“Really, it listed that with the definition of lunatic in Merriam Webster’s dictionary?” Iya shook her head, “So you’re not going to admit it?”
“Would you like me to lie to you?” Dae really hoped Iya would drop it soon. She didn’t want to lie to her, but how could she explain about the her that wasn’t her? She couldn’t even explain it to herself.
“No, I don’t want you to lie, but a straight answer would be nice.”
“Ok I–” Dae emphasized the ‘I’ and referred to the logical part of her that wanted to run far away from him, “–Do not like him.”
There, not an outright lie, almost a truth to a point… Gods, it was so much of a lie that Dae’s nose actually felt longer. The her that wasn’t her growled in annoyance. Dae wondered if she should give this new old part of her a name. It might be easier to explain to a shrink if it had a name, but wouldn’t that make her crazy by default? No, no names for the crazy.
Iya sighed. “Ok, Dae whatever you say. I’m tired from being awake since yesterday; I’m going to go lay down for a bit.”
“Ok, I’m going to shower and lay down too. I feel like passing out for a few hours might do me some good.”
Maybe it would put her mind back together again. Maybe that was all Humpty Dumpy needed before they prematurely tossed his shell pieces in the trash. She doubted it, but she desperately wanted a good sleep to remedy all the crazy things that had happened since Saturday.
Seven
“I found your present last night.”
Dae and Iya were on their way to campus on a sunny Monday morning. It had been two weeks since she had seen Koda. Fourteen days. 13 hours… and she liked to say she didn’t think about Koda one minute in all that time.
She liked to say it every time she showered. She liked to say it every time she was in her kitchen/dining/living room. She liked to say it every time she was in her bed, when she awoke, when she tried to sleep. She liked to say it at the computer when she was supposed to be working, when Iya asked her a question and it escaped out of her traitorous mouth, in her favorite fast food joints where she swore she felt him nearby, in her closet with her super secret stash…
I do not like him, Damned I am.
“Did you, now?” Iya wagged her eyebrows suggestively.
“Yes I did, while an amusing a gift it was, clearly it didn’t get any use.”
“Why’s that? Did Prudence McPrudson pop out again and scare it away?” Iya smirked.
“No, but a thoughtful gift like that should have came with a few batteries, don’t you think?” Dae grinned at Iya as she smacked herself in the forehead. Iya completely forgot about batteries.
“It’s not like I would have used it anyway, I was just saying.”
Iya went to open her mouth but a newly familiar baritone interrupted her.
“Good morning! Sorry to interrupt, do you mind if I walk with you?”
Dae froze. This wasn’t happening. He wasn’t there. It wasn’t real. She didn’t know what would be worse; if her mind had cracked so bad she was hallucinating or if he really was there.
Dae turned to face Koda the Sasquatch.
“You.” Dae said accusingly at him. This was much worse. Definitely.
“You and you. Do I win the game, collect the fancy prize?” Koda said grinning.
Iya looked shocked at Dae’s behavior. Clearly, Iya was in that kind of shock all the time because she quickly recovered.
“Heya Sasquatch. Fancy seeing you around here.” Iya smirked.
“Not so fancy since we are neighbors, did Dae tell you how close I live to you guys?” Again he had that tone that could only be described as cheeky while Dae stood staring, and probably seething. Iya could only see her profile, so she wasn’t sure.
“Nope she conveniently left that out.” Iya said in a playful tone. It wasn’t everyday that Dae was speechless. Iya wondered if Dae realized the Sasquatch was the only person to have that effect on Dae.
“I wonder why…” Koda turned back to his mate, who was still staring at him like she was sorting out the best way to castrate him. “Now Dae, leaving your mouth open like that will only get you flies.”
Bastard!
Dae stood frozen in a kaleidoscope of emotions; anger, surprise, horror and fear being the ones she readily identified. She tried to ignore the relief, arousal, and other emotion she refused to acknowledge that seemed like it was happiness due to his presence. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This just confirmed she had multiple personality disorder. There was no other way she could account for all those feelings she was having simultaneously and why some of them were battling each other. And when the hell did she start feeling all those emotions?
