In a flash, he gripped my arms, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. He shook me. “How do you know that name?” His voice was raw, desperate. “Tell me. You are a spy, aren’t you?”
“No!” Tears sprang to my eyes. “Joy told me. She told me about you. Please—you’re hurting me.”
He froze. Looked down at his hands like he didn’t recognize them.
He released me and stumbled back, horror flickering across his face.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was hoarse. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to?—”
He couldn’t finish.
I rubbed my throbbing arms. Bruises were already forming. But I couldn’t stop staring at him. This wasn’t the Mad Hatteranymore. This was a man who’d lost everything—his home, his identity, his world. No wonder he’d gone half-mad. “Does the queen know your real name?”
“Yes.” He headed toward the door.
“No.” The word came out broken. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“I can’t—” My voice cracked. “I can’t have another nightmare. I can’t watch her die again. I can’t hear her screaming?—”
A sob swallowed the rest.
Then he was back. Crossing the room in two strides, cupping my face in his hands, kissing me. It was desperate. Aching. A promise neither of us could speak aloud.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine.
“I need to watch the street,” he said quietly. “Your window faces the alley.”
I wiped my face with trembling hands. “Why? Who’s out there?”
The look in his eyes made my blood run cold.
“An old enemy. He captured the twins tonight. Flint and Steel.”
“What enemy?”
Don’t say Ari. Don’t say Ari. Don’t say Ari.
A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“The Dark Demon Ari.”
The air left my lungs.
Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
Ari. The demon who had forced Joy to open the portal. Who had allied with Marsha and her dark magic. Who had killed Maximo Barone and taken over his trafficking empire.
He was here. Right outside.
“Alice?” Darius’ voice cut through the panic. “You know him.”
It wasn’t a question.
Chapter Eight
Darius
