Love (The Allure Chronicles Book 4) (2 page)

I
held
Daisy tightly as I flew through the night sky. Levi and I didn’t need to exchange a single word for me to know exactly where we were going. The Crescent City Hotel was the most secure place around—and it was deep inside the city where his most loyal supporters lived.

I assumed Levi wasn’t particularly thrilled about bringing Wyatt and Taylor to Society headquarters, but I was sure he realized we didn’t have another choice. We needed answers, and we needed help. If Wyatt was correct, Levi’s involvement had now moved beyond helping me to protecting The Society. He was bound and sworn to do the latter.

“I’m sorry.” Daisy whispered the words, but I had no trouble hearing her over the wind.

“What are you sorry for exactly?” There was no reason for her to apologize to me.

“For this mess. Every time it seems like things are going to settle down they get crazy again.”

“When did we think they were going to settle down?” I was relieved to have Daisy back at my side, but I knew we were far from finding a peaceful life together. “That can’t happen until you are human again.”

“Do you really believe that’s possible?” There was a trace of hope in her voice buried beneath faint layers of fear and sadness. The layers of emotion bolstered my confidence. She could feel. Somehow she’d gotten some of her ability to feel back, and I was never letting it disappear again.

Confident or not, I still had to be realistic. Jim had stopped short of promising her a human life even if he did find the herb. I refused to give her an insincere answer. “I know you will continue to be able to feel. I won’t let you lose your emotions again.”

“I love your confidence.” She pushed her body against mine. The action stirred my need for her.

“I love that you still love.” After listening to Daisy’s cries at the Elder’s palace and believing she was lost to me forever, I’d never take her love for granted.

She smiled. “How do you manage to stay so positive?”

“I’m only positive because I have you.” I tightened my arms around her. “Hailey can tell you exactly how positive I was before that happened.”

“When will Hailey be back?” Daisy relaxed in my arms.

“Whenever they find the herb.” I refused to even consider the possibility they would fail. I couldn’t accept that outcome until I had a backup plan.

“How far are we?” Taylor called from my right where Wyatt held her. I wasn’t sure what to make of the girl. Was she really who she said she was? The Allure whose essence Daisy had? Or was it some sort of prank set up by Wyatt? I wasn’t sure how we were going to find out, but at the moment we had more pressing matters to attend to.

We needed to get as far from the Elders, or whoever it was they sent after us, as possible. Jared had told us there was trouble, and the crows confirmed it. I wasn’t risking waiting around. I knew Jared well enough to know he could handle most things on his own. The few things he couldn’t pull off he was usually smart enough to run from in time—although Jared, like most Pterons, didn’t like to run.

“Nearly there.” Levi started to descend down toward the New Orleans skyline.

I felt a small jolt of excitement at the thought of returning home with Daisy. It wasn’t exactly the way I’d envisioned it, but she was with me. It was better than the last time I’d landed there.

I sincerely hoped trouble didn’t wait for us on the ground. At least if there was any trouble we’d have the upper-hand; it was in the Crescent City.

We landed in the shadows behind the hotel. I waited for Levi and Wyatt to head toward the front first. Then, without uttering a word, I led Daisy toward the hotel. We met up with Levi and the others as we slipped in through the front doors of the hotel.

“And here we are again,” Daisy muttered under her breath.

“It’s the safest place.” I would have preferred to have taken her somewhere more private, but that wasn’t an option. Besides, as much as I would have liked to handle everything on my own, I knew we needed help.

“I know.” Daisy smiled lightly. “I’m not complaining.”

“You aren’t one to complain.” She might have called me the positive one, but she stayed strong through everything. Most people would have run out of strength trying to resist the change, but not Daisy.

“Not when someone is helping me.” She looked down at the ground.

I lifted her chin with my hand. “You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“What does strength have to do with this?”

“Everything.” I brushed my lips against hers. “You wouldn’t be standing here right now without it.”

“I wouldn’t be standing here right now if it weren’t for you. It’s you that’s fueled me.”

“You’ve fueled me too.” There was so much more I wanted to say, but it had to wait. We weren’t safe yet, and Daisy’s safety came first.

Taylor slowed down and waited for us to catch up. “I hope this isn’t some sort of trap.”

“What would be the reasoning there?” Daisy slipped her hand into mine. “And wouldn’t you have worried about that before you let Wyatt fly you here?”

“You mean before Wyatt grabbed me and took off?” Taylor rolled her eyes. “Because I had so much time to stop him.”

