Lure

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “If I could go alone, I would.” I wasn’t exactly thrilled about having a whole group of people with me either.

  “But you can’t.” Hugh stretched out his legs. “You’re stuck with us.”

  “For now,” I mumbled.

  “You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”

  “Do we have to do this right now?”

  “What’s wrong with now?” He crossed one leg over the other. “We’re stuck on this plane doing nothing.”

  “She’s nervous.” Hailey smiled. “Can’t you tell?”

  “What is there to be nervous about?” Hugh asked.

  “Are you kidding?” Hailey sat forward in her seat. “She hasn’t seen him in years. Who knows what’s going to happen?”

  “Thanks for reminding me.”

  “I’m just saying it like it is.”

  “Thanks then. That’s always nice.”

  “Ok, I’ll say it like it is.” Hugh dug into his pocket and pulled something out. “You might need this.”

  “What?” I gasped at the condom in his hand. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Ugh. You’re talking about my brother.” Hailey stood up. “Owen was right. I shouldn’t worry about his sex life.” She walked off.

  Hugh laughed. “That bought us some alone time.”

  “Would you put that away?”

  “Take it. You might need it.”

  “I’m not worried about sex.” I bounced my knee. I couldn’t sit still when we were getting so close to Owen.

  Hugh pushed the condom into my hand. “Trust me on this.”

  “Fine.” I stuffed it into my pocket so I wouldn’t have to look at it again.

  “Do I need to get Roland over here?”

  “Why?”

  “To relax you.”

  “Why does he do that, and why does it seem so weird to you?” I forced my knee to stay still by sheer will power. I needed to calm down on my own.

  “I have no idea why, but it’s significant if you understand how Allures are born.”

  “But I don’t understand it. Louie was about to tell me, but he stopped.”

  “And I’m stopping too. No reason to worry about it right now.” He hooked his arm over the back of the seat next to him. At least someone was comfortable.

  “Try to relax. We’ll be there soon.”

  “But now you’ve got me even more curious about how Allures are made!”

  “Exactly. If you’re thinking about that, you can’t worry about Owen.” He smiled.

  “I think you might be on to something.”

  He laughed. “Don’t act like it’s the first time.”

  I leaned my head back and looked out the window. I had no idea what was going to happen, but at least I was getting my chance. After two and a half years, the wait was down to one hour. Who knew the last hour would feel like the longest?

  Chapter Twenty

  Owen

  I sat up with a start. I’d been having another one of my endlessly recurring nightmares about Daisy. I wasn’t going to sit and wait around much longer. I heard faint voices and jumped out of bed. Someone was outside. Had Levi come out to see me already? All annoyance disappeared when I realized he could have news about Daisy.

  I walked to the front door and listened. I heard a number of voices, but none of them was Levi’s. There was one voice I definitely recognized though. I’d know Hailey’s voice from a mile away.

  I was going to kill her. Kill her. I ask Hailey to keep my location a secret, and she shows up with a whole crowd of people? She was lucky she was my sister.

  As soon as I heard her reach the front steps, I wrenched open the door and stepped out on the porch rather than inviting her in. “What are you doing here so soon, and who are those people?” Even with my night vision I couldn’t make out any faces since no one was looking at me, but there was definitely a group of people standing down at the bottom of my gravel drive.

  Hailey glanced down at the gathering before holding up a hand to silence me. “Before you get upset, I need you to do me a favor.”

  “Why would I do you a favor when you’re the one who has explaining to do?” Sometimes Hailey was impossible to understand.

  “Do you remember the girl you saved a few years ago? The one who was nearly drained by vamps?”

  “Wait. What?” I tried to process what she was saying. “You’ve talked to Daisy too?”

  “Uh, when you say ‘too,’ I assume you know she’s been asking about you everywhere?”

  “Yes. I talked to Levi.” I smiled despite my annoyance. I liked knowing she was asking about me.

  “What?” She got up in my face. “When? What about all this secretive, ‘he can’t know where I am’ talk?”

  “Thanks to you I had to talk to him.” I shifted my weight. I was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, so I hoped her friends didn’t plan to stay around and chat.

  “What did I do?”

  “You led some bears out here. Levi had them tail you to get me to call him.”

  She put a hand on her hip. “How did I drive that far without noticing I was being followed? That’s not like me at all.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe you were distracted.”

  “I’ll worry about that later. Right now I need you to tell me what you know. What did Levi tell you about Daisy?”

  “Why? Why does that matter?”

  “I need to know what I’m working with here.”

  I peered out into the dark, trying to see the faces of the two girls in the group. “Is she here?” I didn’t wait for an answer. I pushed past Hailey, not caring that it was the middle of the night and I was in only my boxers.

  And that’s when I saw her. She watched me approach with a mix of fear and excitement on her face I was positive matched the expression on mine. My chest tightened, and my entire body ached to touch her.

  “Hi.” She waved.

  “Hi.” I smiled. I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know how to feel.

