When he caught me, I became breathless, his face inches from mine, and the spicy scent of him filling my nostrils, lighting my blood on fire.
“You all right, Princess?” Henri whispered.
“All right? I’m buzzing, I’m so alive,” I said, ignoring his use of my title so as not to break the spell between us.
Hatter’s lips spread in a heart-stopping smile. “Excellent.”
He pulled me so close that our chests touched, and his hips swayed sinfully as our eyes locked together—the center of our own world.
Blood thrummed in my ears.
I was inches away from crossing a dangerous line. Part of me desperately wanted to rush over it, to see what would happen if I gave myself to Henri. What would he do if I pressed his lips against mine and ran my fingers through his long, black hair? The other part, the girl who planned to go home, screamed at me to step back.
To guard my heart.
When the song ended, we swayed gently to a stop, still pressed together, our eyes locked and pulses pounding. Though I didn’t dare tear my eyes from Hatter, I knew that dozens of eyes were on us—burning into my back. It felt as if the whole room was holding their breath, until someone started clapping, and the rest of the crowd burst out in applause.
Circe and her blue-haired crush sidled up to us. The girl gripped my forearm excitedly. “You were a natural! We might have to ask the band to play that song again so I can watch you from the beginning.”
“Please, no,” I laughed breathlessly. Hatter’s eyes burned like emerald fire, and my heart was still beating like I’d run a marathon. I needed to separate from him. He was too intoxicating. “As a matter fact, I think it’s time for me to get a snack and some air.”
I dropped Hatter’s hand before anyone could force us to dance again. “Thanks for the lesson.”
I sashayed through the crowd, pausing briefly to talk to an elderly elf who wore a military uniform, and a middle-aged faerie with the most beautiful rainbow-colored wings.
When I reached the refreshment table, I piled bread, cheeses, a few raw veggies, and meats onto a plate before grabbing a glass of wine. When I was sure that I had all the sustenance and distraction I needed, I turned to face the rest of the party, and found who else, butHatter.
“Are you following me?”
“It appears I might be.” He poured himself a full glass of wine. “I hope you’ll excuse that. It seems I can’t help myself.”
A blush crept up my neck, and I combated it the best way I knew how. With sass. “Most men can’t.”
Hatter arched his eyebrows. “Probably because you’re so humble.”
I snorted a laugh, and the heady sexual tension that had built as we danced dissipated.
We went on like that for some length of time, teasing and vaguely flirting, until finally, the crowd began to thin. I breathed my first full breath since entering the great room.
My birthday party was coming to an end.
“Would you like them to leave?” Henri asked, attuned to my mood, as he always seemed to be.
“Kind of, although I don’t want thefeelof the party to end.” The longing in my voice was plain. I hoped that I didn’t sound pathetic, but if I did, I couldn’t help it. I might be tired and ready to retreat, but the party was marvelous.
Hatter gave me an understanding smile. “There will be more parties. But I do think it’s for the best that tonight comes to an end. It’s late, and we have work to do tomorrow.”
Right. Work.
Tomorrow we would hunt the queen’s herd of bandersnatch in hopes of drawing my aunt from her castle. I wasn’t sure how many we would have to injure or kill, but I hoped it wasn’t a lot. I might be an assassin, but unless it was life or death, I didn’t like killing animals. And especially not for sport.
My motto was you shouldn’t kill the beast if no one would eat the meat, and I doubted that anyone would be eating these bandersnatch.
But I couldn’t deny that in this circumstance, things were different. The reasoning behind the attack made perfect sense. We needed to draw the queen out from behind her strong castle walls. This one act of protest might save a lot of lives—fae lives—and rid the Wonderland Court of a tyrant. Those goals were worthy, even if the methods were distasteful.
After Henri announced that the party was over, each attendee stopped by to wish me a happy birthday before they left. Finally, what felt like years, only Henri, the pixies, the mice, and March Hare remained.
Dee stretched her little arms wide and yawned. “What a shindig! I am pooped. Off to bed!”
