Lure

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “Isn’t anyone going to get him?” I asked.

  “Why?”

  “Why? Because he’s in the dirt and stuck in a bag. Go get him.”

  “From what Duncan said this boy means nothing to you. Isn’t this what he deserves?”

  “If anyone gets to punish Shaun it’s me. I should have kicked him in the balls, but that was for me to do.”

  “Thanks for that.” At least he was still talking.

  “We’re going inside. The rest of your friends will wait out here.”

  “What?” I gasped. “No.”

  “I already told you, you’re the only one we want.”

  I wanted to argue, but why? They were probably safer outside. I only wanted them with me for my own protection. “Please, just let them go.” I knew the request would fall on deaf ears, but I had to try.

  “No.” Jeryl picked me up and slung me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

  I kicked him. “Put me down.”

  “No. I run this nest and you belong to it. I can do what I want with you.”

  “No you can’t.” I fought against him.

  “We can make this easy or difficult. One word and your friend dies.”

  Considering they’d dragged us out here in body bags I didn’t doubt the threat, but wasn’t he going to do that to all of them anyway? “What do you want with me?”

  “I’d be happy to explain everything to you upstairs.”

  Again with the upstairs? He walked into the front door, and a few men turned to look at us. “We’ve got a nice Halloween present this year.”

  “What’s that smell?” One of the waiting men asked.

  “It’s her. I can’t wait to see what her blood tastes like.”

  What my blood tastes like? Were they really all convinced they were vampires?

  “Listen, my blood doesn’t taste good. Insects don’t even like it. I never get bitten.”

  “Well, that’s going to change.” One of the guys laughed. “You’ll be bitten plenty.”

  “In lots of places,” another added.

  I started to shiver. This was getting real. Why were they so fixated on me? A tiny voice in my head screamed the name Kalisa. Did the witch’s potion have something real to it? Did she want me dead?

  Jeryl placed me on the worn floor of a bedroom. He untied my hands, but completely blocked the doorway. “Why don’t you get changed? I’ll wait outside.”

  Wait outside? Was he actually going to give me privacy? “Change into what?”

  “Your dress.” He gestured to a lace garment lying on the bed.

  “Why would I do that?”

  “Because I asked you to.”

  I decided not to argue. This was the first time he was leaving me alone. I needed to use the freedom to my advantage.

  “I’ll be outside. I want to see your body for the first time when I rip that dress off you—with my teeth.”

  “Great.”

  He closed the door, and I walked over to the window immediately. I tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. I pushed up against it as hard as I could.

  “What are you doing in there?” Jeryl called.

  “Just getting changed.”

  “You have thirty more seconds. If you’re not changed when I open this door, your friend is going to have a problem.”

  Damn it. I gave up on the window and picked up the dress. It was a faded white lace dress that looked like it was fifty years old. I stepped into it and started to slip my arms into the sleeves. The door burst open. “What are you doing?”

  “Putting on the dress.”

  “But you are still wearing your other clothes. Take them off first.”

  “Why? It will fit.”

  “I want you naked underneath.”

  “You didn’t specify that.”

  “Then let me make myself clear.” He walked over and put his hand over my neck again. By the look in his eyes, I seriously wondered if he was going to let go before he choked me. “I want you completely naked underneath that dress. Not a stitch of clothing. Underwear and bra included. Do you understand me?”

  I tried to open my mouth, but I couldn’t from the pressure of his hand.

  He released me, but I stumbled back. “You may think I’m stupid, but I’m not. You are going to learn to listen.”

  “Or what? You’re going to threaten my friend?”

  “Is that not enough of a threat for you?”

  He called down the hall. “Bring the girl up. It looks like we will have to do a demonstration.”

  Panic seized me. “No! I’ll do as you asked.”

  “Good. I’ll stay in the room this time.”

  “What happened to not watching?”

  “Watching you do as I command might be just as rewarding. And this way I know what’s going to be waiting for me.”

  I cringed at the thought. Not happening. I slid off my skirt underneath the dress, and I let my underwear follow. I had to pull off my shirt, but I was able to slide my bra off while covering myself with the dress. Unfortunately parts of the dress were nearly see-through.

  Jeryl just watched with his arms crossed, so evidently he was ok with me getting around the rules as long as I didn’t technically break them.

  “You may lay down on the bed now.”

  “Lay down?” What the hell?

  “Yes. I need to tie you down while I take care of some things.”

  “Tie me down?”

  “Do you have to repeat everything I say?” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me over to the four-poster bed. “Lie down on your back, arms above your head.”

  “You don’t have to do this. You scared me enough, I won’t run.”

  His lips turned into a frightening smirk. “I have better hearing than you give me credit for.” He pushed me back on the bed. “Did you really think I’d leave you in a room with a window that opened?”

  Yes, but I kept that reply to myself.

  “The best part of being in our nest is I don’t have to gag you. You can scream all you want, and no one will come for you.”

  “Why do you want me? I’m not worth all this.”

  “You’re the most irresistible human I’ve been around in years. Your blood calls to all of us, which means you are meant for us.”

