Page 92 of Knot My Wonderland

Heat's eyes met mine, vulnerability flickering across his features before he could hide it. "I'm not sure what I give you, honestly. Chi can protect you in ways I never could. The King of Spades offers power I can't match." His grip on my hand tightened slightly. "What does a failed prince with a dying resistance movement offer someone who carries the power to reshape reality itself?"

The raw insecurity in his voice made something twist in my chest. Through our connection, I felt the depth of his self-doubt—years of fighting a losing war against his mother, watching good people die for a cause that seemed increasingly hopeless. The Heart Stone pulsed with his pain, and I found myself shifting closer on the bed without conscious thought.

"Heart," I said firmly, my free hand moving to cup his face. The silver patterns beneath my skin flared at the contact, spiraling across my palm and onto his cheek in delicate, luminous whorls. "You give me hope. You give me a reason to fight that goes beyond just survival or power."

Through our connection, I felt his sharp intake of breath as the silver patterns transferred to his skin, creating temporary tattoos that pulsed with our shared heartbeat. "You see Wonderland not as territories to be conquered or magic to be controlled, but as people to be protected. Communities worth saving."

Heart's ruby eyes widened as he felt the silver light spread across his skin, carrying with it echoes of my emotions—not just attraction or magical resonance, but genuine admiration for who he was beneath the crown and the crystal.

“You really are something.” Heart whispered, his eyes dark with something that made the silver patterns beneath my skin pulse with answering heat. "Alice..."

The way he said my name, rough with barely contained emotion, sent warmth spiraling through our connection. The silver patterns on his face brightened, responding to the intensity building between us. Through the Heart Stone, I felt his careful control beginning to fray at the edges.

"This is dangerous," he murmured, though he made no move to pull away. "Chi will sense the change in our bond when he returns."

"Let him," I said, surprising myself with the boldness in my voice. "I'm tired of tiptoeing around everyone's territorial instincts. The pattern wants these connections—all of them."

Heart's breath caught as I shifted even closer, the silver patterns now dancing freely between our skin wherever we touched, “But do you want those connections.” I could feel the want and hope from Heart.

"I want..." My voice trailed off as the silver patterns intensified, creating a feedback loop of sensation through our connection. "I want to stop questioning every feeling, every bond. I want to trust what's happening between us."

Heart's eyes darkened further, the ruby crystal at my throat pulsing with the rapid beat of his heart. His hand came up to cover mine where it rested against his cheek, the silver patterns twining around our fingers like living vines.

"Then trust this," he whispered, leaning forward until our foreheads touched. The silver patterns flared brilliantly where our skin connected, creating a bridge of light between us.Through our bond, I felt his carefully maintained control finally give way to something deeper, more primal.

His lips met mine with gentle urgency, the Heart Stone blazing between us as our connection suddenly expanded. Unlike the wild, consuming nature of Chi's bond, Heart's bond flowed like warm fire through my veins, steady and grounding. Where Chi's connection felt like stepping between realities, Heart's felt like coming home. The silver patterns beneath my skin brightened, spiraling outward to envelop us both in a cocoon of light.

His hand slid into my hair, cradling the back of my head as he deepened the kiss. Through our connection, I felt his wonder and disbelief, the years of longing that had led to this moment. The Heart Stone pulsed between us, no longer just carrying emotions but actively strengthening our bond with each heartbeat.

"Alice," he breathed against my lips, his voice rough with emotion. "I never thought—"

I silenced him with another kiss, unable to bear the vulnerability in his eyes. The silver patterns flowed freely between us now, no longer just transferring but merging, creating a bond just like I did with Chi. I can’t say I was apprehensive with starting one with him without knowing him for very long…but still…it felt right.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Alice

The bond snapped into place with stunning intensity, different from Chi's foundational connection but no less profound. Where Chi's bond felt like silver threads weaving through my consciousness, Heart's bond burned like molten gold, grounding me to Wonderland's heartbeat itself. Through the new connection, I felt his absolute devotion, his fierce protectiveness, and beneath it all, a love so deep it took my breath away.

Heart pulled back slightly, ruby eyes wide with wonder as he felt the completed bond settle between us. "The second anchor," he whispered, his voice filled with awe. "I can feel everything—your thoughts, your magic, the way the pattern pulses through you."

I nodded, still reeling from the intensity of our connection. Through Chi's bond, I felt his sudden alarm as he sensed the fundamental change in my magical signature. His work withVarik faltered as protective instincts surged through him, urging him to return to my side. But there was something else in his reaction—not jealousy, but recognition. The pattern had chosen its second anchor, and even Chi couldn't deny the rightness of it.

"He's coming back," I said, feeling Chi's presence moving rapidly through the Sanctuary. "He felt the bond form."

Heart tensed slightly, his hand still cradling my face. The silver patterns connecting us pulsed with his concern. "Is he angry?"

I closed my eyes, focusing on Chi's emotions through our foundational bond. "No... he's surprised, maybe a little territorial, but mostly just... accepting. The pattern wanted this connection." I opened my eyes, meeting Heart's ruby gaze. "He understands that better than anyone."

Heart's thumb traced the silver patterns that now flowed freely between our skin, no longer just transferring temporarily but permanently intertwined with our magical signatures. "I never expected it to feel like this," he admitted, his voice soft with wonder. "The connection with the Heart Stone was strong, but this... I can feel your heartbeat as if it were my own."

Through our new bond, I sensed his amazement at the depth of connection, but also his concern about how quickly things were developing. The rational part of his mind worried about the implications, even as his heart rejoiced in finally being able to touch me so completely.

"Two bonds formed in less than two days," I murmured, the silver patterns beneath my skin now carrying threads of gold where Heart's influence had taken root. "The pattern is accelerating beyond anything the King predicted."

"Perhaps because you're finally accepting what you want rather than fighting it," Heart suggested, his fingers trailing along my jawline where silver and gold light danced together.

"The gold patterns," he murmured, watching as the silver on his skin began to shift, taking on warm amber hues that pulsed in rhythm with the Heart Stone. "They're different from yours."

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