Page 102 of Knot My Wonderland

"You've been protecting people without them knowing," I said, studying his shadowed features. "Martha, probably others. That's not manipulation—that's sacrifice."

Seth's shadows stilled completely. His dark eyes searched mine, looking for mockery or deception but finding only genuine understanding. "Most would disagree with that assessment," he said finally. "Heart certainly would."

"Heart sees the world through the lens of his resistance," I replied, watching the way Seth's shadows shifted restlessly around him. "Everyone is either an ally or enemy to him. But you… you operate in the spaces between, don't you?"

"I've had to," Seth admitted, his voice carrying the weight of centuries. "The void courts maintain balance—not just between territories, but between realities. Someone must stand at the threshold, making the calculations others find too cold or pragmatic."

I studied him, seeing past the shadowy monarch to the man beneath—someone who'd carried burdens alone for so long he'd forgotten there was any other way. The silver patterns beneath my skin reached toward his shadows with increasing curiosity.

"Is that why you never formed close bonds before?" I asked softly. "Because maintaining balance meant staying detached?"

Seth's shadows flickered with something that might have been pain. "Attachment creates vulnerability," he said, though his voice lacked conviction. "When you're responsible for the spaces between realities, personal connections become... complications."

"Or they become anchors," I countered, the silver patterns beneath my skin growing brighter as they responded to his proximity. "Something to ground you instead of letting you drift through the void alone."

His dark eyes widened slightly, as if the concept hadn't occurred to him. The shadows around him shifted, reachingtoward me with tentative longing before he pulled them back under rigid control.

"The void bond," he said quietly. "If it forms between us, Alice, there's no taking it back. Void magic doesn't just connect—it merges. Part of you would exist in the spaces between realities, just as part of me would anchor to your light."

I felt a shiver run through me that had nothing to do with fear. The silver patterns beneath my skin pulsed with recognition, as if they'd been waiting for this conversation. "And that terrifies you," I observed, watching his shadows writhe with barely contained emotion.

"Yes," Seth admitted, his voice raw with honesty. "I've spent centuries maintaining perfect control, never allowing anyone close enough to affect my judgment. But you..." He trailed off, shadows coiling tighter around him like armor.

"I make you feel vulnerable," I finished for him, stepping closer until his shadows brushed against the silver light emanating from my skin. The contact sent sparks of sensation through both our magical signatures—not painful, but intense and electric.

Seth's breath caught as my silver patterns responded to his shadows, reaching out with curious tendrils of light that wove between the darkness without being consumed. His shadows responded in kind, wrapping gently around the silver threads in a dance of light and darkness that felt ancient and inevitable.

"More than vulnerable," Seth whispered, his voice rough with emotion. "You make me hope, Alice. And hope is the most dangerous thing a creature like me can feel."

The silver patterns beneath my skin blazed brighter as his shadows intertwined with them, creating spirals of silver and black that pulsed with shared heartbeat. Through the connection, I felt the depth of his loneliness—centuries ofisolation broken only by calculated political maneuvering and careful manipulation.

"Why is hope dangerous?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper as the space between us seemed to shimmer with possibility.

"Because it makes you want things you can't control," Seth replied, his shadows trembling as they touched my silver light. "Because it makes you careless. Makes you dream of futures that might never come to pass." His dark eyes held mine, vulnerability naked in their depths. "For centuries, I've existed in certainty—shadow and void, calculation and control. But you... you make me want to step into the light, consequences be damned."

His shadows wrapped more firmly around the silver patterns, and through the connection I felt the raw intensity of his emotions—desire, fear, desperate longing, and beneath it all, a love so profound it threatened to consume everything else. The void bond stirred between us, not yet formed but recognizing the potential for completion.

"Seth," I breathed, reaching up to touch his face. My fingers found solid flesh beneath the shadows, warm and real despite his otherworldly nature. The silver patterns flowed from my skin to his at the contact, creating delicate traceries across his cheek.

His eyes closed at my touch, a shudder running through his entire form. "You don't understand what you're offering," he said, though he leaned into my palm. "The void bond isn't like the others. It would bind us across every reality…and it is also too soon for you to bond with someone until the other two settle.”

He took a step back, his blue eyes watching my every move, "You have a good day. I shall be by later. You should get back to them. I can hear movement.”

I watched Seth's shadows retreat as he stepped back, feeling the loss of connection like a physical ache. The silver patterns beneath my skin pulsed with unfulfilled longing, reaching toward the space where his darkness had been only moments before.

"Seth, wait—" I started, but he was already dissolving into the shadows that clung to the crystalline walls.

"Rest, Alice," his voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere at once. "Let the fire and air bonds stabilize. We'll speak again when you're ready."

I stood alone in the corridor, my skin still tingling from where his shadows had touched my silver patterns. Through both bonds, I felt Chi and Heart beginning to stir, their subconscious minds registering my absence with increasing urgency. The golden thread of Heart's connection carried confusion and concern, while Chi's silver bond pulsed with protective alarm.

I made my way back to the room, glancing back to where Seth, the Spade King, left. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of longing before shoving it down, not wanting to think about it right now.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Alice

Islipped back into the chamber just as Chi's eyes fluttered open, his teal gaze immediately finding mine with relief. Through our bond, I felt his momentary panic at waking without me nearby, followed by the calm that settled over him as he registered my presence.

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