Page 6 of Tweedles Reflection (The Crimes of Alice #4)

I kept my head buried in my computer at the kitchen table, pretending no one and nothing else mattered but finding a way to keep the gnomes from rearranging Mrs. Nettleman’s yard ornaments.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about my birth time. However, I had to give it to the humans. The advances they had made in just a few hundred years were astounding. How they could fit so much into such a little contraption was for lack of a better word, magical.

I was trying to figure out how to tell Mrs. Nettleman not to be such a chowder head and enjoy the free lawn care when a warm form pressed against my back. I sucked a breath in. Spicy masculine fae pheromones filled my lungs, creating a liquid heat between my thighs.

“What’s this?” Coby’s hot breath brushed my ear.

Swallowing and blinking once, I paused and turned. My face ended up inches from Coby’s as I peered up at him. “What’s what?”

“This?” He nodded his head at the screen. “You have one of those contraptions the dodo uses. What does it do?”

“Oh, um...” I rubbed my palms discreetly on my skirt. “Lots of things. I am writing an email. Or a letter. To some human woman. That’s what I do.”

Coby’s gaze locked with mine, his lips quirking up at the edges. “That’s your job? You write letters?”

I grimaced. “Just exactly. Somehow I’ve gone from notorious destroyer of the Underground to the... fae representative for the Human Realm. I take complaints and help settle disputes between humans and fae. It’s actually all very... uninteresting.”

“So... you’re like a queen?” Coby’s hand on the back of my chair brushed along my shoulders. I had to force myself not to lean into the touch.

I shook my head, more to clear the lust from my mind than to rebut him. “I don’t make rules or anything like that.”

“But you help fix any issues the people who live here have?”

“Even though most of the ‘issues’ they seem to have aren’t problems at all and they’re just being speciest.”

“And you act as a neutral party during disagreements?”

“Yes, though, honestly that should be in Kat and Chess’ wheelhouse not mine, since they are Moderators of the Underground, but unfortunately, since the fae have become wide scale in their presence in the Human Realm, it’s taken a lot more of us to police the fae citizens.”

Coby smirked. “Seems like you may be better suited for being High Queen than you think. You’re already doing the majority of the job. Just, once you’re High Queen, you’ll only have to deal with the Seelie and UnSeelie.”

“If only,” I snorted. “I expect I’ll end up having to deal with the Human Realm just as much if not more than before. Especially since the queens have made their appearance now.”

“Do you think it’ll be a problem?”

I shrugged my shoulder. “Who knows? Humans are even more mercurial and cruel than fae are. And they can lie. So you might think you’re getting somewhere with them, but they’re really planning on stabbing you in the back.”

Silence filled the air between us at my words. I wondered if Coby was thinking about what I’d done to them. I’d never lied. I just didn’t tell them what I had planned with the Shadow Man. Kind of like what I was doing now.

I twisted the ring on my finger, holding it hidden under the table.

“Coby.”

“Ally.”

We both began at the same time.

Thankfully, my phone dinged. I ducked my head and flushed, grabbing it off the table.

Evil bitch queen. T -30 mins. Sent ride.

“What was that?” Coby reached out his fingers, brushing my hand holding the phone.

I almost dropped it at the zing of desire that zipped through me. I chuckled nervously, shoving back from the table to force some space between us.

“It’s Kat. She’s ready for me to head over there.”

Not waiting for his response, I headed into the living room. “I’ll be right back,” I announced before heading for the door.

“Wait, what was that dear?” Hatter pushed off the couch next to Cheshire and caught my elbow. “Where are you going?”

“I have to go to Kat’s and get the blessing from her mother.” I said it nonchalantly, but my stomach was in my throat, and all desire I’d felt had now turned to trembling nausea.

At my words, I was suddenly surrounded by all four fae males. A daunting position, to be sure.

“Now, pet,” Cheshire began with a patient frown. “You aren’t thinking about going over there alone, are you?”

“Well, I—”

“That’s right,” Coby jumped in. “You’re going to need help finding the blessing.”

“And do you really think Kat can distract the Seelie Queen so easily?” Hatter added on his own two cents.

Even Carban had something to say for once. “You’re not going there without us.”

