Hatter's Heart - Erin Bedford Page 0,52

discoloration. Each piece of furniture place precisely in the perfect place. It was hard to believe a woman who was so obsessed with perfection would have such a slob for a daughter.

One time I found Kat with a week's worth of dishes in the sink, eating cereal from the milk jug. She'd just cut the whole top off the jug and filled the half full jug with cereal instead of actually doing her dishes for once. And don't even get me started on her laundry habits. I didn't know how she had anything to wear most days with how she let them pile up.

Plus, the wrinkles. I shuddered. My mother would have sent me to an early grave if I dared to wear anything with so much as a tiny crease. Kat wore them like a badge of honor. I really didn't get how Chess stood it.

Having distracted myself enough, I was pleased to find we were at the entrance to the Seelie throne room. Another set of guards stood there at attention. Then as if they had been trained to, they proceeded to react the same way the first set of guards had.

"We have an appointment with the queen," Chess announced without giving the guards a chance to question us this time.

They exchanged a questioning look but their desire to get away from the smell overrode their need to do their job. They pulled the doors open and waved us in.

"Well, that went smoothly," I muttered under my breath. "Heaven forbid something go wrong now."

"Ah, the Great Pretender." An icy voice called out in a sing-song voice. "What brings you to my great court? Come to kill another person I love?"

Chapter 17

I grimaced not knowing how to respond to the Seelie Queen's words. She hadn't said anything untrue but leave it to her to go straight for the gut when attacking one's foe.

Steeling back courage, I pressed forward and met Queen Tatiana's icy blue eyes. "Hello, your majesty. How are you?"

Tatiana scowled and flipped her white hair over her shoulder. "Let's not pretend you are here on a social call, Great Pretender." She stepped down the stairs of her dais her white gown slithering along the floor with every moment.

King Oberon was curiously missing today. Which was all the better for my confidence. The less of an audience I had the better.

Stopping a few feet before me her a head higher than me, Tatiana surveyed the two felines beside me. "I see you are still playing with the rabble. It's good to know somethings haven't changed. Though, your allegiances certainly have."

"I was never on the Shadow Man's side," I argued, tired of having to explain myself all the time.

"Pfft." Tatiana threw her hand up. "No, excuses today. You want something from me..." she cooed, her eyes lingering over Chess and Cheshire. "I might give it to you..." her mouth curved up into a seductive smile, "...for a price."

Curling my fingers into tight fists, I stared hard at her willing her to turn her attention back to me. "No."

"No?" She mused, her eyes turning from the men and back to me. "What do you mean, no? You can't get something for nothing, you know that well, don't you Alice?"

Pressing my lips into a firm line, I did not waver. "I am not playing by your rules anymore, your majesty. There are more important things at hand now."

"Oh?" Tatiana mused, angling her head to the side. "And what might that be?"

"Information for information," I smiled back at her, parroting her words. "You can't get something for nothing."

Tatiana hummed and placed a hand under her elbow, leaning her face on her other hand. "How do I know that the information you want is worth what you have to give?"

"You'll have to trust me."

Her laughter, like chimes on a windy day, echoed through the throne room. The nearby courtiers and servants chittered with her but cut off abruptly when Tatiana quit laughing. "Why should I ever trust you?"

I leaned forward slightly. "Because you don't have a choice. If you want to say your people and your own neck that is."

Her brow furrowed and I smirked knowing I had her by the balls as Kat would say.

Knowing she had been bested, Tatiana scoffed and turned her back on me. "I know what you are here for. Your Hatter went into the Bandersnatch. I do not know if he came out again, but you are free to look." She gave me a nasty smile over