Part 49 (1/2)

”I don't understand you,” I said. ”I-”

Heat roared through me, like being thrust back into that fiery ray of sunlight, and I convulsed, gasping. His cool hand went to my forehead. An exclamation that might have been a curse, but the word meant nothing to me. His arm slid around my shoulders. He said something. I struggled to focus, but even keeping my eyes open was too much effort. The room dipped and flared red.

He said the word again. I heard syllables then, but still nothing that made any sense. His arm gripped me, his fingers digging into my shoulder.

”-a!” His voice came clear. ”Olivia!”

I pa.s.sed out.

I surfaced into a nightmare world. I was a child, being stolen from my home, carried through the dark streets by a stranger. I'd been asleep when he took me and now I woke, in his arms, feeling the rush of cold night air against my skin, hearing the pound of his footsteps, smelling the stink of sweat and fear.

My limbs shot out, punching and jabbing and kicking as I struggled to be free. The man said something unintelligible. His face hovered above me. Yet it was no face. Just a pale blur. When I swung, he caught me by the wrist.

A pounding, like someone kicking a door. A white door. It swung open. A monstrous face leaned out, mouth opening, sharp teeth flas.h.i.+ng, coming for me.

I screamed. Another rush of air as we tumbled through the doorway, the man still holding me tight against my struggles.

A woman's voice now, the words meaningless. I caught sight of the man's featureless face again and swung my fist up. It connected with a thwack. The man grunted but still didn't let go, carrying me upstairs now, into a yawning pit of darkness lit only by a distant wavering orange light.

Fire. He was taking me into the fire. My skin already burned, and he was going to throw me into- Another light. Blinding. White. The shock of it stopped the pounding in my head for a split second, and I heard a voice, and words now.

”Ice! We need ice!”

The arms lowered me to the floor. I thrashed there, moaning, fire scouring through me, so hot it burned away the nightmare, and I caught sight of a purple towel hanging on a rack. I'd seen that towel before. Admired the color.

Where had I seen it? Where was I?

A gurgling sound. Then a roar. Water rus.h.i.+ng into a tub.

Whose bathroom?

I struggled to hold on to the questions. My brain kept dropping them as I writhed on the floor, moaning, my mind and body ablaze. A dark shape blocked the searing light, and I blinked up to see- Gabriel. I saw Gabriel.

I tried to say something, but words wouldn't come. He scooped me up. Then he lowered me into a tub of cold water. I yelped and flailed. He held me down, and the world threatened to tip into nightmare again, being held in a tub of cold water, drowned in- ”Olivia? Can you hear me?”

He knelt beside the tub, face above mine, hands on my shoulders, holding me in the tub but not pus.h.i.+ng me under.

”You have a fever,” he said. ”You're burning up. You were delirious.”

”Where...?” The answer came with a click as I saw the towels again. ”Rose.”

”She's downstairs calling the doctor and getting ice.”

”Ice.” I s.h.i.+vered at the thought of it. ”Please. Yes. So...” My throat seemed to seize, parched. ”So hot.”

”I know.”

His hand brushed sweat-soaked hair from my face. Then he dipped his hand into the water and did it again, the chill so refres.h.i.+ng I sighed.

”Better?”

I nodded.

He leaned over the tub. ”You'll be all right.”

He looked down at me, and all I could see were his eyes, those gorgeous blue eyes, sharp with worry, and I swore I could feel their coolness wash over me. I wanted to lose myself in those eyes, just- ”Ice.” Rose strode in, appearing over Gabriel. She looked down at me in the tub. ”She's still dressed.”

”Of course,” Gabriel said.

A strained half smile as she shook her head then bent with the bowl of ice. ”Is she lucid?” she asked.

Gabriel nodded as he grabbed the ice and dumped it in. I let out a gasp as the ice hit the water-and me.

”I was asking so I could warn her before doing that.” Rose said, ”Can you hear me, Olivia?”

I nodded.

”I've called the doctor. She'll be here soon. You should go to the hospital, but Gabriel said-”

”N-no hospital,” I said, teeth chattering. ”Please.”

”I know. Gabriel said you don't like them, but if this fever doesn't drop-”

I didn't hear the rest. The room was tilting, the bright light flickering. My eyelids flagged as I struggled to focus, and then ... Dark.

I surfaced to lucidity a few times. Dr. Webster was there once, while I was still in the tub. She said yes, the fever was dropping. Then I woke again as Rose was stripping me out of my wet clothing and Gabriel was pacing outside the closed door, complaining that it was taking so long, that the doctor said I needed to be in bed, Rose snapping that some idiot put me in a tub while dressed and my clothes were practically glued on now.

Then I woke in bed, Gabriel trying to get me to drink, which he really should have done after I was fully awake, because I was still fevered and thought I was being poisoned, which meant he ended up wearing the water before I drifted off again.

When I woke next, it was to Gabriel and Rose arguing-I was dehydrated and if they couldn't get fluids into me, I had to go to the hospital. I roused myself enough then to drink a whole gla.s.s of water. Then I zonked out, dimly aware of the gla.s.s falling from my hand, hearing it shatter as it hit the hardwood- Darkness.

No matter how deeply my body slept, my fevered brain stayed wide awake, pelting me with nightmares.

I was back in the Tylwyth Teg castle, as Matilda, smiling when the golden-haired man appeared in the doorway. He kissed me, that incredible storybook kiss, desire and l.u.s.t and love and need, and I clung to him, never wanting it to end. But then I heard the hounds and the horses, and I pulled from his arms and turned to look out- At a cityscape. I was high above the city, the night bejeweled with lights. Gabriel's apartment. I gripped the balcony, and when I looked down, I saw my own hands and heard the distant rev of a motorcycle engine.

I turned. Gabriel stood in the open patio doorway, his huge frame filling the s.p.a.ce, looking awkward and uncomfortable.

”You don't want me here,” I said.

”It's not that simple.”

”It should be.”

I stepped toward Gabriel. He backed up fast, as if I might do something crazy, like touch him. Below, the rev of the engine called to me.

I strode to the apartment door. Gabriel made no move to stop me. I pulled it open.