Love (The Allure Chronicles Book 4) (14 page)

G
lendale was
some sort of demon. Hailey was off fighting a Shadow. Violet was apparently the most dangerous creature I’d encountered yet. In other words, things had gone completely crazy. My only comfort though was a big one. I was curled up in Owen’s arms. Despite everything I couldn’t help but soak up the warmth of his skin and the way the stubble of his cheek tickled my neck where he rested against me. I’d had so few moments with Owen, that it was impossible not to revel in each and every one of them.

“Our friends are returning to us.” Glendale rolled over on the floor.

“When?”

Before Glendale could answer, a trapdoor in the floor I hadn’t seen before opened and a crowd climbed in.

“Hailey!” Owen called out. I untangled myself from him so he could greet his sister. I moved to my feet. Now that I wasn’t curled up with Owen, sitting made me feel uncomfortable.

“Hey.” Hailey smiled as he pulled her into a hug. “Miss me much?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What about you?” Hailey’s eyes were brighter and her voice lighter than before she’d left. “And do I get to meet your Guardian Pixie or is she private?”

“Uh, what?” Owen gave her a confused look. “Guardian Pixie?”

“She means me.” Marta joined them and put a hand on his shoulder. “It is nice to meet you, Hailey, although I’ve been watching you for quite a while since you’re with Owen a lot.”

“Um, that’s kind of creepy.” Hailey took a step back.

“What is a Guardian Pixie?” Owen eyed Marta warily. “And why would I have one?”

“Yes, why does Owen have one?” Jared wore an amused smile. “I’m sure the explanation will be quite entertaining.”

“He has one because he needs one right now. You only get assigned to someone when they have a great need that goes beyond their self and extends to the universe at large. Only one other in this room has one. And that’s Hailey.” Marta grinned.

“Where was he when I was struggling with the Shadow the other day?” Hailey put a hand on her hip. “Or was that not important enough?”

“You escaped while Jim didn’t…” Marta tilted her head to the side.

Owen glanced around the room wildly. “Where is Jim?”

“Right here.” A man in his forties stepped out from behind Harold. “I’m moving a little slow at the moment.” He limped forward.

“Jim?” Owen asked with concern “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Thanks to your friend there.” He pointed to Wyatt. “A Drago is nice to have around.”

“Glad I could be of service.” Wyatt held out his arm and led him over to a stool.

“I see you found us.” Levi eyed Wyatt.

“Yes. And it looks like you’ll have an easy time getting to Pyrean now.” Wyatt pointed to Glendale.

“I’m not sure easy is the right word.” Glendale rolled his head around.

“What do you mean? You can easily move between realms, Glen. Or have you lost your touch?” Wyatt leaned back against the bar.

“I can’t move this many people that easily. Even I have limitations. Besides, we’ll be found. The Elders must be guarding your realm. Isn’t that why you aren’t there right now?” Glendale flipped his tail back and forth while he watched the movements.

“Wait.” Levi tensed. “No one said anything about Pyrean being guarded by the Elders. You made that part seem simple.”

“I don’t recall making any part seem simple. Because nothing is simple. I would have expected you of all people to know that.” Wyatt straightened.

“Why me of all people?” Levi gently left Allie’s side.

“What with the lengths you had to go through to secure your queen.” He glanced at Allie.

“How do you know of any of that?” Levi looked to Owen as if in answer. Owen shook his head.

“We’ve been watching you even if you haven’t been watching us.” Wyatt used two fingers to point at his eyes.

“This is starting to feel very ‘big brother’.” Jared started toward Levi. “I’m not a fan.”

“Of the show or this?” Marta piped in.

“Which do you think?” Jared asked incredulously. “Just because you’re all glittery doesn’t mean I like you.”

“Again with the anger. It’s delightful.” She clapped.

“Wait.” I no longer let people’s interest in emotions pass casually. “You like anger?”

“Why not?” Marta smiled. “Don’t you like all sorts of emotions?”

“As an Allure or a human?” Taylor walked to my side. She’d stayed far away from me ever since Owen arrived.

“Either. They are important to both creatures.” Marta ran a hand through her hair.

“Did you find the herb?” I returned my attention to Jim. Talking about emotions was only going to upset me.

Jim wiped his brow. “I did. And I managed to get some of it back before the Shadow inhaled it all.”

