Her candor was refreshing and he couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He also couldn’t fail to note the slight widening of her cat shaped eyes, or the pretty blush that rose high upon her cheeks.
“I can assure you, I’m not fool enough to not seek out help when I need it.”
Blinking, as if she’d been momentarily thinking of something else, she nodded. “All…all right then.” She cleared her throat, definitely sounding nervous.
He wondered why.
The ball sailed through the air and as it did a fiery trail of flame coalesced into a burning bridge of orange and blue. The crackling snap and pop made him grimace as he waited for the heat to swamp him. He shielded his eyes.
“It will not burn you,” she said.
And for a split second he could have sworn he felt the sizzling flame beat against his flesh, but he soon realized it was just his imagination. Dropping his hand he stared at the bridge of flame. “I’m feeling like there is a but in all of this. What haven’t you told me, Lissa?”
“You’re right,” she nodded, “the broker does nothing for free. Should you use the bridge, then you’ve automatically agreed to his terms of payment.”
“And that is?”
She shook her head. “He did not tell me.”
“And how will he even know I used this?”
“He’ll know. The broker knows all.”
That sounded ominous. But as he looked around Aeric knew he was out of options. He was literally stranded on a small island of land with no food, no warmth, and no shelter.
So either it was take the devil’s bargain, or stay and slowly wither away. “This is why I never come to Wonderland,” he muttered, regretting his decision all over again. Damn Danika and her tears.
Rolling his eyes, he stepped foot on the bridge, muscles tense and expectant. Still expecting the fire to burn, or singe, or that perhaps the bridge wouldn’t hold his weight. So many terrible possibilities of what could go wrong confronted him, but even though the fire did curl around his pant leg, it did not harm him.
Taking a deep breath, he committed himself fully, trying to imagine that he walked across a standard drawbridge and not one that currently crackled with flame.
The breeze carried her scent of spring rain deep into his lungs. Lissa stood on the other side of the bridge, which had now widened to accommodate her. It had also shifted, no longer leading in a straight line to the other side where she’d stood just seconds ago. It was now turned toward the right and was zigzagging around, on top, below, and through the trees themselves.
And the second she stepped foot on the bridge, it sealed her opening. There was no way to get off the bridge now that they were on it either, not unless they jumped down to their deaths. This bridge obviously meant to take them somewhere.
He glanced at Lissa who now walked beside him. “Any idea where this means to go?”
“No.” She gave him an apologetic twist of her lips.
“I figured as much,” he said without any heat behind it. It wasn’t like he had many choices available to him.
She turned. “Are you mad at me then?”
“No.” He scrubbed the back of his mouth, wishing for his pack, if only so that he could brush his teeth. It was his one luxury he allowed while camping. Many hunters cared very little for personal hygiene; he was not one of them. “Frustrated, confused, curious, yes. But not at you. How did that creature do this to us?”
He assumed she must be shrugging since her head bobbed strangely, she’d once again grown transparent around her chest and shoulders. “I honestly have no idea. I woke up only to realize what’d happened to you.”
“I do not understand how I slept through all this. I’m a very light sleeper. It’s an occupational hazard to not be.”
More than anything Aeric was aggravated with himself. Ever since stepping into Wonderland, nothing made sense anymore. All his skills had seemingly disappeared. Being the queen’s huntsman meant something. He was the best at what he did.
But it was as if the very land itself toyed with him. He’d failed at all he’d tried thus far.
His molars ached from clenching them.
“You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself, Aeric…”
He turned at the sound of his name on her tongue, hating to admit that he enjoyed the way she said it. Not with a hard ‘e’ sound, but a lilting ‘ah’ sound. She made it sound exotic. He grunted.
“…this world is not for the faint of heart. The mere fact that you’re still alive, hale, and relatively sane still speaks highly of you. You can never trust what you see or hear here, it is utter madness to do it.”
“So you do admit it,” he laughed, wondering if she knew she’d just confirmed his argument of before.
She shrugged with a secretive smile.
“Can I trust you?” he asked softly, fluttering his fingers along her cheeks, not knowing why he did it, only that she was so close and her scent so strong and she was very, very naked.
But again, as with so many other things here, what appeared to be firm flesh, was nothing but smoke and mirrors. His fingers slipped right through her.