My back pressed up against the front door, I glanced over the faces of the four fae males that had become so important to my life and couldn’t find a reason that they should stay here.

All I had was my desire to be nowhere near that grabby vicious harlot who didn’t know how to keep her hands and eyes off my mates.

“Alice darling.” Hatter stroked a hand down my arm. “You don’t have to do this alone. We’re not afraid of the Seelie Queen.”

“Right,” Coby and Carban echoed, crossing their arms over their chests, their biceps flexing against their form fitting shirts.

I jerked my eyes from their arms and huffed. “I can handle this. It’s part of the trials. I don’t even know if you’re allowed to help me.”

“Where?” Cheshire growled, caging me in against the door with one hand over the top of my head on the door. “Show me where there’s a rule that we can’t help you. The trials haven’t started yet. This is just the beginning. And, until we are told otherwise, you are going to let us help you.”

“You can’t just—”

Cheshire’s hand covered my mouth. “No. You don’t get to argue about this. You are ours. And we fight for what’s ours. Together. If you don’t let us help you, then I will tie you to the bed and go get the damn blessings ourselves.”

You should listen to your males, little pretender.

My brows furrowed. If the Shadow Man wanted me to bring them along, that only made me not want to bring them even more. Except, looking at the four determined males before me, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to win this argument.

My shoulders sagged.

Cheshire removed his hand.

“Very well. But!” I held a finger up. “If she tries to bargain for one of you again, I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”

The smug and self-satisfied expression that answered me didn’t not bode well for how this adventure was going to go.

I huffed and pulled the door open.

Outside waited a boxy black van. As we approached, the passenger side window rolled down and an elderly man with an animated mustache called out, “You Alice?”

“Yes,” I gestured to the others to follow me, “There’s five of us. Do you know where you’re going?”

Hatter pulled the van door open and gestured the others inside.

“Yep, miss.” The driver pointed a withered finger at his phone attached the dash. “It’s all here.” He paused, his eyes skimming over the five of us. “You’re some of those fairy types, aren’t you?”

“Is that a problem, sir?” I asked, arching a brow.

The driver shook his head. “Nah, I’ve seen my fair share of weird, I was in Nam. Tails and horns ain’t gonna ruffle my feathers. Just no shedding or magic in the van.”

“Of course.” I offered him a polite smile. “No magic.”

I turned to the van door and frowned. Cheshire and Hatter sat in the middle seat while the only seat left was between the Tweedles in the back. I glowered at Hatter who gave me an innocent smile, his fingers playing along Cheshire’s tail.

“Are you getting in or what?” the driver called out.

Gritting my teeth, I climbed into the van and squeezed between the two fae men.

My senses were filled with their scents, the warmth of their bodies pressed in on both sides of me.

Coby threw an arm around the back of the seat, his fingers playing with my hair.

Carban stared out the window, the tightening of his jaw was the only sign that he was bothered by my presence.

“You were right,” Coby murmured into my ear.

“What’s that?” I kept my eyes forward, not giving into the temptation being close to him brought.

“I can feel the iron in this contraption.” His fingers delved beneath my hair, tracing along the line of my neck. “It makes my skin feel tight. Itchy. Like even my clothes are too much to bear when I’m surrounded by it.”

Carban snorted.

“You’re incorrigible, you know that?” I turned my head, our noses brushing each other with how close he’d become.

“Mmmm, I like to call it persistent.” Coby cupped my cheek with his palm, his thumb brushing across my skin. “And I would spend the next hundred years chasing after you if that was what you needed.”

I grasped his wrist gently, eyes locking with his. “I don’t think that will be necessary. But let’s get through this life altering event before worrying about... us.”

“Typical,” Carban coughed.

My head jerked in his direction. “Oh, you haven’t talked to me this whole time besides spewing your venom and now you have something to say?”

Carban kept his eyes on the passing view. “No.”

“Ignore him,” Coby growled, dragging my face back to look at him. “I would spend all my immortality groveling at your feet. Beat me, yell at me, spit on me. I don’t care. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have one single moment of eternity with you.”

A hard chuckle ruined the sincerity of Coby’s words from... surprise, surprise... Carban.