Batshit crazy, she reminded herself, it’s to be expected.
Dae quickly popped her mouth closed when Iya choked on her laughter. Dae eyed Iya for a second before turning back to give Koda a dirty look. It wasn’t the kind that told him Dae had fantasized about him every night and day, either.
“What, are you here to kidnap me again? The last time wasn’t enough for you?” Dae spat out at him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be sated for my Dae quotient. What, with your lovely disposition, how could I possibly be?” Koda replied.
Iya was having another coughing fit. Dae decided she would need to get her friend some damn lozenges on their way to campus for the sudden bronchitis Iya obviously caught.
“Don’t you have anything else to do than to stalk pretty women?”
“No stalking of the gorgeous women today, I promise.” That smelled like the truth. Koda smiled that half smile that had Dae reflexively inhaling his wild winter scent. It was working its voodoo magic on her as he said, “I was just on my way somewhere and when I saw you both, I figured with all that happened, it couldn’t hurt for you both to have some protection.”
Dae’s eyes snapped open. She didn’t remember closing them at all. She stared at Koda’s smug expression. Bastard.
“That was mighty sweet of him, wasn’t it Dae?” Iya said as she turned to Dae who was doing some weird lip curl that exposed her teeth. The girl had some unusually sharp chompers, Iya thought.
Dae recovered quickly. “Sweet or ridiculously creepy. Take your pick.”
Iya cut her off. “Sweet, I pick sweet because walking with the Sasquatch is going to make the incredible stalker duo think twice about messing with us.”
Dae began. “Look, I said–”
“Stalker duo?” Koda questioned looking very serious as he cut Dae off.
“Not that it’s any of your business–” Dae started until Iya cut her off. Damn, it was as if they expected her to say something crazy.
“Yes, I had two creepy guys following me while you and Dae… got to know each other.”
Koda was about to respond but Dae said, “Get to know each other, tie up defenseless females, potato tomato.”
Koda tried not to show how much Dae’s comment bit at him but he visibly flinched, “You are far from defenseless and that’s why I had to do it. Stop selecting random facts of–”
“Of my abduction?” Dae asked incredulously.
“Of your attempted abduction, from someone other than me, and the subsequent rescue, by me–”
“Ok enough already!” Iya positioned herself in front of Dae.
“Iya, you really–” Dae began.
“Yes, I really am happy he’s walking with us! Actually I’m happy he exists because otherwise you’d be on milk cartons right now!”
Dae sucked her teeth, “No, I would have gotten out of it.”
Iya raised an eyebrow. “Before you got any lasting damage?”
Dae’s eyes narrowed. “Did you wake up on the crazy side of the bed today? Don’t I always get out of shit? And just to show you how crazy you’re thought processes are, I could bring up that they don’t put people like me on milk cartons!” Dae yelled.
“What, Spanish people?” Koda asked, clearly confused as to what Dae meant.
Dae�
��s lip curled again as she pointed her finger at his chest “No, you smartass sonof–”
“Hey!!! None of that now unless you want to watch the Bible on tape again!” Iya warned Dae. If Dae pushed Iya with the sailor talk, they were going to start watching it again.
“I’m confused on many levels.” Koda stated with furrowed brows.
“Clearly–” Dae began but Iya halted her with a look that showed Dae just how serious Iya was about the Bible tapes.
Dae stopped. Those damn bible tapes were the worst. She would rather watch documentaries about paint drying while getting her fingernails and freckles peeled off with rusty spoons while someone rubbed salted ammonia all over her body.
Dae inhaled deeply –from her mouth, not her nose. She wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon. Dae knew she shouldn’t be this mad at Koda. It couldn’t be his fault he was on her brain like ink on paper. She wanted blame him, sure because that would be easy, but it really wasn’t his fault.
Or was it?
Dae pressed the brakes on those thoughts. If only things were that simple. This –unfortunately– was all part of Dae’s mental breakdown. Her anger was illogical. Koda saved her. She had no way to know what would have happened had he not shown up. She was sure that if the rest of the night ended differently, she could have at least mumbled an awkward ‘thanks’. Maybe. But she never expected to feel the way he made her feel. And somehow punishing him was the only solution she had for all those feelings.