  “Meant for whom?”

  “Us. The nest.”

  “Wait. You don’t mean… aren’t there like fifteen or twenty of you?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “And you expect me too…”

  “Have sex with them all? No. Of course not, Daisy. Your body is for me—and Duncan because he brought you in after all, but your blood. Your blood is for the nest.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I look forward to doing just that to you, Daisy, but like I said, I have things to take care of.”

  He grabbed my arms and tied them to the bed posts. “Might as well rest, precious. You’re going to need your energy.”

  “I’m not tired.”

  “Perhaps this will help.” He held up a needle. “It’ll make the bloodletting easier, but you’ll be conscious before I join you in bed. I promise you that. I want to make sure you get to enjoy every minute with me.”

  I gazed at him in horror just as he jabbed me. He left the room, and I fought against the restraints. Slowly things got fuzzy, until I couldn’t fight anymore, and my eyes fluttered shut.

  Chapter Eight

  A loud commotion woke me up. Before I could comprehend what was going on, the pain hit me. Every inch of my body hurt, and stiffness like I’d never experienced made it impossible to lift my head. I gave up trying once I realized it only made the pain worse.

  The sounds around me grew even louder. A mix of shrieks, breaking glass, and grunts had me fighting with my eyelids to get them open, but it was no use. I was too weak.

  “Help me get her untied,” a male voice hissed.

  I struggled once again to open my eyes, but I couldn’t.

  “I’m do
ing it,” another man replied, “She’s the last one. We’re fine.”

  The first voice sighed. “But she’s lost a lot of blood. The others haven’t.” I felt the gentle touch of someone sweeping me up into their arms. “We need to get her help.”

  “Then get her to help. I’ll stay around to take care of things here.” The second voice was gruff and held none of the concern the first one did.

  “If I hadn’t seen that vampire she’d been with we’d have been too late.”

  “But we weren’t. I’ll see you later.”

  I heard a scratchy sound, and then more shattering of glass.

  I needed to see who held me, so I worked harder to open my eyes as I felt a moment of weightlessness. I forced my eyes open and closed them again quickly. I was dreaming. There was no other explanation for how we were airborne. I’d never dreamed of flying before, but then again I’d never felt so dizzy and out of it before either.

  The next time I opened my lids I was staring directly into a set of beautiful blue eyes and we were definitely on the ground. In the moonlight, I took in the strong features and blond hair of the man who held me. Large, black wings spanned out behind him. It was him again. “It’s you.”

  “Don’t speak. You can’t afford to waste any energy.” His words were terse, but not mean. “But you need to stay awake. I’m afraid if you lose consciousness again we might not be able to revive you again.”

  “Revive me again?”

  He still held me securely against him. “There’s no time to explain, we need to go. Just relax, we’ll get help soon.” He sounded like he was saying those words for himself more than me, but I nodded as I hung on to his neck. The action sent another searing pain through me.

  The man winced as though he were the one who was hurt. He reached out to touch my face, but he dropped his hand before it could make contact.

  “Wait. Where are my friends?”

  “They’re safe and on their way back to New Orleans. I promise.”

  I nodded. I had no proof they’d moved my friends, but I had to believe it. Why go through such effort to save me just to leave the others?

  “I’m going to shift you slightly so I can take off.”

  “Take off?” I asked with confusion.

  “I’m sorry but it would take too long to get there any other way.” He moved me so that my back pressed against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around my waist. “We’ll be there soon.”

  With that he took a few steps forward and then my feet left the ground. We were flying, and I was definitely awake. I’d have added wild hallucinations to the list of weekend craziness, only this couldn’t have been one—it was just too real. We moved higher up in the sky.

  I looked down at the ground in time to see a big glowing area of red and orange with rising smoke. They’d burned the old house down.

  My eyes closed, but I opened them long enough to make sure I hadn’t been imagining it. We were flying. I tried to look around me, but I couldn’t. I was far too weak. My eyes closed again, and I settled back against his firm chest.

  ***

  “You have to help her.” My hero’s voice woke me up. He was holding me in his arms, and we were back on the ground. We were inside this time. From the looks of the hallway we were in, it was a house.

  “Come, let me see.” A low female voice answered.

  He started to lower me down, but I clung to him.

  The woman chuckled. “It seems she’s attached to you, Owen.”

  Owen? His name was Owen. The name seemed to fit.

  “I don’t know her.”

  “You just found her in a vampire nest?”

  “I’ve seen her a few times, and I got suspicious.” He exhaled loudly. “None of that matters. Just fix her.”

  “She’s not going to let go, so you’ll have to sit with her on your lap.”

  “That’s fine.” He shifted us and sat down. I didn’t care where I was as long as he stayed. He gave me the only comfort I’d had all night.

  Someone touched my face, and I opened my eyes. An old woman’s dark, brown eyes locked on mine. “You’ve been mixed up with a witch too, I see.”

  “A witch?” Was I right? Did all the trouble start with that potion?

  “Yes.” She brushed my hair back. “You were bitten by multiple vampires. That’s not common. Vampires don’t generally share their human prey. I sense a witch’s influence on you that is probably the cause.”