“I cannot believe I shared a womb with you,” Coby snarled, shoving his brother.

Carban crossed his arms and sniffed.

I arched a brow. “Are you just not going to talk ever?”

“He’ll talk when he has something to say that doesn’t get him punched in the face,” Coby joked, dragging my attention back to him. “Don’t let him bother you. You need to focus on what’s coming.”

I twisted the ring around my finger, chewing on the inside of my cheek. “Honestly, I’m more nervous about getting the blessing from Mab than Tatiana. At least, the Seelie Queen will just try to rip my throat out. Mab on the other hand...”

Cheshire twisted around in his seat. “She’ll feed you your own hand and make you say thank you.”

“Exactly,” I sighed.

“Whatever happens, we’ll be there with you,” Coby reassured me, stroking his thumb along my cheek with a soft expression.

“We’re here,” Hatter chimed.

The van jerked to a stop. Carban practically crawled over my lap to escape the vehicle. I leaned forward on the back of Cheshire and Hatter’s seat letting out a long, drawn-out breath.

“Give him time, Aly,” Coby murmured, rubbing a hand up and down my back. “He might not show it but, when you didn’t come for us, it really hurt.”

I lifted my head to look at him. “I understand that. What I don’t understand is how, even after I told him why I didn’t come for him, he’s still treating me like I’m the enemy.

I would have come for you. All of you. Nothing would have kept me away.

And, as soon as I remembered you, I wanted to find you. Ask Cheshire.”

Cheshire nodded solemnly. “It’s true. She was adamant about finding you along with Hatter.”

“I believe you.” Coby grasped my hands in his, drawing me out of the van.

Carban was already halfway across the lawn, his back turned on us.

“However, it was Carban who believed in you the most. Those first few years, he’s the one who said that you would come for us, even when we had given up hope.

It was he that wanted to traverse the Shadow Realm to save you, thinking the only way you would have left us was if there was no other way.

So when we heard you were released and you didn’t come for us right away, it hit Carban the hardest. Right now, I don’t think it’s you that he’s mad at. ”

My eyes drifted to Carban’s back, a vice around my own heart. “Well, he has a poor way of showing it.”

“He’s upset with himself.”

“Huh?”

“Pet, he didn’t give up on you until this last year, and now he’s beating himself up for giving up on you too soon.” Cheshire wrapped his arms around me, pressing his lips to my cheek. “Just give him time.”

“Will you close the door already?” the driver called out. “I have other people to pick up.”

“My apologies.” Hatter shut the van, and we all moved out of the way so the van could leave.

The house we stood in front of couldn’t be Kat’s house. It looked like a herd of carriages had trampled through her yard, knocking over trees, smashing flowers, and ripping up the ground, so her cute little one-story cottage home was nothing better than one of those crack houses on the television.

“Kat wasn’t kidding about the fae wreaking havoc on her home,” Hatter mused as he took in the damage.

I grimaced. “I feel kind of bad for leaving her to deal with all this.”

“Well, we can find some brownies and gnomes to help mitigate the damage. I’m sure Mop has some clue as to where to start.” Hatter strolled down the fractured walkway, nudging broken pots to the side with his foot as he went.

“Wait!” I grabbed his sleeve. “Are we just going to walk in the front door?”

Coby drew up next to us. “Why not? Are we going to climb through a window?”

I tried to say that was exactly what I wanted to do, but the front door opened and Kat’s head poked out. Her eyes widened at the sight of us. She jumped through the entrance, closing the door slowly behind her before tiptoeing comically down the walkway.

“There you are. I thought maybe you’d changed your mind.” She stopped next to us with a frown. “What are you doing out here?”

“Uh, panicking?” I offered with a weak smile.

“Well, I can’t stall her forever. Get in there and find the stupid stone.

” She pivoted and then stopped, turning back to us.

“Actually, let me have these two.” She grabbed Hatter’s and Cheshire’s arms. “They’ll do for a good distraction.

You sneak through her window. It’s the last one on the right side of the house. ”

“Kat, no.” I walked after her and then gave up, throwing my hands in the air.

Coby jerked his head to the side. “Well, shall we?”

“Might as well. I don’t see how this could get any worse.”

How wrong I was.