Free Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) by Kellie Sheridan Page B

seen. Now, his gaze left her uneasy.
    “It’s good to see you again, Rose,” Alec
said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. The timbre of his voice was young,
but the tone suggested that he had seen a great many things during their time
apart.
    “Alec. Is that really you?” Rose
whispered. “How is this possible?”
    “You’ve done well for yourself.” Alec’s
small head turned to take in the luxurious surroundings of the royal library.
    “Thank you,” Rose said, though it
sounded more like a question. “It’s been so long. I don’t understand.”
    The boy smiled once more, and a shiver
shot up Rose’s spine. “I’ve heard whispers, Rose. You’re planning something,
and I’m not sure it’s wise.”
    “I’m Queen,” Rose said simply, though
she shouldn’t have to explain herself. Even if she had never risen to take the
White Throne, her caste alone gave her the right to interfere with Wonderland.
Queens were born to shape the land, as Daliah had said, and now she was in a
position to do so much more. Who was he to tell her otherwise? What was
he? He had yet to offer any explanation for his form or his visit.
    Rose’s mind pulled at various threads,
desperate to uncover how this strange encounter could be related to her visions
or the things she had learned in Marc’s strange little home. Was this
Wonderland’s way of helping her?
    Growing up, Alec had always had a way of
knowing more than he should. He told stories of places others swore no longer
existed and knew secrets that he shouldn’t have had access to. Rose had never
understood how he did it, but perhaps she’d be able to use it. They had been
friends once. Maybe they could be again.
    “Why are you here?” Rose finally asked
before mustering the courage to ask for the answer she was actually seeking. “ What are you?”
    “I’m a Wonderlander, your majesty,” he
said. His face remained neutral and patient, but his eyes held a challenge.
“The question is, what are you?”
    “I’m Queen,” Rose said again, this time
with a tone of arrogance even she could hear. She may have been momentarily
awed by Alec’s presence, but they weren’t in Neverwood Forest anymore. Whether
he was truly the child she remembered or simply a trick of Wonderland didn’t
matter. Rose ruled here, and if it was in Alec’s power to assist her, he was
duty-bound to do so. “I’m thrilled to see you, Alec, truly. Our reunion could not
have been better timed. Do you remember the stories you used to tell me?”
    Now Alec studied Rose. “Of course.”
    “You knew so many magnificent things.
Whenever I’d ask where you learned them, you’d say that Wonderland told you.
Was that true?”
    Rose was surprised when the boy shook
his head. “No, Rose. Only a Queen can talk directly to Wonderland. I was just
sneaky. Well, sneaky and clever.”
    “Sneaky and clever is exactly what I
need.” Fueled by excitement, Rose continued on. “You could find Alice for me
and bring her here. We can ensure Wonderland’s survival all on our own. Set her
on a path that could change the structure of Wonderland forever.”
    Rose expected her friend to at least ask
about Alice or where all these ideas were coming from. Instead Alec shook his
head sadly, unmoved by Rose’s speech. “You’re a Queen of Wonderland ,
Rose. You serve her —it doesn’t work any other way. There is nothing to
be gained by trying to force her to bend to your will.”
    Who was he to come in to her home and
tell Rose how to rule? Who was to say that what she was doing now wasn’t
exactly what Wonderland had intended for her?
    Indignation scratched at the back of
Rose’s mind, but she was far too annoyed to word a retort. It turned out she
didn’t need to because Alec wasn’t quite finished.
    “Play at your games of power, Rose. It
is Alice who decides what is to come, not us. Not yet. A time will come to take
your place and you’ll find your schemes mean little.”
    Alec stepped back from