  “I saw a witch in New Orleans, but it wasn’t real. It was one of those tourist spots.”

  “Now that you’ve been kidnapped by vampires and saved by a Pteron, do you really doubt a witch could be real?” The woman asked.

  I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what to believe. And what the heck was a Pteron?

  “The only thing strong enough to cause this would be Seduction’s Kiss, and there’s only one witch in New Orleans crazy enough to make that anymore. Did you see Kalisa at the Midnight Cauldron?”

  “Yes.”

  “Darn that woman. She thinks she can play matchmaker, but she doesn’t realize the other forces at work.”

  “Matchmaker?” Owen asked.

  “Any witch could tell this human is something special. She sensed she was meant for a paranormal and gave it a push.”

  “A push?” Owen absently ran a hand through my hair. “Is that why I couldn’t stop thinking about her?”

  Couldn’t stop thinking about me? At a time like this I shouldn’t have cared that he liked me, but I did. Then I thought about Reyna. “Are my friends okay?”

  “Yes. They are all back at home. Don’t worry about them.” He paused like he was debating whether to continue. “And I might as well just get this out of the way. They won’t remember a thing, and neither will you.”

  “What?” Why wouldn’t I remember?

  “I’m afraid she’ll have to remember, Owen. Letting a witch into her mind could do damage right now. She’s weak, and that potion Kalisa gave her is potent.” She put a damp washcloth on my forehead. “And to answer your previous question, no, your thoughts have nothing to do with witchcraft. You’re a Pteron after all.”

  An unreadable expression crossed his face. “Oh.”

  “So if you’ve been thinking about this human, it’s because you like her.” The woman laughed.

  “A Pteron?” I decided to ask out loud this time.

  “Did you notice his wings, sweetie? He’s a crow Pteron, aligned with royals.”

  Owen balled his hand into a fist. “Stop. Don’t tell her anymore, Mayanne.”

  “Don’t you plan to introduce her to Levi?”

  “No. I don’t plan to see her again.”

  She made a grunt. “Somehow I doubt that.”

  “But she knows our secrets. What do we do?”

  “You don’t need to kill me. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

  “After all the work I’ve done saving you, I wasn’t planning to hurt you.” He smiled for the first time. “But can you tell me something?”

  “Yes. Anything.” I felt like I could tell him anything. There was just something about him that made me want to spill out my life story. I also owed him my life. From the bits and pieces of my memory coming back, I knew that the vampires were close to leaving me for dead.

  The witch laughed as she banged around behind us.

  “Why were you with that vampire?”

  “Duncan? I was trying to stay away from a creep I was staying with. I’m only here because my friend’s visiting her boyfriend.”

  “So you don’t live in New Orleans?” There was a note of disappointment in his voice that made my heart soar.

  “I live in Atlanta.”

  “Ok, drink this.” Mayanne brought over a cup of something red.

  “What is that?” I was skeptical of drinking anything after the night I’d had.

  “It’s not going to taste good, but it will rid your body of the magic and anything those vampire teeth left behind.”

&nbs
p; “Go on, drink it. I promise Mayanne wouldn’t hurt you.” Owen’s words were enough. I took a sip. I recoiled, but cleansing my body of those vampires was worth it. I drank the whole thing down.

  She smiled. “I’m impressed. I’ve never seen a human drink that without being forced.”

  “I’ve had a rough few days.”

  “Hopefully some rest will help.”

  “Rest? But I have to get home.” I glanced around at the room. It looked like a kitchen that hadn’t been updated in decades. I still had no idea where we were.

  She shook her head. “Not yet. You need to stay and rest a few hours. I need to make sure this worked.”

  “I’ll stay with her.” Owen started to stand up.

  “I would have insisted.” She took the empty cup. “I’ll get you something else to wear as well.”

  I looked down at the ripped lace dress, remembering I had nothing else on under it.

  She seemed to sense the direction my thoughts were going in. “Do you feel strong enough to clean up?”

  I nodded, but then turned to Owen. “Will you still be here when I get done?”

  He smiled. “I am your ride home after all.”

  “Those beautiful wings are real?” I knew they had to be. We’d flown, there was no other explanation.

  “You think they’re beautiful?” he asked with genuine surprise.

  “Absolutely. I’ve wanted to touch them since I first saw them.”

  “She’s made for a paranormal, Owen. That includes Pterons.”

  An unreadable expression crossed his face. “I’ll wait here.”

  Mayanne took my arm to steady me as she led me down the hall. She opened the door to a small bathroom and helped me wash off and change into some fresh clothes. “You were very lucky tonight.”

  “I know. I could be dead right now.” The reality of how close to death I’d been was hitting me full force. I’d been living a nightmare.

  “And he’ll come around.” She helped me slip into a soft cotton dress. It felt strange to have someone I didn’t know dress me, but I was too weak to argue. Besides, anything was better than that old lace dress.

  “Owen?”

  “Yes. I can tell your feelings for him run deep.”

  They did. That reality was an easier one to accept. “I already knew he was attractive, and now he saved my life.”