{A Fantasy Romance retelling of Alice in Wonderland}
In order to survive, a pirate and a thief must clear their names by traveling into a magical dream world together.
Adah Prideaux, seamstress by day, petty thief by night, finds herself in a world...
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Ezra's hand was on the doorknob, ready to greet his brothers and prove his worth by handing over the Elixir and the thief responsible, but, for whatever reason, he couldn't.
Literally.
When he tried to turn the knob, he found it wouldn't budge.
Another hard knock fell against the wood. "Open up!"
"I'm trying," Ezra said through his teeth. Twisting with all his strength, but the handle wouldn't turn. He cast a frustrated glance over his shoulder, still pulling on the stupid handle. "Is there a trick to this?" he asked the Dream Healer, who was staring back at him with that blank look of his. "Why won't it open?"
The Dream Healer merely shrugged. "It's my door. Why would it open for you?"
Great. More nonsense.
For the first time in his life, words failed him. It was a door. That's what they did. They opened when the handle was twisted.
Mercado let out a huff, folding his arms across his chest. "This, dear captain, is exactly why the Trunk of Broken Dreams wouldn't open for you. You simply do not understand the purpose of locks."
Ezra smashed his brows together. The Trunk of Broken Dreams had nothing to do with this situation. And more importantly, Ezra knew very well that the purpose of a lock was to keep people out, and he'd already undone every lock on the door.
It should open for him. Plain and simple.
Ezra's gaze shifted to the girl beside Mercado, who was managing to look smug, even with her hands bound. The twist of a grin playing on full lips. Chin lifted, exposing the long column of her throat. There was something about Adah that he found so intriguing—infuriating, but intriguing nonetheless.
The memory of holding her tucked to his chest bobbed to the surface of his thoughts before Ezra gave it a hard shove back down.
He wasn't here to help her. She was a thief. He was here to turn her in.
"I'd wager there's a lot the pirate doesn't understand," Adah told Mercado. Her voice playful and mocking. Then she sent Ezra a look that would've made lesser men cower. "By the look of him, locks are the least of his worries."
"Says the thief," Ezra replied.
Another sharp knock. Another demand for entry. The captain tore his gaze away from the girl and turned back to the task at hand, kicking the handle with his boot in frustration before attempting to open it again. Muscles burning under the strain of exertion.
From behind, the Dream Healer tutted. "The answers you seek are not behind that door. Nor any that you can touch. The only door you need open Ezra, Captain of the Dragon's Bane, is the one in your mind. Your purpose lies inside the realm of dreams. That is, if you are brave enough to ignore that hard, wooden skull of yours—which is trying to mislead your good heart."
