“What do you mean?” I asked, afraid I already knew just what he meant.
“If you couldn’t handle seeing this, then you definitely can’t handle what the rest of this place has to offer.”
“Look, this isn’t what I’m here for, okay?” I said, putting my hands up in surrender. “I just want to talk to Theo; I don’t need to see all this… this… this!”
“You don’t just go see the Master, you know,” Fletcher said, and for the first time, I heard the temper rising in his voice. “You wanted to come in here uninvited; you think you can just walk up to her?”
“What good is this gonna do, huh?” I asked, gesturing at the den of iniquity around us.
“You’re blending in,” he said.
“So?”
“So, if everyone thinks you belong here, then we can move around freely and maybe you can find Theo.” Fletcher glared down at me, waiting for me to respond. I understood his reasoning, logically, but I couldn’t help how totally and completely creeped out I was. There was a girl, couldn’t be more than eighteen years old, draped over a low table, practically naked. There was a vamp at each of her wrists and ankles while another was nuzzled into her neck. They weren’t more than ten feet away from us. Her wide eyes fluttered and her tiny bow mouth opened with a moan as she squirmed on the table.
I pulled my gaze away from the sight, trying not to think about what would be left of that girl come morning. Fletcher was still watching me, one brow arched in challenge. With my jaw clenched, I gave him a curt nod. We turned and started for the door in the far wall.
“I have to ask you…” he whispered, lifting my hand to his mouth as we walked. I tried not to flinch when he pressed a kiss to the inside of my wrist as we passed two vampires lounging together who eyed us as we went.
“What?”
“Have you ever shared blood with a vampire before?” My stomach went cold at his question. There was only one reason why he was asking me that now.
“Yes,” I forced out, keeping my eyes straight ahead. Fletcher folded my hand back to his arm. My phone rang in my bag. The tinny noise stopped Fletcher just before he opened that dreaded door. I heard a few annoyed murmurs around us as I fumbled for the phone. I shot Fletcher a pained look.
“You have got to be kidding me,” I sighed, seeing Joey’s open face on the screen again. “Joey, this is a bad time,” I whispered into the phone.
“But, Mattie, I have to talk to you,” Joey pleaded.
“Joey, I just can’t talk right now. I’m sorry.” I started to pull the phone away from my ear.
“Mattie, it’s about the potion. I’m kinda freaking out right now,” Joey’s voice pulled me back to the phone.
“Girl, I told you it was risky,” I said, shaking my head. “You knew what you were getting into. Look, I have to go, I’m sorry. I’ll call you when I can.” I hung up the phone, cutting Joey and whatever she was about to say off. I turned my ringer off and made sure the vibrate option was off too. Shoving the phone back into my bag, I gave Fletcher an awkward smile, apologizing for the interruption.
Fletcher’s hand shot out and his fingers twined into my hair, fisting at the back of my head. He pulled, making my neck curve until I was looking at the ceiling. He leaned into my space, placing his face dangerously close to mine, and whispered, “See that it doesn’t happen again.” I swallowed, not daring to breathe, and managed the tiniest of nods. Fletcher stared down at me for another moment before he released his hold on me.
He pushed the door open and gestured for me to go in ahead of him. Holding the back of my head, I walked through the door, trying to keep my eyes on him. When I heard the door close behind us, I spun around, ready to scream at him, feeling the spark of power building in my hands, but his fingers were on my lips again and he was shushing me.
“Those two vamps were watching us,” he whispered. “Had to make it look real. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” My curses died on my tongue and I closed my mouth. Damn him.
“Let’s just go,” I said, turning to look down this new hallway. It was just as dimly lit with sconces burning on the walls, but between each set were empty doorways. As we walked down the hall, I saw that each doorway led to a different room set up to accommodate the different sexual appetites of their occupants. There were straps and spikes and whips and wheels and chairs and swings and anything else you could think of. I was suddenly very grateful for the dim light because I knew my face was cherry red now.
