Page 8 of Tweedles Reflection (The Crimes of Alice #4)

I waited at the curb with the others for our ride to show up, my foot tapping an incessant beat on the ground.

It was still hard to believe. Somehow, we were able to leave Kat’s house without the Seelie Queen ripping all our faces off. Somehow, I’d threatened her and gotten away with it.

Had she really thought I would fail the trials? I’d have liked to think the strength of my magic had been enough to make her back down, but I wasn’t so sure.

You’re welcome.

The words burned in my mind, making my heart seize. Him? It had been him who had made the queen back down? I discreetly glanced at the ring on my finger, wondering what the queen had seen.

Do not fret. I simply amplified your magic at that moment. They won’t question the how. You’re a baby fae, after all. You were due for a power upgrade.

I snorted, earning me a curious look from Cheshire. I crossed my arms and stared down at the ground, pretending to be deep in thought.

No one was going to believe I’d suddenly come into more power after all these years. I’d never even heard of such a thing. The fact that the others hadn’t asked about my new magic level didn’t mean they hadn’t noticed, and it wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have, not now.

Not until everyone was saved.

“Got it.” Coby appeared at our side, the blessing in hand. “I can’t believe she didn’t think of someone throwing it out the window.” He shook his head with a sideways grin. “Goes to show the simplest solutions are the best.”

I snatched the string of the blessing from him and shoved it into my pocket. “And you wanted to stick it somewhere else.”

Coby’s eyes heated. “And I stand by my answer.”

Cheshire hummed next to me, his tail flicking out to tease my calves. “I would be curious to know the answer, as well.” He leaned into me, his nose sliding up my neck and across my jaw. “You smell like the Tweedles, lovely. Did you have fun?”

“Not as much fun as you, it seems.” I pushed him away with a pout.

Cheshire barely budged. Instead, he dragged me into his embrace, pressing me to him with one hand on my backside and the other on the back of my neck. “Vicious little kitten. Seeing you fight for us made me hard, I felt as if I might burst right then and there.”

“You were supposed to distract her, not let her paw at you.” I tried to lift my face away, but Cheshire’s hold on my neck limited me.

Cheshire purred against me. “Oh, pet. I will scrub my skin until it bleeds if it will make you happy. Just seeing you claiming us that way...” His voice lowered, his thumb brushing lovingly along my cheek.

“No one has ever told her no, and you have done it not once, but twice for me now. My heart is so full that I do not know how to repay you for your love.”

I wiggled in his embrace, face heating as I grumbled. “It was less to do with love and more to do with hating her touching what’s mine.”

The hand on the back of my throat slid around, jerking my face so our lips brushed against one another.

“Alice, yours is all I’ve ever strived to be.” He took my mouth in a possessive kiss that made the whole world fade away around us. The only reminder that anyone else existed was the warmth spreading through my chest from Hatter.

My hands gripped his clothing, kissing him back with equal fervor. The horn honking on our ride broke the spell, and I reluctantly ripped myself away from Cheshire.

Not surprising for our small town, the van that arrived was the same old man as before. He rolled up to the curb and lowered his window.

“Done already?”

“Yes.” I nodded as we all piled into his vehicle. “We got what we came for.”

This time, I sat up front with Cheshire with Hatter and the Tweedles in the back. I was grateful to not be pinned between the twins this time. My heart and body still hadn’t recovered from what happened in the queen’s bedroom.

I needed time. Time, like I’d said before, I didn’t have to give.

“Where are we going? Back to the house?” Hatter asked behind me, his fingers playing with the curls of my hair.

“No.” I twisted in my seat so I could see all of them. “I want to get this part over with as soon as possible. We’re heading back to the hotel to see Mab.”

Coby leaned forward against the back of the seat. “Are we doing another heist? Because I still think we should—”

“No.” I shot him a glare that made him bite back a grin. “No stealing. Not this time. Mab may not like me anymore than Tatiana does, but she’s more logical than the Seelie Queen. She’ll know this is our only chance and won’t let personal feelings get in the way.”

“What makes you so sure?” Cheshire’s hand drifted down my arm. “Our queen is many things, but to give someone she disdains power over her? I do not see that happening without a fight.”

“I didn’t say she would make it easy for me.” I gave him a small sad smile. “She’ll most certainly make me fight for it. Just not the way that Tatiana would have flat-out refused if we hadn’t stolen it.”