A short-term solution, obviously, but it gave Dae’s addled brain some focus; it gave Dae an enemy. The crazy her that was not her growled…
What the hell was up with that?
Iya quickly explained her version of the events that preceded Dae being held hostage as they started walking again. Dae was thinking of how to turn off those feelings when she heard Koda say, “Well it’s good I happened by, you ladies shouldn’t be walking around unprotected.”
Dae snorted. “Yes, otherwise we’d be quaking in our long skirts, lost without the protection of such a big strong man.”
“So you only think I’m big and strong? Ridiculously handsome didn’t register on your radar yet?” Koda said with that lazy grin.
“Captain Ego! What a pleasure to see you again. Really, it hasn’t been long enough. Clearly, you think so much of yourself, us women folk need not waste our time with our own measly thoughts and opinions.”
“Where were you walking to Koda?” Iya said catching Koda mid breath in his retort. He was smiling at Dae as she snarled at him. He didn’t seem to mind that Dae was acting like a savage animal. On the contrary, he seemed to like it. Dae was acting much worse than normal… and that was saying something.
*Raised by wolves…*
The whisper slunk around Iya’s mind. Since this wasn’t the first time whispers slipped into her mind, Iya ignored it, focused on the present, and pushed back her stupid-sense that never made any kind of sense.
“Well I was going to my summer class. I’m a student at MSU–”
“No.” Dae said in whispered horror. Iya thought it would have been funny if Dae wasn’t so darn serious.
Koda eyed Dae, not as amused as Iya was beginning to feel. Perfect metaphor stupid-sense…
“I’m sorry, what were you going to say Koda? You’ll have to excuse Dae, she was raised by wolves.”
Koda choked on air at what Iya had said and turned his shocked expression from Dae to Iya.
“Well, not literally. Jeeze, it’s an expression. People can’t be raised by wolves. That’s crazier than snakes on a plane.”
Koda shook off his surprise and quickly recovered.
“I’m sorry; I haven’t heard that expression for a long time.” Koda smiled, Iya relaxed and Dae growled something unintelligible. Iya seemed to ignore it while Koda tried to tamp down on the arousal he was feeling. Thoughts of what Dae would sound like pinned beneath him ravaged his brain.
“As you were saying?” Iya prompted Koda out of his fantasy.
“Yes, I was on my way to this art history class–”
“Shut up!” Dae froze as she yelled, earning herself stares from everyone around them.
“Dae!” Iya chided. Then Iya glanced at Koda, sounding way too amused as she said, “What a coincidence! That’s the same class were headed to!”
“No.” Dae stated, shaking her head. “It’s not possible.” Dae’s eyes were beseeching in hopes that this was a cruel joke at her expense.
“Yes, it is possible. Apparently, were all students at MSU; it’s ironic that we’re taking the same class but not impossible. And you call yourself a college student.” Koda shook his head.
He was so smug Dae wanted to punch him in his perfectly sculpted face.
Bastard!
“Is that your only class today? We also have a class with McHearty in Hispanic Cultural Studies.” Iya said a little too enthusiastically as if she hoped that he was taking that class as well. Dae felt compelled to growl at both of them.
“What a coincidence! Me too! It is a small world after all. I’ll just walk with you both to our mutual destination then.”
Dae thought she was losing her mind all over again. All those feelings were consistently stirring in her. Why weren’t they congealed like they always had been? Nicely solidified into a tar like substance that nobody ever touched so she didn’t have to worry about. She was not farina; she didn’t need to be thinned out with milk. She needed her farina-feelings to curdle back into tar. In other words, Dae needed to ignore those feelings until they disappeared.
Dae could do that…
“That does sound great, but what if you’re the bad guy and we’re playing right into your evil clutches? What if then, you’ll have us right where you want us?” Dae challenged, hoping Iya would see how creepy it was for the Sasquatch to be taking the same classes as them. It just proved to Dae that if Iya’s God actually existed, he surely hated Dae like she was his bastard stepchild.
