Gerard's Beauty, by Marie Hall

Good Monday Morning!  Let's start the week off with the next book in Marie's Kingdom series, Gerard's Beauty.  I don't know about you, but I can't think a better way to start the week than with an awesome read!

BUY LINK: Gerard's Beauty ($2.99)

BLURB - 

A not so classic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, as seen through the eyes of the villain...

Betty Hart has had it with men. Jilted in love, her life now consists of shelving books by day, watching too much Anime by night, and occasionally dressing up like a superhero on the weekends with her fellow ‘Bleeding Heart’ nerds. Men are not welcome and very much unwanted. Especially the sexy Frenchman who saunters into her library reeking of alcohol and looking like he went one too many rounds in the ring.

Gerard Caron is in trouble. Again. Caught with his pants down (literally) he’s forced to seek asylum on Earth while his fairy godmother tries to keep Prince Charming from going all ‘Off with his head’. Maybe, messing around with the King’s daughter hadn’t been such a great idea after all, not that Gerard knew the silly redhead was a princess. But his fairy godmother knows the only way to save his life is to finally pair Gerard with his perfect mate, whether he’s willing or not.

From the moment Gerard lays eyes on the nerdy librarian he knows he must have her, but Betty is unlike any woman he’s ever known. He thought Betty would come as willingly to his bed as every other woman before her, but she is a woman who demands respect and even… horror of all horrors… love. Is it possible for a self-proclaimed Casanova to change his ways?

CHAPTER ONE - 

Danika-- fairy godmother extraordinaire-- blazed through the night like a tiny falling star.

Damn that pompous bastard Gerard.

She shivered, holding her wand tight to her heaving bosom. Trying to think up a few more bad words for the odious man, but words failed her. He’d turned her into a laughing stock in front of her peers.

Galeta the blue-- Head Mistress of Fairy Godmother Inc.-- threatened to rip Danika’s title from her. From her! How dare they even insinuate that she’d lost control of her charges?

Of course Gerard’s pending trial only strengthened their allegations. The oaf. If he’d only kept his nose clean like she’d implicitly instructed. But the man was incapable of thinking with something other than the snake in his pants. She’d hoped after his last trial he’d be a little more thoughtful of whom he seduced. Last time they’d been lucky that the father had been willing to settle the debt for a few gold coins. She doubted gold would appease this situation.

Cinderella’s daughter… of all the lass’ Gerard could have beguiled, why her? Now Prince Charming was all ‘off-with-his-head’ and Danika had a serious problem on her hands.

She ground her molars so hard her jaw ached. “Relax, Danika. Must not allow yourself to get angry.” Even though she suffered a violent urge to turn Gerard into a toad, it would only prove to her peers she had lost control and unfortunately it was not a viable option. Using magic for revenge was the very thing that’d cursed Jinni to non-genie status. Danika had no desire to be striped of her powers as well.

She beat her wings faster, streaking through the trees with a furious buzz.

She had to get to Gerard first, before the angry mob could get their hands on him. Thankfully she’d sic’d the best tracker in the Kingdom on him, and just received the missive she’d been waiting weeks to get. Gerard had been found. And not a moment too soon.

For tonight the jury and tribunal convened-- comprised of jilted lovers, fathers with revenge on their minds, and the three most powerful godmothers in the land-- if she could get Gerard out of Kingdom, perhaps she could convince the court he’d not return unless reformed.

Perhaps... just perhaps, that would be enough to mollify the crowd and prevent a retaliatory execution.

And after her smashing success with the Hatter and his Alice. None had thought that romance possible. She’d proven them wrong, had made a true love match. In fact, the two were so in love it bordered on disgusting.

But now none of that mattered, thanks to the French baboon. If Danika had been smarter she’d have known Gerard planned to flee. He, more than the others, hated the very notion of love. After Alice and Hatter’s successful match Gerard had become withdrawn and quiet. That was so unlike the gregarious Frenchman that at first Danika had thought him jealous. What a fool she’d been to let him have his space. She’d thought nothing of his leaving, but as time progressed and he’d not returned, an awful suspicion rose in her gut.

He’d gotten himself into trouble.

By that point so much time had passed his trail had gone cold. She’d searched his favorite haunts, to no avail. Out of sheer desperation she’d questioned the flowers, as they always knew what was what, but the flowers had been less than helpful. One saw this, another that, but none could pinpoint him accurately. It seemed the moment his location was discovered, he’d hie himself off to the next pair of plump arms and ample bosom.

The man was a nitwit. Did he not see she had his best interest at heart? But maybe it was her fault for the whole Belle debacle. 

