The Mad King (The Dark Kings #1)(61)

His eyes were glazed, his body swaying. “The answer to the riddle?”

Danika’s lips thinned, heart bleeding. He couldn’t even hang on to his anger before the madness claimed him. She swallowed hard. “I do.”

“And?” He lifted on his toes.

“Poe, dear.” She touched his bristly jaw. “Poe.”

He snapped his fingers and, with a sharp nod, walked off muttering, “I knew it.”

If Miriam hadn’t told truth, if this wasn’t the right Alice, Hatter wouldn’t survive another year. Alice Hu had to be the one, because without the Hatter, Wonderland could never be the same.





Chapter 2




The bell above the Mad Hatter’s Cupcakery and Tea Shoppe rang as the last customer of the day walked out.

Alice heaved a huge sigh of relief, ran around the counter to the door, and turned the sign. She giggled—the place was a mess with napkins scattered everywhere, tons of plates to wash and clean in the back, and yet she felt like she’d just completed the Honolulu marathon. Her giggling had a frantic pitch to it. They’d done it. They’d started a business and made money. Lots of it. She hadn’t counted, but she was pretty sure they were well on their way to being in the black.

In another two years.

Her frilled minidress was covered in powdered sugar, her hair smelled of a million different varieties of tea spices, and she didn’t care. A sense of accomplishment filled her: they’d done it.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that she’d landed the sweetest location in downtown Honolulu—right across from world-famous Waikiki Beach, aka Tourist Mecca. That meant one thing: a constant stream of customers.

Tabby—her baker’s assistant—squealed, grabbed both of Alice’s hands, and jumped up and down.

“Girl power,” Tabby sang. “We so rock!”

“I know!”

It took at least five minutes before exhaustion finally worked its way through Alice’s brain. Grabbing her forehead, but still wearing a goofy smile, she dropped down in the seat nearest her.

“Oh my gosh, we did it.” Her words were quiet, more thoughtful, as the full impact of what they’d done finally started to settle in.

“Yeah,” Tabby agreed. “Wow.”

Tabby planted her hands on her slim hips and grinned. “I think this calls for a celebration, don’t you?”

“Can you believe it, Tabby? We’re true-blue business owners.”

“Look out world.” Tabby nodded, a smile as radiant as a burst of sunlight tightening her face. “Feels good, yeah? After all these years, all the tears, all the sacrifices? And our moms thought we’d be good-for-nothings.” She snorted, reached into the cupcake display case, and grabbed two desserts.

Alice groaned as another dull throb shot up her left calf muscle. She kicked off the four-inch heels Tabby had sworn were appropriate cupcakery attire, and massaged the stiff kink from her thigh-high-clad leg.

She’d felt slightly ridiculous in the frilly blue dress that barely covered her butt cheeks, but as Tabby had said time and again: sex sells, even in cupcakeries. Apparently it was true. Easily half the customers today had been men.

She’d not eaten anything all day, too anxious to get food down. But now it was seven, the day was done, and her stomach suddenly reminded her how neglected it was.

Tabby sat across from her. “Mad Hatter’s Surprise, or Hooka’s Delight? Hmm? Hmm?” Tabby wiggled the plates under Alice’s nose. The creations were mini works of art.

The Mad Hatter was a vanilla-bean-based cupcake. At its center was a caramel-covered slice of jalapeno—the Hatter’s surprise—but it was the tequila cream cheese frosting that made Alice have a mouthgasm every time. She gestured for the Mad Hatter.

Tabby handed it to her and then, picking hers up, said, “To a wildly successful day and to many, many more.”

“Hear, hear.” Alice nodded agreement; they tapped cupcakes together and then bit into them with simultaneous groans.

“Oh em gee, Alice.” Tabby’s eyes were twin saucers of joy. “I’m beyond happy that you decided to waste your life and become a professional baker.”

Alice snorted. Her mother’s words. Mom had had different thoughts in mind for her fourth and youngest daughter. Each Hu child had become something wildly successful. Her oldest sister, Verona, was Honolulu’s most renowned cardiologist. Alma—second oldest—the vet. Tanya—White House correspondent.

Then there was Alice. Head in the clouds Alice. Nose always in the books Alice. Well, one book in particular. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

As a little girl, she’d thought it was cool to have a book named after her. Of course, she hadn’t known it wasn’t really, but by the time she figured it out, she’d already fallen in love with the dark and quirky prose of the book.

Always imagining it was she—Japanese goddess Alice Hu—who’d fallen into Wonderland, met the white rabbit, become both big and small, met and... since the Tim Burton adaptation had come out... kissed the Mad Hatter. Yes, he was certifiable, but after seeing Johnny Depp play the part, crazy had never looked so yummy.

She licked the frosting swirl and moaned as her taste buds erupted with sharp hints of tequila and notes of lime.

“I love this.” Tabby chuckled and blew out a puff ring of smoke, thanks to a nifty trick Alice had learned at culinary school. Pop rocks flash frozen in dry ice. “We’re gonna be rich. Oh hey, did you hear?”