“However, I am knowledgeable about the contract your parents signed.” My spine straightened at the mention of my parents, but the rabbit didn’t notice and continued on. “The one that stated the vampire was supposed to raise you in hiding.Safelyin hiding. You were to be taught how to defend yourself by one of the best fighters in this land. Your warden took things a few steps further than intended.”
“She learned to fight and defend herself with the best,” Xavier butted in. “In fact, she—”
“Shut up, Xavier,” I said. For once in my life, he actually listened, which only made my spidey senses tingle harder. I turned my attention to the pooka, determined to get to the bottom of this. “If you’re so concerned about me, why have I never seen you before. Or heard from my family? Why did it take you thirteen years to check on me?”
“Yeah, Rabbit.” Xavier crossed his arms over his chest. “What took you so long?”
The rabbit scoffed. “The channels from Wonderland into this world are controlled by the Red Queen. It took slipping past the kraken and sneaking into another court to open a portal to enter this world! I’ve since convinced a witch of your world to reopen one of the old portals to Wonderland, but only for a brief time.”
The rabbit glanced at me. “That being said, if you wish to reunite with those who care for you, your true family, we must gonow.”
My true family?My heart lodged into my throat.
I’d long given up discovering my family, or where I’d come from, but occasionally I dreamt about it—kinda. My dreams came in flashes, most of which were long gone when I woke. But the sound of my mother’s voice, and a visage of a woman with long, white-blonde hair like mine, always remained when morning came.
“Do you want to meet your loved ones, Alice? The rebels who have been fighting to make the world you were born into a better place?”
“Rebels?” I said the word as if I’d never heard it before. “My family members are rebels?”
“Yes. Rebel leaders. They’re always in danger. Hence why they brought you here, to protect you—or at leasttryto protect you—from violence.” The rabbit was studying my face carefully, trying to find tells in the cool facade Xavier had trained into me.
Who was this rabbit kidding? Every orphan wished to find their family. Now that I had a partial answer as to why they’d left me, and it was a good one, that desire was already growing more intense.
I had a million questions they needed to answer. More than anything, I wanted to see them again, to have achanceto remember a bit of my past.
“I have her until her eighteenth birthday.” The gun twitched in the vampire’s hand. “And I have an important job planned.”
I looked at him incredulously. “I’m sorry?! You’ve been using me for nefarious purposes when you weren’t supposed to, and now you’re going to try to keep me here?”
Xavier’s eyes narrowed. “I may have stretched the truth, but you’re the one who signed to work for me.Youmade that choice.”
Fucking vampire.My fist clenched.
I’d been a child barely able to sign my name when he’d started training me. I’d seen how Xavier seemed to love the other assassins. How he treated them with respect. I’d wanted that too—wanted to belong.
But I wasn’t a child anymore, and I was done with this vampire.
I tossed my gun on the table, and placed a hand on my hip—sure that if he retaliated, I’d be able to hold my own. “And right now I’m making the choice to break my contract. I’m out, Xavier.”
“That gives me the right to hunt you,” the vampire growled, more pissed than I’d ever seen him.
“If you want to try to stop me, just remember this,” I arched an eyebrow. “You taught me well, made our boundaries clear. We’re notfamily, this is business.” The vampire’s eyes widened as I threw his words back in his face. “If you come after me, I won’t hold back.”
“Hold back?! You owe me, Queenly. I fed you, housed you, and clothed you!”
My lips pressed together. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to stick a stake in Xavier, but of course, he didn’t keep stakes in his apartment. Or silver, or anything else that was deadly to him. And I didn’t have my dagger, so decapitation was out.
He isn’t worth it, anyway.
“And Ikilledfor you. Actually, consider me not killingyouthe rest of my repayment.” I turned to walk toward the door.
“How dare—”
I whipped back around to face the man who raised me. “No! How dare you lie to me about my parents and tell me I should be grateful!’ I thrust a finger at him. “You’d better watch yourself from now on. When I get back, we’re going to have words.”
The vampire stared into my eyes for a few long, dangerous, seconds before replying.
“Fine. You’re released from your contract. But you should know, Alice, I raised you the best way I knew how.” Xavier glanced at the pooka, his lips pursed in frustration at having lost his best assassin and cash cow. “No doubt where you’re going, your training will come in handy.”