To Danika’s credit making a love match was no easy feat. Still she did feel partly responsible. The night Belle had married the Beast she thought Gerard had gone as mad as the Hatter.

Gerard had gotten thick in his cups-- face splotchy and red-- sniveling that Belle was a tramp all along and he’d known and wouldn’t have her anyway. However the insult of her marriage was nothing compared to the greater insult he believed he’d suffered afterwards.

Forced anonymity.

Through the ages mortals had learned of the lives and roles of the Kingdom’s inhabitants through song and tale. All knew of Hook’s obsession with Pan, Wolf’s run in with Red’s grandmother-- but of Gerard, well... he wasn’t even a cliff note in a text book. He simply did not exist outside of Kingdom. Ironic, since his story was easily one of the better known, but... as he’d so often done, he’d screwed the pooch (to use an oft used Earth phrase). He’d angered the wrong people and they’d exacted their revenge. Danika might have felt sorry for him if he were anyone else, but Gerard was Gerard. He angered everyone. 

Spying Leonard’s lighted gardens in the distance she sighed, feeling a little more in control of herself now that she could act. Danika alighted on the empty tea table. “Wolf,” she hissed.

A shaggy black shadow pulled away from the tree. His long pink tongue lolled out the corner of his fanged jaws. Huffing, he appeared to be laughing in his dog like way.

“Did you find him then?”

The Big Bad Wolf dipped his head, and turning, trotted back to the tree he’d hidden behind earlier. A flash of white light lit the rose garden and then a tall, muscularly built man stepped out from behind the tree.

The books had it all wrong. Shifters never turned human with clothes on. They returned to human form as nude as the day they were born. His muscles, like thick ropes, flexed as he strode back out. She fanned her flushed face, entranced by his predatory loping grace, even on two feet, he walked like a beast.

My, but her boys were pretty. She cleared her throat, attempting to remember why she was here.

Eyes, the golden shade of a lion’s hue, glinted back at her. “I’ve brought him.” His throaty growl made her shiver. “He seduced a mermaid, was hiding out in her lair.” He spat, disgust evident in his tone.

“Yes, well, you know how he is. No woman can resist him. Beautiful, abhorrent man.” She pursed her lips.

He lifted a shaggy black brow. “Do you think it’s fair then, what you’ve planned? Not that I care about the bastard, but the woman.”

Ah, her wolf always did have a soft spot for the female form. Much maligned he’d been for eating Red’s grandmother, though the stories were mostly exaggerated.

“I must.” She shook her fists, her wand spurted with firework bursts of energy. “’Tis more than a mere matter of finding his mate. He’s in danger of losing his very life.”

He frowned and rubbed his stubbled jaw. “I see. Well, then. He’s behind that tree. Bound and gagged, as ordered.” He pointed to a gnarled oak.

She smirked and started toward it.

“Our bargain?” he asked quietly, a low growl undercut his words.

She bit her lip, heart speeding just a tad. Danika had kind of promised him something. The godmothers were not going to like it. She wrinkled her nose, rubbing her forehead, bit of a pickle that situation.

“Danika,” his voice grew sharper, more wolf like, less human.

“Yes, yes, bloody hell, Wolf. As I’ve promised.”

His nostrils flared, as if he were trying to scent her out. Sweating below her collar, she gripped her wand tighter. She did not lie, though perhaps she’d embellished the truth a wee tiny bit. But no need to let him know that.

Just yet.

Her grin wobbled.

His lips thinned as he finally nodded. “Aye, then. You know where to find me.”

“I do indeed.” She watched him go. “Oh my.” He was really not going to like what she’d done. But then again, neither would anyone else.

“I do what I must,” she sighed, as she rounded the oak.  Being a godmother was often a thankless job. It’d only taken her two hundred and fifty years and twenty ones days (but who was counting) to stop being offended by it. Though every once in a while, it still rankled.

Like now, when her boys should be deliriously happy by the prospect of finding their match. Not like she’d asked them to chew their own leg off. Her mouth curled. Given the choice between self mutilation or marriage, she wasn’t sure which they’d choose. But she was almost 99 percent positive it wouldn’t be the girls.

Stupid men.

Case in point, Gerard,-- hog-tied at the base of the tree-- eyes closed, hair disheveled and filled with bits of bramble. He’d looked better. And had obviously fought like a rabid dog to escape Danika’s clutches.

Danika walked to him, the closer she got, the more overpowering the odor of alcohol became. She pinched her nose, getting woozy.

