44. Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Three
Alice
I ’d been enjoying my time with the twins, I was feeling the flickering of emotions from Heart but when I felt horror and then pain in my chest causing me to stumble forward.
“Heart.” I whispered and before I could even think my body was moving and I was running to where I could feel Heart.
I could feel the twins behind me as I moved.
The crystalline corridors blurred past me as I ran, the silver and gold patterns beneath my skin blazing with desperate urgency.
Through our bond, I felt Heart's pain like a physical wound in my own chest, his life force flickering dangerously as blood loss took its toll.
The golden thread connecting us pulsed erratically, each beat weaker than the last.
"Alice, wait!" Vee's voice called behind me, but I couldn't slow down. The bond was pulling me forward with magnetic intensity, every step guided by the connection that tied my soul to Heart's.
I burst through the chamber doors to find chaos.
David stood over Heart's collapsed form, the dagger still protruding from his chest as golden blood spread across the crystalline floor.
Seth's shadows had erupted into violent motion, wrapping around David like living chains, but the damage was already done.
“Heart!” I called, panic clear in my voice. David snapped his head to me, before a grin formed.
“Perfect timing.” I didn’t understand what he meant before I felt something thrown at me.My world shifted as I felt pure horror go through my bond, And suddenly I felt my body slam hard onto the floor as I heard murmurs surround me.
“Ohh. Look what we have here .” A woman’s voice purred, causing my eyes to snap up.
I was in a throne room, The Red Queen sat upon a throne of crystallized blood, her beauty terrible and sharp as a blade.
Her crimson dress seemed to move with a life of its own, shadows of deeper red swirling through the fabric like captured screams. Ruby eyes identical to Heart's studied me with predatory satisfaction as I struggled to orient myself on the polished obsidian floor.
"My dear Alice," she said, her voice honey-sweet with underlying venom. "You're even more radiant than my spies reported. The pattern suits you beautifully."
I pushed myself up on shaking arms, the silver and gold threads beneath my skin flickering weakly. Through my bond with Heart, I felt his life force growing fainter, the golden connection stretching thin across whatever distance separated us. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to focus.
"What do you want?" I demanded, climbing to my feet despite the pain from hitting the floor and the echo from Heart going through me.
The Red Queen's laughter filled the throne room, it was beautifully terrifying, "What do I want?" She rose from her throne with fluid grace, her crimson dress flowing around her like liquid blood. "I want what any mother wants—for her children to come home."
"Heart will never—" I started, but she raised a perfectly manicured hand, silencing me.
"Oh, my dear sweet child," she purred, descending the steps of her throne with predatory elegance. "You misunderstand. I'm not talking about Heart." Her ruby eyes gleamed with malicious delight. "I'm talking about you."
The silver and gold patterns beneath my skin recoiled at her proximity, instinctively recognizing the corruption that radiated from her like heat from a forge.
Through my weakening bond with Heart, I felt his desperate struggle to stay conscious, to reach me across whatever magical barrier separated us.
"You see, Alice," the Red Queen continued, circling me like a predator sizing up wounded prey, "the pattern you carry is mine by right. That power flowing through your veins belongs in my hands."
I backed away from her approach, feeling the silver and gold patterns beneath my skin pulse weakly as they struggled against the oppressive magical atmosphere of her domain. "The pattern chose me. You can't just take it."
"Can't I?" She smiled, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp, too white.
"Blood magic has many applications, dear child.
Transference being one of the most... elegant.
" Her crimson dress rustled as she moved closer, and I caught sight of ritualistic circles carved into the obsidian floor around her throne—channels designed to direct and contain massive amounts of magical energy.
“Though it will take time to prepare everything to do such a thing.” The look of absolute glee was on her face.
I felt my blood run cold as the implications of her words sank in. "You're going to try to steal the pattern from me."
"Steal is such an ugly word," the Red Queen replied, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
"I prefer to think of it as... reclaiming what was always meant to be mine.
After all, I am the Queen of Hearts. The First Queen's power should flow through royal blood, not some lost little girl from another realm.
