Love (The Allure Chronicles Book 4)

A
ll rights reserved
. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written approval of the author.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Cover Design: Mae I Design & Photography

I
f it weren't
for Owen's hand around mine, I may have passed out. Well, maybe not. Before becoming an Allure I would have, but now with the numbness returning I could handle almost anything emotional. Still, the physical shock would have more than likely been enough. Either way, I was glad to have Owen at my side as I stared wide-eyed at the girl in front of me. Her long brown hair blew around her face in the light breeze.

"Taylor?" I managed to get the name out after a few attempts. I knew I’d heard her right, but the fact she was alive and standing there was more than a little difficult to accept.

Her eyes twinkled. “I take it you've heard of me?"

"Yes, you could say that." Although I knew far less about this Allure than I should have. I’d heard bits and pieces, but I still didn’t know anything concrete beyond her connection to Roland and Louie. Well, her essence’s connection. Unfortunately I had that essence now, and I was the one with the less than ideal connections.

"Only good things I hope." She cocked her head to the side, spilling some of her long hair off her shoulder.

"Mostly." I didn’t sugar coat my answer. The numbness made it hard for me to play nice.

"I could say the same about you.” She grinned, revealing all of her teeth. It was the kind of smile that would look goofy on some people, but it seemed natural on her. Pretty even.

"You know anything about me other than what I have of yours?" I knew the numbness was returning because I didn’t even really care about the answer. It would only be words that couldn’t physically impact me.

She took one step toward me. "I know everything about you."

Owen turned his body as if to block me partially from Taylor’s view. "What are you doing here?"

“Cute. You’re all protective.” Taylor’s lips turned up into an amused smile. “What has Wyatt told you?"

"Nothing at all." Levi stepped toward her before I could muster a response. "But I take it you are important in all this."

"The king in person." Taylor smiled at Levi. "Can't say I expected to see you here."

Levi’s face hardened. "Daisy is under my protection."

Under his protection.
As much as I didn't want to be under anyone's protection, it was nice to have someone as powerful as Levi on my side. At least I knew I didn't want to be on his bad side. His charm and smile didn't fool me; crossing him would have dire consequences.

"She is also wanted by a higher power than you, but stay calm, Your Majesty. I don't want to hurt her." Taylor pointed at me.

Your Majesty? I’d never heard anyone refer to Levi that way. There was definitely some sarcasm in her use of the title.

"Then I will repeat Owen’s question. What are you doing here?" Levi didn’t seem perturbed by her use of the term.

"Do you usually let men ask the questions for you?” Taylor smirked as she glanced at me. "I was under the impression you were above that."

I wasn’t completely numb. Her words stung, but not enough for me to care enough to do much about it. I had far bigger problems. "No, but it's been a crazy couple of days."

"Tell me about it." Taylor put a hand in the pocket of her white jeans. "Why don't we continue this conversation privately? Just us girls."

The phrase
just us girls
implied something casual. Any conversation the two of us had wouldn’t be casual.

Owen shook his head. "I'm staying with her.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. "He's never giving up, is he?"

"Never." Owen watched her stoically.

His unflinching dedication stirred my heart. "He's right. What you need to say to me you can say in front of him." I wanted to hear from her, but after all Owen had done for me I refused to keep him out. Plus, I was afraid if I stepped away from him, I might lose him again. I was done losing. I’d spent so little time with him, and I was determined to change that.

"This is one of those conversations you are going to have to have on your own." Taylor shrugged. “Either you want to hear what I have to say or not.”

"Why can’t Owen hear?" Anything she needed to keep a secret from Owen probably wasn’t a good thing for any of us.

"Because it doesn't concern Pterons." She frowned.

"But I'm in love with this Pteron, so it does concern him.” I was in love with him despite the numbness. I could hold on. I had to.

Taylor turned to Wyatt. "I thought you promised me face time with her."

"I got you to her, and that's more than you were able to do on your own." Wyatt watched me even though he was speaking to Taylor. “The rest is your problem.”

"I had no difficulty finding her. It was getting her away from Roland and the others that was the bigger challenge.” She turned to me. "How did you do that anyway?”