Gerard was covered in gashes and scrapes. A long cut ran under his right eye, a slight bluish tinted bruise shaded his cheek, and she was sure he’d not be able to do much more than sip liquid nourishment for the next day or two. Swollen and bloody, his lips were painful even to gaze upon.

Wolf, perhaps, had been a bit too thorough in bringing him back.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine mess this is, Gerard.” Though angry with him, her heart ached to see him like this.

He’d been jovial once. Oh, he’d always had a touch of the devil in him-- no doubt-- but good where it’d mattered most. Not since Belle though, and especially not since the night his legacy had been forever tainted by lies and half truths.

Danika tsked. “I should let you face their wrath, Gerard. Truly I should. No less than you deserve.” Her words were tough, but her touch was soft as she gently caressed his smooth brow. Even after all he put her through, she still loved him. Loved them all, they were her boys, and she’d fight to the death to protect them.

He snorted and then sneezed, showering her in a cloud of dust. She shuddered and stepped away from his mouth.

“Sad, pathetic man you are now.” She shook her head. He gave a soft moan, whether he understood her or not, she wasn’t sure. “Yes, I said it. Pathetic.”

“Non,” he grimaced and twitched, as if becoming aware of the bonds that held him.

She coughed and waved her hand in front of her nose. “This is horrible. Horrible!” She stomped her foot. “Gerard, she’ll be terrified of you. You look like a beggar. No. Worse. You look like a beggar who’s been waylaid in a distillery vat. If this were any other time I’d wait.”

“Bloody Wolf.” He spit a crimson streak. “Told him I’d come.”

“Yes, I’m sure you were quite the angel. Wolf completely in the wrong.” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

He cracked open a blood shot eye and shifted, trying to move to a sitting position. His body jerked and he groaned, laying his face back down in the dirt. “Perhaps I did attempt to cold cock him first. Bit fuzzy on that.”

“Of course you did.” She pointed her wand at his bonds, a bright pink glow wrapped around the leather hide on his wrists and ankles.

Gingerly, he sat up and rubbed his chapped wrists. Taking a deep breath, he winced. “I think the bastard broke a rib.” He felt around his waist. When she didn’t respond to his obvious ploy to baby him, he sighed. “Fine. Fine,” his deep French lilt grew heavy with exasperation. “I concede. You made your point, but you cannot bring her here with me looking like this.”

She leaned back on her heels. His shirt was shredded in several spots. One-- a particularly long rip along his chest-- exposed the tiny bud of a brown nipple. Blood stained his collar. But it was his pants, with the laces loosened, that told the true tale. Wolf had obviously found Gerard rutting like a mad fool. She lifted a brow, looking back at him.

He grinned and then winced when his cracked lip oozed. “I am a man, fee,” he said it unabashed, almost prideful.

Danika thinned her lips. She’d studied the girl-- Betty Hart. The mortal had good insight into a person’s true psyche. A rare gift in a human (apart from a disastrous and much too recent relationship with a boyo named James) her instincts were normally spot on. Unfortunately now that she’d been burned, Betty questioned her intuition. This pairing could work, but only if both Gerard and Betty let it. Problem was convincing them of it.

“I never said I’d bring her here,” she licked her teeth, studied her nails and waited.

One second.

His face scrunched up.

She tapped her foot.

Two seconds.

His jaw dropped.

She smiled.

Three seconds. And...

“Non! No. I refuse. I will not be sent to that vile,” he ground his jaw, “Earth!”

She planted her hands on her hips. “Oh, but you will.”

Anger glittered like hellfire in the depths of his inky blue eyes. “You didn’t send Hatter.”

“He could not go. You, however...” She eyed him hard, trying to pretend her knees weren’t currently knocking. He could be quite imposing when he wanted to be. “Are another matter. You were not born of Earth therefore you can safely walk its roads.”

His nostrils flared. “You cannot make me, I will not go.”

She almost laughed at his petulant manner. “You are very wrong there, me boy. I most certainly can and will. Just this evening a tribunal’s been called.”

He stiffened and she smiled. “Oui, mon ami. You know exactly what I mean. Princess Arabella! Gerard, what were you thinking?” she screeched, finally free to vent her frustration.

Gerard scrubbed his face. “It is not what it seems. I swear, Marraine, I did not touch her. The coquinethrew herself at me. I’d never force myself on a woman, much less a princess.”

“I find it hard to believe you could not tell it was her, she’s a wild mane of orange hair. ‘Tis impossible to mistake her for a commoner!” Danika threw her hands up.

