Page 91 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
Istared at the spot where Seth had vanished, the shadows seemed to linger longer than they should have, reaching toward me with an almost tangible hunger that made my skin prickle with awareness.
"He's been struggling," Heart observed quietly, his golden patterns dimming with concern as he watched the last wisps of void magic fade. "The incomplete bond is becoming increasingly difficult for him to manage."
Chi nodded, his tail swishing with sympathetic understanding. "Void magic feeds on connection. The longer the bond remains unfinished, the more it hungers."
Through our silver and golden connections, I felt their complex emotions—not jealousy over my planned conversation with Seth, but genuine concern for both his wellbeing and mine. The pattern beneath my skin pulsed with restless energy, responding to the lingering traces of shadow magic in the air.
"Is he dangerous like this?" I asked, touching the marks on my neck unconsciously. The completed bonds with Heart and Chi provided stability, but I could still feel the pull ofthat unfinished connection with Seth—darker, more primal than anything I'd experienced with the others.
"Not to you," Heart assured me, his hand settling on my shoulder with reassuring warmth. "The void bond seeks completion, not harm. But his control is being tested to its limits."
"He's been channeling the excess energy into his spy network," Chi added, his teal eyes thoughtful. "Shadow magic is particularly useful for gathering intelligence. I suspect that's partly why his information is so thorough—he's been working constantly to burn off the void bond's restless energy."
I nodded, processing this new understanding of Seth's behavior. Through our incomplete connection, I'd felt his hunger when he looked at me, the shadows beneath his skin reaching toward me with almost desperate need.
"We should get some rest," Heart suggested gently, sensing my exhaustion through our golden bond. "There will be time to address the void bond after we've recovered from the dimensional transition."
"And discussed our strategy more thoroughly," Vee added, carefully rolling up the maps Seth had left behind. "The probabilities of success depend heavily on precise timing and coordination."
I followed Heart and Chi through the winding corridors of the resistance base, feeling the weight of everything we'd learned settling over me. The Queen's plan to permanently corrupt Wonderland's pattern, the urgency of our timeline, and the visible hunger in Seth's shadows when he'd looked at me—it was almost too much to process after the disorienting dimensional shift.
Our quarters were the same ones I had been staying in before I had been taken to the Red Queen. The familiarity ofthe space was welcoming after the ethereal beauty of the pocket dimension, grounding me in the reality of what we now faced.
"You should rest," Heart murmured, his golden patterns pulsing with protective concern as he helped me sit on the edge of the bed. "The dimensional transition takes more out of you than you realize. Just because you rested while in the pocket doesn’t mean you aren’t exhausted now."
Chi Chi settled beside me, his tail wrapping around my wrist with gentle pressure. "He's right. Your patterns are dimming at the edges—a clear sign of magical exhaustion from the transition."
I nodded, suddenly aware of how heavy my limbs felt. The pattern beneath my skin pulsed more sluggishly than before, the silver and gold light dimming as Chi had observed. Through our bonds, I felt their concern mingled with their own fatigue—the dimensional journey had drained all of us.
"What about you two?" I asked, noting the slight dimming in their own patterns. "You need rest as well."
Heart's lips curved in a tired smile. "We'll rest with you," he said simply, beginning to remove his boots. "The bonds settle more quickly when we're in close proximity."
Chi was already stretching out on one side of the bed, his silver patterns rippling beneathhis skin with the languid motion. "Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight after what we just learned. The Queen's corruption is spreading faster than we anticipated."
I couldn't argue with their logic or their protective instincts. As I settled between them, Heart's golden warmth on one side and Chi's silver coolness on the other, I felt the pattern beneath my skin responding to their proximity. The mating marks on my neck pulsed in gentle synchronization, soothing the ragged edges of magical exhaustion.
"Sleep," Heart murmured against my hair, his arm settling securely around my waist. "Tomorrow will bring enough challenges without facing them exhausted."
Chi's tail wrapped loosely around my ankle, a familiar gesture of comfort that made the silver bond between us hum with contentment. "We'll figure it all out," he promised, his voice already growing drowsy. "The Queen's plan, the public declaration, everything."
I closed my eyes, letting their combined warmth and presence wash over me. Through our bonds, I felt their love and protection wrapping around me like a shield against the uncertainties ahead. The incomplete void bond with Seth pulsed at the edges of my consciousness—a dark thread of potential that would need to be addressed soon.
But for now, surrounded by the steady breathing of my mates and the gentle pulse of our completed connections, sleep claimed me easily. My dreams were filled with swirling shadows and silver light, echoes of Seth's hungry gaze and the promise of conversations yet to come.
The dreams shifted, mist flicking until I could feel myself falling and hitting the ground. As I looked around me I was deep underground and all around me was withered plants, but I stood in the middle of what could have been a garden maze of some kind.
Little Alice has come home at last.
“Who is there?” I asked, fear shooting through me. I was confused as I thought I had fallen asleep. I never had a dream like this….but how did I know it was a dream?
I am the foundation of this world. I am what gave you power. Gave you the pattern that makes your skin.
My mind went a mile a minute trying to figure out what those words could mean. I know anything was possible in the world, “Wonderland?”
Yes, little Alice. I am Wonderland itself, speaking through the pattern that flows within you.
The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once—the withered plants, the cracked earth beneath my feet, even the stagnant air around me. I spun in a circle, trying to find the source, but there was nothing except the dying garden maze stretching endlessly in all directions.
