Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology (5 page)

Clyde frowns,
"I live here!" He points in the direction of the house. "You passed by my cabin on your way up to the main house. I maintain the property. What are you doing here? Where's Matt?"

"
I..." I swallow hard, trying to get the words out, "he... died...I ooown the ppproperty now."

Shock registers on his face.
"He what?"

"
He dddied," I whisper the words.

"
Bullshit!" Clyde scowls, "You're lying! I'd know if he was dead!"

"
You'd know...hhhow?"

The screaming of birds distracts me. I gaze over Clyde
's shoulder, seeing a flock of blackbirds swarming around the spot where I'd been in the water, diving at the circle of dead fish. His eyes follow mine.

I don
't know how long we stand there watching them feast on floating carnage before I feel a tug on my arm. "C'mon. You have to get inside. Your lips are blue." He nudges me gently on my arm again and I allow him to lead me to the house.

When we reach the stone terrace, Clyde asks,
"Are you hungry?"

I bite my quivering bottom lip, and then I say.
"I'm fffine."

"
You're not fine; you're freezing and I can't get answers from you until you warm up." He nods toward the house. "Go inside. I'll go get us some dinner and be back soon." He waves his hand in front of the glass and it opens for me to enter. He nudges me inside; the glass closes behind me. Clyde walks away from the porch, heading around it toward the front.

After Clyde walks away, SOA manifests next to me.
"You are dangerously close to hypothermia," he states.

"
And I'm ccccold, tttoo," I say with my teeth chattering. Water drips from me onto the beautiful hardwood floor. Waiting just long enough to make sure Clyde is gone, I stumble back to the glass door. I have to get back to Mattie. I pause in front of it, but it doesn't open. Waving my hands, nothing happens.

I glance over my shoulder at the smoky image of SOA.
"So-wah, the dddoor won't ooopen."

His mannerisms are like Mattie when he says,
"I know—I'm controlling it. You cannot go outside."

"
WWWHAT?" I shout with my hands balling into fists.

"
Matteyo programmed me to protect you when he cannot. His directives have been activated. There is a high probability that you would become hypothermic should you go back outside now. You cannot leave until your core temperature improves."

My mouth drops open before I snap it shut. I stomp toward the front door and when I reach it, I find it locked as well.
"BBBut I hhhhave to get out now! I nnneed to go to hhhim!" I rattle the handle, but it won't open.

"
You need to go to who?" SOA asks.

"
Mmmattie! He's in the lake."

"
Matteyo Dillinger is in the lake?" SOA asks.

"
Yes! He's in ttthere. I sssaw him. He hhheld mmme in his arms." I go to the back door again. It still doesn't open. I turn toward SOA in frustration, folding my arms over my chest as I tap my foot.

"
His presence is irrelevant. The protection directive supersedes anything else. I have raised the temperature in the house several degrees, but if you would like to get outside sooner, I suggest you take a hot shower. There is a bathroom attached to the master suite. It's through there." SOA points in the direction of a doorway to my right.

I blanche.
"You're kkkidding, rrright?"

"
I am serious." SOA says, his smoky image crossing his arms to mirror mine.

"
Wwwhat's going on hhhere, So-wah? Why is Mmmattie in the lakkke?" I ask.

"
I have no knowledge of Matteyo Dillinger being in the lake other than what you've told me."

"
Tttell me abouttt the silvvvver thing out ttthere in ttthe waterrr."

"
That is classified."

I turn to look out at the lake before I growl in frustration. I give in and move to locate the master suite on the main floor. It
's huge and has a stone fireplace similar to the one in the main room that roars to life as I pass it. An elegant, but simple bed on a raised dais comprises a portion of the far wall. The ceiling above it is glass and I wonder how many nights Mattie laid there awake gazing at the stars.

I continue to the master bathroom; it has a huge glass-enclosed walk-in shower that is already on. Steam rolls from it when I open the door. After I undress and enter, it takes several minutes for me to stop shaking. When I do, I turn off the shower and find a towel, wrapping it around me. I drag my fingers through my hair to untangle it. Moving to the bedroom, I find Mattie
's closet; it's nearly as big as my entire apartment. I rummage through the drawers, choosing a white t-shirt, cream-colored cable knit sweater, and a pair of black cargo shorts with a drawstring waist that fit me like capris.

As I pull on his oversized sweater, Mattie
's scent assails me. Holding the crewneck collar to my nose, I walk out into the bedroom again and study the view of the lake. I found him! I think as I hug myself. A part of me is elated and an equal part of me is terrified. My mind races with questions. What the hell is happening? Why is this happening? Why is he here? What if this is it? What if this is as close as I can ever get to him again?

A desperate longing twists inside of me. If he can
't join me here, maybe I can join him in there...or maybe...maybe I'm completely crazy. Maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see—like Dr. Gobel had said. Maybe I've lost my damn mind. 

Pounding on the glass outside startles me from my thoughts. I rush back into the main room, nearly tripping over a lounge chair to see Clyde on the back porch. Standing by the glass door, Clyde tries to hide a smile at my clumsiness. He has changed into a black t-shirt and jeans. With his tattoos, he looks like he should have a guitar strapped to him, ready to take the stage in front of a hoard of adoring women.

Feeling my cheeks turning red, I pull the white blanket off the chair and wrap it around my shoulders. Cautiously, I approach the door. Clyde spreads an arm wide, indicating the table on the porch. In the growing dusk, the lantern in the center of it casts flickering light on two elegant table settings.

