Page 95 of Madness Becomes Her

“It is my fight, Fin. Can’t you see that? It always was.”

“I brought you here. I started all of this. It’s all my damned fault.”

I can’t deny his words have some truth, but he has to know before all this begins how much I don’t believe them.

I round in front of him, clasping his face in my hands.

Reluctantly, he looks down at me. “It was all fate. All of this was meant to be. You can’t carry that burden, and I need you to let it go. Do you hear me? I need you to understand how much I love you and that Wonderland has become my home. I think it always was.”

“So, you’re not angry with me for bringing you here as a child? For setting this all in motion?”

I grin. “No. How could I ever be mad at you for sparing me from the darkest parts of my life, Fin? Your intentions were always kind.”

“I don’t want to lose you,” he whispers as a breeze carries past.

All the commotion is momentarily forgotten as the world falls away.

“You won’t.”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I can, and I just did.”

“My strong-willed Tiger Lily.”

“You know it.”

“I love you.” He hovers near my lips, and I smile.

“I love you, too. Even if you’re a bit mad.”

He scoffs, his lips killing the distance as they move with mine in a kiss that says more than any words ever could.

A voice clears, and we break apart. “It’s time,” Lewis says.

“I know he’s covered in fur, but I swear he was blushing,” I tell Fin.

His hand slides into mine, clenching it. “Let’s end this.”

I nod, squeezing back as Lewis leads the charge toward the back of the house.

Travelingthrough the woods and out the other side took hours, and evening was upon us when the forest spits us into a craggy grove.

Some trees provide cover here and there, which will help us hide if necessary.

Large boulders with faces on them add to the Wonderland-like feel of an area that, all things considered, resembles part of Earth.

The roars of the Chatterwocky haven’t charged the air for over an hour, and I hope it gives us time to get into position surrounding the grove.

Lewis relays a plan, emphasizing the precise timing it’ll require ensuring everyone’s watches are synced and set correctly.

He places us strategically around the grove, I beneath a tree in the middle with Finlo.

Others are scattered throughout the grove, hidden from view to give the illusion we came alone.

The plan is to surround the beast so that I can kill it.

I know that logically, all this planning will probably go awry, but I’m thankful that we have a plan.