People, humans and vampires alike, were huddled at different doorways, watching the shows inside the rooms. I had to close my eyes at one point and just hold on to Fletcher to keep from falling. I wasn’t a prude, but I also wasn’t a voyeur and this was so not my cup of tea.
“You’re doing great,” Fletcher murmured to me, patting my hand. We turned a corner and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that the doorways down here actually had doors, closed doors. Walking was suddenly easier and I didn’t have to cling to Fletcher’s arm. After a few more turns and different hallways, he pulled a key ring out of his pocket and unlocked a door, ushering me through.
Inside was a typical bachelor’s apartment complete with a massive TV and sparse furnishing. Fletcher took off his coat and tossed the keys on a tabletop. The sudden change in décor, the muted sounds of flesh falling away, and the bright lighting made my head spin. I turned to look at Fletcher, questions ready to fly from me.
“Okay, we’re out of the club area,” he said. “Now you’re actually in the lair.”
“Oh,” I said, blinking at him, feeling my questions fall away. “So all that, out there…” I waved at the door and all that stuff beyond.
“That’s kind of a playground. And a major source of our income,” he added that last in a stage whisper. “Only made vampires and pets make it back here; this is where we really live.” Fletcher took a moment to take off some of the jewelry he was wearing: two or three necklaces and four rings. The jewelry clinked on the table top by the keys.
“So what now?” I asked.
“Now we can go look for Theo so you can try to talk to her.”
“Try, huh?”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
“Is this as stupid as I think it is?”
“Might be.”
“Thanks.” I rubbed my temples, trying to figure out when my life took such a messed up turn. I hadn’t even been down here when I was with Owen, and now here I was, with a perfect stranger who was only helping out of some nostalgic sense of guilt over his dead sister. This was just wrong on so many levels. I could practically hear Ronnie screaming in my head about how stupid I was being right now.
“You ready?” Fletcher asked. He had crossed the room and was standing in a doorway that I thought led to his bedroom. I arched an eyebrow at him, making him laugh. “What, don’t trust me now?”
“Kinda late for second thoughts I guess.” I threw my hands up in the air and stormed across the room. I was right; his bedroom was on the other side of that door, but he didn’t stop there. I was relieved when he pulled a bookcase away from the wall that was set on hinges, revealing yet another hallway.
“What is with this place? It should be called a labyrinth, not a lair,” I said, ducking into the hallway. This one at least was well lit.
“Yeah, I know,” Fletcher said as he pulled the false door closed behind him. “My first six months here, I got lost at least once a week.”
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“Ten years.”
“Wow,” I said, feeling a little stupid as soon as the word was out of my mouth.
“What’s wow?” he asked.
“I just thought you were younger than that, that’s all.”
“It’s all in your skin care regime,” he said with a grin, posing for me. “That, and I stay out of direct sunlight.” He winked at me then, making me burst out laughing. The bubble of stress that had been building inside of me burst suddenly and I felt lighter.
“Thanks,” I said as I wiped a tear away.
“Feel better?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I think I can do this.” Fletcher nodded at me and offered his arm again. This time I slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow naturally, as if we’d been walking arm and arm for ages. This hallway was bright and open, the ceilings were higher, and the walls were painted a soothing tope against the beige carpet. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling were large and chased all the shadows away.
“Do you know where Theo is?” I whispered to Fletcher, not sure if these walls had ears and I didn’t want people to know we were looking for the Master.
“I have a pretty good idea,” Fletcher replied. “About this time of night, she likes to take a soak. If we hurry, we should just catch her.” That bubble started to form in the middle of my body again, pressing at my skin. I had absolutely no desire to see Theo naked; just the pictures I had seen of her in magazines were enough to give anyone an inferiority complex. Add her stealing your boyfriend right out of your bed, and you would almost want to kill yourself. I could only hope her body was starting to show the signs of her immense age. The thought of her body deflated and sagging lifted my spirits and I was practically bouncing on my feet as we walked.