“The Shadow inhaled the herb?” I put a hand to my throat.

“Yes.” Wyatt nodded. “But we got most of it back.”

“How?” I asked. “How could you get anything from a Shadow? Drago fire or not, those creatures were strong.”

“That’s a long story for another day.” Hailey exchanged a long unreadable glance with Wyatt. Something had happened out there, but I knew she wasn’t going to be sharing anything currently. She was fine, so it didn’t seem worth the fight.

“You know you’re going to have to tell me.” Owen may have noticed the same look I had. “All of it.”

“Yes. I’m quite aware.” Hailey smiled. “I appreciate the protectiveness, brother of mine.”

“Ok. We all need to get on the same page.” Sol’s hand fisted, and he strode to the center of the room. “Glen, do you want to explain, or do you want me to?”

I still found it humorous that Glendale’s old friends called him Glen. I was sure he had plenty of entertaining stories to share—but then I remembered. He was some sort of demon. Plenty of his stories wouldn’t be entertaining at all. Yet here we were putting our faith in a Helzin Demon and a Seer. Neither of which were creatures I actually understood. What I did know is that both had powers far greater than what I’d seen. Right now we were on the same side, but what if eventually we weren’t? All of Sol’s talk about our interests temporarily aligning had me nervous.

“I am living a fantasy.” Jim slumped into a stool. “An absolutely fantasy.”

Owen returned to my side and pulled me into his arms. “Because there are so many weird creatures here?”

“Who are you calling weird?” Glendale sat up.

“Ok, exotic. Do you prefer that term?” Owen ran his hand down my back.

“We’re not exotic, but I don’t mind the connotation.” Glendale slipped down into a stretched out position again.

“Great.” Owen nodded.

“To answer your question, Owen, yes. Discovering all my research was correct is rewarding, but I will keep my excitement to myself for now. Let us hear this plan.” Jim straightened his back.

“Does everyone understand why we’re gathered here right now?” Sol let his eyes roam over everyone in the room.

I did the same. We were a random assortment for sure, but also a strong one. I definitely wasn’t going into this fight alone, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I was grateful to have support but also struck with guilt even though I knew each of the people present was there for their own reasons beyond me. Well, aside from Owen, Allie, and Hailey. I was the reason they had been dragged into this mess. Owen was part of The Society, but that didn’t mean he’d have been in that room facing the Elders to protect it.

We all nodded. “Good. But just to be certain we have one overarching goal, with several side goals. We must all work together.”

“The main goal being to take on the Elders.” Jared seemed more at ease now that the conversation had moved to the actual game plan.

“Yes. Destroying them would be wonderful of course, but that’s not going to happen. So we will need to settle for weakening them. Succeeding in that goal will allow us to focus on the other goals.”

“Saving Daisy.” Owen tightened his arm around me.

“Yes.” Sol nodded. “That has multiple parts.”

Taylor raised her hand. “May I request that saving me becomes a goal?”

Sol seemed to consider her question. “As long as it doesn’t hurt any other goals.”

“Ok, continue.” Taylor crossed her arms.

“Daisy’s emotions need to be restored, and she has to be free of the Elders; therefore, half of that is solved by the major goal.” Sol paced back and forth in the center of the room.

“And I may be able to help with the other.” Jim held up a brown satchel.

“Perfect.” Sol smiled in my direction.

I studied the bag. Could something so unassuming truly hold the answer to my emotions? Could it forever take the numbness away? I snuggled into Owen’s side.

“Next goal is Troy.” Wyatt stepped forward. “It is in the interest of all of us present that he returns safe and sound.”

“Yes. The Drago’s line cannot end.” Sol seemed to understand what Wyatt was implying even though I didn’t. I kept my questions to myself.

“Which leaves us with Glendale.” Sol nodded in his direction.

“What do you need?” I asked louder than planned.

“A new form.” Glendale stood up and walked toward Sol.

“You’re tired of being a cat?” Hailey asked. I hoped she was careful. She’d been gone when Glendale explained what he really was.

“No, but I have no choice. It has been too many years.” Glendale sighed.

“How do you find a new form?” I had assumed he’d always looked like a cat, but assumptions are often wrong.

“I have to take it from another Helzin Demon.”

