“Good choice.” Violet grinned. “I’m glad you made it.”
“I hope I feel that way tomorrow.”
We walked out of the bar and onto Bourbon Street. “Will you at least tell me where we’re going?” Walking off with people I didn’t know who were more likely than not non-human probably wasn’t the brightest idea, but I needed to put what happened that Halloween night to rest once and for all.
“That depends.” Violet linked her arm with mine. It was such a friendly gesture for someone I’d just met, but somehow it didn’t bother me. Her touch immediately put me in a good mood.
“Depends on what?”
“Whether you’re ready to tell us what was wrong. And what you’re doing here.”
“Here, as in New Orleans?”
“Yes.” Hugh turned around to look at us.
“I have a job interview.”
“That’s not why you’re really here.” Roland took my free arm.
“It isn’t?”
He laughed. “Oh, Daisy. You’re too much.”
“How would you know why I’m here?”
“We know you’ve got magic on you, but you’re a human.”
“How do you know I’m human?” I was uncomfortable being sandwiched between them. The intimidation factor picked up.
Roland leaned over. “The same way you know we’re not.”
His words both terrified and excited me. “Are you going to kill me?”
“Kill you?” Violet stopped. “Is that why you almost didn’t come? Why would you think that?”
“I had a run in with vampires last time I was here.”
“Seriously?” Hugh asked. “As in real blood suckers? Not humans pretending to be them?”
“I thought they were fake at first, but they nearly killed me… I had the misfortune of being taken to a nest.”
“How’d you survive?” Roland still held onto my arm.
“Someone saved me.”
“Oh.” Violet started moving again. “This is where the story is going to get interesting.”
“This is where the story gets pathetic.” My obsessive searching was embarrassing already, the thought of saying it aloud made it worse.
“I’m sure it’s not pathetic.” Violet pulled me even closer. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“It is pathetic, but I’m so desperate to find him that I’ll tell you.”
“Him. That answers one question.” Roland leaned in so close I could feel his breath on my face.
“What question?”
“You like men.”
“Did you doubt that?” I had no problem with anyone thinking I was into girls, but it still surprised me.
“You seem very comfortable with Violet.”
“Ever think that’s why she’s comfortable with me?” Violet leaned over me to Roland. “She can be herself with me because she isn’t concerned with wanting me.”
“You don’t have to be concerned with wanting me. I want you too if it makes you feel any better.” Roland grinned.
I pushed away from both of them. “Ok, that’s creepy.”
Violet clapped. “This is awesome! She really can resist us. We’ve found our fourth!”
“Your fourth what?” They were excited that I didn’t want them, so I assumed they weren’t talking about anything involving sex.
“We’ll tell you everything once we get home.”
“Home?” I was still standing in the middle of the crowded street watching them. Everyone walking by stared at us.
“Our temporary home. Like we said, we move a lot.”
Going home made me think of the nest. My body tensed. “I can’t. I should get back to my hotel.”
“We’re not going to hurt you, and we may be able to help.”
“Help with what?”
“It’s pretty obvious. You’re looking for the guy who saved you.”
“And you think you can help?”
“There’s only a few types of creatures that could have saved you from a nest of vampires. None of them are human.”
“And you’ve got connections in the paranormal world?”
Hugh laughed. “We’ve got plenty of connections.”
“I have my interview tomorrow. Can I find you again after that?”
Violet closed the space between us and put her arms on my shoulders. “Do you really want to go to that interview?”
“No, but I need to. I have to find a job.”
“Would you rather find a job or find the guy who saved you?”
“Can’t I do both?” I needed the job if I wanted an excuse to spend any more time in New Orleans.
“Just answer. Which is more important to you? Right here. Right now.” She looked right into my eyes, and I couldn’t turn my head. The fog was back, but it was different this time.
“Owen.” I let his name slip.
“Owen?” Roland came to stand next to Violet. “Tell me more about Owen.”
I tried to blink, but I couldn’t. “Stop!”
“Sorry.” Violet let go of me. “Sometimes I can’t help myself.”
“What did you do to me?”
“I wanted to see if touch made you more impressionable. It does, but you can still fight it.”
“I’m going home.”
“But what about Owen?” Violet asked lightly. “Ready to give up on him?”
Why had I used his name? I knew it wasn’t by choice, but I wished I could have let something else slip. Anything else. “Do you really think you can help me?”
“How did he save you? How did he get you away from the vampires?” Violet asked gently.
“He flew.” She didn’t persuade me to speak this time. I willingly said the words.
“We can help you,” Hugh answered. “Or we can at least find someone who can.”
“You know what he is?”
“Come home with us. We’ll talk there.” Violet linked arms with me again.
“Only on one condition.”
“What?”
“You don’t use that weird thing on me again. You talk to me person to person.”
“Deal.” She smiled.