Gerard shook his head. “She was in disguise, I swear it. Once I discovered who she was, I put her aside, but by that point I was found and well...” He tunneled blunt fingers through his messy hair. “I ran. I knew they’d lock me in the dungeon.”

She believed him, which made the situation all the harder. “Oh, Gerard,” she touched his chin, “your past returns to haunt you.”

“But you do believe me?” His dark blue eyes were large and earnest.

She rolled her wrist, the wand burst with pink bolts of energy. “I do.”

He sighed, his shoulders visibly relaxing.

“But, you know they will not. You’ve bedded too many of the town’s women...”

He frowned. “All willing. I don’t care what they claim now.”

“Be that as it may,” she shook her head, “you’ve angered most, if not all men folk, and now the King. You must leave. I’ll go in your stead and speak on your behalf.”

“Good. Good.”

She pursed her lips. “I hope you don’t expect this to go as smoothly as before. You only slept with the milliner’s daughter then, this is a Princess.”

“Ah,” he grabbed her by the waist and holding her like a doll, planted a quick kiss on her cheek, “you’ll do fine. You’ll show them all’s well and I’ll be free to return. Besides, I did not bed the wench. She’s as untarnished as before. Mostly.”

She growled, even while her heart pounded. He thought it would be as simple as the last time, she knew by his light hearted teasing that he did not understand the magnitude of his earnest mistake. This time Gerard had angered a King, a King bent on retribution. Galeta would respond as she’d been dying to do for decades now, he’d finally given the head godmother a legitimate reason to exact her revenge.

Danika had no clue why Galeta hated Gerard so much. He’d never shared, but knowing her mistress as she did, Danika feared the worst.

Danika would fight like the devil to see the punishment fit the crime, unfortunately she was pretty sure she’d be the only one coming to his defense. 

His smile slipped. “Fee? You’re keeping something from me. What?”

“I...” Danika sucked in a breath, hating how transparent she always was. She gave him a weak grin and wiggled free of his grasp, not wanting to be accidentally crushed. Perhaps she should tell him. Just in case, prepare him for the worst possible scenario.

But in that moment he looked like the boy she remembered from his youth, eyes clear and free of guile. Beautiful face made more handsome because he wasn’t oozing sex, but being himself. If Gerard could ever learn not to depend on his looks, but to let a woman see the kindness buried so deep she wasn’t sure he even knew it still existed, he’d bend even more hearts his way.

That peek of his humanity made Danika bite her tongue. Perhaps by some miracle she could convince the court of his innocence in this. “It is nothing, Gerard.”

“Non,” he snarled, fists clenching, “I know you well, fairy, there is fear in your eyes. You tell me the truth.”

Danika held his gaze, wanting desperately to turn away and not meet the blinking fury he directed at her like a lethal blade. He said nothing, only vibrated with the strength of his mounting anger.

She knew he was not angry at her, but at his circumstances, which was the only reason why she didn’t quiver like a sapling. “Be on your best behavior, Gerard. Her name is Betty Hart. Find her, mate her. You’ll thank me.”

She swished her wand and Gerard shot to his feet. “You cannot mean to do this,” he barked, “Danika, what aren’t you telling me?” His body already began to fade into the glowing tunnel that would take him through dimensions. He looked over his shoulder.

Her heart squeezed.

“I’ll be better,” he said, “no more whoring. Drinking,” his French accent thickened. “I’ll... stop.”

The road to hell was paved with good intentions. He might mean it, but Gerard would never be able to stop. It was his way and who he was. The only thing that could possibly change him would be falling in love.

“Gerard, do not forget why this is now a necessity. You’ve placed yourself in this situation. I’m doing my very best to fix what has now become a matter of life and death.” She flew to him, briefly able to touch the corner of his jaw before he became insubstantial. “I’ll return to you once I’ve received verdict.”

“A pox on that,” were his last words before he vanished. 

*********

I hope you enjoyed that peak at Gerard's Beauty.  Ready for more?  Click on the buy link and get the rest of the book!  Happy reading!

BUY LINK:  Gerard's Beauty ($2.99)

Her Mad Hatter, by Marie Hall

As promised, here's the blurb and first chapter for Her Mad Hatter.  Now, don't just put this on your TBR pile in your head, go download it and have it on your ereader as a To Be Read!  Yep, this book is currently FREE!  So check it out, then go get your copy!  :-)

BUY LINK: Her Mad Hatter

Blurb - 

Alice is all grown up. Running the Mad Hatter's Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe is a delicious job, until fate--and a fairy godmother with a weakness for bad boys--throws her a curveball. Now, Alice is the newest resident of Wonderland, where the Mad Hatter fuels her fantasies and thrills her body with his dark touch.