"That's a long, not so interesting story." It was also one I had no interest in repeating. I still hadn’t described all of it to Owen, and he was the most important one to share it with. But other matters had taken precedence. Mainly physically and emotionally reconnecting with him. I’d never get tired of the taste of his lips and the feel of his hands. I’d also never get tired of the way he made my heart race with even one glance.

"It's a story that involves Sol. I’m sure it is interesting." Wyatt laughed.

"Sol?" Taylor’s eyes widened. “She was really with him?”

Wyatt nodded.

"Guess you don’t know everything about me." I smiled. I got some satisfaction from the look of surprise on her face. Her smugness got under my skin.

"Knowing about you does not imply I know every movement of your recent life." She crossed her arms.

"But it's my recent life you care about." At least I couldn’t imagine she cared about anything else. I, on the other hand, wanted to know about her past. I needed to understand how in the world I ended up with her essence, and how she wasn’t dead.

"It's more than your recent life." She looked down at her nails.

"Oh you mean since I first got Seduction’s Kiss?" That first trip to New Orleans felt like a distant memory now. I’d been practically a kid back then—innocent and far too trusting. I’d also been a pushover for even going at all. If becoming an Allure had done anything positive for me, it gave me a backbone.

"Seduction’s Kiss?" Taylor watched me questioningly. "Is that what they call it? It’s an appropriate name I suppose."

"Sounds like a street drug if you ask me." Wyatt adjusted the band of his pants. He was shirtless, which I assumed was how he spent most of his life. Unlike the Pterons, he spent his time in a world where shirts were very much optional.

"What kind of streets have you been hanging out on?" Levi raised an eyebrow.

"I've lived a much longer life than you have." Wyatt lifted his chin.

"Short or not, I prefer a normal lifetime." Levi didn’t flinch at Wyatt’s rib.

"Only because you will never have a chance for anything else." Wyatt was trying to bait Levi, and I didn’t quite understand why.

"Didn't you want his help?" Owen narrowed his eyes. "Because riling him up isn’t going to help your cause."

Wyatt shrugged. "Don't forget I found Daisy for you."

"You did." Owen nodded. "For me, but Levi is his own person."

Wyatt’s expression darkened. "If you don't help me, this fight is going to come to him. If you think The Society is safe, you’re mistaken."

"Why?" Levi asked. "The Elders have always left us alone."

"Because of her." Wyatt pointed to me. He didn't touch me, but it stung as if he had. So much of the mess involved me getting Seduction’s Kiss. I never asked for it. I never wanted it. But the very act of being in the wrong place at the wrong time sealed my fate – and now it may have sealed the fate of many others.

Accepting the paste had been one colossal mistake. The only upside was meeting Owen. It would all be worth it if I could keep my emotions. Losing my love for Owen was not a result I’d accept.

Owen seemed to sense exactly how I felt. He squeezed my hand and jumped in before I could respond. "None of this is Daisy's fault."

"I never said it was her fault, but the Elders are going to come after her. She's valuable." Wyatt watched me closely.

"She's more than valuable." Owen pulled me closer to his side.

"There is so much you guys don't understand." Wyatt threw up his hands.

"There is so much you need to tell us, “I grumbled.” You've told us almost nothing.”

"First Daisy and I need to talk alone." Taylor repeated her earlier demand. “Nothing can happen before we do that.”

It looked like we were returning to that argument all over again. “I already said—"

I stopped mid-sentence as a flock of black crows flew over us, circling and cawing louder than I’d ever heard birds before.

Jared ran over. “Sorry. Girl time is going to have to wait." He jumped into the conversation as though he had been standing with us. In truth he had been across the yard. By now I should have been used to the Pteron’s insanely good hearing.

“What’s up with the birds?” Taylor pointed up to where the crows continued to circle.

“We had a look-out posted, and we have no time to discuss the details.” Jared pointed behind him. “We’re about to have company.”

Owen let go of my hand long enough to pull off his shirt before immediately releasing his beautiful black wings. Levi and Jared did the same thing,

"What kind of company?" Owen wrapped his arms around my waist.

"My bet is it isn’t the kind we want to wait around to see." Wyatt released his own leathery black wings. They were huge and so different than the feathered ones of the Pterons.

"I am growing tired of that sort of company.” I sighed, grateful that even though we were running again, I had Owen at my side.