic that brought Bax back. It was his kiss. The fairy tales had it right. A kiss could break curses. But only if it was backed by a love that defied all magic. A love that could always be circled back to.

Alec eased away from Bax and cupped the Knave's face in his hands. No, not the Knave. Bax would never be the Knave of Hearts again. That man had died with the Jabberwocky.

“Conquered,” Alec whispered.

“What's that, my love?” Bax leaned in, his eyes filling with tears.

“The prophecy. It foretold that I would conquer the Jabberwocky. Not kill it.”

Bax's grin went as wide as one of Torwen's. “Then you fulfilled your destiny, Alec. You conquered the monster and saved the man.”

“I guess we're even now.” Alec winked.

Bax burst out laughing and then yanked Alec into another kiss.

That's when the Queen of Hearts started screaming.