The Mad Hatter may have a voice and a body made for sex, but he takes no lovers. Ever. But a determined fairy godmother has forced Alice into Wonderland--and his arms. Now, as desire and madness converge, the Hatter must decide if he will fight the fairy godmother's mating--or fight for Alice.

Chapter One -

Danika, fairy godmother extraordinaire, ran her glowing hand over a shadowy bump in the mushroom cap wall of her home. It was the hiding place for her most treasured and valuable item-- her wand. She grabbed hold of the smooth wood, the hum of its power echoing down her fingertips like the swelling vibrations of water dripping on thin metal. Worn down from years of granting wishes. She was the best at what she did. No doubt about it.

Of course that stupid fat cow- oh what was her face, the one who worked with Cinderella- thought she was the best. But honestly, what was her claim to fame? Turning a pumpkin into a coach? Or, how about making mice footmen?

Preposterous.

She was a disgrace to all the fairy godmothers out there with her ridiculous bippity-boppity-booing.

Not to mention her clientele. That simpering little doll-- a classic Mary Sue if ever there was one. Oh save me, Prince Charming, for I am pretty and cannot do a thing for myself. *Bat lashes, wiggle bottom, ad nauseum.*

Blah!

Pathetic little creature. Danika would rather gouge her eye out with a spoon. A rusty one! And... and... roughened at the edges. She humphed. That’s how much she hated the simpering princes and princesses of her world.

Thankfully, she’d never have that problem. The moment Danika had graduated from Fairy Godmother Inc.- three hundred years ago- she’d applied to work as godmother to the lowly. Since none of the other godmothers wished to work for them, they’d given her the position posthaste and left her to do her thing. Quite happily too, she might add.

Danika worked for the bad boys of Kingdom.

The degenerates; low lifes, and naughty villains. She snorted, shaking her head at how little anyone knew about her boys. Why any self-respecting fairy godmother would pass them over for an inane twit who relied on animals to do her housecleaning was beyond her. Grabbing her star-dusted cloak from off the coat rack, she tossed it over her shoulders. Glittering bits of stardust drifted to the floor.

A golden bolt of power flowed down her arm, through her fingers, and out the tip of the wand. It swirled like a flame, dousing out the candles. She shut the door behind her.

Tiny iridescent wings broke free of her vest, lifting her high into the bejeweled night. Her path cut through trees with branches thick as the fattest snakes.

Stargazers shivered at her passing.

“Thank you, Fairy Godmother!” they crooned as the stardust settled on their beautiful pink petals. They swiveled on thin green stems, lapping up the powder like a fine wine.

Danika winked, gave them a jaunty wave, and continued on. Most days she’d stop to chat, maybe sing a song or two, but tonight she traveled in haste.

Once a year, the Bad Five (the truly worst of the worst of her boys) gathered, to drink, to discuss who’d they’d plot against next, and generally muck it up together. It was perfect timing for her-- because she had five birds to kill and one stone to do it with.

Miriam the Shunned-- fairy godmother of wishes and visions-- had given Danika some sobering news last month. Either get the Bad Five hitched, or great misfortunate would befall them.

Not like Danika hadn’t made many love matches already. Her resume was quite hefty. Why just last week Mr. Fee Fi Fo Fum himself had fallen madly for the wicked witch of the West. Next month was to be their nuptials. Danika had received her invitation to the gala only today. And last month she’d introduced Tweedle-De to La-Di-Dah, sparks ignited, and Danika was fairly certain there’d be a second wedding in the future.

Danika was good at love matches when given sufficient time, but love matches weren’t as simple as poof there she is, kissy kissy, and sailing off into the sunset. Finding a perfect mate took patience and due diligence. To suddenly be told the Bad Five had less than a year to find their mates... the thought twisted Danika’s stomach in knots.

Not like Danika hadn’t tried already, many times. But love was much more than chemistry; it was a melding of hearts and minds. Of seeing someone and knowing unequivocally she or he was it.

Thankfully, Miriam had owed Danika a boon. There’d been an incident several years ago, one nearly forgotten by all but Danika and Wolf. A sad affair really… Danika shook her head, shoving the haunting memories aside before they grew too strong and claimed her thoughts, now was not the time to think on that, eventually she’d have to address the wrong and pray to the gods she could make it right. But today was for her boys and thanks to Miriam’s sight Danika now knew the names of the women, the very ones her boys were destined to be with.

