Taken by Passion: King of Hearts (Wonderland Book 1) (8 page)

The odd sense of loneliness due to Jarronn’s absence caused confusion to fog her mind. What was happening to her? She remembered a TV show where an Alice, who had visited Wonderland before returning home, had been thrown into an institution. Everyone in the “real world” had been certain that Alice had gone crazy because she kept talking about the strange world she’d gone to, so off to the asylum she’d been sent.

But the TV Alice and the storybook Alice didn’t exist.

Alice O’Brien did. She was from San Francisco, where she’d grown up with a bastard of a father, and a mother who
did
belong in an institution. She’d also had special people in her life, which included her twin, Alexi, her cousin Annie, and her young aunt, Awai.

The reality—or at least what felt like reality—of what was happening to Alice settled over her shoulders like a heavy yoke. Chasing a rabbit that had turned into a white tiger…falling through a dark tunnel in what felt like chocolate pudding…landing in a strange and bizarre world…and all that had transpired between her, Jarronn, and Kalina…

“I’m not in San Francisco anymore, am I?” Alice turned to look at Kalina, who raised her amber eyes to meet Alice’s gaze. “I don’t think I’m even on Earth any longer.”

“You are correct. You are in the land of Tarok.” Kalina smiled and took both of Alice’s hands in hers. “The High King will explain all in time.”

Alice was so overwhelmed at just the thought of being on another world that she almost missed Kalina’s last statement.

“High King?” she asked as she stared at Kalina, soft golden light provided by the candles flickering across the woman’s features. “I’m going to meet the High King?”

Kalina laughed, the sound sweet and musical. “You have met him and wear his collar.”

“Jarronn is a
High King
?” Alice tried to grasp what Kalina had said. “I’ve been felt up and put into slavery by the king of this place?”

A slight frown marred Kalina’s lovely features as she shook her head. “There are no slaves in the Kingdom of Hearts, or in any one of the four kingdoms of Tarok. In Malachad to the south, yes, the evil Mikaela does keep slaves. But in Tarok, never.”

It occurred to Alice that Kalina had said something else that confused her. “You said there are four kingdoms of Tarok.”

Kalina nodded. “Four brothers, four kingdoms. Jarronn is the High King over the Kingdom of Hearts and rules over all.”

“That’s why the four suits.” Alice shook her head. “This is all so confusing.”

“King Jarronn will explain as he sees fit.” Kalina’s voice was firm. “We shall leave it to what I have shared with you.”

“If I’m not a slave, why the collar?” Alice touched the buttery soft leather with her free hand as she spoke and felt the cool chain lying over her buttocks. “Why all the rules?”

“Are there not rules in your world?” Kalina raised one elegant eyebrow as she studied Alice. “Are you not required to follow the direction of your nobles and your king without question? Are you not punished if you do not obey?”

It was Alice’s turn to frown. “I live in the U.S. We don’t have nobles and kings, but we have other kinds of rulers. Our President and the lawmakers, but they serve the people.” She waved her free hand as she spoke. “So yes, we certainly do have laws and regulations. Hundreds of them. But we’re allowed to vote on the laws and can question them and work to have them changed if we feel strongly enough about it.”

A sly smile curved Kalina’s full lips. “Must you obey these laws as long as they exist?”

Alice’s frown deepened. “Well, yes.”

“Are you not punished if you break these laws?” Kalina looked at Alice with genuine interest in her expression.

“Yeah.” Alice shook her head in exasperation. “But we’re not forced to walk around naked with a collar and nipple rings for cripes sake.”

Kalina shrugged. “Our worlds each function as they are meant to.”

With a sigh, Alice rolled her eyes to the white ceiling and then looked toward the doorway Jarronn had walked through. Was there any use in arguing the point? It was absolutely crazy, but she’d fallen into some kind of erotic bondage and domination world.

Right now she was hungry and confused and so aroused she couldn’t think straight, much less debate the merits or shortcomings of either world’s laws. What did it matter? She just wanted to go home.

“I’m hungry.” Alice pulled her hands from Kalina’s. “Can I get something to eat?”

“Of course. I will go to the kitchen and see to it.” Kalina walked toward the doorway.

