Page 35 of There's No Place Like Oz

I showered again first thing in the morning, while Tobias returned to his own room to wash up and get changed. I was sorry to see him go, but I was also bubbling with happiness as I brushed out my hair and stared at my reflection in the mirror. There were no blow dryers or styling tools available, so I let it dry naturally into its normal loose, uneven curls. My roots were a couple inches long now, and I didn’t have my makeup, but there was a glow to my face that radiated something beautiful.

I dressed in the emerald gown that the attendant had left for me, and my expression sunk back down. It was a combination of shimmering silk and soft, sheer chiffon, designed in a way that was so revealing, I wasn’t sure I could reasonably wear it in public. The silk crisscrossed my chest, pushing up my boobs for maximum cleavage, while the shape of my nipples was not remotely hidden under that thin, unforgiving bodice. The fabric continued downward in two opposing spirals that were strategically spaced to cover my nethers, while every gap between the crossing strips of silk was filled with the see-through chiffon. Gemstones of jade and emerald directed the eye where I would prefer it wasn’t, and every movement I made risked total exposure. My marks, even in their intimate placements, were barely covered.

It would be a beautiful dress for the bedroom if the goal was to seduce and entice, but it left me wondering if the Wizard was some kind of creepy pervert if he expected women he didn’t know to meet him in this. The only good thing I could say about it was that it went well with my silver shoes.

I mustered up the courage to step into the hallway despite myself. Almost all of my companions had seen far more of me than this, so I should be okay with them by my side, but I didn’t feel like I wanted anyone else to see this much of my body anymore. I should have been used to it, yet the memories only made me feel gross instead of confident.

“Dorothy.” Crowe greeted me first with a tip of his chin. Dressed in a suit of green that covered all of his scars, he looked unusually clean cut and high class, even despite his always demonic eyes. He pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning on to approach me. His gaze fluttered down my body then returned to my face. “Breathtaking.” He said in a way that almost seemed idle and subconscious in its softness.

I flushed and wrapped my arms around my chest to give a hint of modesty. “I feel a bit silly, to be honest.”

“You shouldn’t.” Crowe shook his head and reached out to run his fingers through my loose hair. His expression softened at the simple touch. “Your real, natural state is perfection.” And that had me completely taken aback. Was he… complimenting me? With my roots? My visible blemishes? My lips that looked too thin without carefully applied lipstick, my dull, shapeless eyebrows, and my ordinary eye lashes that were barely visible? “The Wizard will definitely do anything you want if you show up looking like that.”

Okay that was definitely a compliment.

It was so simple, yet it made my heart race. He placed a hand on my cheek with unusual tenderness, and he drew a line beneath my eye with his thumb. Then he leaned in and whispered softly in my ear: “But just let himtryand touch you, sweet girl, and I’ll drench those shoes with his blood.”

And a smirk. Violent threats of murder weren’t supposed to make my clit throb, but with the thoughts that had been swirling through my head, and the flash backs I’d been having since I’d wriggled into this dress, I’d almost think Crowe had just read my mind and knew I needed to hear that.

He… He was just teasing, I told myself, while the proclamation had me red as a beet.

Talos emerged from his room next, and I tried to get my composure back so he wouldn’t ask why I was blushing so hard. If he said anything, Crowe chose not to share it with me.

Talos was also dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, though the material strained against his muscles every time he moved. I couldn’t help but notice all of the men’s outfits seemed to be classy and well structured, while mine was a green smoke show. I rolled my eyes.Typical.

Next was Leon. He didn’t bother to wear a shirt under his suit jacket, and he seemed to be rather uncomfortable having anything touching his upper body. He paid me a similar compliment before he offered me a place on his arm. Tobias emerged last, and my eyes widened at the dark haired prince charming who stood across the hall from us.

He flushed when he saw me, and it was by impressive willpower that he’d kept his sightline up with mine. I confirmed nor denied nothing when Leon and Tobias shared a silent knowing look between them. I didn’t know how the senses of shifters worked, but it was as if they could smell that they’d each put their teeth on me. My only respite was that they still seemed to be friends regardless.