But she’d been shocked. Not at the names, rather at the reality of just how close she’d been to finding Hatter’s match once before. All within Kingdom knew Alice was destined for Hatter. Their story had been entwined since the very beginning; problem was of the millions of Alices in the world, ‘twas hard to know exactly which one she was.

When Danika was around a viable option her entire body would tingle. Her body had tingled many times and each time she’d been wrong. But a few years ago she’d come across an Alice who did more than make her tingle; her body had surged with power so intense that Danika had momentarily blacked out.

Her name had been Alice Hu.

Miriam had told Danika that Hatter’s true match was also named Alice Hu, great-granddaughter of the original. And Hatter had hated the original.

Flapping her wings harder, Danika tried to ignore the sick pit in her stomach. She’d agonized about this all night and finally came to the only conclusion there was: she would not tell him who the girl was beforehand.

A squawking noise broke her from her musings. Startled, she looked up and just in time too. A large white stork carrying a blue bundle in its long beak headed straight toward her.

“Stork!” she cried, and beat her gossamer wings in a furious fashion, hoping to sail clear of the sharp dagger that was his beak tip. She clutched her chest, breathing deep to calm frazzled nerves.

“Mmm, so shorry, Danika. Muss make me drop time, hiss Excellenshe will tar and feather me if I’m late.” His words were slurred, unable to open his beak too wide lest the babe drop out.

“Honestly.” Danika straightened the ends of her dress in an attempt to settle herself.

The stork didn’t pause, but he dipped his head in apology. Ruffled, but not vexed, she nodded back. He was, she supposed, in a hurry much as herself.

A tiny green fist poked out the top of the bundle.

Danika curled her nose.

She hated ogres, no matter what form they came in. Nasty little boogers they were, always smashing through trees, destroying her precious forest home with their big gigantic ham fists and warty feet.

With a shake of her head she hurried on. She couldn’t wait to see the Bad Five. Of all her charges they were her favorites and for the life of her she could never understand why more fairies didn’t feel as she did. Bad boys needed love too. Her boys weren’t dangerous— just naughty. But naughty could be very, very fun. Unfortunately, Kingdom was mostly made up of goodie two shoes with a very dim view of good and evil. They were completely unable to look beyond her boys’ slightly colorful pasts. So the Wolf had killed a time or two. Big deal. He was a wolf! What did they expect? That he’d lick his balls all day and howl at the moon?

She chuckled at the thought.

In no time she spied the lights that Leonard-- the Hatter’s pet mouse-- had hung branch to branch. She hovered in the air directly over their table. The Bad Five were already thick in their cups, laughing and eating. Danika took a moment to study her motley crew before they noticed her presence.

The Hatter, as always, slouched in his seat at the head of the table with a fist tucked under his chin. His dark eyes stared blankly into the night, distant, thinking... who knew what thoughts.

Hair disheveled, clothes ripped, but all of it with that flair of style that made it seem possible he’d contrived his appearance to look just so.

Danika had known him several years now, and each year he seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire of his mind. He needed a mate, someone to help offset the residual madness that built up like toxins in the bones without an outlet. A mate would force him to get out of his head

Wonderland was wonderful, but without a counterbalance, it could turn its inhabitants completely insane.

The man was dangerously close to irreparable damage. He’d been here too long, with no one to pull him from the cliff’s edge. And now, with Miriam’s warnings ringing in her ears, she knew he’d only a year left before the madness completely consumed him. Maybe even less. Her heart clenched— what would Wonderland be without him? Not near as fun, that was for sure.

Hatter took a sip of his tea. She sighed. He truly was a lovely man, with a face that seemed a kiss from the gods, a strong jaw, molten brown eyes, and a mouth made for sin. Her pulse raced. Old as she was, she was not impervious to his charms. Charms he never seemed aware of. Hatter simply was what he was.

 “Has the witch arrived yet?” The deep timbre of Gerard’s voice shivered through the cool night. He tipped his head back and chugged from the tankard he held fisted tight in his hand.

“I’m sure I don’t know,” Hook said, eyeing the French drunk with a sharp black brow.

“She’s not a witch,” Jinni sipped at his tea, “she’s a fairy. Kahar.” The last dripped from his tongue like venom.

She covered her mouth, containing the mirth that threatened to spill when Gerard’s face mottled a dark shade of red.

“I detest when you speak Chinese.”

“To vilify a man is the readiest way in which a little man can himself attain greatness,” Hatter said, never taking his eyes from some unknown spot in the distance.