My eyes search for SOA, but he
's not visible. As I near the glass door, it slides open. Cool air of approaching darkness touches my face along with the aroma of food. "Pizza," I say with a sigh, feeling hungrier than I have in days. My stomach growls and I realize I need to eat.

"
And salad and bread sticks," Clyde adds. He holds up a bottle of red wine. "And you had the wine."

"
Hey, that was in the truck!" I state.

"
Yeah, so was this," he says, picking up my purse that has obviously been gone through.

He sets them back down on a chair, and then pulls out a seat for me facing the lake.
"Sit," he says, more like an order than an invitation. Knowing that I can't very well go search for Mattie again with Clyde lurking around, I sit down and allow him to push in my chair. He takes a seat next to me. Twisting the cap off the wine, he pours some in a beautiful wine glass before handing it to me.

"
Pizza?" he asks with a tilt of his eyebrow.

"
Please," I murmur.

He loads a gigantic piece on my plate with a generous amount of salad and a breadstick. He sets the plate in front of me.
"Dig in." Lifting his glass, he waits for me to do the same.

"
Cheers," I say, extending my glass to his.

We eat together quietly and my eyes stray to the lake often. Clyde refills my wine glass whenever it
's half-full. I have no idea how much I've truly had to drink, but I'm beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. When I set my napkin back on the table, Clyde abruptly pulls my chair to face him and asks, "Who are you?"

Startled, I answer honestly.
"I'm Violet O'Shea."

He pulls my plastic school ID card from his pocket.
"Art teacher, Chicago Public Schools."

I nod my head.
"That's right." I take the card from him.

He reaches in his pocket again, pulling out my prescription bottle of antidepressants from Dr. Gobel. He sets them on the table like an accusation.
"What are you doing here, Violet?"

I immediately take the medication from the table and shove it in my pocket with my ID. My chin drops and I mumble,
"I told you. I own this house now."

"
Yeah, you told me. Matt's dead, right?" Clyde says sarcastically. "How'd he die, eh?"

"
Someone shot him," I murmur.

He nods skeptically.
"These gunshot wounds killed him, and then what? Matt just left you this house?"

"
Everything...he left me everything."

"
Why would he do that?" Clyde scowls.

"
I was his fiancé," I say candidly.

Clyde
's eyes widen. "His fiancé? But you're..." He looks me over from head to toe.

I touch my hand to my hair, knowing it looks a bit wild. It spills over my arms in brown waves.
"I'm what?"

"
Human," Clyde says softly, watching my reaction.

I blink before I look down at myself, and then back at him.
"Uh, yeah, I'm not a Barbie like he used to date. I'm normal, just like you."

His lips stretch in a grim line.
"Yeah...just like me."

He jumps up then in agitation; his chair skids away from him. Striding to the glass door of the house, it opens instantly for him. He enters yelling,
"SO-WAH!" SOA materializes in front of him and Clyde rants, "WHAT THE FFFFUUU—"

"
Careful," SOA cuts him off in warning, "don't lose your head."

I rise from my seat and go to the doorway. Clyde growls at SOA.
"Matteyo can't be dead! I'm still marked!" Clyde holds up his wrist, displaying his tattoos. "Where is he?" Clyde demands.

"
That is classified," Source One Alpha states.

"
Who else knows Matt has divided?" Clyde demands.

"
Maybelle Younger and—"

"
MAY KNOWS!" he shouts, his hands balling into fists. "Fffffffaaaaaa! We're screwed! It's only a matter of time before she comes here! We gotta go!" Clyde starts ranting again, but in a language I've never heard before. I watch him for a few moments and hear SOA answer him with the same gibberish.

Paling, I feel disoriented. I turn away from them to stare at the water. Darkness is descending and a storm will be rolling in soon; lightning flashes in the sky beyond the cliffs. The wind is still calm yet, but the temperature is dropping.

I shiver and pull the blanket closer. The phosphorescent glow of fireflies illuminate randomly across the patio. But, over the lake where I'd been earlier, it's a different story. The fireflies have collected like a neon sign, blinking as one as if to say: here, here, here.

Clyde approaches me from behind and grabs my elbow. He snarls,
"We have to go. Now!"

"
What? Why?" I argue, trying to wrest my elbow away from him, but his grip is too strong.

"
So-wah was listening in on May when she was trashing Matt's apartment; he has filled me in on what's been going on in Chicago for the past few months. Matt's an idiot—I don't care if he is the most powerful being on the planet; he's still an idiot! What was he thinking? By making you his fiancé he has made you a target! The shooting wasn't random. They tried to assassinate you when they found out that Matt intended to marry you."

"
What are you talking about?" I ask. Adrenaline enters my bloodstream like a chemical reaction. "What kind of person does something like that?"

Clyde lets go of my elbow and uses his fingers to tick off suspects.
"May Younger, her family, the Gramercies—take your pick. They're not about to let Matteyo marry a human. He's the Sweven. He can make you his slave, but you can't be his wife!"

"
His slave?" My mind reels at the implication of that word. "Who are you freaky people?"

He groans and threads his fingers behind his head before looking up at the sky.
"You think we're people? We're Willas! How can you be Matt's fiancé? Why didn't he tell you anything?" He grasps my elbow again and pulls me toward the house, picking up my purse in his other hand. "Do you have anything else you need? We're leaving now."

"
I'm not going anywhere!" I fight against him in earnest. Dragging me inside like I weigh nothing, he grabs my wallet out of my purse. He shoves it in his back pocket before tossing my purse aside. Then he changes tactics; bending down, he hoists me over his shoulder. When I struggle to break free, his hand comes up and swats my butt. "Stop! If they find you, you're dead."