uncomfortable situation I’ve placed them both in. I remind myself that this is the worst part . . . that once I step through the portal into the human realm, my two lives will mesh, yet at the same time never cross wires, unless it’s necessary for someone’s safety or well-being. That’s what we all agreed on.
A crust of frost grinds beneath my boots as I take the final step. The elfin knights salute us and return their swords to leather holsters. The jeweled blood beaded along their cheeks and temples shines like berries against the wintery background surrounding them. Clicking their heels, they descend the stairs to surround the castle at their posts.
Frowning, Morpheus offers my hand to Jeb. It’s the strangest gesture, grand and dignified, as if he’s walked me down the aisle and is giving me away. In a way, he is. For one human lifetime.
His wings rustle when Jeb takes my palm, an involuntary spasm. He’s straining not to take my hand back. “You know the protocol . . . should something happen to her body in your world, you or Alison must contact me immediately. Alyssa’s spirit must be housed for it to survive.”
Jeb nods. “I got it.” His answer is succinct and his tone even, but the worry in his expression gives him away. It’s something none of us like to think about, something we all hope will never have to be addressed.
Rabid’s pink gaze turns up to me, his pale face bewildered. I send him toward the door to rescue him from the morbid subject matter.
Morpheus waits for the skeletal clacking of bones to vanish within the castle, then drags a pair of gloves out of his pocket, proceeding to work them into place. “And I suppose it is unnecessary to tell you to treat her like a queen,” he grumbles to Jeb.
Jeb weaves our fingers together. “Just like it’s a waste of breath to ask you to lay off the seduction tactics in her dreams.”
“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice, pretty pseudo elf? Never fear. I’ll still think of you every day, whilst she’s with you.”
“I prefer you think of me every night, when she’s with you.” Jeb helps me peel Morpheus’s jacket from my shoulders, replacing it with his tuxedo coat—still warm from his body heat. “I’ll send an owl, as a reminder.” He hands Morpheus his clothing back.
Morpheus takes the jacket and folds it over his arm, patting the wrinkles out of it. He chuckles, though it’s mirthless and hollow. “I’m going to miss your bumbling attempts at wordplay.”
Jeb forces a smile. “Not as much as I’ll miss your pompous-ass condescension.”
They stare at each other, a mixture of amusement and restraint in their expressions. Begrudging respect bridges the underlying tension—a link that grew, without their even realizing or encouraging it, during the month they spent together in AnyElsewhere.
“You two want to be alone?” I ask, desperate to end the weird exchange.
Morpheus narrows his eyes. “I will see you tonight, Alyssa. And from this moment on, when you’re with me, I expect your mind to be as it was in our childhood. Fixed on Wonderland matters, and not the humdrum mundane of the mortal realm. Mend things there, so they won’t be a distraction while you’re fulfilling your royal obligations. Are you sure you don’t need my help to clean up all the messes? I’ve had some practice handling humans.” The smug grin he offers Jeb is filled with innuendo.
“We got it, Mothra,” Jeb says. “I can relate to their innocent sensitivities better than you ever could.” He raises an eyebrow, delivering his own underlying message.
There’s a muffled thud at the giant, crystallized door. Jeb and I glance over our shoulders where my parents are peering out. They both look beautiful and rested, but also anxious.
I tip my head in greeting and they wave, then withdraw deeper into the hall, to give the three of us privacy.
Jeb turns back around, his arm snug at my waist. “Are you coming in to see us off, Mort?”
Morpheus glares at Jeb pointedly. His bejeweled markings flash through a pastel palette, like a glittery sunset. Resolution flickers inside his inky gaze. “I want nowhere near the portal. I’ve had enough of your stagnant realm to last me a lifetime and then some.”
“I hope you mean it,” Jeb says. The statement isn’t barbed, just sincere.
“Oh, I most assuredly do. With the exception of that precious part of your world which will one day belong