Chapter 71
Chapter Seventy-One
HOOK
I catch her before she hits the ground.
Her body crumples the moment the path stills, and I move on pure instinct—one stride closing the space between us. My arms lock around her waist, pulling her back against my chest, steadying us both.
She doesn't speak. Doesn't make a sound. Just draws in a sharp breath, her head falling back against my shoulder.
But her skin—fucking hell.
Power radiates from her, not fever but something else entirely. My fingers catch her wrist, finding her pulse. It hammers against my touch but stays strong. Steady. Another inconvenient reminder she's still very much alive and pressed against me.
She's breathing too. Quick and rough, but she's breathing. Each exhale sends warmth across my collarbone. Distracting.
I look past her to the Bandersnatch, its golden eyes fixed on her form. Not on me. Not on the threat I pose.
On her.
It bows. A gesture of respect I've never seen from creatures such as these.
"You begin to understand," it rumbles, the words vibrating through my chest where Alice presses against me. "But you have far to go."
Alice stirs in my arms, and my grip tightens instinctively. I shouldn't want to hold her closer. Shouldn't feel this need to protect. Shouldn't notice how perfectly she fits against me.
But I do. Every damn time.
"Easy," I murmur, my lips brushing her ear.
She doesn't fight me. Doesn't pull away. Doesn't do any of the hundred things I'd expect from her stubborn spirit.
Instead, she sinks deeper into my hold, her breath shaking. Her fingers curl around my forearm, nails digging in.
"My legs," she whispers. "They won't—"
"I've got you."
The words slip out before I can stop them. Three simple words that mean far too much.
I shouldn't say it. Shouldn't mean it.
But bloody hell, I do.