Page 9 of Cheshire’s Smile (The Crimes of Alice #3)

The Hall of Mirrors. The very place that had imprisoned me for a hundred years. Compared to the human prisons I’d seen on television, the Hall wasn’t that bad.

Except the shadows that fed on all the inhabitants.

It was that place that made me lose my memories. I still remember the overwhelming loneliness. The sucking feeling of losing pieces of myself each day, until I barely remembered who I was anymore.

I never wanted to go back there. There were millions of things I would rather do than enter my own nightmare.

I would rather have tea with both fae queens and the Shadow Man than go back to there.

I would let the faeries use my body as a dance floor if I never had to step foot in the Hall of Mirrors again.

Unfortunately, there was no other way.

Between my fear of the hall and saving my fae, I had to swallow down my fear and pull on my big girl britches. Ignoring the fact that Cheshire had completely ruined the britches I’d had on before. They were metaphorical britches, and it was time to stop letting my fear control me.

“Alice, dear?” Cheshire brushed his hand down my back.

I jerked, pulling my thumb away from my mouth where I’d chewed it down to the quick. “What? Sorry. I mean, what is it?” I brushed my hair away, trying to give him a brave face.

Cheshire tipped my face up, stroking his thumb along my jawline. “Are you alright?”

“Uh... yes. Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” I let out a nervous chuckle and shifted in my seat on Tick’s bed. The fox paced a few steps away, glancing over at me every few moments since I hung up with Kat. “Could you stop moving?”

Tick threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t understand what your problem is. We know how to get to the Between. Let’s just go there and get out of the Underground before we all catch the sickness.”

Cheshire let out a small growl. “What did I tell you?”

“She talked to me first!” Tick gestured at me wildly.

“Cheshire.” I patted his arm. “It’s alright. I did talk to him first.”

I turned to Tick once more and sighed. “You’re right. We know where to go to get into the Between and honestly, we don’t need you anymore. So, you can feel free to... get lost.” I waved my hand off to the side. “Save yourself.”

“Yes, little fox. Weasel off like the little coward you are.” Cheshire flashed a vicious smile at him.

“You know, in another situation, I would be happy to skedaddle and leave you two psychopaths to get yourselves killed.” Tick crossed his arms, tapping his foot in a rapid rhythm. “However, I don’t even know where the Hall of Mirrors is or how to get to the Between from it.”

“Ha.” I crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, one arm on the bed.

“You don’t know where the Hall of Mirrors is?

How is that possible? Everyone knows about it.

Your queen basically threatens anyone within sneezing distance to take off their heads.

Which is a very confusing wording since you don’t actually lose your head. ”

Cheshire stroked his fingers through the curls of my hair. “An understandable misnomer.”

“Excuse me for never actually going near that bitch of a queen. Some of us prefer to keep a low profile.” Tick jerked on the front of his ruined vest then winced, remembering the warning slash Cheshire had given him.

“You’re obviously afraid of the hall as much as I am, and I was actually in there. For a hundred years, I might add. So you will understand my hesitancy to go back there.” I tried my best to keep the bite out of my voice, but just mentioning the Hall of Mirrors put me on edge.

“Well, sitting around here is only going to end with one thing, us dying of the sickness or worse. One of the lower fae could find us and decide we’re lunch.” Tick turned in a circle, his arms wide at his sides.

“He is right, pet.” Cheshire glared at Tick and then softened his gaze on me. “We can’t stay here forever. I know going back there is traumatic for you. But...”

“I know.” I blew out a breath and stood. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.” I took a step and then stopped, turning back to Cheshire. “You’ll be with me the whole way, right?”

Cheshire stood and slipped his hand into mine. “Of course. After all...” His eyes dipped to the still healing mark on the swell of my breast and his fingers stroking along the edges. “You’re mine now.”

My heart swelled with an overwhelming collection of emotions. The very sound of belonging to someone, having someone by my side, gave me more comfort than I’d had since Hatter disappeared.

The walk to the palace was a quiet one. Even more so with the lack of fae wondering around Summerville. The sun hung high in the sky. It had been hanging low after we left the palace.

It was impossible to tell how long we’d been in Tick’s home without being able to see the sky. Some days lasted mere hours while others lasted for many human days. I’d learned not to bother with trying to track the days here, though it frustrated me after being in the Human Realm for so long.

“Come on.” I gestured toward the side of the receiving hall. “The entrance is down this way. The queen loved throwing people in there, but Reaper forbid she have to look at them on a regular basis.”

A large metal door stood in our way, baring us from going any further. My fingers curled and uncurled at my sides. Metal never bothered me before I became fae. The searing burn of it against my fingers was still scarred in my mind. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

It wouldn’t be much of a problem for Kat who was only half fae. Chess could pass through the walls at will, an ability I would have killed to have right now.

Tick pushed past me. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

“Sure, go ahead. After you.” I waved the fox forward. “You touch the metal door. I won’t stop you.”

Tick jerked to a stop. His hands up in front of him just inches from touching the door.

I turned to Cheshire. “I don’t suppose you can pass through walls like your son?”

Cheshire shook his head. “Not to the same extent at Chess can. He must have gotten those powers from his mother.”

Jealously reared inside of me. I knew that Cheshire hadn’t had a choice in who he mated with, and I loved Chess. He was one of my closest friends. But the idea of Cheshire having a child with another female made my insides burn hot with rage.

“Easy, pet.” Cheshire’s finger pulled a strand of my hair away from my neck, then his lips caressed a line down my throat. “She doesn’t matter. She never mattered. Not like you.”

I hummed, leaning into his touch.

“Though I do love how possessive you’ve become of me.” His fangs skimmed the pulse of my neck. “I’d love to explore that at a later time.”

“Yes, much later,” Tick snapped. “Can you two stop fondling each other longer enough to figure out how we’re going to get into the hall?”

“Well, there must be a way to get in. None of the guards or the queen would have been able to touch the door any more than we could.” I reluctantly stepped away from Cheshire’s embrace, my eyes skimming around the area. “Spread out. There has to be something they used to open the door.”

One would think the queen would have more furniture with her ostentatious white and gold decor. There was nothing in the hallway but a path to the door.

I felt along the walls, searching for some kind of hidden compartment. The Underground was full of places to hide things in plain sight. You just had to know where to look.

“I’ve got it.”

Spinning around, Tick stood to the left of the door, before a small, open panel. A pair of thick gloves sat inside.

“Good work, Tick.” I rushed over to his side and grabbed the gloves. “They must have used these to open and shut the doors.”

“Well,” Tick gestured at the looming door, “after you.”

I slipped the gloves on my hands and took a deep breath. Wrapping my hand around the door handle, I pulled it open. A looming darkness waited below.

Fear choked me.

A warm hand slid into mine and squeezed. “It’s okay, pet. I’m here.”

I swallowed thickly. It was time to face my fears.

For Hatter. For Carban and Coby. And, for me.