Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Alice
I caught my reflection and winced. God. My hair looked like birds had nested in it. Dirt covered my nose, my cheeks—basically everywhere. My clothes were filthy.
Thanks for that, Hatter.
The man moved like the Flash on caffeine. No wonder I looked like I’d been dragged through a dust storm.
But he’d still kissed me. Even when I looked like a disaster.
I needed to feel human again. The bathroom was small but clean. A narrow shower stall, a toilet, a porcelain sink with brass fixtures that looked antique. Fluffy towels hung on a rack near the door.
And oysters. Everywhere.
Oysters on the wallpaper—rows of them in muted blues and greens. Oyster-shaped soap in a dish by the sink. The mirror frame was carved to look like an open shell, and even the towels had tiny oysters embroidered along the edges.
I shook my head. Wally and Carpenter weren’t just obsessed. They had a problem.
I found a comb in a drawer and dragged it through my tangled hair. I winced. It was like spiders had woven iron webs in there, threatening to snap the teeth right off the comb.
I turned on the water—even the faucets were shaped like oyster shells—and splashed my face.
A tap on the door.
I cracked it open an inch.
Hatter stood there holding a bundle of fabric. “Wally brought this for you. Undergarments are tucked inside.”
“Thank you.” I took the dress from him and closed the door.
Dark blue bodice, flowing skirt, laces up the front. It looked like something from a Renaissance fair.
Great. I was going to look like a wench at a turkey leg stand.
But they were clean.
I ran my palm over the dress. Soft as a feather. I smiled. It was thoughtful of Wally to find this for me. The color even matched my eyes. Had he done that on purpose?
But when I spotted the undergarments folded beneath the dress, my smile faltered. Where had those come from? Had there been other women here before me? Other captives who needed a change of clothes?
I stripped down and stepped into the shower. The warm water hit my back, and I groaned with relief.
My thoughts drifted to Hatter. Who was he really? Why was his name such a secret? Tinker Bell had told me once that names held power. Maybe there was something to that here.
He was handsome—I could admit that much. And I hated that I noticed. Hated that my pulse quickened when he looked at me with those beautiful silver eyes, even after everything he’d done.
Then again, maybe silver eyes were common in the Elder Dimension.
The water cascaded down my back, loosening the tension in my shoulders. I reached for the shampoo and breathed in—something floral with an unfamiliar spice beneath it. I worked it through my hair, and the tangles slowly came undone, as if the soap itself was magic.
There was still a dull ache in the back of my skull. I’d been hurt before—badly—but nothing like this.
The hat hadn’t touched my body. It had gone straight into my mind, tearing through my thoughts, dragging out secrets I didn’t even know I had.
Dark magic. It had to be.
I never wanted to wear that thing again. And now I understood why the queen wanted it so badly. The damage she could do with something like that—the secrets she could rip from her enemies, the minds she could shatter.
No wonder she was hunting him.
The water cooled. I turned off the faucet and stepped out of the shower, grabbing one of the towels. Soft and thick—at least Wally didn’t skimp on linens.
I patted myself dry and reached for the dress.
Then I unfolded it completely and groaned.
A corset. Seriously?
I held it up, staring at the laces. There was no way I could do this by myself.
Unless...
Tinker Bell had taught me a simple spell for getting dressed. I’d used it a handful of times when I was running late. Hopefully I could manage it without my magic going haywire.
The alternative was asking Hatter for help, and that wasn’t happening. I’d rather walk out of here naked than give him the satisfaction. Or worse—owe him something else.
I closed my eyes and focused. The words Tinker Bell taught me floated to the surface.
“Vestem induere.”
The magic rushed out of me—too fast, too eager. The undergarments flew up and onto my body. Then the corset wrapped around my torso and the laces began threading themselves through the eyelets.
So far so good.
Then the laces yanked tight.
I gasped. They pulled tighter, squeezing my ribs. I couldn’t breathe.
“Stop,” I wheezed. “Stop!”
The magic didn’t listen. It never listened. The laces cinched again, crushing the air from my lungs.
Black spots danced in my vision. I stumbled toward the door and slammed my palm against it.
“Hatter!” I could barely get the word out. “Help!”
The door flew open. He took one look at me—half-dressed, corset strangling me—and his eyes went wide.
“Can’t... breathe...”
He spun me around. I felt his fingers at my back, yanking at the laces.
“Hold still.”
“Trying,” I gasped.
Steel sang. He’d drawn a blade. One quick slice and the laces gave way.
Air rushed into my lungs. I sagged forward, pressing the loosened corset against my chest with one hand. My magic had failed me.
Again.
And Hatter had to come to my rescue. Again. I couldn’t even look at him.
Hatter rubbed my naked back. “What happened?”
“My magic...” I lowered my head as my whole body went hot with embarrassment. Even something as simple as getting dressed I couldn’t do. Another reason why I didn’t fit in with the coven. “It went awry again.”
“Again?” He raised an eyebrow. “What did you do?”
I sighed. “I cast a spell to help me get dressed.”
He laughed. Actually laughed. “You don’t know how to dress yourself?”
“Of course I do.” I held onto the dumb corset, trying to cover my flushed body. “But I’ve never worn a corset before. We don’t wear corsets in New Orleans.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up as he flicked his gaze over me. “You could have asked for help.”
Fire flooded my cheeks and spread through my entire body.
That’s when it hit me.
I was half naked. In a tiny bathroom. With the man who had kidnapped me. And kissed me in an alley.
And he was standing very, very close.
I lifted my head up high. “If you’ll excuse me…”
“Do you want me to retie the corset?” His silver eyes dropped to the fabric clutched against my chest, then snapped back to my face. He swallowed. “I promise you I won’t cut off your breath.”
More than anything I wanted to say no—didn’t like being vulnerable—but I really didn’t have a choice.
“I guess so.”
Hatter’s fingers brushed against my bare back as he tightened the laces. A shiver ran down my spine.
“Cold?”
“Yes,” I lied.
“There.” He tied off the laces. “All done. Do you need help with the dress?”
“No. I can manage.” My skin still tingled where his fingers had brushed against my back. I needed him out of here. Now. Before I did something stupid.
“Very well.” He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
I exhaled and stared at my reflection. My cheeks were flushed. My heart was racing.
From almost suffocating. That’s all it was.
I’d never had a man see me like this—not really. Bobby Wilkins in the back of his pickup truck at prom didn’t count. That had been all fumbling and fear of getting caught.
This felt different. And that terrified me.
Maybe it was the Elder Dimension. Hatter said this place made you mad. Did it stir up other feelings too?
I shook off the thought and wiggled into the dress. On my own this time—no magic. It fit perfectly and was easier to move in than I’d expected.
I combed through my hair again and squeezed out the last of the water with a towel. The dirt was gone. I looked more like myself.
Blue leggings had been tucked in with the dress. I pulled them on, then my boots.
I caught my reflection in the oyster-framed mirror. A woman from another century stared back at me.
I thought of New Orleans. Tinker Bell. The coven. My friends.
I didn’t want to stay in the Elder Dimension. The queen was cruel beyond measure—but she wasn’t the only monster here.
Ari the Dark Demon was here somewhere. He could be anywhere, be anyone. If he found out about me, about my unstable magic... He’d use it against me. Force me to become his slave. He’d tried to conquer our world once before—what would stop him from trying again?
I couldn’t let that happen.
There had to be a way out. If there was a doorway in, there had to be a doorway back.
I just had to find it—before anyone else found me.