Page 9 of Cheshire's Smile
I huffed and spun on my heel. “What?”
Cheshire paused behind me. “About the twins...”
“Yes, I know. They’re in the Shadow Realm with Hatter. We must save them. Now come on.” I tried to pull him by the wrist, but he held fast.
“Alice.” Cheshire’s gaze grew solemn. “Darling, I don’t know how to tell you this, but...”
“Oh, no.” I released him, clasping my face. “Please tell me. They’re not dead, are they? Cheshire. Tell me.”
“No! No.” He shook his head and placed a hand on mine. “They’re alive and well. But...” He winced.
“Well, what is it?”
Cheshire took a deep breath. The expression on his face pulled a feeling of dread from the pit of my stomach. Whatever he had to say was going to hurt me, I just knew it.
“Lovely, the twins hate you.”
Chapter 4
Cheshire’s words reverberated through me.
They hated me. Carban and Coby hated me.
I didn’t have all my memories of the twins. And yet, I knew them. My heart knew them. My body knew them. I could still feel their bodies pressed against mine. Hear their voices in my ears.
Did I remember the first time I met them? No. Did I remember any other times with them besides our time under the stars? Unfortunately, also no. But it didn’t lessen the squeeze that had a hold around my heart at knowing that they hated me.
I could hardly blame them. From what I knew, they had been punished, just like Cheshire and Hatter had, formyactions. The fae didn’t believe in only punishing those who committed the crime. They didn’t care that it had been my choice to go along with the Shadow Man’s plan. They also didn’t care that I’d been tricked.
All that mattered was my actions that ended with the Seelie Princess dead. My males were punished by association.
It was my fault. The fact that Hatter and Cheshire didn’t hate me was a miracle.
My eyes locked with Cheshire’s bright green eyes. My heart thudded in my chest. My fingers curled and uncurled, sweat dampening them.
“Do you... hate me?”
Cheshire’s eyes softened. He cupped my face with his hand, clawed fingers brushing my cheek. “No, pet. I do not hate you.”
“Why not?” I leaned into his palm, eyelashes fluttering. “I know I would be livid if I was in your position. I don’t blame them for hating me. So why don’t you?”
He yanked me against him. His body pressed to mine. I could feel his heart beat against my palm on his chest. Cheshire’s hand tipped my chin up to peer into my eyes.
“You misunderstand me.” He stroked my lower lip with his thumb. “Was I angry? Yes. Upset, confused. Of course. But I could never hate you, Alice. If I had been in your position, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same thing.”
“You would?”
“Lovely, I know how it feels to be used and thought of as nothing but a joke to those around you.” The hand on my hip squeezed slightly. “No one would be surprised that you would rather stay here in the fae world than go back to the human realm.”
My lips ticked up. “You did make it impossible to leave without leaving a piece of me behind.”
Cheshire hummed. He pulled my lower lip down before releasing it.
I licked my lip, tasting where his thumb had been.
Cheshire’s eyes darkened. “You were offered a chance to stay here with us. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you with me. Even make a deal with the Shadow Man.”
I pushed up on my toes, my nose brushing his. “To be fair,” I murmured, “I didn’t know it would kill her.”
