LURE

by Stephanie Jenkins

  Her eyes bugged, and she clutched the metal key close to her chest. She rubbed chapped lips with the tips of her fingers before speaking. “What’s the catch? You're working with the police, aren't you? Because I swear I didn’t do anything.”

  I’d been in her home for at least fifteen minutes, and she was just now starting to think I worked for the police. Sad.

  There was a sudden draft through the house. I shivered. Writhing uncomfortably, I waited for her to say thanks or just tell me to leave. “No catch. Hopefully it’ll help you out.”

  She peered down at her lap. Or at least at her misshapen baby bump. There was silence between us. “How do you know all this?”

  I hoped she wouldn’t ask me if I killed him. That would just suck. “I can’t tell you that.”

  Then she lifted her eyes to my face, and I recoiled and sank deeper into the couch because dark brown eyes replaced wary green ones. Danielle’s expression was unsure just a moment ago, but now a mocking grin curled the corners of her lips. Her eyebrows lifted high and she drummed her fingers together.

  “Stupid, stupid girl, you’re breaking all the rules, aren’t you?” She had a musical voice. Something supernatural and weird was going on, I was certain of it. My head told me to run, but I couldn’t move or hear the sound of my slow heartbeat.

  A god?

  Danielle stood and sauntered to where I sat, her stride graceful and confident—nothing like the awkward waddle I observed when she let me in. She squeezed my chin as she leaned over.

  “I love when you vapid little things screw up and break the rules. It just means I’m one step closer to destroying you.”

  This was definitely not Danielle. I tilted my head to one side and squinted. Before saying her name, I took a deep breath. “Demeter?”

  “Oh, Aglaope picked a smart one this time.”

  This time? Hadn’t Lorelei said it was impossible for Demeter to kill us? Why was she here? I covered my chest with my hand.

  “It won’t work around me,” she said, pressing her face closer to mine. “But I’m sure you already know that. Did that idiot tell you why your heart beats as it does? Did she tell you anything about me? Or is she still on that ridiculous quest to find”—her voice took on a whispery pitch similar to Lorelei’s as she made a face—“true love?”

  “No.”

  She pursed her lips together and drew back. “I had seven children. Your Maker lost my favorite, my seventh child.”

  “Seven heartbeats,” I said. She nodded slowly, and I wanted to tell her I wasn’t Lorelei—that I had nothing to do with Persephone marrying Hades. I didn’t. Obviously, throwing Cam’s girlfriend under the bus would do nothing but make Demeter angrier.

  Our eyes challenged each other. Finally, I blurted out, “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Aglaope?” she asked. Her wicked smile stretched. It seemed as if it would tear Danielle’s pointy face apart.

  “No. Danielle.”

  She stroked my cheek before pinching me hard. It hurt. I shuddered as her nails raked down my jaw line. “Please . . .” Demeter cut my words off, pressing Danielle’s finger against my lips. She lifted her other hand to hit me, but her body jolted.

  “I can’t hurt her.”

  When she blinked, a shiver ripped through my spine. “You were there in the hospital room? When Kyle’s dad spoke to me, his eyes were brown then blue. You were there.” The thought of her being so close to Wyatt—having the ability to control him—horrified me.

  She straightened, walked to Danielle’s chair, and positioned herself on the edge. “Give Aglaope and Thelxiope a message for me, love?”

  I swallowed hard but shook my head.

  “Tell them that they can hide all they want, but my hunter will find them. And all three of you will die.”

  Um, great message. People love to be threatened with death.

  She lowered her head. The warmth returned to the room, and Danielle looked up. I relaxed when I saw her eyes were green again. “Thank you so much, Charlotte.” She smiled down at the key. A few tears fell onto her stomach, but she didn’t bother to swipe them away this time. “I hope this will help set things right.

  She led me to the door, and I shuddered when she threw her arms around me and pulled me close. I was still numb from meeting Demeter.