“Well, Dae, you’ve been in my clutches before, so how did they feel? I’m sure you know that you’re not anywhere near where I want you to be.” His voice became deeper and seductive as the pang of arousal Dae was trying to suppress flamed.
Iya mimicked cutting the tension with a knife but Dae was already provoked. And when Dae felt threatened, she could be meaner than a starving supermodel with a cell phone.
“Don’t you have a Rolls Royce or something to taxi you around in? Why are you out here walking with the common folk?”
“Why would you say a thing like that, Dae?” Iya was upset with how Dae kept attacking the Sasquatch. She’d seen Dae on the war path before but this was getting ridiculous. And add that with Dae’s even stranger behavior the past two weeks…
Light bulb: There were many times Iya caught Dae dazing in her own world and that was not a normal thing. Dae was the most aware person she ever met. When Iya snapped her out of it, Dae kept denying doing something. What Dae was denying Iya didn’t know, but it did seem odd to have her abruptly shout ‘No I wasn’t!’ every time she was caught disappearing into her head. At first Iya figured Dae was planning something evil against somebody (Marcus) of which Iya was sure Dae did often. Now that Iya examined Dae’s combined behaviors, she wanted to smile with the sense it all made but she kept her game face on.
This wasn’t just some unwanted attraction Koda had towards Dae, this was mutual. Dae liked Koda. Iya looked from Koda to Dae and then back again. The look in her friend’s eyes was the exact opposite of her attitude and body language.
“Yes, why would you say a thing like that Dae?” Koda said faking the appropriate amount of hurt. Iya knew he knew it too.
“Our friend Koda here has Mr. Moneybags on speed dial. He lives in the Wilshire condos.” Dae said to Iya as her eyes narrowed on Koda.
Koda had that wicked grin on as he said, “There! Was it so hard to admit we’re friends?”
Dae snarled, “Friend is merely an expression–” Dae began but Iya finished for her.
&n
bsp; “So how is Mr. Moneybags? He still on vacation on park place?”
“Yup, he’s living it up. He’s got a nice house there too.”
Iya smirked as Dae’s eyes narrowed to slits. Dae started, “What I meant was–”
“That he has money. I know what you meant, Dae, I just chose to ignore the implied insult. Having money doesn’t make him the enemy, just like not having money wouldn’t make him the enemy either.” Iya said reprovingly.
“Nope, his abduction skills did that for him.” Dae said to Iya while glaring at Koda.
“Are we going to argue about this every time we see each other?”
Man, his mate knew how to beat a dead horse. And it seemed to make him want her even more. She was going to be a challenge even though her illogical defenses were built with straw. They would blow away eventually. He was a wolf after all.
“Probably. Is it going to stop you from coming around?”
“Not a chance.” He said smugly.
“Well then, you better get used to it.” Dae snapped.
Dae was so mad she felt it in her toes. Mad at him for just plain being, mad at Iya for not seeing the big bad wolf in grandma’s clothing and mad at herself because she was scared of this man. The worst part was that she wasn’t scared because he tied her up and she wasn’t scared because he was so big he could kick her girly ass. She was scared because he made her lose her focus when he was there; she was so distracted with the visual and scent of him she kept forgetting he was the enemy no matter what the her that wasn’t her said. And that her just kept pushing crazy ideas whenever he was around.
Mine, take, the her that wasn’t her growled.
“Oh, I plan to get used to a lot of things around you.” He said.
And why the hell did his voice get deeper with promise? As if on instinct, he got closer and Dae saw his nostrils flare. His blue eyes darkened and Dae feared she would get sucked into them again. A sharp honk of a car horn shook her back to reality.
Dae decided nothing good could come out of having any kind of communication with that man. As they began walking again, Dae tried to put some distance between them. He seemed to notice and adjusted his position every time. Dae knew she looked crazy as she dodged and shifted through the sidewalk, but she didn’t care. She needed the space to think about how to get rid of him. And she had to get rid of him some way.
Lost & Found (A Lost Ones Novel Book 1) Page 11
