Before Midnight (24 page)
Now Danika was set to bring him another Alice, knowing this one to be the right one, but what would he feel knowing this Alice came from that Alice? Would he even give the girl a chance? Would he hate her because of who she was? The thought made Danika sick.
If the magic hadn’t demanded Danika find him an Alice, she’d have brought him a blasted Jane and to hell with all the Alices everywhere.
“Yes, just so.” She sighed in answer to his nonsensical ramblings.
Gerard snorted. “Only bride who’ll have him is one freshly buried. Honestly,
fee,
cruel torture.”
She planted hands on her hips in her best authoritative pose. Not easy for one barely 10 inches tall. “Your turn will come soon enough, Gerard.”
He shuddered, and she nodded, pleased her words hadn’t faltered. “Now off with the lot of you. Freshen up, get sober, and for the gods’ sakes, wash.” She eyed Gerard in particular.
They all sat staring at her. She glowered. “Go, I say!” And gesturing at them with her wand, she lifted them from their seats. Wolf yelped the loudest as Danika tossed them from the garden.
“Blast you,
sorciere demon
,” Gerard’s thick growl rose above the grumbles of the rest.
She grinned and twirled towards Hatter. He was staring at her, eyes full of pain, of hunger, of something he felt would be forever out of his reach.
“Cursed,” he whispered.
She patted his cold fingers. “Hatter, you are not cursed. We just haven’t found the one yet. But we will. I swear it.”
Danika’s words sounded sure, but in her heart she trembled.
What will he do
: was now the chanting mantra tattooed in her skull. She didn’t have a choice, he was unwell, and he didn’t have much time. She bit her lip.
“Let me be, Danika.” He stood. “I do not want a mate out of necessity, or one chosen for me by this crazy up-is-down and down-is-up world. I will not do this again.”
“I love you, Hatter, but hear me well. I’ll never stop.”
He clenched his fist, brimstone burning in the depths of his cold black eyes. Then he blinked and smiled, a slow curling grin. “Do you know, fairy?”
She frowned. “What, my dear?”
His eyes were glazed, his body swaying. “The answer to the riddle?”
Danika’s lips thinned, heart bleeding. He couldn’t even hang on to his anger before the madness claimed him.
She swallowed hard. “I do.”
“And?” He lifted up on his toes.
“Poe, dear.” She touched his bristly jaw. “Poe.”
He snapped his fingers and with a sharp nod, walked off muttering, “I knew it.”
If Miriam hadn’t told truth, if this wasn’t the right Alice, Hatter wouldn’t survive another year. Alice Hu had to be the one, because without the Hatter, Wonderland could never be the same.
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About the Author
Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as the novels of Terry Pratchett.
Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent three year old son.
Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her toddler can find that all magical button on her laptop to make all her work vanish.
To learn more about Jennifer Blackstream and her novels, visit her website at
http://www.jenniferblackstream.com/
. In addition to information about J.B. and her books, you will find bonus content such as
deleted scenes
,
early versions of cover art
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book trailers
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Did you find a typo?
I hate typos. I do my best to rid my manuscripts of them before I send them to my editor, and then she does her best to find any stragglers that I missed. Still, sometimes the little buggers get by both of us and leap off the page to torment you, my loyal readers!
So here’s the deal. If you found any typos, go to
www.jenniferblackstream.com
and click on “
The Typo Challenge
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That’s right . . . you can win a gift certificate just for reporting a typo.
And thank you for helping me improve the reading experience for later readers.
- Jennifer Blackstream
Ahoy, Ebook Pirates!
As much as I dream of the day when I can live off my writing income, I understand that some people (for whatever reason) find my books on pirating sites and download them for free. I can't stop that. I'm an author with stories to tell and a three year old boy to dote on, I don't have time to track down pirates.
So here's my proposition:
If you have downloaded one of my books for free (for whatever reason) please leave a
donation
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If you can't afford a financial tip of the hat, leaving a review would be a nice gesture as well.
Thank you for taking the time to hear my spiel.
Happy Reading,
Jenny
Copyright
Before Midnight
©Copyright Jennifer Blackstream 2012
Skeleton Key Publishing
Cover Art Elaina of For the Muse Designs © Copyright June 2013
Edited by Julia Kanno
This is a work fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Skeleton Key Publishing, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the context of reviews.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. In all seriousness, if you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should delete it and purchase your own copy or else be faced with an irate pixie and a snarling dragon. Thank you for respecting the hard work of all people involved with the creation of this ebook.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Skeleton Key Publishing. Unauthorized or restricted use in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patent Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2012 by Skeleton Key Publishing, Norton, Ohio, United States of America
Table of Contents
Preview of ONE BITE, sequel to BEFORE MIDNIGHT
If you like the BLOOD PRINCE series by Jennifer Blackstream, try the KINGDOM series by MARIE HALL