  I glanced into Danielle's eyes one final time before leaving. They were still green, but for some reason, I had a dull, bitter feeling slink between my chest and stomach—an intuition that assured me I would see the brown eyes again.

  I was scared to death.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  I didn’t tell Lorelei about my encounter with Demeter. Maybe I should have because she found out the hard way—Hermes sent her a text message warning from our favorite goddess. Lorelei paced the floor of her cottage, repeatedly reading the text aloud. She twitched, scowled, and spoke in a booming voice. She also had an aggravating way of communicating with her hands. It was like watching a lame music video.

  I felt bad that she had to find out about Demeter’s weird visit from Hermes, especially since she disliked him so much. As she ranted, sunlight filtered through the windows and illuminated her skin. She looked angelic until another stream of curse words poured from her lips. It sounded awkward and forced coming from Lorelei, and I told myself I was becoming a bad influence on her.

  Which kind of made me smile.

  “It’s not funny, Charlotte. Demeter is dangerous and unbalanced and . . . for the love of Zeus, take that smirk off your face,” she hissed.

  She was right. The situation wasn’t amusing at all. Something about seeing a Greek goddess possess the body of a pregnant chick was disturbing. When I said those exact words to her, she threw her hands in the air and huffed.

  “She hasn’t done that in years. Not since I lived in England during the 1500’s. I can’t underst—”

  “I seriously hate when you drop dates like that.” Every time I imagined her partying with the Tudors or drowning her hunter boyfriend in eighteenth century Germany, I felt like she was debasing Cam. Her stories about the past only reminded me that despite the way she looked, she really was an ancient artifact.

  Lorelei swiped her glass of water from the table, splashing some on the floor in the process. She glowered at me over the rim. I tapped a staccato beat against my thighs. I knew I messed up again, but I was confused about why she was making such a big deal about the situation. Nobody was hurt.

  “Charlotte, she contacted you through a mortal. It’s serious business when she does that. And the worst part is, I warned you. I specifically remember telling you that interfering in human affairs angers Demeter. ” She sounded so much like my mom as she reprimanded me, my breath caught in the back of my throat. After a moment of studying her face, I blinked.

  Finally, I said, “But we guide souls because of Hades, right?” Because that’s what she led me to believe, but maybe she was holding out about that, too.

  “Yes. Still, breaking rules gives her free access to use the mortals around you to give you warnings.” She shook her head in disappointment. “Besides interfering is the biggest mistake in soul-guiding.”

  Maybe she needed to print out a manual—like a Soul-Guiding for Dummies—because finding out so many details about my job after a screw-up sucked. I counted to ten then demanded, “What are the rules?”

  “Don’t ever interfere with the natural order of mortal lives. And you can’t touch souls in limbo. Never tell anyone what you are—what our world is—under any circumstances, especially since you managed to rub Hermes the wrong way. Didn’t think that was possible with him, to be honest.”

  It would be nice if I had a firm grasp on my new, mythological world, but I just shook my head. “Did you interfere in England?”

  “Yes.”

  I coughed a few times, trying to imagine Lorelei breaking the rules. It wasn’t like her at all. She seemed to follow the straight and narrow siren life. With, of course, the occasional shipwreck caused
by her anger.

  “But that doesn’t make what you did right. That doesn’t make it okay.”

  Ugh, so she was yelling at me even though she made the same mistake before. She was definitely starting to sound like a parent instead of my brother’s girl, and I didn’t like it one bit. “Okay, so what exactly can’t Demeter do? It would be nice to know just in case she decides to pop in again.”

  “She can’t kill us. And she can’t hurt her host. If you—”

  “So why is there even a hunter if she can’t off us?”

  She frowned and tossed her hair over one shoulder. “It’s like you don’t pay attention. I’ve told you this before.” She never mentioned Demeter’s abilities, but I didn’t comment on it. “She can’t directly kill us because the other gods, her brothers and sisters, ruled against it. It’s the same with mortals. The hunter was her way of bending the rules.”