Gerard’s face screwed up, as if contemplating Hatter’s words and whether to take umbrage or not. Finally the effort seemed too much for him. “Argh,” he growled, dismissing him with a flick of his wrist.

Hook rolled his eyes. “He’s Persian, you idiot.”

Gerard clenched his fist. “I can take you, une main.”

“Beauty with no brains, Calypso save us,” Hook said in a whiskey-thick drawl. “He called you an idiot, you dolt.” Never a patient sort, his silver hook tapped the table.

Tap.

The wolf’s nostrils flared. Yellow eyes narrowed to thin slits.

Tap.

A low guttural growl.

Hook’s lips twisted as he looked toward the wolf whose hackles were raised, eyes glowing with threat of violence.

Tap.

“Bloody hell!” Gerard smashed his fist into the table, knocking a silver platter full of crumpets to the floor. “Shut up,” he snarled and snatched up a roasted leg of turkey. Straight white teeth ripped into it with animal aggression.

“Oy,” a tiny squeak rang from a ceramic teapot.

Hatter sighed and flipped the lid up. Leonard popped his furry brown head out. Whiskers twitching as he said, “I’ll give ye a nibble to yer hind, I will.”

“Oh hush, rat. And why do you bother with such a stupid creature anyway?” Gerard asked, looking at Hatter and pointing his ravaged turkey leg at the mouse whose eyes bulged with indignation.

“I never,” Leonard huffed, looking back at Hatter.

Hatter patted his furry head, handed him a sugar cube, and tucked him back into his favorite cubbyhole.

The Wolf gave a gentle whuff, whether of agreement or not- it was hard to say- and continued lapping at the cream within the silver dog bowl.

“Uncivilized.” Jinni sniffed. 

His form shimmered like heat rolling off the desert sands. Cursed years ago to a semi-corporal existence, Jinni might never again know the touch of another soul. A curse Danika still worked diligently to try and reverse. Of all her boys, he was the most confusing. A naturally magical creature, he was Djinn- genie to most. With powers that rivaled her own, by all rights he shouldn’t have a godmother. But... he’d screwed up big, gotten himself cursed, lost his ability to use magic, and was now her problem to fix.

However- stubborn, difficult man that he was- he was offended by the very notion of a godmother. Which made her job all the more difficult.

Danika knew beneath Jinni’s icy exterior flowed lava. A spark so hot it consumed. If a woman could ever get into that cold heart, his passion would burn as bright as the desert land he’d hailed from. However there was still the minor problem of his near invisibility.

But she was not here for Wolf, Hook, Jinni, or even the lovely, thick-headed, Gerard.

Hatter slouched even further in his seat, his stare a mile long. Antipathy clung to him like second skin.

She tsked.

Wolf stilled, sniffed, then looked up. The others followed suit.

“Fairy godmother, here to grace us with your presence. Oh goodie.” To the untrained ear Hook’s greeting smacked of sarcasm, but she knew the raven-haired brute well.

She dropped to the center of the table, dwarfed by heaping trays of food and enveloped by the scented aroma of tea and spices.

Danika walked toward him, gossamer skirts swishing in her wake. “Were you hoping maybe for Tinker? Heard tell you had a thing for waifish blondes.” She patted the back of her bun, pointing the wand at her chest. “I could always turn myself...”

“Bollox,” he growled, but couldn’t quite hide the smile twitching the corner of his full lower lip. “I’ve a Pan to conquer, madam, so do let us hurry.”

“Ravishing as always. And is that stardust? Why, Danika, you shouldn’t have dressed so formally for us.” Gerard smoldered, his words layered with sex and decadence. Promises of dark seduction and wicked nights danced in the air.

Her stomach quivered and heat bloomed in her cheeks.

He smiled and scratched his own. The rascal. She’d find a woman to bring him to his knees. Too bad Belle had fallen for the Beast- she’d seemed so perfect. But alas...

She turned on the Hatter. He looked even more bedraggled up close. His tie was undone and skewed. 

She flitted to him, attempted to tuck the dark strands of hair in his eyes back, but it was useless. Finally, she sighed.

“What has happened to you, Hatter?”

There were no emotions on his face and no smile to betray a hint of what he felt. “Life happened, fairy. 

Surely you know. Or haven’t you heard? Cursed I am. The sky is gray, the sky is light, and still the Hatter bemoans his plight.”

That voice made her think of hot nights, cool sheets, and heady moans.

A choir of mingling voices began to sing. “The Mad Hatter bemoans his plight. Oh nay, oh my, the Hatter bemoans his plight...”