We took the right at the end of the hallway, and in just a few feet, we came upon a beautiful old oak door that arched high overhead with ivy and flowers carved into the aged wood. Fletcher reached for the wrought iron handle, paused before opening it, and turned to look at me.
“Please try to keep your cool, okay?” I nodded at him, not trusting my voice. “I mean it; they’ll stake me for doing this if they even suspect I know what you’re up to.”
“I’m not here to kill her, Fletcher. I just want to talk to her,” I said. When he continued to stare at me, I lifted three fingers of my right hand and said, “Witches honor.” He smirked at me but opened the door.
A gust of warm air and rolling steam billowed around us. We stepped into the wide, sweeping room and my skin was instantly dewy. It was a huge bathhouse with water fountains against every wall, and in the center of the room was a long, shallow pool. Little ribbons of steam twirled into the air. Vampires and humans were draped all around, on benches, in the pool, even on the floor. Glass pitchers of ice water with sliced fruit were placed strategically around the room with bowls of orange slices and grapes for grazing.
Half a dozen pairs of eyes swung our way as the door fell closed behind us and I realized how out of place we looked. Me in my jeans and jacket with my bag draped over my shoulder and Fletcher in his black on black clothing and his three inch platform boots with way too many buckles to count. I chewed the inside of my cheek, suddenly unsure what to do with my hands.
“Fletcher my sweet,” a rich, lilting voice rang out. The rolling tones hit me right in the chest, and if it wasn’t for Fletcher’s arm, I might’ve fallen. I had been around vampires my whole life, they were as open and proud of their existence as the rest of us, but until that moment, I didn’t realize how young all of the vampires I had ever known were. If this is what her normal voice could do to me, then I had made a horrible, stupid mistake coming in here.
“Mistress,” Fletcher said with a bow of his head.
“Come to me, Fletcher,” Theo said. Though she said it lightly, there was no mistaking the pull of the command in her voice. Fletcher moved forward without pause, dragging me along behind him. My fingers flexed around his arm until my nails were cutting into his sleeve. I desperately wanted to unwind my scarf and pull off my jacket, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was due to the temperature of the room. We crossed the room, every pair of eyes tracking our progress though they all tried to feign disinterest.
Theo was reclining at the end of the pool. The bubbling water provided a little coverage, but I could see the pale, perky mounds of her breasts just peeking out of the water. Her shoulders were smooth as milk, her arms draped over the edge of the pool. Her honey blond hair was piled and pinned on top of her head in a mass of curls and twinkling jewels. When we were standing by her head, she looked up at Fletcher and smiled.
Her mouth was a perfect pink bow with a full bottom lip. Her eyes shone with power like trapped sapphires. Her skin was so damn flawless that she looked like one of those porcelain dolls humans liked to collect. She set her dripping hand on Fletcher’s ankle, fingering the bottom most buckle.
“I see we have a new pet,” she said, not bothering to look at me. A trickle of sweat escaped my hairline and rolled down my cheek, dropping to disappear into my scarf. Fletcher didn’t respond to Theo, merely maintaining eye contact with her. “And what is her name?”
“My lady?” Fletcher asked. Just her voice had set him in a trance. Clearly I hadn’t chosen my escort as wisely as I had hoped.
“Your pet,” Theo said, snapping her fingers, leaving a few drops of water on Fletcher’s leather boot. “Her name, what is it?”
I looked from Fletcher to Theo and back again, praying that he wouldn’t tell her my real name, but I knew better than to answer for him. The gods only knew what Theo would do if a pet spoke out of turn.
“Her name is Matilda,” Fletcher said in an inhumanly robotic voice. I flinched, closing my eyes and refusing to breathe for a moment before I looked at Theo again. Her bright blue eyes were on me, studying my face, while she drew inconsequential designs on Fletcher’s boot with the tips of her fingers and the trail of water.
“Matilda,” she repeated, stretching out each syllable, tasting the letters of my name. “I imagine your friends call you Mattie.” Her eyes flashed, the pupils growing until all I could see were pools of black. I refused to look away. I was a witch, and her little party tricks couldn’t affect me. I would not let her scare me either.