Alice had a wild thought. When Kalina went to the kitchen, Alice could leave and find some way out of this place.

When Kalina reached the doorway, she paused and glanced back at Alice. “It will do you no good to try and leave this place. Your room is warded to keep you inside.” More softly she said, “And it is warded to keep bad things out that you would not want to face.”

The fog in Alice’s mind seemed even thicker as Kalina left and closed the door behind her. What did the part about “bad things” mean? Kalina had said something about the room being warded. Did that mean the door was locked and there were bars on the windows?

Alice went to the door first. She gripped the handle and pulled on the door. It wouldn’t budge. She clenched her teeth. Kalina
had
locked her in.

Two arched windows gaped along one of the white walls that looked almost gold in what light there was outside. It was strange—golden moonlight instead of silvery.

She went to one of the windows that had sheer curtains to either side of the openings. No bars. She raised one hand to reach outside the window and frowned when she encountered something soft and springy blocking her hand. It felt like a mattress beneath her fingers, yet she could see through it. A gentle breeze blew into the room, raising her hair from her shoulders and stirring the curtains.

With her jaw set, she scrambled onto the smooth windowsill that was at least two feet wide. She felt the coolness of the sill beneath her knees as she spread her hands in front of her, moving them over the invisible barrier that wouldn’t allow her to climb out the window. She felt like she was going to suffocate as fear spread through her upper chest.

She took several deep breaths and let them out slowly just as Alexi had taught her. Alice slid off of the sill and landed on her bare feet before she went to the other window. She climbed up and tried to reach through the window, but encountered the barrier even as the light breeze continued to swirl into the room, causing the candlelight to dance and flicker.

Outside the window she saw a huge moon that looked like it was made of molten gold. Flowers looked magical in the moonlight and fields of grass or grain waved in the distance. She heard the sound of rushing water, like a river, and the sound of a predator, like a tiger, that caused her to shiver.

What drew her attention the most were the cottages settled on gentle slopes on the inside of a massive wall that surrounded everything. Were people in those homes prisoners, too?

In one of her history classes, she remembered reading that castles had high, wide walls surrounding them. Curtain walls, she thought they were called. What were they holding out? Or were they just keeping people from leaving?

A woman stepped in front of the window and Alice almost fell off the sill in surprise, and barely kept her balance.

Long wheat-blonde hair swirled around the woman’s face as the breezed teased it. The tight black leather catsuit she wore had a neckline that dropped in a V from her breasts down to her exposed belly button. The V was so wide that Alice could see the full curves of the woman’s breasts. The V continued down to a peculiar tattoo around her navel that looked like a large cat’s paw print. A tiger print.

The woman smiled. “Hi, Alice.”

Alice didn’t even blink when the woman said her name. Lots of people probably knew that Jarronn,
King Jarronn,
was holding her hostage in the castle.

The woman’s smile was as brilliant as sunshine as she continued before Alice could speak. “You must bide your time and I will save you from this terrible fate. I cannot help you yet, but soon.”

A feeling of hope loosened the tightness in Alice’s chest. “Who are you?”

“I am Mikaela, and I am your friend.” Mikaela gave her a knowing look. “Be patient.”

“I’m afraid.” Alice’s chest tightened again. “What will they do to me?”

Mikaela shook her head. “Play along with whatever they ask of you. But do not tell anyone about me or I will not be able to help you.”

Behind her, Alice heard the door open. Heart beating faster, she cast a glance over her shoulder and saw Kalina walking in, bearing a tray. Alice looked back to the window. Mikaela was gone.

For a long moment, Alice stared out at the landscape, trying to see where Mikaela had gone. Had she returned to one of those cottages?

“The view is incredible, is it not?” Kalina reached Alice’s side. She looked at Kalina and saw a smile touching the beautiful woman’s lips. “The Kingdom of Hearts is one of the most beautiful Kingdoms in all of the Land of Tarok.

“It certainly is gorgeous.” Alice had to admit Kalina was right. “At least what I’ve seen of it.”

“Come now.” Kalina raised the tray. “It is basic fare, but it will do you good to eat.”

