He’d never admit it out loud, but hearing her say we pulled a quick smile to his lips.
“Not without some way to capture her without harming her. I’ve no wish to kill her, and without the net that Danika provided, the only way to bring her down would be to kill her. I’ve killed enough in my life; I’m not the murdering bastard the tales would make me out to be. Unless of course if Rumpelstiltskin came back. Him, I might make an exception for.”
Her lips twitched for a second. “But if she’s as mad and wild as they say, then isn’t that exactly what we should do, for the safety of all?”
Aeric had no problem killing, he’d done it many times in the past, whether under his Queen’s directives, or for meat. But he’d never been one to enjoy killing innocents. It was why The Evil Queen had eventually let him loose, she’d never forgiven him for letting Snow White escape. “I looked into her eyes, Lissa. There is something there, an alertness of some sort. My gut tells me she can be saved.”
“Do you really?”
The one thing Aeric had always relied on was his instinct. His ability to know when killing was wrong. And in this case, it was very, very wrong.
So far it’d served him well. “Yes, I really do.”
“Then what’s the plan? Without your tool, I don’t see how.”
“You followed me that day, Lissa. You also say you’ve seen Chrysalis walk about for years, cats are intrinsically curious, are they not?”
Her eyes smiled.
“You know Wonderland like the back of your hand, you once said. So you must know where she’s keeping them.”
“She’s like a ghost, Aeric. I catch glimpses, but I’ve never been able to truly follow her.”
He shrugged. “You don’t have to to know where she stores her treasures.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned.
“I mean, you’re naturally curious. I’m sure you’ve come across her treasure chest,” he finger quoted, “at some point.”
She shook her head. “I wouldn’t have a clue where to start.”
“We start at the beginning.” Grabbing hold of her waist, making sure to help her up as he stood, he dusted off his pants. If there was one thing Aeric knew, it was that animals, be they human or otherwise, all shared similar tendencies. Large mammals almost always had dens—a place to hoard and store their valuables, their keepsakes. Chrysalis wouldn’t know what the netting was most likely, but it was on him, which meant she’d understood it was of some worth.
She’d hidden it.
Of that he had no doubt.
The sun was just starting to creep above the horizon line when they finally stepped back onto the red dirt path. Lissa was unnaturally quiet, peering through the woods, then at the sleeping flowers, before looking back at him and giving him a tight smile.
The second time she did it, he frowned. “What’s the matter? You’re acting nervous.”
“Am I?” She blinked innocently, and even though they may not have known one another long, Aeric felt attuned to her emotions.
He lifted a brow.
Finally, she nodded. “I can’t stop thinking about…”
When she didn’t continue, he shoulder bumped her. They weren’t doing anything at the moment but walking. The woods were silent, no animals stirred. As Wonderland had been almost since the moment he’d arrived. Talking would be good.
“About what?”
She huffed, picked at her thumbnail before quickly dropping it and then stopping, she rounded on him. “You. About you. About who you are. How the broker knew you. Your history. Why it seemed when he’d mentioned a past you’d shut down and walked away from me.” Shrugging, she turned and started walking again.
For a moment he couldn’t move, could only stare at her stunned that she was thinking about something that’d happened long enough ago he’d assumed she’d forgotten. She hadn’t seemed to care much when it did happen.
Jogging to quickly catch up, he grabbed her hand.
“No, I’m sorry for asking that. It’s personal and I shouldn’t have—”
This time it was his turn to place a finger against her lips. “Do you always talk so much?”
She grinned. “It’s a talent of mine.”
Rubbing his thumb along the softness of her inner wrist, he returned her smile. “I’m not mad, Lissa, I just didn’t realize that you really cared about that. You didn’t act like you did.”
Sighing, she gently tugged on his finger so that he’d start walking once again. “It bothered me. But I didn’t think I had a right to ask.”
His pulse fluttered. “And do you feel you have the right to now?”
Stepping over a large mossy stone, she shrugged. “You came back for me.”
His lips twitched. “I did.”
Huffing, she punched his arm. It didn’t hurt, it didn’t even sting, but she growled and then elbowed him.
“Omph,” the sound dropped automatically from his lips.