“Yes,” I said, “my friends do call me that.” Theo pursed that pretty little mouth of hers in a simpering smile as the blue slowly edged back into her eyes. She released Fletcher and snapped her fingers. In an instant, everyone was moving. Vampires and humans were slinking out of the bath and disappearing from the room while two others brought a flowing white robe to the edge by Theo’s head. She stood, the water cascading down her body, leaving her white skin almost pink and steaming. Her servants helped her into the robe, settling it on her shoulders and moving around to tie it into place. It clung to her shapely body in all the right places and swept out behind her, exposing her lithe legs. She snapped again and the two servants bowed and scurried away, leaving the three of us alone.
“Fletcher,” Theo placed her finely manicured fingers on his cheek and I realized how small, how petite she was, “go sit like a good boy.”
I couldn’t help but blink when Fletcher turned and walked to a nearby bench, perfectly obedient. Theo moved closer to me and I had to fight the urge to step away and put some distance between us again. Don’t run from vampires or Weres, I reminded myself and tried to keep my knees from shaking.
“Matilda.” Theo circled me, taking in every inch of me. When we stood face to face, I couldn’t help but marvel at how close in stature we were. We were within an inch of each other’s heights, only my boots gave me an edge tonight. Our builds were surprisingly similar, but she was the more voluptuous of us, and there was no denying it now that I had seen the entire, well-groomed show. And no, she was not sagging and deflated because sometimes life just wasn’t that fair. Instead, Theo didn’t look a day over the twenty two years she had been when she was turned during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign.
“Theodora,” I replied with a small incline of my head.
“Please,” she said, “Theo. You may call me Theo.”
“That’s just peachy, but you can’t call me Mattie,” I said before I could stop myself. I waited for her to strike, to put me back in my place, but instead she chuckled. I kept my face schooled, trying desperately not to show her how surprised I was.
“Very well, Matilda,” she agreed. “I am surprised to see you here. I thought perhaps you were too w
ell behaved to gloat.”
“Well behaved?” I shook my head at her. “What are you talking about?”
“My Owen hasn’t been home for days,” she said, her eyes never leaving my face. “You should know better than most that it is unwise to come here and gloat over that victory since I could have him back here, his face pressed to my feet in an instant.” She snapped her fingers in my face to underscore her words. I could feel the heat creeping up my neck again and an ache forming in my stomach. This woman knew all the right buttons to push. How I’d like to push her damned button. She started her idle circle around me again and I heard her sniff behind me and I could just see that sneer on her face.
“I don’t have Owen,” I said, biting off each word. “The Lord and Lady of Dunhallow have him because you took Roane.” I whirled around to face her, leaning into her, popping her bubble of personal space. I knew I was poking the lion in the cage, but I just didn’t give a crap anymore. My fists were so tight that I could feel my nails cutting into the skin of my palms.
“I took Roane,” she repeated, arching that blond brow at me. It formed a perfect upside down U on her forehead.
“Yeah, so just give him to me,” I said. “I’ll take him back to the Mound and they’ll release Owen. Nice and neat, all right?”
“Nice and neat, I’m sure.” She nodded. “There is just one little problem.”
“What?”
“I don’t have the prince.”
“Nice try,” I said, taking a step back to give myself a little breathing room. She hadn’t struck out at me yet and keeping myself so pent up waiting for it was just giving me a headache. “Why would they take Owen if you didn’t take Roane? Eye for an eye and all that biblical bullshit.”
Theo chuckled again, and for a moment, I saw her face soften.
“I can see why he likes you,” she said as she turned away from me. Lifting her hands, she pulled at the pins in her hair, causing it to cascade down in a golden waterfall. The curls bounced against the white fabric as she walked over to a bench where she lowered herself to sit. She moved like water flowed and it was almost mesmerizing to watch.
Wytchcraft: A Matilda Kavanagh Novel Page 10