With everyone together and a bunch of conversations and feelings that I didn’t want to talk about, I was grateful when Crowe nodded to the group. “Shall we?”

An attendant walked us down a long stretch of hallway that served no purpose beyond building anticipation. The Wizard struck me as arrogant before we’d even met, but I did my best to withhold judgment until he could give an honest first impression. For all I knew, this was just Oz custom. It wouldn’t be the strangest thing I’d heard about this place.

At the end of a quarter mile, the woman opened the door, and we were ushered into the audience chamber. The door slammed behind us with a violent thud, and the tick of a lock echoed in the silence.

A throne of dark velvet punctuated the center of the room, while torches and ornate swirls of gold and green decorated every visible surface of the walls, the furniture, the tiles, and the carpet that directed visitors to the Wizard’s royal perch.

The room began to fill with smoke. Tobias acted quickly to cover my nose and mouth with his sleeve to prevent me from fully inhaling, just in case this was some sort of trap, but it was only a few brief moments before the cloud dissipated, and a phantom took form on the seat. My most trusted protector eased off with a nod.

The phantom manifested in the shape of a man, but its features were otherwise vague and nondescript. “Speak.” Said a voice that boomed off the high ceilings and gaudy walls.

I swallowed, I stepped forward, and I put on my bravest and most unflinching ‘audition’ face. “Great Wizard.” I said confidently. I puffed out my chest and crossed my arms to cover anything he had no business seeing. “We’ve traveled far from the eastern lands, through trial and hardship, to ask for your aid. Each of my companions has befallen the horrible curses of Oz’s witches, and I’d like to clear this wretched magic and set them free.” That sounded good. Official even. I channeled that time I auditioned for the role of a dragon princess, so I might latch on to someone else’s strength to get me through this. I won’t say I was a brilliant actress, but I was still a more than competent one.

The neon particles of phantom essence surveyed each of us. Imagine my complete lack of surprise when his gaze lingered very obviously where it didn’t need to be.So classy. My eyes are up here, bud.I raised my brows, while I waited for a response.

“I see. It can be done. A witch’s magic is very powerful, but it isn’t unbreakable.” A brief pause as that gaze finally returned to my face. “But you are not cursed. What doyoudesire, my lady?” He asked. I exhaled and relaxed at the response that was so amicable and positive. Here I thought there was going to be a fight on my hands.

I glanced at my friends, and I chewed on my lip. The wizard’s demeanor was a relief, but the question was not. After all, whatdidI want? Did I want to go back to the farm? Go back to LA and become an A-List Celebrity? Get revenge on everyone who hurt me? There were so many latent desires inside me, some ambitious, some petty, some vicious, and some charitable, yet with only one wish, what was I supposed to pick? The most fantastic or the most simple?

No, that was all too specific. What Ireallywanted was to actually succeed at something I set out to do. For once, maybe even reach the goal I’d set. I wanted to help everyone, because I’d said I would. I couldn’t be selfish and betray Tobias’ needs by staying here, nor could I expect to intrude on Leon or Crowe or Talos once they got their lives back. I had to ask to go back to the homestead and face whatever my normal human life had in store for me, right? Aunty Em needed me, and someone had to take over the family business. All my hopes and dreams were just silly fantasies of grandeur—not necessities. Goals for people who were more special, more talented, and prettier than I was.

I could do this. I could keep to my word.

“I want to return to…” My voice hitched, so I forced the last words through a cough. “To my home. In uh…”Where was home again? Oh right. Kansas. Yeah, Definitely Kansas.“Kansas. In the United States. That’s what I want.”Well, so much for that confidence. To be fair, when presented with an opportunity to be granted any wish my heart desired and wasting it on a trip to Kansas was a bit hard for me to process. I could have at least said I wanted a trip to Cancun with a stiff margarita and then worked my way back to Kansas from there.

“You’re from Kansas?” Was that… curiosity I was hearing?

“Yes.” I nodded. “Do you know it?”

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