Alice couldn’t argue with that. She breathed in the wonderful smell of fresh-baked bread as she studied the tray. Meats, cheeses, and unusual-looking fruits were arranged on the platter. To the side of the food were two metal tankards with handles that contained some kind of drink.

She climbed off the sill and walked to one corner of the room where Kalina set the tray on a round table. Alice followed, and then sank into one of the cushioned chairs on one side of the table, and Kalina took the chair on the opposite side.

It might have been just because she hadn’t eaten for a while, but Alice thought it was one of the best meals she’d ever had. She especially enjoyed the peach-tasting ale and soon found herself feeling a little on the tipsy side.

She almost giggled when she thought about going into her Twitter account and tweeting: @AliceOBrienSF fell down the rabbit hole and is in the Kingdom of Hearts. Watch out for the white rabbit! #losingmymind #help Her giddiness vanished as she tried to make sense of it all.

While she ate, she didn’t speak. Her mind churned over everything that had happened since she’d fallen into this strange land. The morning she’d had before she spotted the rabbit in Golden Gate Park was becoming a distant memory. Being fired, lots of bad luck on the way home, and then finding her ex in bed with a woman and a man. It was as if it all happened a lifetime ago, or like a strange dream. She could barely hold onto the foggy tendrils still in her mind.

She closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath before exhaling. The one thing she would never forget was her family and her friends. They were still clear in her mind and she would never let their memories go.

THE DAYS PASSED SLOWLY as Alice was kept in the same room she’d woken in. It was the third Tarok day, and damn were these days long. She blew out her breath as she sat on the edge of the bed and swung her legs.

She had ignored Jarronn’s orders when it came to not giving herself an orgasm. Just about every night she had brought herself to climax, picturing Kalina with the three men, and even Jarronn’s fabulous body—but in her fantasies, he was minus the leather pants.

It was odd how she’d become accustomed to being naked, with nipple rings and the soft leather collar. She now felt less self-conscious around Kalina and Jarronn, the only two people she’d seen since she’d watched the three men with Kalina.

The thought of the three men taking Kalina, never failed to make Alice’s body flush with heat.

Kalina didn’t come often and not for very long, just mostly to bring her meals. Alice had a million questions she wanted to ask, but the woman put her off every time.

Alice pushed strands of her long hair over her shoulder as she pondered her feelings about being naked around Jarronn. He never looked through her, like many people did when they met an overweight person. No, he didn’t look at her that way at all. Instead, the fire in his gaze seemed to say he liked what he saw. But how could that be?

The Rubenesque paintings of the late 1500s to early 1600s showed voluptuous women like her. Maybe Jarronn was into women like her. But then she’d seen slender women outside the window, near the cottages and in the gardens, and Kalina was absolutely gorgeous. Why would he want Alice?

With a sigh, she pushed herself off of the bed and paced the cool floor. She hadn’t been allowed to leave the room, not even once. A chamber pot was there to use when necessary. It was magically clean each time Alice had to use it. This place was unbelievably full of magic. Kalina served Alice food three times a day, and Alice always set something aside for a snack if she was hungry between meals.

She walked to the window and stared out at the lengthening shadows. Eventually it would be dark. She sat on the windowsill, facing the door, and swung her legs onto the sill, knees bent and her arms wrapped around them. While she hugged her knees, she looked out at the scenery she’d become well accustomed to. Out of habit, she put her hand in front of her and felt the same cushioned air that she encountered every time she went to one of the windows.

Alice had begun to believe that all of this was real. She
did
believe it was real, the magic and everything else. Why not? She’d always thought that other life forms had to be in their galaxy or any one of the 100 to 200 billions of galaxies that scientists said were out there. How could there not be other humanoid life forms?

She missed her own world, though, and all its technology. She missed her phone with all of its apps, missed her laptop, and missed keeping in touch with friends via social media and e-mail.

Yet she didn’t miss all of the horrible things in the news media. She followed news organizations’ pages she’d “Liked” in her Facebook feed and had followed news outlets in her Twitter account. Sometimes she’d wanted to turn them all off just so she wouldn’t read about the constant negativity around them. What about the good things that happened? The media seemed to ignore anything positive.