  “Uh, why don’t we save the introductions for later?” A tall girl with black hair reminded me that Daisy and I weren’t alone. I looked around. There were two guys I didn’t know and Cade. The girl and guys had something strange about them. They obviously weren’t human, but I couldn’t pin point what they were.

  I turned to Cade. “How you’re messed up in all this I don’t want to know.”

  “You do want to know, but Violet is right. As much as I’d love to stay and watch this awkward fest, we should probably give you two some space.”

  “You’re leaving?” Daisy asked the girl nervously. “Where will you go?”

  “We’ll find some place close to hang out. Don’t worry, we’ll be back.” She blew Daisy a kiss before turning around.

  Hailey gave Daisy a stern look. “Don’t hurt my brother.”

  “I’m not going to hurt him,” she spoke softly.

  “And we can all say the same to you.” One of the two guys wagged a finger at me. Who was he to her? Why was he protective? I felt my own protective side rising up in response.

  “He’s not going to hurt me.” Daisy spoke with such conviction. At least she was sure about that.

  Once everyone else disappeared into the night, I could focus on Daisy. I stared at her face, glad she looked exactly like my memories. Absolutely beautiful. Two years was such a long, yet short, period of time depending on how you looked at it.

  “You look good.” Her eyes ran up and down my body. I didn’t mind. I wanted to do exactly the same thing, but she was wearing a whole lot more clothing than I was.

  “You can see me in this little light?” I hadn’t questioned it at first, but the only light was coming from inside my cabin.

  “Wait. Weird.” She looked at her hands as though they’d provide answers. “I guess my night vision is getting better.”

  “Really?” I thought about what Levi said, about her seeming a little different.

  “Maybe I’ll get something good from all this craz
iness.”

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Yes. Things have just been strange. That’s all.”

  “Do you want to come inside?” It was the only logical thing I could come up with to say.

  “Sure.” She ran her teeth over her bottom lip. I couldn’t pull my eyes away from them. “Did you mean now?” Her question brought me back to reality.

  “Yeah. If that’s okay with you.” What, was I fifteen? I blamed my inability to speak normally on the strangeness of the situation.

  “It’s okay.” She ran her hand up and down her arm. Either she was cold or extremely nervous. Maybe both. I could take care of the cold part easily by getting her inside.

  “Good.” I turned and headed for the house. She followed silently.

  I held open the door for her to walk into the small cabin. She walked in, and I followed closing the door behind me.

  She glanced around. “Nice place.”

  “It suits my needs.”

  “Yeah…” She stood just inside the doorway.

  “Uh, I should probably get dressed. Feel free to take a seat or something.”

  “You don’t have to get dressed.” Her face turned red.

  The blush was cute, but the words were cuter. “I think it might make you more comfortable.” I hurried into my room and jumped into some jeans. I grabbed a t-shirt, and pulled it on as I walked.

  She was still standing in the same place I’d left her.

  “You don’t have to stand there all night.”

  “I know… I just. This is weird, right? I shouldn’t have come.”

  “It’s weird, but you should have come. Or, well, I’m glad you did.” Could I get anymore awkward? My friends would be laughing in my face if they could hear me, but luckily they couldn’t.

  “Are you?” She looked up at me nervously.

  “Yes. I’m surprised you went through all the effort, but I’m glad you did.”

  “Yeah. Same here.” She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

  We stood awkwardly for another moment before I had to break the silence. “It’s been a while.”

  “Two and a half years.”

  “I thought about you the past few Halloweens.”

  “I thought about you more than that. It’s actually pretty humiliating now that I’m standing in the same room with you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked away.

  “I lied.”

  “About?”

  I walked toward her. I had to wipe that regret off her face. “I thought about you a lot more than just Halloween.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I stopped right in front of her. “You were very memorable.”

  “So were you.” She licked her lips. Again with the lips.

  “I probably should ask you a million questions right now, but would it be okay if we put those off and did something else?”

  “I guess that depends on what else you want to do?” Her eyes widened slightly.

  “I want to kiss you.”

  “I’m okay with that.” Her eyes seemed to sparkle.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  I didn’t wait for her to change her mind. I brushed my lips against hers gently. I was going to keep it short, but I had to know if I was glorifying the last kiss.

  She moved her lips against mine, and any thoughts of keeping it short disappeared. I wrapped my arms around her as I deepened the kiss, greedily pushing for access beyond those irresistible lips of hers. She opened up, welcoming me in with the same intoxicating taste as she had the last time.

  She moaned, encouraging me to continue the kiss. I didn’t need the encouragement. I lifted her up and carried her over to the couch. I sat down, settling her on my lap. I needed her close, closer than standing would allow.

  Her fingers tangled in my hair as she let me explore her mouth. My hands ached to explore more, but I didn’t want to rush it. I’d waited over two years to taste her lips again, and I was going to enjoy every second of it.

  I lost all sense of time before we eventually broke the kiss.