“And please don’t kill me. I’m only twenty-two.”
“Do you really think we’re going to hurt you?” she asked again. “Is your trust in us that weak?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore. Every place I went today proved I was crazy.”
“But we proved the opposite, didn’t we?” she asked.
“Somewhat.”
“And we’ll further prove it.”
I hoped she was right. “I told you why I’m upset, now you tell me where we’re going.”
“It’s going to be so much cooler if we just show you.” Hugh grinned. “We won’t blindfold you though, that would probably mess with the whole trust thing.”
“Considering I was put in a body bag last time I was here, I’m hesitant to accept a blindfold.”
He nodded. “And don’t forget you still have to explain the magic. That wasn’t from the vampires, or your hero.”
“No. It was from a witch.”
“You’re a magnet for paranormal creatures, aren’t you?” Roland reclaimed my other arm.
“I have been told I was destined for a paranormal.”
“I can see that.” Violet picked up her pace. “But that doesn’t mean you have to be with one. Destiny is the kind of thing that can be changed.”
“Most people say the opposite. That you can’t change it.”
“We’re not most people.”
“I’m realizing that.”
“Let’s go find a car.” She looked toward the road.
“Find a car?”
“Yeah. We left ours somewhere. I can’t remember.”
“You left your car somewhere, and you don’t remember?” Maybe they were crazier than I originally thought.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get a ride.” Violet stepped away from the curb on Canal Street and held up
her hand like she was hailing a cab.
A blue SUV pulled to the side. “That’s not a cab,” I hissed.
Violet walked around to the driver’s side. The driver rolled down the window, and she leaned in. “Hi there, mind if we borrow this?”
“Of course not. I’d be happy to let you borrow it. It’s all yours.” A middle aged man got out of the car. He had a huge grin plastered on his face that appeared out of sorts with his dazed expression and glossy eyes. “Have a nice night.”
“What?” I watched the man’s retreating figure. “Did he just give you his car?”
“Sure. People do that a lot for us.” Violet got into the driver’s seat.
“What are you?”
Hugh slipped into the passenger’s seat. “We’re your new best friends. Hope you don’t mind I’m taking shotgun. I get a little car sick in the back.
“Bullshit.” Roland coughed.
“I’d be an idiot to get in this car with you.” But idiot or not, these people offered me something no one else had—information.
“What’s your alternative?” Violet called over. “Go back to your life of searching? Does that seem like a better plan?”
“No. It doesn’t.” I slid into the backseat and Roland followed.
“Good choice, Daisy.” Violet stepped on the gas, and we sped away from the curb.
Chapter Six
Daisy
Violet was an awful driver. Maybe she’d be considered good if she were driving in the NASCAR circuit, but from my position in the back seat of the SUV she was awful. My stomach started doing flips as she sped around corners and dodged between cars.
“Violet, you’re scaring our guest.” Roland put his arm behind me on the seat. He’d taken the middle seat which made me uneasy. These people were far too touchy feely, especially considering the effect their touch could have.
Violet waved her hand as if to brush off his words. “She’s fine. I bet she likes speed.”
I said nothing. I was too busy grabbing hold of the oh-my-god bar as she sped through the city streets.
Hugh looked back at me. “Looks like we rendered her speechless.”
That got me talking. “Does she always drive like this?”
“Yes,” Hugh and Roland said at once.
“I’m a great driver.” Violet accelerated as she wove through the traffic. “It’s everyone else on the road that’s bad.”
I closed my eyes. “How far are we going?”
“It’s less than twenty minutes.”
“Good. With your speed we’ll be there in no time.”
Roland laughed. “Daisy, where have you been all my life?”
“Somewhere far away from this crazy driver.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic, Dais.” Violet laughed. “You’ll get used to it.”
Dais? Was she really using a nickname for me? I opened my eyes. Having them closed wasn’t helping. “I wouldn’t count on it.”
Eventually the city streets disappeared, and we pulled onto the interstate. “We’re leaving the city?”
“We’re not going far. Relax.” Hugh turned back again. “Roland, take care of her.”
Roland wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, and I could feel a wave of relaxation flowing over me. I felt my protests slipping away. “The touch thing does work, Violet.”
She took her eyes off the road to look at us. “It’s convenient.”
I sat forward. “Stop! None of that. You guys promised.”
“Sorry.” Roland put his hands in his lap. He didn’t look sorry at all.
I closed my eyes again, feeling my stomach lurch as she turned off the interstate. I really should have eaten something.
Violet suddenly stepped on the breaks. I opened my eyes. We stopped inches in front of a towering chain link fence. I reluctantly stepped out of the car after some coaxing from the others.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” Roland hopped out and grabbed my hand.
I peered through the gate and saw a large abandoned grandstand that was literally falling down. In front of it was what looked to be abandoned turnstiles. “What is this place?”
