“Absolutely not.”
I jumped at the sound of Robin’s voice. I hadn't realized he had returned from wherever he had gotten off to. No one really knew where that was, and no one questioned him. We just assumed he needed the break from his group just like everyone else did and left it at that.
“Maryanne isn’t going to go in there,” he continued.
I didn’t know why I was so surprised at hearing this. If I could feel a heartbreak, it just happened. My heart just cracked open, and I was bleeding out. The fact that I was still standing was a miracle unto itself. But if I could collapse, I would have.
“I won’t risk her,” Robin finished.
Alice’s piercing blue eyes were on me. I shifted, suddenly uncomfortable with her presence. I thought only the Imp could be this unnerving, but the truth was, she could be as well. In fact, she was just as much as discomfiting as he was. The only difference was, she was Fae, and she didn’t have a reputation to fear…yet. She would, given the time. She was daughter to two most powerful creatures in Wonderland and had powerful magic coursing through her veins. And the crazy part was, all of that power was wrapped in a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, petite frame.
“But you’ll risk Wendy?” She jutted her finger in my direction.
My cheeks turned red. The last thing I wanted was attention from anyone. If I could blend in with the shadows and trees that made up the Blood Forest, I would gladly do just that. As it was, I was forced to stay exactly where I was and endure everyone’s scrutiny.
“Wendy is a warrior,” Robin said. There was no malice in his tone, and I could tell he genuinely believed what he said. He wasn’t trying to insult me; I didn’t think he even realized his blunder in the first place.
I shouldn’t be angry. I shouldn’t.
But I couldn't help it.
“She’s trained for this.” He continued walking over until he finally reached the group. He was in no hurry, even though two of the most powerful magical beings were in our encampment. “She can shoot a bow and arrow almost as well as I can.”
“And, what, I’m incapable?” Maryanne asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Her dark eyes narrowed on Robin.
At least I wasn’t the only one angry at the situation. There was a difference, though. Robin was trying to protect her. She was petite like Alice, more slender than I was. I was petite in my own way, but through my time working on the bow and arrow, walking everywhere I went, and doing yoga every night before bed to help me ease into slumber instead of staying up all night thinking about my brothers, I was left with lean muscle and strong thighs. I still had curves, and I wasn’t any taller than Alice, so I didn’t understand how Robin could see me any differently than Maryanne.
“Of course you aren’t incapable,” he said softly, though there was a hint of exasperation at having to explain himself in front of the Imp. “But that doesn't mean I want to send you into a snake’s nest. You know Pan. You know what he’s capable of. He’s a silver-tongued bastard who only cares about slithering into Wonderland and taking things that don’t belong to him.”
“I belong to myself,” Maryanne snapped. “As does Wendy. So, it’s just so easy for you to sacrifice her?”
“That’s not –”
“That’s exactly what this is,” she said with a glare. Maryanne was always kind, but every now and then, someone infuriated her to the point where she couldn’t hold back her temper any longer and needed to rip into whomever made a mistake. No one liked it when Maryanne was angry, especially not Robin, but he was usually the culprit of why she was upset in the first place. “You’ll give up one but not the other.”
“Do you know how to use a weapon?” Robin asked her, his voice flat. Rarely did I see him so combative with her, especially since his goal was to placate her at all times. He must truly believe that Maryanne shouldn’t enter the lottery. “What happens if Pan discovers what you really are, hmm? What then?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I leave.”
“You can’t.”
“Then, I fight.”
“With what?” Robin picked up her hands. “These? I could break your bones just by squeezing them too hard.”
“You could do the same to Wendy’s,” Alice pointed out.
Robin ignored her—a dangerous thing to do. “You don’t understand,” he said.
“No, I think I do.” Maryanne gently pulled her hands away from Robin’s light grasp. “You just don’t take me seriously. You don’t think I can defend myself. You don’t think I can help. Wendy has earned your respect, and with good reason.” She caught my eyes, her gaze softening. “I hope you don’t think I’m trying to say that I’m better than you because I don’t think that at all.” She looked back at Robin. “But I am tired of being treated like I can’t do anything worthwhile except cook for the boys. I can. You’ve just never believed in me enough to give me the chance.”
She clenched her teeth together and stiffly turned, walking back to the fire.
Robin didn’t seem embarrassed in the least. He believed what he said with every fiber of his being. Nothing and no one was going to change his mind. However, he was at least smart enough to realize placating Maryanne was now a requirement so he moved from the group to where Maryanne stood. While I couldn’t see her face, I was positive she was glaring at the cackling fire.
“Do you think you can handle it?” the Imp asked.
His voice was loud, though it didn’t scatter the birds. My shoulders jumped. I must have been staring, but that wasn’t entirely my fault. Robin had his hand on Maryanne’s shoulder, and his face was close to hers, and I was positive he was going to kiss her just because of how close they were standing. I didn’t know why I had to watch it, but I did. It must be because I was a secret masochist who needed to hurt in order to heal.
Except, I didn’t think there was any way I was getting over Robin.
“I’m sorry?” I asked. I hadn’t actually heard the Imp’s question, only that he had asked one in the first place.
“Do you think you can handle being in the lottery?” the Imp asked seriously. His black eyes pinned me in place, and I was suddenly grateful he was on our side. I didn’t care if he was because of his feelings for Alice or if it was because he genuinely believed that what his family was doing wasn’t right.
“I…I don’t know.” The truth was, I didn’t think I could. Not with my brothers lingering in the back of my mind. I was too focused on them and my heart was too focused on Robin. Anything else didn’t matter.
“Of course you are,” Alice said without hesitating.
My eyes widened slightly. That someone as strong and as capable as she was could believe in me made me realize maybe I was being too hard on myself. Maybe I needed to shift my priorities slightly and allow myself to consider the possibility that I could actually do this.
