"We can finish later," Ileana said with a kind smile. "It gets easier."
Deidre nodded, unable to think of a response that didn't involve crying or fleeing. She left the dining area and returned to her room. Seating herself on the bed, she stared at a wall for a long time before pulling herself out of the trance.
She really, really wanted to go home! Gabriel's strange magic tingled in her body, warming her. She twisted to pull her feet onto her bed and choked back a scream.
In front of the bed, a dark cave had opened in the middle of her room, swallowing the wall where the door had been. It hovered. Beyond its yawning mouth, she saw what looked like yellow doorways glowing. One of them was brighter than the others, as if trying to draw her attention.
Heart flying, Deidre stood and moved to the end of the bed. She reached out to the cave. The temperature beyond its opening was cold, the air heavy and clammy. She'd felt the weird sensations before …
Shadow world.
Daniela said they passed through it on their way to the island.
Suddenly hopeful, Deidre stepped into the in-between place. The cave closed behind her, startling her. She looked around, not liking the feel of the shadow world. She walked towards the brightest of the glowing doorways and hesitated, unable to see through it. For all she knew, the Grand Canyon was on the other side.
"Might not be a bad thing," she murmured. With a deep breath, she stepped through and braced herself to fall.
She didn't. The clingy cold of the shadow world disappeared, and she was left standing in the middle of her apartment.
Relief brought tears to her eyes. She sucked in a steadying breath, praying any sign of the violence from her last visit was gone.
"No bodies, no blood," she observed of the living room.
She walked down the hallway to the guest bedroom, cringing. She opened the door and closed it quickly.
Things hadn't gone back to normal after all. She wasn't about to look in the bathtub. Instead, she went to her bedroom, changed into her clothing and packed a bag. She took the money in her emergency stash, grabbed her purse, and left.
The heavy Southern day reminded her of the Caribbean. Deidre dug through her purse as she walked and pulled out her cell, thrilled to see she had battery power. She could think of one place to go right now.
She called Wynn.
"Deidre?" He answered at once.
Surprised he'd been waiting for her call, she hesitated. After all she'd been through lately, she couldn't help feeling a little wary. She shook her head. This was the doctor who stuck by her for years after her diagnosis. If anything, she owed him at least the benefit of the doubt.