A little dreamer who returned here who knows nothing of this world. "
Through my weakening bond with Heart, I felt a surge of desperate fury that wasn't entirely my own.
Even wounded and bleeding, he was fighting to reach me, to break through whatever magical barriers kept us apart.
The golden thread connecting us flickered like a candle in a hurricane, but it refused to be extinguished.
"The ritual will take a week to prepare properly," the Red Queen continued, her ruby eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“We will have to keep you entertained until then.” She gave me a dark look as she stepped closer to me. I could feel myself want to shrink back at the strong domineering scent of Alpha coming off her.
I forced myself to stand straighter despite the overwhelming Alpha pheromones radiating from her, the silver and gold patterns beneath my skin flickering with defiant light. "They'll come for me," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "All of them."
The Red Queen's laugh was like breaking glass.
"Oh, I'm counting on it, dear child. Why do you think I had David stab my son just deep enough to wound but not kill?
The golden bond will keep him alive, desperate, reckless.
" She traced a finger along my cheek with mock tenderness.
"Nothing draws heroes quite like a damsel in distress. "
I jerked away from her touch, feeling the corruption in her magic try to seep through my skin. "You're using me as bait."
"The most irresistible bait imaginable," she agreed, her crimson dress swirling as she moved back.
“And they shall think they are going to rescue you…..but you will be their downfall.” She laughed, and I could hear the unhinged tone echo through the room.
I felt the silver and gold patterns beneath my skin pulse with growing determination despite my fear.
Through the weakening bond with Heart, I sensed Chi's frantic energy as he phased between realities, searching for any trace of where I'd been taken.
The connection was thin but unbroken—they would find me.
"You underestimate them," I said, meeting the Red Queen's ruby gaze directly. "And you underestimate me."
Her perfect features twisted with amusement as she gestured to the obsidian chamber around us.
"Do I? You're alone, separated from your precious anchors, in the heart of my domain where blood magic saturates every surface.
" She moved closer again, her Alpha presence pressing against me like a physical weight.
"What exactly do you think you can do, little Omega? "
The condescension in her voice sparked something fierce within me. The silver and gold patterns beneath my skin flicker.
“You may be strong, but omegas are only so strong against an Alpha.” Her painted lips pulled back into a sneer, “You can only resist an order from one for so long.”
I could feel dread build up in me at this. I know Chi had given a warning and demonstration about resisting an Alpha order. But could I fight against someone actually this strong and actually wanting to do me harm?
"You're wrong." I forced my chin up, refusing to waver despite the waves of Alpha dominance crashing against me. "I'm not just any Omega."
The Red Queen's smile faltered slightly as the silver and gold patterns beneath my skin brightened in response to my defiance. She hadn't expected this—resistance against her overwhelming presence.
"Interesting," she murmured, circling me again with renewed curiosity. "Most Omegas would be on their knees by now, begging for mercy. The pattern has made you... resilient."
I focused on the golden thread connecting me to Heart, drawing strength from it despite its weakened state.
Through our bond, I felt his consciousness flickering like a flame struggling against the wind—alive but fading.
The pain in my chest mirrored his, a phantom wound that throbbed with each heartbeat.
"Look at me, Alice," the Red Queen commanded, her voice dropping to a low, resonant tone that vibrated through my bones.
I felt the Alpha command slam into me like a physical blow, my muscles tensing as they fought against the instinctive urge to obey. The silver patterns beneath my skin flared in protest, creating a thin barrier between her influence and my consciousness.
"I said, look at me." Her voice hardened, the command doubling in strength.
My neck muscles trembled with the effort of resistance, but I managed to keep my gaze fixed on the floor.
Through our weakening bond, I felt Heart's distant fury and fear pulsing in erratic waves.
The golden patterns strengthened momentarily, drawing on his desperate need to protect me even as his life force ebbed.
The Red Queen clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Interesting. The pattern provides more resistance than expected.” I could feel the pressure around the room grow stronger, making a small whimper leave my lips.