“Before you ask, you don’t have to marry my brother,” the Imp put in. “I highly doubt he’d consider you as in the running anyway. I believe that by drawing your name, he’ll be forced to show he’s considering you if he wants to win the town of Wonderland over. Knowing my mother, she’d believe the same thing. She won’t fight it either.”
“How can you be so sure?” Alexander asked. I wasn’t sure where he got the rabbit, but it was in his hands and he had already consumed half of it. His perfect face didn’t have any hint of it on him, though.
“Because she wants this coup to be as seamless as possible,” she said. “She wants to rule over both kingdoms.”
“Yes, but why?” Phillip said.
Alice touched the Imp’s hand, and the two exchanged a look. The Imp glanced away.
“The Fae population is dwindling,” he said. “The last twenty or so years have recorded the least amount of births, and twenty-five percent of those births ended before the age of two. No hint of magic will keep the infant thriving either. Nothing the Fae healers have done has worked. There are rumors that this was a curse placed on the kingdom because of the Mad Mage. He was the original king of Neverland, but he was betrayed by his best friend, my father. Everyone knows he wants revenge, and I’ve learned through my own personal interactions with him he can play the long game. While I’m not sure it’s true, I do know that the Fae are suffering. They want to bridge a gap with Wonderland in order to mingle and possibly produce heirs.”
Everyone started talking at once. It was difficult to decipher what was being asked, what was being rejected, and what everyone found offense to. I couldn’t bring myself to particularly care about this piece of information, though I did tuck it away for a later date. Instead, I glanced over at Robin and Maryanne. They weren’t kissing, but he was still close, and now, his hands were on her waist.
I forced myself to look away, ignoring the twist in my heart. I didn’t want to see the plain intimacy between them. It wasn’t like Robin hid his feelings for her, but did they have to be so public about it? Didn’t they realize there were other people here who didn’t want to endure an overly affectionate relationship…or was that just my jealousy kicking in?
Whatever it was, I hated that too. I liked Maryanne. I liked Robin. If they cared about each other, I should be happy for both of them. They were my friends. But I couldn’t help the sting of bitterness inside of me, pointing out every reason Robin would never want me and how much better Maryanne was with everything.
“...actually going to produce offspring with humans?” This was Phillip, who surprised me by being so flustered about the whole thing, he was standing.
“The difference is, the people of Wonderland have magic,” the Imp said. “I believe that’s why they’re open to the possibility of it. Because at least there’s a chance the offspring will not be solely half-human. He’ll be half-magicked human.”
“And what happens if the women say no?” Phillip asked. “What if they’re married? What if they want no part of this fucking joke of a reason the fucking Fae want anything to do with Wonderland. Wasn’t it the Fae that built the wall of Never Glass around Neverland? To ensure we couldn’t get in and pollute the community simply by being there? And what about the fact that the Red fucking Queen stole our magic and you’re little brother hasn’t returned it.”
“Don’t expect him to,” the Imp said.
“Is he that power hungry?” Alexander asked.
“Pan is the most powerful Fae I know,” the Imp said. “And to assume he’d want human power would insult him.” He chuckled to himself. “I’ll make sure to mention it when he’s feeling particularly antagonistic.”
“Then why keep the power?” Little John asked. “You say he wants to win over Wonderland…why not give everyone their magic back?”
“He’s not stupid,” the Imp said. “It would be akin to handing the general population a weapon which they can then turn around and use to try to usurp him.” The Imp shook his head. “This is the first taste of power Pan’s had in a while in that he’s ruling over others. You have to remember as the second son, he was entitled to nothing. He didn’t expect to get a kingdom to rule over, even if it comes in the shape of a small town.”
“If your population is truly dwindling, why wouldn’t your brother consider Wendy as a true wife?” Alexander asked. “As far as I know, Royals are still expected to have heirs, aren’t they? It solidifies their claim to the throne.”
“The Fae Royalty have multiple wives, and one true wife, but never have any deigned to marry a human, even one with magic,” the Imp said.
“Aren’t you and Alice romantically together?” Phillip asked.
“What does that have anything to do with this?” the Imp asked. His tone was still as nonchalantly British as ever, but his eyes narrowed a fraction. Clearly, he was protective of his relationship with Alice, and I understood why. I wanted something like that for myself.
But the person I wanted that from…
No.
Now wasn’t the time to throw myself a pity party.
“Aren’t you still set to inherit Neverland?” Phillip asked.
“My parents won’t allow me to inherit it because of my relationship with her,” he said. “Pan is playing puppy to Mother, groveling, because he believes by doing as she says—despite the pain both have afflicted him during his life—he’ll get what he thinks he wants: power. He doesn’t care about Wonderland, but he’ll rule here if it means he’ll get Neverland when our parents finally step down from the throne.”
“And you’re okay with that?” Little John asked. “Not having a kingdom that should be yours by birthright?”
“I couldn’t care less about a kingdom I’d have to work hard to manage,” the Imp said.
Alice rolled her eyes but there was a small smile tugging her lips upward.
“Now,” the Imp said. “If that answers all the questions…”
“It doesn’t answer shit,” Phillip said. “We still don’t know what the Fae will do to our women with your brother as mayor or king or whatever his title is. And that’s a problem. Nor does it answer why he wouldn’t consider Wendy.”
“Pan doesn’t want a human wife,” the Imp said. “He won’t mix blood because he values purity. He thinks it’s worth more. Any chink in his armor at ruling, he’ll avoid at all costs. But because of that, he’ll be focused on the other candidates, giving Wendy, here, a chance to explore and pick up any gossip or news that could benefit our cause. As for your other question, I can’t say with certainty, though I expect some kind of forced-surrogacy will occur.” His gaze found me once again. “Well? Will you do it?”