“Then you need as much as possible.”
Damien poured him a fresh cup of tea, the petals still drifting lazily through the liquid.
“Drink, brother. You must be thirsty.” The way Damien said it, it was so selfless, so loving, it made something tighten in my chest. He wasn’t just offering tea; he was offering his care. Damien wanted to look after his older brother just as Malakai had once looked after him in Aetrum… back when the world had been harsher and love had been their only shelter from the cruelty of their father.
“This is your place too, Malakai,” I whispered. His gaze drifted upward, almost disbelieving. “Because the portal seems to be created through my dreams and wishes, and you have been a part of my dream for so long.” A faint smile grazed his face, and he let me keep feeding him the cake. I caressed his angelic face, that I wanted nothing more than to layer in kisses. But due to his captivity, and whatever had happened in there, I’d never do that without his allowance first.
Damien and Xavier had been silent, none of us really spoke. It was just this sort of intimacy which didn’t need words.
“And how will we leave this fever dream?” Xavier finally asked. I knew it was an attempt to relive the tension around us, but the words settled in. It was only temporary here. We needed to leave at some point, although I didn’t want to. This place was my own Wonderland, and I was safe with them here. And I got cake, what more did I need?
It wasn’t usual to fall through a portal that was supposed to bring you back to Carnivalland and instead bring you into a madness glitter-party.
“What are you looking for?” Malakai suddenly asked, followinghis brother’s narrow gaze at the wall.
“I think there is a way out of here…” he replied.
We all followed Damien’s gaze. At first, I saw nothing, but then as I focused, I recognized the outline of a door. The outline was so soft that we hadn’t seen it before.
Xavier stood up, crouching beside it, his fingers trailing down the outline. “It is indeed a door.”
Damien nodded, silver bands pooling from his hands, weaving themselves into the shimmer of the outline. As if he was trying to carve the door out, etching the shape into clarity and then…
We were no longer in the tearoom.
Instead, we tumbled, quite literally, into Xavier’s wardrobe. I had landed on a red coat, while Malakai tangled himself between the black ruffle blouses.
“How can four people even fit in your closet? How many clothes do you have in here?” Damien grumbled, shoving aside a velvety jacket.
“Well, I need to look presentable,” Xavier muttered, shaking glitter from his hair.
As we stood and straightened ourselves, I noticed how our clothes had changed back to the ones we were wearing before. My vest was gone, the glitter and makeup too. It was almost like leaving the portal had taken all its traces with it.
“Are you okay?” Damien asked, bringing my hand to his lips, brushing a kiss across my knuckles.
I nodded and wrapped my arms around him in a soft embrace, letting my forehead rest against his.
“I’ll show Malakai his room,” he stated after our hug.
I turned to Malakai, giving him a soft smile, my eyes tracing the marks and streaks on his beautiful skin. The version of him in the glittering costume from the portal still lingered in my mind, but now, seeing him so vulnerable again, it reminded me why we were originally there. Sadness went through me again.
And just when we’d thought we’d escaped it, a shadow falls, reminding us that the light and joy was never meant to last.
Chapter 27
The moment we stepped through the wardrobe into Carnivalland, I felt Gwendolyn’s emotions shifting. It was the memories of my brother being trapped in that place.
And I’d wanted nothing more than to take her away from there, to carry her somewhere in my dragon form where she’d be safe.
But we all knew the little portal caused by our bond was only a blink of a moment compared to what awaited us outside.
The realization of what my brother had been through.
The person who did this to him, and the reasons why.
I took my brother to the room beside mine, to make sure I could keep an eye on him. I was aware that, as much as he hated his little brother taking care of him, it was what he needed in his current state of mind.
“I’m going to take a shower, Damien,” he stated. “I can do that by myself.” Without a glance back, he stepped into the bathroom, closing the door.