“I hate those flowers. Enfer, why did you plant your abode here, Hatter?” Gerard’s French lilt grew rough with annoyance and he chucked a bone toward the garden of singing dandelions.

Shrieks resonated and then flowery roars reached a cacophonous pitch as they cursed him full of boils, warts, and pustules.

“I do wish you’d hurry this on, starflower,” Jinni said with an exotic inflection that rolled over her skin like heated honey.

Dizzy, and slightly breathless, she returned to the center of the table. Too much testosterone, too many fine pairs of eyes studying her. Heaven help the women these men paired with, they’d be the devil in the sheets for sure.

“As you know, I’m your godmother, and as such I’ve duties to fulfill.”

“Mon dieu,” Gerard groaned. “Must we abide this horror every year? Be done with it, fee. It’s not worked yet.”

“Again?” Jinni crooked a brow.

Hook fiddled with the end of his mustache. A glint of something in his dark blue eyes led her to suspect he was not as opposed as the rest.

The Wolf gave a moaning growl- human in its whining undertones.

Hatter jerked. It was the first reaction she’d seen from him so far. She might have been pleased, were it not for the threat of violence that quivered through the air like the strike of a finely honed blade.

“No more. I told you last time: no more, fairy.”

She held her chin high. “And I’ve given you leeway and your space. But it is more than time to get back in the game. We will keep searching until we find your Alice. We must.” The lie settled heavy on her tongue, Alice had been already been found, and she knew without a doubt he’d be irate. Danika raised her chin. She would not give into fear though, not now.

Gerard threw himself back on the chair, causing the legs to rock precariously, and laughed. A great big booming sound that rent the night. Pigwidgeons scattered like falling rose petals in a thousand different directions.

Gerard picked his teeth. “Mates. I’m in. I’ll take three, no make that four. All blonde. Big...” he framed his chest, “and no readers.Dieux, I hate readers.” His nose curled as he grabbed his magically full tankard again.

“One will do. And that goes for all of you.” She eyed Jinni hard.

His tipped his head. “In my Kingdom we are expected to maintain a full harem, oh magnificent one.”

“Aye, well…” She stomped her foot, wagging her finger at him. “Women from Earth will not abide that arrangement. Besides,” she grinned, recalling one in particular that would be perfect for him, “she’ll be more than enough for what you need doing.”

“Earth?” Hook roared. “Never!”

The Wolf licked his lips.

“Enough, enough.” She raised her hands. “You’ll not have a say. It is my duty to see to your needs. Happy endings are not the sole domain of Prince Charming.” She bristled, remembering the heated battles between herself and her kind.

Love might never tame the beast fully, but it would certainly temper the wildness in each of them.

The Hatter’s face could have been carved from ice. He was as still as a snake ready to strike. She took a step back; he was certainly crazy enough to do it. Heart thundering, feigning a boldness she did not feel, Danika shook her head. “No, Hatter, not even your madness will affect my decision. It is as I say. When the clock strikes midnight-” She waved her wand and a golden antique clock stood before him, its metrical ticks making Hook shudder. “She will be here.”

“Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence.” Hatter’s voice was whisper soft, but full of some hidden torment.

Filled with an ache to hold him, she clenched her teeth. She could not. She had a task, and she’d see it through.

“Be... be that as it may, she will come and you will mate her.”

He didn’t seem to notice she’d spoken. “But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

She frowned, looking to the others for help in deciphering some meaning behind his cryptic words. The Wolf blew air through his muzzle. Gerard only shrugged.

Hatter was worse, no doubt. There used to be a time she could at least piece together his meaning. Now- oh dear- he truly needed his mate. She knew he was tired of searching. So was she... Especially after the last Alice. The great-grandmother Alice Hu.

Danika clenched her wand tighter. What if the girl looked like the original? She swallowed hard. The last Alice had been cruel, a charlatan. She’d fooled them all. Especially Danika herself. She’d fallen prey to the girl’s outwardly loving exterior. But she’d soon learned they’d had a viper in their midst. The girl had wanted nothing more than the power of Wonderland. She’d never wanted the Hatter.

A reality made all the more sad because she’d never seen Hatter so taken. He’d made a fool of himself- in his mind anyway. He’d shown Alice the wonder and strange beauty of Wonderland, expecting her to love the talking flowers and vaporous cat-shifting loons as he did. But she’d despised it all, wanted to change everything; she’d rejected his uniqueness as madness and mocked him behind his back to others.

Once he’d discovered her deception, something in him had fractured; where once he’d been irreverent, often laughing, he’d turned moody and withdrawn.

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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Elaina