My phone dinged. I sighed and pulled it out. Kat once more.

Sex stuff in my house, Alice?

Right in front of the plants?

How obscene! *shocked emoji*

“Yes, I was going to ask about that as well,” Cheshire purred in my ear, making my face heat. “Did you kiss and make up already?”

My face hot, I peeked over at the twins before ducking my head. “Something like that.”

I honestly wasn’t sure where we stood. Coby had flat out told me he was contrite, wanted my forgiveness and back into my heart. That clearly included my bed. Carban had been quiet, though, giving me no indication of what he was thinking.

At least that was better than the vitriol he had been spewing at me up until my admission of forgetting. Then there was the kiss in the Seelie Queen’s room and now... I was uncertain.

You think too much. The boy clearly feels for you.

Annoyance shot through me. No one asked you.

Hatter’s fingers tightened in my curls, confusion coming from him.

I sent him warm happy feelings back to let him know I was alright. This secret with the Shadow Man was not going well. At this rate, Hatter was going to either figure it out or think I’d gone off the bend with all my yoyoing emotions.

We approached the hotel just as dusk drew near. Thankfully, the hordes of fae lovers and haters, plus the overabundance of media, had died down quite a bit since yesterday. The van was easily able to pull up to the hotel without worry of running anyone over.

“Do you want us to do this alone?” Hatter offered, his worry filling me.

“What?” Coby cried out, reaching for the door already. “If you think we’re leaving her to face your queen alone, you’ve been drinking too much tea, old man.”

“Wait.” Hatter grabbed his arm. “Alice?”

I blew out a long breath. “I hate the thought of putting you in any more danger.” Coby opened his mouth to argue.

“But I know how I would feel if you left me behind, and we all know how Mab is. She’ll want me to pay in some way and likely won’t be able to help herself but use one of you to do it if you come. ”

“So, you’re controlling the game by tempting her with the pieces.” Cheshire growled against my back, lips finding the side of my neck. “Such a clever girl.”

A shiver of desire raced down my back, and I leaned into him, tempted to stay and not go in at all. Who said I had to do this today? It could wait another day, couldn’t it?

“Are you getting out or what?” the cranky old drive quipped.

Unable to justify waiting another day, I nodded toward Coby, who opened the door. We all slipped out of the van and stood before the hotel. A few of the lingering paparazzi glanced over at us, but either they didn’t recognize me or didn’t care about the human-fae relations officer.

I tried not to grin at the looks of awes on the others’ faces as we walked through the automated doors. There were so many things in the Human Realm I wanted to show them. Unfortunately, they would have all have to wait because one of the UnSeelie Queen’s guards waited for us at the reception desk.

It was the kelpie from the Between door. He inclined his head as we approached. “She’s waiting for you.”

His ominous words were about par for the course when dealing with the UnSeelie Queen. Always cryptic. Always telling without saying.

It used to drive me insane. Now, I simply waited for her to get it over with and then raked over her words with a fine-toothed comb until I had an answer.

As we followed him, not down the hallway toward the rooms but to the sitting area, I contemplated what hoops Mab would have me jumping through for her blessing. Calming feelings rushed toward me from Hatter, and I tried to control my anxiety and fear.

Mab held court in the public sitting area. Several guards of different fae origins were posted around the room. Unlike the Seelie Queen, Mab didn’t have a constant need for an audience. Only those deemed necessary stayed in her presence and only by her grace.

Clothed in one of her silky black dresses that looked as if it had been cut out of the night sky, she languished in a high-backed seat that obviously did not belong to the hotel. Her dark blue eyes zeroed in on me with that knowing smile the moment I stepped into view.

“Your Majesty,” Hatter and Cheshire echoed before half bowing toward the UnSeelie Queen.

Coby and Carban didn’t say the same, but inclined their heads. The lack of respect shown between the fae courts was common and, as suspected, Mab paid them no mind.

“Already counting yourself as my equal, Pretender?” Mab’s smokey voice crooned, just on the verge of laughter in her voice. “You have yet to even start the trials, and you think you do not have to acknowledge your betters?”

I snorted, hands on my hips. “I’ve belonged to neither court from the beginning.

No one shows me any respect. Why should I show it in return?

Besides, don’t pretend like you care if I bow to you or not.

We both know you aren’t that petty.” The unspoken words of “Not like your cousin” filled the space between us.