Page 16 of Gilded Curses

“Yes. Are you?”

He’d be a lot more okay if he could see her, but that wasn’t an option right now. Resting his hand and forehead against the wall, he breathed deeply as he reassured himself she was okay and that, for now, these things weren’t trying to kill them. He was sure that would change at some point, but they seemed to have some time before then.

“I’ll see you soon,” she called.

“Scream if you need me.”

“I will.”

Orin glanced at the door as he debated wrapping himself in shadows and rushing out of there. They’d know he left the room but wouldn’t see him.

They would come at him, though, and if he somehow managed to evade all the guards, the others would all remain behind. If he fled, they’d probably take them and lock them away, which meant he’d have a tougher time getting to Sahira, and there was no way he was leaving her behind.

Plus, he had no idea what abilities these immortals possessed. They might have something he was unprepared for, which could mess up his escape.

With nothing else to do, he started stripping. For now, he would play their game, which they would soon regret, as he never lost.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Lexi was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz as a little girl. First, she watched the movie and then watched it a thousand more times before devouring all the books in the series.

Sahira had never cared for their portrayal of witches in the movie, and she certainly wasn’t afraid of water. How bad had that evil witch smelled if she couldn’t wash her armpits?

But, because Lexi would sit there, beaming at the TV while dancing and singing along to the songs, she’d eaten a lot of popcorn while trying not to lose her mind. Plenty of times, she’d questioned if the Scarecrow could pull some straw out of his ears or stuff some in there to keep himself from hearing. She’d envied him if he could.

Being in Epoch reminded her of the scene where Dorothy and her friends first arrived in Oz. The people had taken them in where they primped and shone them to perfection, all while singing along. Sahira couldn’t get that song out of her head as the dagadon spent hours doing the same to her and her friends.

After the tub, she donned the yellow robe on the back of her door and emerged from the bathing room. She discovered Orin already waiting for her, his black eyes glittering with malice and his body rigid while he leaned casually against the wall beside her door.

If anyone believed he was calm, they weren’t paying attention, as he vibrated tension. He did relax a little when he saw her and the foot he’d propped against the wall lowered to the ground.

Elsa and Zeth emerged from their rooms, and after a few more minutes, the brownies had all gathered around too. Once they were all together again, the dagadon escorted them out of the atrium and toward a large spa area, where they separated them again and gave massages.

Afterward, the dagadon sat them in barber’s chairs where they cut their hair before shaving, waxing, and grooming them like dogs going to a show. They separated them again and stuffed them into clothes.

Okay, maybe not stuffed, but the dress they put on Sahira was a little snug as they buttoned it into place. The same women stayed with Sahira throughout it all, as did all the guards, but she’d given up asking questions.

She’d tried peppering them with questions during her massage and got only silence in response. Then, she decided to try slipping them in on occasion while they were grooming her, but it was like talking to a wall.

Frustration and disappointment over still being trapped here tumbled inside her, but she kept it hidden. She refused to let the dagadon see how badly she struggled to hold it together.

Once they finally finished getting the buttons into place, two women turned her to face the mirror. Despite her complete antipathy over all this, Sahira’s eyes widened on her reflection.

She hadn’t paid attention to the dress as the women put it on her, but now, it was all she could see. The dress consisted of sheer, black material layered on top of more sheer fabric that allowed her skin to still show through.

The final layer had bright yellow flowers that reminded her of sunflowers, but these had a red center. The flowers strategically covered her breasts and groin area as they spilled across the bodice and toward the ground. What they didn’t cover revealed her skin beneath.

They’d taken her hair and pulled it half up and away from her face while the back spilled around her shoulders. They’d then curled all of it.

“It’s beautiful,” she admitted.

Sahira swayed her hips back and forth. As she did so, the skirt flared a little before falling straight to the floor again.

“Is it acceptable?” one of the women asked in a flat monotone.

Sahira felt like irritating the emotionless woman, so she smiled. “It will do… for now.”

Anger flashed through the woman’s eyes, but she concealed it again before turning away and opening the door to a large dressing room. Sahira stepped outside to discover Elsa already waiting for her.