Spades: The True Wonderland Awaits. (Of Wonderland Chronicles Book 1) by A.G. Stone Page A

head.
    "Nothing, I promise," he said, and I shrugged.
    I trusted him.
    "What is this?" I asked, pointing to the strange things swimming in green goop on my plate.
    "That, Strawberry," Blayke said, his voice a teasing lilt, "is the appetizer. Feel free not to eat it. It's tadpoles in mint jelly."
    I made a disgusted face. "Ew," I said, scrunching my nose up. "That's disgusting."
    Blayke shrugged and grabbed one of the squirming tadpoles between his gloved thumb and forefinger. "Suit yourself," he said, tossing the tadpole into his mouth. "I think they're delicious. Try one."
    Hesitantly, I grabbed one and popped it into my mouth. Quickly, before I could chicken out, I bit down and the tadpole's guts squirted everywhere inside my mouth. The tadpole tasted rather bitter, but the mint jelly made it sweet. Together, it was the perfect combination. Somehow, I liked this dish.
    "That's really good," I said, looking up at Blayke.
    He shrugged and grabbed my hand. He lifted my hand to his mouth and gently, grazing his teeth along each of my fingers without putting any pressure down at all, he inserted my forefinger into his mouth, sucking all of the mint jelly from my finger. He repeated this process with all of my fingers, and I bit my lip to keep from moaning at his sensual act. At last, he finished, and he wiped my hand dry with his napkin.
    "It tastes even sweeter with the taste of you on it," he complimented me, and I blushed wildly. "Now, eat the rest of the tadpoles - with a fork so you don't get your gloves dirty - so that we can begin the main event."
    I nodded and quickly ate all of the tadpoles but one. As I looked down at the tadpole squirming around in the mint jelly, eating its way through it as to make a path, I thought of something so wild and wicked that half of me cringed at the thought. But the other half of me told me to do it, and for once, I listened to the other half of me.
    I popped the tadpole in my mouth and grabbed Blayke's collar, bringing him in for another kiss. I transferred the still wiggling tadpole from my mouth into his, and he moaned, nibbling on my lip before he pulled away. He chewed the tadpole up before raising my chin so that he could see my lips. I could feel that they were sticky with mint jelly from the transfer, and Blayke smirked down at me.
    "I'd best clean your lips, then," he said, and he leaned in for another kiss, swiping the mint jelly from my lips and cleaning them thoroughly.
    "AHEM!!!" All of the creatures at the feast cleared their throats at the exact same time, and Blayke pulled away from me, giving all of the creatures a very diplomatic smile.
    "Ah, I am very sorry for the distraction, ladies and gentlemen and variations thereupon," he said before turning to me.
    Taking my cue, I stood, giving everyone a 100 megawatt smile. "Let the main course begin!" I shouted, and everyone cheered, including Blayke.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    The cooks brought out a huge plate bearing a roasted bird aloft. It looked like a mix between a duck and a swan, with the beak of a woodpecker. I blinked, and the cooks set the plate down in the middle of the table. The cooks then quickly backed away, fleeing back into the kitchen. I turned to look at Blayke questioningly, but he only smirked at me.
    "You'll see," he said, answering my unspoken question. "Now, watch, lovely Strawberry. You don't want to miss this part; it's always the best part of a feast."
    So I did watch, and as I watched the strange bird, its eyes opened to reveal pale white eyes with no irises. The eyes freaked me out, and I jumped, biting my cheek and chewing on it. Blayke placed his hand on my arm, and I relaxed, letting go of my cheek from between my teeth.
    The bird climbed to its feet and flapped its golden brown wings. I stared at the bird in shock and awe, and the bird turned to look at me, bowing as neatly as it could with legs as long as a stork's. It then straightened up and looked at all of the guests in turn. As it did,