“Helzin Demon?” Hailey frowned.

“Yes. Glendale is a Helzin Demon.” I tried to warn her to accept my word. We didn’t need to go off on another tangent. We’d wasted enough time already.

Thankfully she only nodded.

“Ok. Now that our goals have been laid out, we need to discuss the specific strategy. Does anyone have any questions before we continue?” Sol slowly glanced at all present again.

“Yes.” Jared stepped forward. “Why are you wearing sunglasses inside?”

“That is not relevant to our campaign. Anyone else?” Sol asked.

No one said anything.

Sol grabbed his jacket from a stool. “Ok then. Let’s continue.”

“I can’t take all of us.” Glendale stood up again. “No matter how I try to pull it off it won’t work. Even if I could manage to hide the transport, it wouldn’t cover this many creatures.”

“Which means we need to be strategic in our selections.” Sol pulled a white board and a marker seemingly out of thin air. He started to hastily write on it. A few seconds later he’d written all of our names down.

“Some of you can be excluded immediately.” He adjusted the marker in his hand and proceeded to cross off two names from the list: Allie and Taylor. “And please no calling me sexist. I have left plenty of women on here.”

“No way. I was an Allure, and I know the Elders. You need me.” Taylor folded her arms over her chest

“You were an Allure. Past tense. That’s the key word here.”

“But I didn’t lose my knowledge when I lost my essence.” A few tears slipped down her face. It was the first true sign of emotion other than anger that I’d seen.

“Let’s table this argument. Allie? Are you going to argue you’re needed?”

“Normally I would, but if anyone needs to sit this one out, it should be me. I also have kids at home.” Allie gave me a long look. “Not that I wouldn’t do anything to help you, Daisy.”

“I completely understand. And your kids are also a reason Levi should stay back too.” I met Levi’s eyes.

“I’m the king!” Levi roared.

“Yes, but you’re also a dad.” I wasn’t going to back down. “How many Pterons do we need?”

“More would be helpful, but not if the risk of getting caught makes it unwise. Three would suffice for our needs, so as long as Jared agrees to come, and I know Hailey and Owen will….” Sol half smiled.

“Of course I’ll come.”

“You really expect me to sit this out?” Levi’s eyes widened.

Allie touched his arm. “They do. Besides, you may end up being more help back at The Society. You never know what sorts of reinforcements will be needed.”

Levi’s head fell, but he nodded. “I will step out. I will have a whole team ready if you need us.”

Sol opened the cap of the marker and crossed off Levi’s name.

“Does that mean I’m in?” Taylor rocked back on her heels.

“Not necessarily. There’s still too many of us.” Glendale stretched out his front claws.

“I can get there without the transport of course.” Wyatt flexed his arm showing off some of his intricate tattoos. One day I’d have to find out more about what they meant. “I can also take Hailey with me.”

“How?” Owen eyed Wyatt warily. “You said Pteron’s might not survive it. Has that changed?”

“Hailey’s different.” Wyatt smiled in her direction. “I don’t have time to get into it now.”

“You will get into now, or she isn’t coming.” Owen clenched his jaw.

Hailey sighed. “Wyatt, are you for real? You’re not trying to kill me?”

“Kill you? Are you kidding? We need you.” Wyatt appeared offended by her words.

“Then I’ll go.” Hailey nodded to herself.

Owen frowned. “It may not be safe.”

“But it would help the numbers.” Glendale preened. “It will really help the numbers.”

Sol nodded. “I agree.”

“I’m going, right?” Andrew interjected before Owen could argue any further. “I have a Grantor.”

“Yes, you’re coming.” Sol and Glendale exchanged a look that sent up red flags.

“Uh, none of this will involve Andrew being hurt, will it?” Glendale and Sol didn’t care about the life of a human—they’d view him as expendable, and despite the numbness, I refused to do the same.

“Not on purpose, but we are all at risk. The Elders are dangerous. You know that first hand. Besides, the boy and his Grantor can get there themselves. I don’t have to transport them, so they won’t affect us.” Glendale crossed his front paws.

“Which is why I have to question whether it’s smart to bring Andrew with us. If he doesn’t need to be there, he shouldn’t.” No one needed to put themselves in danger if they didn’t have to.

“I need to be there, Daisy. Don’t worry about me.” Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. “Please."