  Neither of us said anything for a few moments. We stared into each other’s eyes breathlessly.

  “You can really kiss.” She remained on my lap.

  I rested my hands on her hips. “I could say the same thing about you.”

  “I guess I didn’t exaggerate how good that kiss was last time.”

  “It might have even been better this time.” I ran a hand through her long brown hair.

  “You think?”

  “Maybe we should try it again to make sure.”

  “That sounds like a very good idea.”

  My lips met hers again, and this time I knew I couldn’t keep my hands to myself. I slipped my hand just underneath the bottom of her t-shirt, needing to feel her skin. She was warm and soft, and everything I wanted. Everything I needed. She slipped her hand under my t-shirt, spreading out her fingers as she ran them up and down my chest. Her touch felt amazing and combined with the kiss, I could hardly contain myself.

  I lifted her off my lap and laid her down on the couch, doing my best to keep our lips connected, but there was a moment’s separation. She moaned in protest at the brief interruption, but I quickly returned, holding most of my weight on my hands while hovering just above her.

  “I want you closer.” This time she broke the kiss as she pulled me down on top of her.

  She ran her hands under my t-shirt and up my back, stopping when her fingers found the small slits that served as the only evidence that I had wings.

  She broke the kiss. I stilled. Did she remember? Was she going to push me away?

  “Can I see them again?”

  “My wings?” I’d barely caught my breath, and the relief that she wasn’t running had my heart beating a mile a minute.

  “Yes. Can I?”

  “Sure.” In a mild state of shock, I pulled off my t-shirt. I carefully transformed, forcing my mind to stay human while my wings spread out behind me.

  “Beautiful….” She slowly ran her fingers over the feathers. I wasn’t used to someone touching them, and my body both tensed up and felt like it was on fire—in the best sort of way.

  “You really think that?”

  “Of course.” She moved on to the other wing, carefully running her hands up and down the area she could reach.

  “Why?” Maybe I was putting too much pressure on her, but I needed to understand. Why did she like something that other people ran from?

  “Because they are beautiful. Each feather looks and feels so delicate, but together they make up such large, strong wings. The black color is beautiful.” She continued to run her hands along them.

  “Not as beautiful as you.”

  She smiled. “You really aren’t affected by the Seduction’s Kiss? Those feelings are yours?”

  “What do you mean? Are you talking about the magic that Mayanne got rid of?”

  “The magic she tried to get rid of…”

  “Wait…” My hunch was right. “Is it still there? Is that why you have night vision now?”

  “I don’t know what’s happening to me.” She closed her eyes.

  “Is it making you sick at all?”

  “No. It’s changing me somehow. First the crazy attraction stuff, and now the night vision and the manipulation.”

  “Wait. Manipulation?”

  She opened her eyes. “It only happened once, but it happened. I think.”

  “What happened?”

  “Supposedly there was Allure essence in the paste, and my body didn’t reject it.”

  “Allure essence? That’s impossible. They’ve been gone for centuries.” I retracted my wings.

  “Tell that to the three Allures I’ve been traveling with the past few days.”

  “Those people? They’re Allures?” I sat up more.

  “Yeah, and now that stupid paste seems to be having more of an effect. Do you think that witch, Mayanne, could
help me again? The Allures don’t seem to think it could work, but I have to try.”

  “We can talk to her, but first tell me. You said you manipulated someone. What did you do exactly?”

  “I feel horrible about it. Horrible. How I could possibly violate someone in that way?” A stray tear slid down her beautiful face, and it nearly undid me.

  “Don’t cry. I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” I didn’t know much about the nearly mythical creatures who were said to be descendants from the gods, but I knew they were powerful and capable of crazy things, but not Daisy. There was such a sweetness to her that I knew she couldn’t be corrupted by magic.

  She rested her head against my chest. “I manipulated someone. I played with his feelings and made him do something he didn’t want to do.”

  “Did you mean to?”

  “No.” She gripped my shirt with her hand. “I hadn’t realized I’d actually done it until Roland told me.”

  “Roland? It that one of those guys?”

  “Yeah.” She closed her eyes again. She was exhausted.

  “I need the whole story. I need all the details, but I’m not so sure you’re up to that right now.”

  “Can I stay with you a little bit longer? I need that.”

  “Do you really think I’m going to kick you out?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”

  “I don’t know what to think either, but I know two things.”

  She looked up at me through tear soaked eyelashes. “What things?”

  “That there’s something between us, and you need help. Those two things combined mean that I’m going to try to keep you close.”

  “Close is good.” She yawned.

  “Do you want me to see if your friends are around? Or do you want to go to sleep for a few hours first?”

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “Whether you’re going to stay with me.”

  “I told you that I was going to try to keep you close.” I brushed some stray hair away from her face.

  “That doesn’t mean you weren’t going to go try to find out more without me.”

  “You are exhausted. You can sleep here, or you can feel free to use my bed.” Say my bed. The thought of her lying in my sheets had my whole body excited.