  I crinkled my nose, leaning my head to the side. “So Hades is really her brother?” As she nodded, I feigned vomiting. She glared at me. “You do realize that his hooking up with Persephone is illegal in every state, right?” My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I dug it out, but when I saw it was Andy, I considered ignoring it.

  “Don’t shut your friends out, Charlotte,” she said. “You’ll be lonely if you do. Trust me.”

  I wanted her to stop guessing my thoughts. That routine was starting to get creepy. I shoved the phone to my ear. “Hey!” My attempt at sounding cheerful sucked.

  “So you’re not dead! You’ve been hiding, Char.”

  Rolling my eyes, I tucked the phone between my shoulder and ear and paced to the window. Lorelei’s nosiness didn’t seem so bad when I couldn’t see her happy-go-lucky face. “Haven’t been hiding. I’ve been working.”

  “That’s not what Sophie said.”

  I groaned. Why couldn’t Sophie keep her mouth shut? “Okay, what is it?”

  “You’re coming out tomorrow night.”

  “I’m grounded.” And this time, I really was. Dad sentenced me to another week after I returned home Saturday night.

  “Your dad loves me, we’ll say you’re here,” Lorelei trilled from behind me.

  She was trying to pay me back for breaking the rules and evoking the anger of Demeter. I shouldn’t have considered going out with my friends as a punishment, but I just wanted to be alone tonight.

  How antisocial was that?

  “Is that Cameron’s new girlfriend?”

  “Yes.”

  “I saw her driving a few days ago. She’s hot.” I heard the repetitive honk of someone’s horn, and I knew he was speeding through town, ignoring other drivers and pedestrians. Andy was a horrible driver. “You sure she’s cool with it?”

  “She’s a Barbie-Care Bear hybrid. She’ll cover,” I sighed. There was no way of escaping whatever his plans were because Lorelei had opened her big, perky mouth. “What’s going on?”

  “Bowling with me and Sophie. Bring a date, though.”

  Okay, this was a new development. Was I so consumed with my new aquatic life that I missed my best friends were dating? I refused to question him about it in front of Lorelei, because there was a good chance she would sigh and swoon. And I didn’t want to hear her gush about love tonight.

  Then again, maybe it would be in my best interest so I could take her mind off my mistakes for a few minutes.

  I lowered my voice and pressed my mouth close to the receiver. “You do realize that I have nobody I can ask.” Why was it so embarrassing to admit that?

  “Sophie said you’d say that. Ask Matt.”

  Ugh. Sophie and Lorelei would be my dating downfall.

  Lorelei seemed happy to see me go after I changed back into my jeans and tank top. She said she needed to make a few calls. I hoped she was planning to call Francesca. Maybe Demeter’s warning and Zeus’s obvious disdain would frighten Maninizer into doing her job to keep Hades happy.

  I called Matt on the way home. At first, he teased me. “Isn’t it passed your bed time, Goose?”

  “Something like that,” I said, wanting to change the subject as quick as possible. “Aren’t you supposed to have your nose buried in a book?”

  “No homework, but you’d know that if you weren’t a trouble maker.” I heard the blare of his television in the background. He must have been watching a comedy because he laughed. I wanted to make sure he found the movie comical and not me, though.

  “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

  He took a gulp of his drink, and I vividly pictured him smiling as he spoke. “Nothing, why?”

  “Going bowling with Sophie and Andrew Manning. Wanted to know if you felt like going, too.”

  I expected him to pick with me some more and inform me he didn’t go out with liquor lightweights, but he simply said, “Yeah.”

  We made plans to meet up at The Lighthouse at six and take his car to the bowling alley. By the time our phone conversation ended, I was pulling into our driveway. Dad was in the carport, working on Cam’s old Civic.

  “Glad you’re home. Hope you don’t mind I called Lorelei to make sure you were there,” he said, his eyes following me as I opened the front door.

  I turned and shrugged. “We had fun.”

  “She’s a great influence on you, kid. Such a smart, driven girl.”

  “Can you ever say anything good about me, Dad?”

