Turns out, I was wrong. It may have been dark during the day, but the night was pitch black. I could barely even make out Isaac’s shape sitting in front of me. The air grew still and quiet and even Nightmare stayed on edge. I could feel her muscles pushing harder and harder under us. 

After several more miles of riding, we dismounted and walked through a barrier of sorts, though Isaac didn’t seem to notice it. It felt familiar to me, yet similar to what I fell through getting here. Frozen and glassy, though I didn’t land on my ass this time. 

Small favors. 

Instead, we were standing at the base of a stone staircase. I was standing at the foot of a haunted looking mansion.  Isaac removed Nightmare’s saddle and blanket. He patted her gently and she dissipated into the shadows. I must have looked surprised because he laughed a small laugh. 

“Come on,” he said as he grabbed my hand. “I will show you around.” 

He held onto me as we ascended the stairs ...of which I tripped over half. 

“I know it’s difficult to see, but you are dangerously clumsy.” 

“Oh bite me.” I sneered. 

“Bite you? Did you forget I’m half shifter?” He growled back at me.

“I don’t even know what that means! Or did you forget? I DON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING!”

“You  propositioned me!” He snarked. “Vulgarly.”

“Well,” I huffed at him, “My bad for insulting you, oh great lord. There’s other ways to tell someone to fuck off. I will be sure to utilize them in your presence. After all, it’s not like I planned any of this to happen.” I couldn’t resist rolling my eyes at him and turned my head. Though, even to me, my voice had lost its snark and hostility. Overwhelming exhaustion took its place. 

 “All I wanted was to go to the museum. I didn’t want to lose my mind and have hallucinations.” 

He laughed at me. He  laughed. A full bodied, deep laugh that sent a shiver up my spine. I flushed a little.  Here we were, at the top of a staircase to a haunted house, arguing over nothing and he’s laughing at me, nearly doubled over. Great. My hallucinations are crazy too. 

“Alright, princess. Let’s get inside.” 

He didn’t even bother to explain what was so funny. Jerk.

I followed him through the double doors and into the foyer. As we stepped foot inside, lights flickered on, surprising me. I gasped and Isaac turned to me.

 “These are feylights. They are used by magic sensors. The crystal catches a bit of magic and it glows. Everyone’s souls contain and produce magic. Shifters, Conjurers, Elementals, and even the humans, the lights adjust accordingly. Magic also keeps everything from collecting dust.”

“That’s actually cool.” I told him honestly.

“Your slang terms are peculiar.”

“Oh, sorry.” 

“Don’t be. It’s strange, but it will be amusing to see what other troubles your terms can get you into.” 

“You mean like telling you to bite me? That  means get over yourself. Or whatever. It doesn’t mean to actually bite me.”

“I knew you weren’t actually propositioning me. It was a shock to hear something so vulgar come from you of all people.”

“I cuss like a sailor.”

“Now. But you used to be Miss Prim and Proper. I think if you had continued to grow up here, you would have never used that language before.”

“So why is it vulgar?”

He shifted uneasily. My line of questioning had unnerved him. He must have decided to answer me, since his face had set into a deep frown.

“Biting is something shifters like during sex. It's considered animalistic and taboo for other races. It’s a way of claiming ownership over one’s intended mate. Though, I suppose ownership isn’t the right word. Mates claim each other. It is also dangerous. If a shifter cannot control his or herself, their intended can easily lose their life, if they aren’t also a shifter.”

“Oh.” 

Boy. If they only knew what people were into in my world. I mean, I even liked to get a little rough handling.

“Biting sexually is considered to be a base act. It is a shifter’s most basic instinct to bite their partner. They believe it comes from the fact that our races have mixed with demonic humanoid animals in the past. Not all shifters will engage in it though. As I said earlier, it’s an extremely vulgar thing.”

“That’s still pretty silly though.”

“You think it’s silly?” He asked me, more than a little incredulous.

“I mean, yeah. If done right, it can feel good and intensify erotic feelings. In my world, it’s a kink. A lot of people like it.”

“I take it you are one of those people.” 

I at least had the decency to blush. Again, I hadn’t meant to give that much detail. I didn’t open my mouth to respond. I didn’t know what might come out.

He smirked at me though. Oh how I would love to wipe the smirk off his stupid face. He turned towards the archway in front of us and continued walking. Arrogant jerk.

“Through here is the great hall and up those stairs, the family wing.” He pointed to a staircase on the back wall, behind all the tables. “Please try not to trip up all these stairs.” 

He led me up the stairs, thankfully without me falling, and through another hallway.

 “This is your room. It was your room when we were kids. Mine is right here.” He pointed to the door across the hall. 

I nodded and opened the door. As I stepped into the room, I was hit with a strong feeling of nostalgia. The room had been done in a soft purple color and had a simple elegance to it. I walked over to the bed and sat. He came closer and pointed to the wardrobe. 

“I doubt anything in there will fit you now. Tomorrow, we will go look in your parents’ room and see if your mother has left anything here.” 

At this moment, I couldn’t speak. I felt tears bubble up and my voice was caught in my throat.  Isaac sat down beside me and patted me on the back. 

“What’s wrong?” The gentleness in his voice comforted me more than I would admit.

“I remember this room.” I whispered. “This whole time, I’ve  been convincing myself that I’ve lost my mind and I’m hallucinating. I know this room. I remember it.”

He patted me again and nodded. We didn’t speak for several minutes. 

“Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t mean to get so emotional.”

