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?
