"You're exhausted."
"I just want to go home." Her voice cracked on the last word. She looked away quickly, blinking hard. "I want to see Tinker Bell. I want to sleep in my own bed. I want to wake up and have this all be a nightmare. I want my magic to work.”
Something in my chest tightened. I knew that feeling. I'd felt it every day for longer than I could remember.
“Caterpillar can help you."
She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "How? Is he a wizard?"
"No. But he has a power—a power that helps people believe in themselves. Unlock what's hidden."
She let out a wet laugh. "You mean like a therapist?"
Therapist.
Fire blazed through my temples. I grabbed the doorframe to steady myself.
A room. A leather couch. Someone asking questions. How does that make you feel?
"Hatter?" Alice's voice cut through the fog. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head, forcing the memory back. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine. You look like you're about to pass out."
Another word from her world. Another crack in the wall I'd built.
What was she doing to me?
I downed another glass of Muchness Wine, willing the pain to fade. "I said I'm fine."
She flinched. Looked down at her hands.
The silence between us turned cold.
Damn it. She'd done nothing wrong. She'd just said a word—a word that meant nothing to her and everything to me.
I softened my voice. "Are you tired?"
She looked up at me. Wariness filled her eyes. "A little."
I held out my hand. "Why don't you go to bed?"
"I'm not sleeping with you."
A smile tugged at my mouth. I shouldn’t have found the idea as appealing as I did. "Didn't say you were. I was just going to show you to your room."
"Oh." Her cheeks flushed, making her blue eyes even brighter. She took my hand.
A jolt ran through me at the contact. The same heat that had flooded her face in that alley. Right before I kissed her.
I needed to stop thinking about that kiss.
I led her to the larger bedroom—the one I usually took. A double bed, a dresser, a small closet. Simple, but more comfortable than the other rooms with their narrow twin beds.
I'd take one of those tonight. Not that I expected to sleep. Something felt off and rest was the last thing on my mind.
I glanced at her dress. "Do you need help getting out of that?"
