CHAPTER 38 #4
Compelled to go after him, I stood up from my chair, and the moment I did, a surge of dizziness had me wavering backward.
“Lilia?” Spencer grabbed my arm, steadying me. “Are you okay?”
“No. I feel. Strange.”
“Do you need some fresh air?”
Mouth pinched tight to avoid throwing up, I nodded.
Lowering my gaze to avoid all the prying eyes, I allowed Spencer to lead me out of the Solarium and back onto the patio.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to–”
“Stop. You made my father uncomfortable. I’m thrilled.” Spencer snorted.
Another wave hit me, and I swayed on my feet. “Whoa. I’m really …. Are you sure there wasn’t alcohol in that drink?”
“I’m pretty sure there wasn’t. Of course, my tolerance has grown a bit in the last few years. Do you need some water?”
Running a hand over my forehead, I nodded.
“Stay right here. I’ll be back in a sec.”
A blur had settled into the edges of my view. Looking around showed Professor Bramwell nowhere in sight.
Another bout of vertigo hit, and I stumbled to the side, catching my hand on one of the heavy iron chairs sitting out on the patio.
The sound of rustling off in the garden snapped my attention that way.
I scanned over what I could see through the shrubs, but found nothing there. The blur in my vision intensified, and as the view shifted, I stumbled again.
“Whoa!” Spencer said, swiping up my arm before I could tumble to my ass. He handed me the glass of water, and in spite of not really wanting to drink anything, with my stomach gurgling the way it did, I took a couple sips. “Better?”
“Not really.”
“Let’s walk and see if the air and muscle movement helps.”
Hooking his arm in mine, he led me onto the garden path, and I kept an eye out for Bramwell, or whatever had made that noise. The path wobbled, but the movement did help a small bit.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve switched seats with you back there. Did Dandridge really touch you?”
The question had me grimacing at the memory of him gripping my thigh under the table. “Yes. He really was creepy.”
“Forgive me. I can honestly say he’s never groped me under the table, so I didn’t know how creepy he could be.”
“I just want to forget it all.”
“Everything?”
A look of hurt in his eyes sent another round of nausea to my stomach.
I turned away, and caught sight of a figure standing in front of the mausoleum off in the distance.
Long, black cape. The plague mask. My imagination?
Or was it real? A sharp breath shot out of me, and I jerked back into Spencer.
A quick look back at him, and I stepped to the side, clearing my throat.
“What is it?” he asked.
“By the mausoleum.” I pointed in that direction and had to shake my head to dislodge the double-vision corrupting my view. When the scene settled back into a single blurry form, there was nothing there. “I saw … there was … someone in a mask.”
“A mask?”
“I keep seeing him.” Confusion clouded my head. “Someone following me in a mask. Like … the kind the doctors wore during the plague.”
“Plague mask?” Brows pinched, he recoiled. “That’s weird. You saw him near the mausoleum?”
“Yes. He was just …” Another zap of dizziness. “Standing there a moment ago. Staring.”
He unhooked his arm from mine, and when he stepped in that direction, I reached out for his arm.
“What’re you doin’?” My voice carried a slight slur.
“Just stay here. I’m going to check it out.”
“No … you don’ … never just go check it out.” Tension pulsed inside my skull, and I winced, rubbing the heel of my palm over the ache.
Ignoring me, he stepped in that direction again, and I clutched his arm harder.
“Spencer … what if … it’s dangerous?”
“If someone is harassing you, it needs to stop. Stay put.”
“No. Thassa bad idea.”
He frowned, staring back at me, as if just now catching on that this thing with me was getting worse. “Fine. C’mon.”
We stepped off the path into the gardens, toward the mausoleum.
The figure appeared again, and I pointed, skidding to a halt. “There!”
Spencer yanked his hand free of my grip and strode that way. “Hey! Asshole! You got a fucking problem?”
“Spencer!” I wanted to follow, but damn it, I wasn’t even sure I could manage ten steps, let alone defend myself. Instead, I backed toward the path, watching Spencer through a fog, as he disappeared around the mausoleum.
Seconds passed.
The air turned colder.
A minute.
Two minutes.
“Spencer!” I whisper-yelled, feeling completely vulnerable. Alone. I awkwardly tugged the pepper spray from my waistband, teetering again with the movement. Why I didn’t think to give it to him, I didn’t know, but right then, I was glad I had it.
Get help. Go get help.
I turned back toward the path, but the world continued to spin, the dizziness thick as I careened and staggered around shrubs. The surroundings had somehow shifted. I’d lost my sense of direction, and worse, my view was waning.
Blackness crawled into my periphery, creating a narrow field of view, as I scrambled for the familiar path.
One slow blink.
I opened my eyes to the dark sky above me, the stars twinkling high and bright. Had I fallen? I couldn’t remember.
Slow blink.
When I opened my eyes again, a terrifying figure stood over me. The plague mask. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out. The figure tipped its head, studying me.
Take the mask off!
I willed myself to reach up, but my arm felt like lead weights.
“Le’mee ‘lone.”
The figure snapped its attention away, as if it heard something.
Slow blink.
My body jostled as something slid beneath my back. “Hel’me.” Nothing more than a weak mewling that mirrored the softness in my bones. I opened my eyes to see the world moving too fast, the sight twisting my stomach.
I closed my eyes again.
Warmth engulfed me. Wonderful, relaxing warmth, and the scent of leather and cologne.
I roused to find a gloved hand on a gearshift.
The monotonous purr of an engine. Lifting my head to see who’d taken me captive, I was greeted by a light far too bright through the window behind them.
I groaned and screwed my eyes shut, seeing only jagged flashes behind my eyelids.
Perhaps I was dying.
Perhaps I would die by the end of the night.
Death felt like a warm blanket.