  He pressed the door together and motioned at the porch swing. “Sit down, kiddo.” I almost groaned aloud. I really needed to learn how to shut my mouth. Fists clenched, I slammed down on the wooden seat, and his eyes bugged.

  “Didn’t that hurt?”

  “No.”

  He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “You’re a wonderful kid. In fact, I couldn’t ask for a better child.”

  I was not in the mood for a heart to heart with my dad, so I played with the chain of the swing.

  “I know I don’t always say it, and I’m sorry about that. I have to admit, though, you have scared the hell out of me this summer. The thought of losing you or Cam makes my chest burn.” He stopped to take a breath.

  “You won’t Dad,” I mumbled.

  He sighed. “And your eating habits are scaring me. Nowadays, I only see you toting around a bottle of water.” Where was Lorelei when I needed her? I didn’t need him freaking out on me—not after listening to her rant just a couple hours before. I wished she’d show up and lull him into a daze.

  “I just ate at Lorelei’s,” I said. “Grilled tofu salads. And you’re right, she is an incredible person. I’m happy for Cam.” Now it was my turn to tilt my head to the side as his pinched expression smoothed.

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my hair. “Why didn’t you tell me that? Here I am worried, thinking you’re starving yourself. Hell, I’m just glad Lorelei is helping you and Cam.” For a second, I thought he was going to say something else, but he just smiled. It was bittersweet.

  I headed for the door, but he stopped me with one last remark. “Sorry about not trusting you about the girl in the paper. Looks like the cops arrested the guy’s wife. His girlfriend found evidence in a safe, of all places.” He scratched his forehead. “Not sure why I didn’t think of the wife.”

  Smiling, I strode into the house, feeling oddly at peace with what I did. Even if I had irritated a few immortals.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Sophie bounced over and hugged me as soon as she spotted Matt and I walking toward them. “Thanks for talking sense into me,” she whispered. She pulled back and smiled brightly at me. Her smile reminded me of the old Sophie. The person in front of me was the old Sophie.

  I probably had the same goofy expression Lorelei wore when she talked about dating as I sank down across the table from them. They shared an order of nachos like always, but they giggled when their fingers touched. It was kind of cute, and honestly, I was proud that they were together because of my confrontation with Sophie.

  “You’re such a pig,
Andy,” I said, watching him stuff his face.

  His shoulders sagged in relief. Maybe he was afraid that their new relationship status would create an awkward environment. I wanted them together more than anyone did, and I returned his grin. He turned to Matt and shrugged. “Does she talk like this to you?”

  Matt appeared to mull over my friend’s question as he rubbed his chin. “Yeah, but she’s usually cheating off my trig notes when she does.”

  Andy and Sophie laughed. I pretended not to be paying attention when their fingers interlocked, but part of me itched to say how utterly sweet it was.

  Yes, Lorelei’s romanticism was definitely wearing off on me.

  Matt didn’t reach for my hand—not that I expected him to. Wyatt would. I frowned, and tried to listen in on Matt and Andy's conversation about cars. Sophie pushed their basket of nachos toward me and glared inquisitively when I shook my head to decline.

  “We stopped for burgers before we came here.” Matt’s lie sounded so natural, it was difficult not to gape. He bent his head down, brushing his lips against my ear. I could smell peppermint and cologne—the soft, woodsy kind. “She worries about you. I’m sure you ate at home.”

  I wanted to ask him why he responded to Sophie’s curiosity, but she interrupted me by teasing him about bowling and he pulled away. I was glad she hadn’t pointed out the obvious about his lie: I wasn’t a meat eater.

  “Ten bucks says I win,” he said, grinning.

  Sophie cocked one of her eyebrows. Her bottom lip quivered until she gave in and laughed. She stuffed her hand into the pocket of her shorts, pulled out a neatly folded twenty dollar bill, and slapped it in front of him. “Char, inform your friend that I raise him another ten.”

  I shot a quick, dark glare at her over the way she said friend, then turned to Matt, smiling. “I think she’s going to beat the hell out of you.”