Hatter's Heart - Erin Bedford Page 0,33

to forget past mistakes. Even for a queen such as myself." Releasing my face, she composed herself. "Do not pity me, child. For I found love in another more unexpected place. Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to make that love permanent either. But I will, some day."

She paused for a long moment, staring off at nothing.

"So," Mab suddenly turned to me with a wistful smile. "What shall we do about your Hatter? Have you checked his home?"

I groaned. "I tried to but nothing is where its supposed to be."

Mab nodded in understanding. "Yes, the Underground can be quite a fickle creature. We shall just have to go around her." She winked at me conspiring and looped her arm through mine, dragging me to Reaper only knew where now.

Chapter 11

Mab drew me back to the palace where Mop and Trip were waiting. They sat a long banquet table covered in a vast array of foods.

When they saw us, Trip jumped up in his seat and waved at me with one claw. The other one had a pastry with raspberry jam in the center. Trip also had raspberry jam around his mouth and stuck to his fur. "Alice! Look pretty Alice, breakfast. Yummy pastries. Yes, yes. So yummy."

I smiled at the opalaught as I came upon the table. "Yes, I can see that." I dropped into a chair next to Mop, hoping he at least wouldn't spray his food all over me when he talked. "How's your food treating you?"

Mab slipped gracefully into a chair at the head of the table, a servant quickly rushed to her side and filled her plate.

Mop swallowed his mouthful and answered, "Good. The palace food be almost as good as me wife's." Mab arched a brow at him and Mop hurried to add on, "Did I say it be almost as good? Better! The best!" He shoved a large piece of bread into his mouth smartly keeping it from getting even more of his shoe.

Glancing at what was available, I picked a few grapes off a tray and placed them on my plate. Cheese and meats were next before a large glass of orange juice. I had never been much for eating right when I woke up but for some reason today my stomach growled for sustenance. Probably because I hardly ate anything before I went to sleep the night before and hadn't eaten before then either.

At least, I didn't actively have to feed off the dreams of humans like some of the Fae. Just being near humans was enough for me to suck off the energy that I needed. While food and air kept me alive, human dreams kept me from aging and my magic up. The Underground would be as sad and normal as the human realm if we weren't able to get the resources we needed.

"So," I began popping a grape into my mouth and chewing it around. I swallowed before continuing as my mother taught me. "There's a sprout of the Tree of Life growing."

"What?" Mop cried out spitting food all over me.

Well, so much for that theory.

I swiped my napkin over my face and neck as Mop settled back down. "Yes, but her majesty and I don't know if it will be enough to stop the sickness."

Mop and Trip drooped in their seats once more.

"But all is not lost my dears," Mab's lips quirked at the edges. "There is still time to find a High King or Queen," Mab's eyes flickered over to me briefly, "before it gets worse."

"Couldna we be gettin' a temporary Fae to sit on the throne?" Mop looked to the queen with a frown.

My eyes lit up. "Yes, that. What he said. Couldn't someone sit on the throne just until the sickness went away and the sprout had time to grow into a full tree?" Hope filled my chest at the prospect. I could probably get Kat to agree to a temporary position but a permanent one? That was as likely to happen as pigs flied.

Mab shook her head and my stomach dropped. "One cannot simply become High King on a whim. They are tied to the Underground for now and forever. The only way to sever that link is for them to die."

Huffing out a breath, I plopped my face into my hand and popped another grape into my mouth. Of course, it wouldn't be that easy. That was the problem with fairy tales. Nothing ended the way you wanted to. The princess doesn't