“Guess.” Violet started to climb the fence. “Think you can make it or need us to find another way in for you?”
“She can make it.” Roland put my hand on the chain link fence. “Just watch.”
“Uh, I didn’t sign up for illegal activity.” I pointed at the large no trespassing sign attached to the fence.
“Trust me, we won’t get in trouble.” Violet hopped down on the other side of the fence. “Haven’t you noticed we have a way with people?”
“I really don’t want to get arrested.”
“Stick with us, and you won’t.”
“You aren’t really living here, are you?”
Hugh sighed. “Stop talking. The longer we chat out here the more likely someone will see us.”
“I thought you said we won’t get in trouble.”
“We won’t.” He glared. “But that doesn’t mean I feel like dealing with the cops.”
I took a deep breath. I’d come this far. Was an abandoned property any worse than a vampire’s nest? Then a scary thought hit me. What if there were vampires here? “Is anyone else here?”
Roland put a hand on my shoulder. “Nope. Don’t worry. We’re not feeding you to the vamps or anything.”
I shuddered. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“He won’t. None of us will.” Violet peeked at me through the fence. “Come on. The sooner you climb in here, the sooner we talk about Owen.”
The mention of his name got me moving.
Hugh chuckled. “We know how to motivate her now.”
I carefully climbed up the metal fence. The touch of the metal below my fingers brought me back to middle school when my friends and I had to climb a similar fence after getting locked in a park after hours. If my parents only knew the trouble I’d gotten myself into. I hopped down on the other side. The guys followed.
“You’re a natural.” Violet smiled.
“A natural at breaking into places? No thanks.” I had enough trouble in my life already. I didn’t need to create more of it.
“Come on.” She took my hand. I used my other hand to fish out my phone from my pocket. I turned on the flashlight on my phone. The farther we walked from the road, the darker it got.
We walked toward the turnstiles that I’d seen earlier, and I caught a glimpse of what looked to be an old town with a wide road and buildings on either side. Since a town wouldn’t require turnstiles for entrance, it had to be something else. “Wait. Is this an old amusement park?”
“And we have a winner.” Roland put an arm around me. “Didn’t take you long.”
We walked around the ramshackle turnstiles and through a wide opening. “This is crazy.”
“The whole park was covered by water for days after Hurricane Katrina. The owners pulled out and left everything here.”
“Unreal.” I shined the flashlight in front of me so I could peek in at the dilapidated buildings that I assumed were once souvenir shops. “But why do you guys live here?”
“We’re always looking for unique places to stay when we travel. Hotels get so old.”
“But you could stay anywhere. I mean the way you got that guy to give you his car.”
“We’ll return it, don’t worry.”
“How? How are you going to return it?”
“His information will be in the glove compartment. We’ll even fill it back up with gas, or we’ll have someone else do that.”
“You don’t pump your own gas?” I eyed the guys.
“We do. It’s the delivery we like to avoid. It can get awkward.” Hugh scrunched up his face.
“I wonder why it would be awkward to see the guy who you stole a car from?”
“Stole? Is that how you see it?” Violet linked her arm with mine again. I seemed to always be sandwiched between her and Roland. Hugh kept mor
e of a distance.
“The guy didn’t want to give you his car. There’s no other way to see it.”
She leaned over. “You’ll see it another way when you get to know us.”
“Ok, back to the original question. Why are you staying in this post-apocalyptic wasteland?” I gazed around at the crumbling buildings.
“You don’t feel it?” Violet asked.
“Feel what?”
“That feeling.”
“Uh…”
“Close your eyes.” Roland spun me so I was looking at him. “Concentrate on nothing but the moment.”
“Ok.”
“Don’t talk, just concentrate.” He squeezed my shoulder once before letting go. “What do you feel?”
“Fear. Intrigue. Some excitement.”
“Places like this are breeding grounds for mixed emotions.” Violet’s voice came from right next to me. “This site holds such happy, joyful memories. So many happy screams, kids with ice cream cones, couples kissing, but now it’s a dark place. It’s a reminder of a terrible storm that took countless lives.”
I opened my eyes. “Emotions are important to you.”
“Emotions are everything to us.” She turned and started walking.
“What does that mean? In what way?”
“Think about it. I want you to figure it out yourself.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I don’t know anything about this stuff.”
“Two years of searching and you haven’t learned anything?” Roland remained by my side as we walked.
“I still don’t know what you are.”
“What do you think we are?”
“I told you I don’t know.” I gritted my teeth. Why were we always going around in circles?
Roland leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You should know what we are, considering you have some of us in you.”
“What?” I jerked away. “What are you talking about?
“It’s time for you to tell us where you got the magic.” They all circled me.
“Whoa. You told me you weren’t going to hurt me.”
“We’re not. We’d never hurt you.” Violet’s eyes got big. “We just want you to be honest with us. If you’re honest, we’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
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