Xavier’s hand cupped my cheek. “Next time, don’t leave me behind, love.”
“I didn’t mean to… Damien seemed to open the portal while I located Malakai… I didn’t…”
“I know,” he said gently. “But wherever you go, I’ll find you. Through glass, through magic, through madness, wherever you are.I will find you.”
Xavier glanced back at the portal entrance which had nowstarted to pulse faintly, as if it seemed to be waiting for us. “If we’re all here, then maybe this place is done with us.”
“We can try to leave all together… our bond is whole right now,” Damien said, stripping quickly and giving Malakai his shirt to cover up his naked skin.
Damien pressed a soft kiss on my forehead, noticing my anxiety. “I’m here, we all are here. Don’t worry.”
I nodded, and then we all intertwined our hands together, forming a circle as we stepped through the portal.
As soon as every one of us had stepped into the new portal, it shifted, darkness surrounded us.
Chapter 26
We were all falling…
through something resembling a very long dark tunnel. Chairs and wardrobes were swimming through the atmosphere; I even perceived lantern lights and butterflies surrounding me. It felt so strange, and yet I wasn’t afraid. Maybe because I knew I wasn’t alone, but surrounded by the men who belonged to me.
And then a mirror fell past, halting right in front of me.
As I looked inside, I saw myself dressed in fine attire. I was wearing light-pink pants with bows and ruffles at the ends and a color-mismatched blouse over a lime-green puffy shirt.
Why was I dressed so differently?
Before I could think further about my new clothing, I fell again. The hat floating away from my head caused me to look upwards.
I saw an old clock floating around. That was very weird. It almost felt like the time was ticking backwards.
Where were we?
What first started as a sudden, sharp tumble through darkness was beginning to slow down, like gravity had forgotten us.
Strange whispers surrounded me, along with the tones of a faint music box. Echoes saying, “Up is sometimes the waydown”and “You are very late for tea, my dear.”
What was going on here?
“Is this our end?” I whispered. Was this the gate to heaven or whatever after-place that existed for us?
“No,” Damien breathed beside me, as he gripped my waist. “This is something else entirely.” His eyes scanned the shifting scenery around us. “This place… it bends reality. Like a dream.”
A dream?
Suddenly, the colors around us shifted, first twilight purples and deep blues, then carnival reds and golden lights. We landed softly with our feet on a marble floor that began to ripple and reshape itself into a doorway. It led to a towering golden door adorned with jesters and playing cars, as if it belonged to theQueen of Heartsitself.
“Are you okay?” Xavier asked, as he pressed himself against me, stroking over my arms.
“Yes.”
And suddenly all of them were staring at me like a treasure or some kind of curiosity.
“What?” I asked.
“You look different, my dear,” Xavier remarked, his fingertips brushing over the fabric of my vest.
I looked back at Xavier; his attire had changed as well. He definitely wore the same red hairbands, but his blouse had changed into a deep burgundy vest with a ruffled black shirt underneath. A small crimson tie was hanging around his collar. His pants were in an asymmetrical design. The red leg had a black pique symbol and the black leg had a red heart symbol. His waist adorned a thick dark belt, with a red-and-white checkered cloth tucked into it, almost resembling a silky napkin.
