Page 104 of Knot My Wonderland

"Your thoughts were open through our bond when you returned," Chi explained gently.

I bit my lip, “Are you angry at him?” I asked, Heart sighed as he brushed some of my hair from my face.

“I want to…but I would’ve been more heartbroken if she’d betrayed me. I trust Martha with my life…and if she had betrayed me….” He trailed off.

I reached up to touch Heart's face, feeling the tension in his jaw through our bond. "The King—Seth—has been protecting her from your mother's blood magic for years. Without telling either of you."

"Seth?" Heart repeated, his eyes sharpening at the name. Through our golden connection, I felt his territorial instincts flaring at my use of the King's personal name.

Chi gave a low hum as he stepped away from me and let Heart shift me so I was sitting beside him. Chi’s teal eyes studying me with quiet assessment. "You've gotten closer to him," he observed, no accusation in his voice but clear awareness of the developing connection.

I nodded, not wanting to hide anything from them. "We talked. He showed me... vulnerability I didn't expect." The silver patterns beneath my skin pulsed with the memory of his shadows intertwining with my light. "He's been alone for so long, carrying burdens no one else could understand.”

Heart's jaw tightened, the golden patterns beneath his skin flaring with protective concern. "That's how he operates, Alice. Shows just enough vulnerability to gain trust, then uses that trust to further his agenda."

"I don't think that's what this was," I said softly, remembering the raw honesty in Seth's dark eyes. "He's genuinely afraid of the void bond—of what it would mean to let someone that close after centuries of isolation."

Chi settled cross-legged on the bed facing us, his tail curling thoughtfully around his ankle. "The King of Spades has always been... complicated. Even when Wonderland was whole, the void monarchs stood apart from the others."

"Because they had to," I murmured, the silver patterns beneath my skin pulsing with new understanding. "Someone has to maintain balance between realities, make the hard choices others can't."

Heart's expression darkened, but I could feel him fighting against his instinctive distrust. "Even if that's true, his methods remain questionable. Placing shadow magic on Martha without her knowledge or consent—"

"Would you rather she'd been turned by your mother's blood magic?" I asked gently. "Sometimes protection requires difficult choices."

Chi's ears twitched with interest as he watched our exchange. "The void bond would be powerful," he acknowledged, his tail uncurling to stretch across the bed. "But also dangerous. Shadow magic exists partly outside normal reality—it would change you in ways the other bonds haven't."

I nodded, remembering the electric sensation when Seth's shadows had touched my silver patterns. "He said as much. That it wouldn't just connect us, but merge parts of our consciousness."

Through both bonds, I felt Chi and Heart's shared concern at those words. The idea of me partially existing in the spaces between realities clearly troubled them, though for different reasons.

"Merge how?" Heart asked, his voice tight with worry. The golden patterns beneath his skin pulsed with protective anxiety. "What would that mean for you? For us?"

I shook my head, the silver threads dancing restlessly across my skin. "I don't know exactly. Seth pulled back before explaining fully. Said it was too soon, that the fire and air bonds needed to stabilize first."

Chi's tail flicked once, his teal eyes distant with thought. "He's not wrong about the timing. Your magical signature is still integrating our connections. Adding void magic now could destabilize everything."

"But eventually?" Heart pressed, his hands finding mine where golden light immediately spiraled around our joined fingers.

"Eventually, the pattern will require completion," I said quietly, watching the interplay of silver and gold where Heart's hands held mine. "Water, earth, and void. The Tweedles for the first two, and..." I trailed off, uncertainty flickering through both bonds.

"And Seth for void," Chi finished, his voice neutral but carrying undertones I couldn't quite read. "Unless another suitable anchor emerges."

Heart's grip tightened slightly, the golden patterns flaring with territorial heat. "There has to be someone else. Another shadow wielder, someone less..." He struggled for the right word.

"Dangerous?" I supplied, though even as I said it, doubt crept through our connection. Through my brief contact with Seth's shadows, I'd felt the vast depths of his power—centuries of accumulated void magic that dwarfed any other shadow wielder I'd encountered.

"Calculating," Heart finished, though his tone carried reluctant resignation. "But you're right—I haven't encountered anyone else with comparable power."

Chi shifted position, his solid form settling closer as he considered the implications. "The void courts aren't just about shadow magic," he said thoughtfully. "They maintain balance between all realities. Finding someone with that level of responsibility and power..." He trailed off, tail flicking with uncertainty.

"Would be nearly impossible," I concluded, feeling the weight of inevitability settling over our conversation. The silver and gold patterns beneath my skin pulsed with recognition—the pattern knew what it needed, regardless of our personal preferences.

Heart's ruby eyes met mine, carrying a mixture of frustration and protective concern. "I won't pretend to like it. Everything about him sets my instincts on edge." The golden bond between us carried his raw honesty. "But if he's truly the only viable option for you….and you choose him…I’ll try to tolerate him.”

I laughed at the disgruntled tone he used.

Chi's ears twitched with amusement at Heart's grudging acceptance. "Such enthusiasm," he said dryly, though his tailcurled with fondness. "I'm sure the King of Spades will be touched by your gracious tolerance."

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