“You’ve been through a lot today. It’s understandable. Get some sleep. You’ll need it for tomorrow.”

When he shut the door, I kicked off my boots and pulled off my jeans. I was going to unhook my bra when I realized I was still wearing his outer coat. I sighed softly and slid my bra off and curled into the bed. I nuzzled into the jacket. The smell of him calmed me a bit. 

I don’t know exactly when I fell asleep, but he was there in my dreams again. This time, he was there as I had seen him today rather than the boy I remember seeing last. 

My dreams shifted shortly after that. I don’t  remember what else happened, but I didn’t bother bringing it up that morning. I figured if I had connected to Isaac again, he would say something about it. Or not. 

Isaac knocked on my door, waking me up.

“Come on. It's time to get up. We have a lot to do and a lot of ground to cover.”

I quickly dressed and opened the door.

“First, we need to see if we can find something to help you blend in better.”

He walked me down the hall to what was my parents' room.

Opening the door felt like opening a tomb. The room was done in a deep red color. The four poster bed took up most of one wall, with a wardrobe on the other side. Across from the foot of the bed, a fireplace was built into the stone. Above the fireplace, a painting of my parents and me became the focal point. I couldn't help but stare.

There I was. I was wearing a pale green dress standing beside a woman wearing a dark green dress. The man wore dark brown leathers. The couple looked happy and they both had a hand on my shoulders. I could almost hear the feminine voice telling me to stand straight and smile pretty.

Isaac tapped me on the shoulder.

“Hey, are you ok?”

“I think so.”

“You were staring so intently, I said your name a few times and you didn't even blink. Go look in the wardrobe and see if there is something that can fit you.”  He left the room.

I did as he had suggested and started digging around. After a few moments, I couldn't help but frown. There was nothing but frilly, impractical dresses. I took out the plainest one I could find. It was a deep purple color, simple in design. The sleeves belled out but other than that, it was fine. I tried the dress on.

I looked into the mirror on the door of the wardrobe. I had to admit, this dress made me feel pretty. The material felt softer than silk but incredibly lightweight. The style of the dress flattered my figure well. It flared a bit at the hips but  enough to accentuate the curve rather than hide it. It clung tightly around my breasts, making my bra a huge discomfort. I sighed. I  didn’t want to not have my bra. 

I decided that I would  deal with it. There was no way I was going to walk around braless. I might not have had big boobs, but I had enough that it was obvious when I did or didn’t wear a bra. 

I kept digging around. Surely she had some riding pants or something in here. There's no way she could only have dresses. I started moving her shoes around on the bottom shelf. I did find a pair of boots that looked better quality for traveling. I loved my boots but they wouldn't hold up to serious travel. After pulling out all of the shoes and setting them on the floor, I tapped around on the bottom of the wardrobe. I could feel a familiar hollow spot, I  needed to remember how to open it.

I slid my fingers over every crack and crevice I could find. Sighing in frustration, I called for Isaac.

“Isaac! Isaac, come here!”

He came running back into the room, sword drawn.

“Whoa buddy, put your sword away. I  need your help.”

Oh if looks could kill...

“What is the problem? What would cause you to call like that?”

“Help me open this.”

I pointed to the bottom of the wardrobe.

“Use your magic.”

“I don't know how.”

He sighed at me, Sheathed his sword and walked over beside me.

“Put your hand down on the wood and close your eyes.”

I did as he said.

“Now, in your mind, tell it to open and force the word through your hand.”

I imagined telling the wood to open. Nothing happened.

“You're thinking too much about it. Push your magic through your hand and tell it to open.”

I tried several more times and still, nothing happened.

I growled in frustration.

“Are you sure it has a bottom?” He sounded dubious. 

“I KNOW it does. I remember.”

He nodded, not disagreeing openly, but I could see the doubt on his face.

I placed my hand back on the wood, feeling a little angry and bitter.

Open so I shove it in his pretty boy face.

The wood blasted apart, right at Isaac.

“Oops?” I looked back over my shoulder at Isaac who was now glaring at me.

But the wood was gone. The area I was trying to get to was open. In its place, a beautiful, silver dagger with a green gem in the hilt glittered at me.

“Interesting. Your mother claimed this particular heirloom had been stolen a long time ago.”

“What’s so special about it? Hey, it kind of matches your sword.”

“Nothing . It's old and has been passed down through the ages. It will be good for you to keep on you though.” He looked over the dresses mother had in her armoire. “Perhaps you can wear my old trousers. There are things from my teenage years in there, I’m sure. Riding in a dress will rub your legs raw. Look in the closet in my room. I will head downstairs and see about breakfast.”

I nodded in agreement and headed towards his room. I opened the door and was immediately hit with his scent. The room wasn’t anything grand compared to the other two rooms I had seen, but it still held a homey quality. His armoire did have smaller clothes, more suited to riding. His pants weren’t well fitted to me, but that was to be expected. At least they wouldn’t let my thighs rub together and chafe. His shirt was loose on me but not overbearingly so. 

I folded the dress as neatly as possible and wrapped my clothes together. I felt a little bad about digging through his stuff, but I bet he had a bag I could carry this stuff in. 

After a few moments of digging around, another dumb idea struck me. This place was mine, right? While Isaac was tending to breakfast, I was going to explore. I might as well see if there was anything else around I could use. I mean, I was already trapped in a world that shouldn’t exist, riding around with a familiar stranger and coming to terms with this not being a hallucination. What else could possibly go wrong?