Page 19 of Cheshire's Smile
I winced. His words didn’t affect me. I’d had years to get used to the name calling and disdain from the fae community. However, I knew the moment the words came out of his mouth that Cheshire was not going to take them as lightly as I did.
Claws slashed through the air and ripped a long set of red lines across Tick’s vest, splitting it open. Blood trickled from the marks, showing my lover hadn’t cut him that deep.
“I will kill you,” Cheshire snapped. “Here’s how it’s going to go. You don’t look at her. You don’t speak to her. You don’t even sniff in her direction. Or I will make you wish you had the sickness.”
Tick whimpered.
“Do you understand?”
There must be something fundamentally wrong with me. The sight of Cheshire ripping into the fox, threatening him for me, sent a burning desire through my body. I wanted nothing more than to climb him like a tree and impale myself on his cock.
Cheshire growled, glancing at me over his shoulder. “Patience, pet.” Turning back to Tick, Cheshire shook the fox around. “Do you understand?”
Tick nodded his head quickly. “Yes.”
“Now, you’re going to fulfil your side of the bargain with no more tricks,” Cheshire demanded in that tone that made me want to fall to my knees for him.
Look at me. One tumble in the sheets, and I was already panting for more.
Tick jerked his head again.
Lowering him to the ground, Cheshire released his neck and stepped back. “Then show us. How do we get to the Between from here?”
Tick rubbed his neck and shook his head. “You don’t.”
Cheshire growled.
“Hey, hey. No tricks.” Tick stepped back from Cheshire. “Why do you think I came back? I was planning on ducking into the Human Realm with the rest of the fae. But I couldn’t. The portal I use has been closed off, too.”
“What?” I gaped, stalking forward. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, that bitch queen found my back door and closed it.” Tick walked around his room with a sigh. “Probably doesn’t want anyone with the sickness getting out and showing our weakness to the humans.”
That did sound like the Seelie Queen. It was always about saving face for the fae for her, even if it meant leaving the others behind to fend for themselves. How no one has overthrown her yet had always astounded me. Kat had a soft spot for her mother, so I couldn’t blame her for not just killing the queen outright.
I sighed, fluffed my hair, and adjusted the hat on the side. I probably looked like I’d been ravished within an inch of my life. Which I had.
However, no one else needed to know that. A mirror would be perfect right about now.
As if by some magic, my pocket mirror chimed.
I flipped the compact open. Kat’s face greeted me, muffled shouting coming from the mirror. She took one look at me and announced, “You had sex.”
I smoothed down my hair and sniffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t even try that with me, Alice Clarabelle Liddell. You had nasty raunchy sex. Admit it!” Kat’s face moved in close to themirror, her blue eyes zeroing in on whatever marks Cheshire had left on me.
“First off,” I huffed, pulling my hair around my neck, “that’s not my middle name.”
“Well, I don’t know your middle name.” Kat smirked, circling a finger at me. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you not denying it.”
I said nothing. I knew, from past experience, the more I denied it, the more Kat would keep going. She was like an opalaught with a carrot.
“So I guess this means you found Hatter?” She glanced behind her back at what looked like her bedroom door. “Which, believe me, can’t have come at a better time. I could really use you here right now.”
She lowered her voice into a hiss. “Both of my mothers are in my house. I’m about two seconds away from murdering both of them.”
Kat’s human mother made my own human mother look like a saint. And her fae mother, the Seelie Queen, well, we all know how much of a raging bitch she could be. In fact, I thought the two mothers could give each other a run for their money.
