Tunneling blunt fingers through his hair, he stared off into the darkness. “I’ve not come any closer to finding, Chrysalis. I’m feeling completely inept in this strange land. At this point you must assume I’m useless at best, and a complete imbecile at worst.” His eyes touched back on hers.
The starlight inside them danced and swirled like a snowdrift in a cold winter breeze. He couldn’t seem to help but touch her. Some compulsion inside him demanded he brush his fingers along the length of her razor sharp cheekbones. Touching her was like trying to grab hold of lightning. Volts of raw power seemed to explode from her flesh into his, and he sucked in a sharp breath, as for a split second, his world came unbalanced.
Tiny fingers latched onto his. “And does my opinion of you really matter?”
She pulled his hand down off her face, but kept them entwined. Lissa was looking at him with the type of focus that demanded an answer.
“It shouldn’t.”
“But does it?”
He hoped she could read the meaning of a look. Hoped that she could look into his eyes and see what he couldn’t yet say. Because this was utter nonsense. The way he felt for her, the intensity he had to get her back safely, to the detriment of his own quest. Why? His jaw clenched.
She feathered fingertips along the scruff of his jaw and the starlight in her eyes danced. Nodding slowly, even though he hadn’t answered her question, she gave him a soft smile. “Have you eaten yet?”
Lissa hadn’t asked for further explanation, hadn’t demanded more than he could give. And a giant wave of relief flooded him.
“No, but whatever Pillar made me drink, I feel full.”
“You have to tell me what happened.”
“You mean you don’t have any recollection, whatsoever? Still?”
She rubbed the back of her head. “All I remember is you leaving me, within, I want to say a minute, something came up on me from behind and there was excruciating pain, and then nothing.”
“Lissa, there was a trail of blood and fur. Your blood and fur,” he said for added emphasis.
She winced. “I can remember none of that. Only what happened to me once you arrived. I remember you whispering my name, and then we were here.” She shrugged.
“It makes no sense to me,” he growled, the frustration mounting up again, “none of this is making any sense. It seems no matter what I do, where I turn, I’m constantly pitted up against one thing or another. I’ve been to Wonderland before—”
“Yes,” she agreed, “a long time ago. Things have changed, we talked about that.”
“No,” he shook his head, resuming his up and down caress of her arms, needing to feel a connection to her in some way, “it’s more than that, Lissa. There was always chaos, and I agree with you that things have changed, but Wonderland was never this dangerous. It was mad, and nonsensical, but it seems to be actively trying to kill us. Can this land do that?”
She sighed and shook her head. “I’ve never experienced this either. I’ve lived here all my life and it does seem to be worse since I met you.”
“Why do you think that is?” He peered deep into her hypnotic, cat shaped eyes.
“I wish I knew. Maybe if you tell me where I was at when you found me, maybe that could help.” She spread her hands wide.
“The caterpillar’s bar.” He shrugged. “A rotten, gray structure full of sound and music and liquor.”
“Caterpillar’s bar?” Her brows dipped. “I don’t understand. I’ve never heard of it.”
“I don’t know if it was actually called that, but you’ve never seen it? Really?”
“No,” she sounded frustrated.
“Well do you know the woman who ran it? Pillar? She had a smushed face, bug feelers on her head, and a massive dress that I’m almost positive was actually her body.” He shuddered. “She forced me to drink something there.”
“What?”
He shrugged. “It tasted like death. Green and thick and vile. I could hardly see for a while afterward.”
“And now?” she asked touching the corner of his eye.
He grabbed her hand. “Now I feel fine. But something did happen to me after I drank it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Things look different. You, this land.” He jerked his hand. “Not as bizarre as before. Things look almost normal. I’d say I was poisoned, but I really do feel fine now.”
She frowned.
“Do you know the woman, Lissa? Or what I drank? Do you know any of it? Pillar told me she was paid to get me to drink it. That’s bothering me more than anything. Who paid her? Why?”
“You don’t feel sick?”
He shook his head.
“Then maybe she lied. Maybe she was careless with her words.”
“No. I don’t believe that. Pillar is many things, but I never got the sense that she’s careless. She had you locked away. Whoever she is, and whatever that was that I drank, I feel like I was supposed to go there. Like it wasn’t an accident but part of some plan…something,” he finished with an impassioned growl.