Free Taken by Passion: King of Hearts (Wonderland Book 1) by Jaymie Holland, Cheyenne McCray

some way out of this place.
    When Kalina reached the doorway, she paused and glanced back at Alice. “It will do you no good to try and leave this place. Your room is warded to keep you inside.” More softly she said, “And it is warded to keep bad things out that you would not want to face.”
    The fog in Alice’s mind seemed even thicker as Kalina left and closed the door behind her. What did the part about “bad things” mean? Kalina had said something about the room being warded. Did that mean the door was locked and there were bars on the windows?
    Alice went to the door first. She gripped the handle and pulled on the door. It wouldn’t budge. She clenched her teeth. Kalina had locked her in.
    Two arched windows gaped along one of the white walls that looked almost gold in what light there was outside. It was strange—golden moonlight instead of silvery.
    She went to one of the windows that had sheer curtains to either side of the openings. No bars. She raised one hand to reach outside the window and frowned when she encountered something soft and springy blocking her hand. It felt like a mattress beneath her fingers, yet she could see through it. A gentle breeze blew into the room, raising her hair from her shoulders and stirring the curtains.
    With her jaw set, she scrambled onto the smooth windowsill that was at least two feet wide. She felt the coolness of the sill beneath her knees as she spread her hands in front of her, moving them over the invisible barrier that wouldn’t allow her to climb out the window. She felt like she was going to suffocate as fear spread through her upper chest.
    She took several deep breaths and let them out slowly just as Alexi had taught her. Alice slid off of the sill and landed on her bare feet before she went to the other window. She climbed up and tried to reach through the window, but encountered the barrier even as the light breeze continued to swirl into the room, causing the candlelight to dance and flicker.
    Outside the window she saw a huge moon that looked like it was made of molten gold. Flowers looked magical in the moonlight and fields of grass or grain waved in the distance. She heard the sound of rushing water, like a river, and the sound of a predator, like a tiger, that caused her to shiver.
    What drew her attention the most were the cottages settled on gentle slopes on the inside of a massive wall that surrounded everything. Were people in those homes prisoners, too?
    In one of her history classes, she remembered reading that castles had high, wide walls surrounding them. Curtain walls, she thought they were called. What were they holding out? Or were they just keeping people from leaving?
    A woman stepped in front of the window and Alice almost fell off the sill in surprise, and barely kept her balance.
    Long wheat-blonde hair swirled around the woman’s face as the breezed teased it. The tight black leather catsuit she wore had a neckline that dropped in a V from her breasts down to her exposed belly button. The V was so wide that Alice could see the full curves of the woman’s breasts. The V continued down to a peculiar tattoo around her navel that looked like a large cat’s paw print. A tiger print.
    The woman smiled. “Hi, Alice.”
    Alice didn’t even blink when the woman said her name. Lots of people probably knew that Jarronn, King Jarronn, was holding her hostage in the castle.
    The woman’s smile was as brilliant as sunshine as she continued before Alice could speak. “You must bide your time and I will save you from this terrible fate. I cannot help you yet, but soon.”
    A feeling of hope loosened the tightness in Alice’s chest. “Who are you?”
    “I am Mikaela, and I am your friend.” Mikaela gave her a knowing look. “Be patient.”
    “I’m afraid.” Alice’s chest tightened again. “What will they do to me?”
    Mikaela shook her head. “Play along with whatever they ask of you. But do not tell anyone about me or I will not be