“I didn’t hear you complaining.” Wyatt put a hand on her back. “And I don’t need to hear it now. I don’t want to be here anymore than you do, but we have no choice. We have to discuss this somewhere more discreet.” He glanced around the crowded lobby.

“Exactly.” I led Daisy toward the elevator where Levi already waited impatiently holding open the door.

Once we were all inside the elevator, he inserted his key card as the door slid shut.

“Where are we going?” Taylor leaned against the back of the elevator car.

“To the basement.” Levi smoothed out his white t-shirt. He was dressed far more casually than he usually was when he came to work.

“So the story is true?” Taylor straightened.

“What story exactly?” Levi asked.

“The one about The Society being headquartered in a basement. It all seemed odd to me. I mean there are no basements in New Orleans. We’re below sea level.”

The door slid open, and we emptied out into the pitch darkness of the basement.

“As you can see, this is a basement.” Levi started into the darkness. “Although not like any you’ve ever seen before.”

“I can’t see anything.” Taylor sighed “I forgot how tedious this human thing is.”

“You are really human?” Daisy tilted toward Taylor. “Completely?”

I knew her interest stemmed from many sources. I was plenty curious myself.

“We can talk about all of this once we are in a better spot.” Levi led the way down the long marble floored corridor. I had grown up running up and down these hallways, and I had spent several years working here, but they felt foreign now as I clutched Daisy’s hand. I no longer felt as if I was part of The Society. It was like I was an outsider looking in.

Levi opened the door to one of the sitting rooms. It wasn’t a safe room, but the walls were completely sound proof even to the ears of the Pterons working nearby.

After everyone entered Levi closed the door and stood in front of it. “Please everyone make yourselves at home.”

No one moved.

No one spoke.

“I said make yourselves at home.” Levi’s voice remained level. He was likely unsurprised by our decision to remain standing.

“Are we even sure there was a threat?” Taylor crossed her arms. “Maybe your friend was wrong.”

“There was a threat.” Wyatt narrowed his eyes. “You think I would have gone along with these guys if I didn’t know it?”

“Then why didn’t you say anything first?” Taylor grumbled.

“Because I realized it just as Jared did. Why does it matter? With all the pressing issues going on, I hardly think that one is worth discussing right now.” Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck.

“I agree.” Levi took a step away from the door. “Jared will be with us as soon as he can. Until then we might as well discuss the multitude of other things that need to be addressed.”

“Yes, other things.” Daisy’s shoulder’s slumped. “Lots of other things.”

“Don’t you find it a little bit too convenient that I ask to speak with you alone, and we end up here?” Taylor opened her arms wide. “Where it is impossible for us to talk alone.”

“I assure you we did not bring you all the way here in order to interfere with your conversation.” Levi frowned.

“Not that he wouldn’t go to those lengths to get what he wants.” Wyatt raised an eyebrow.

“I am growing tired of your attitude.” Levi’s hand turned into a fist. “If you dislike me so much, why are you here?”

“You really don’t understand, do you?” Wyatt shook his head.

“Understand you want my help fighting some of the strongest beings that exist?” Levi walked over toward a long black couch.

“And some of the most dangerous.” Wyatt joined Levi across the room. “That’s why it’s so important we work together on this.”

“By ‘we’, who do you mean exactly?” Levi rested a hand on the back of the couch. “I don’t see anyone else with you.”

“There are other Dragos ready to help.”

“Where are they?” If fighting the Elders was so important to them, why didn’t they show up for the meeting?

“Waiting,” Wyatt explained quietly.

“Waiting for what?” Daisy asked. “I thought the Elders almost caught up with us already.”

“They’re waiting for my order.” Wyatt’s expression softened as he faced Daisy. “The Elders are close, but we cannot rush into this. We need to make calm and collected decisions.”

“Why would the Elders have taken Troy?” Daisy’s forehead furrowed. “They like you.”

“They want our power. Just like they want your power.” He pointed at her.

Daisy laughed dryly. “My power. Right.”

“You are an Allure with a full essence, and you’ve regained some ability to feel. That’s power.” Wyatt watched her far too closely for my comfort. I pulled her closer to my side.

“How do they know that?” Daisy asked.

“They knew the second you ran back to Owen. Why else would you have? The transformation should have happened by now.” Taylor answered for Wyatt. “But you already knew that. Don’t waste time asking questions you already know the answers to.”

“But the transformation didn’t happen.” I concentrated on the most important part of the statement. “And it won’t.”

“And the fact she is able to resist is extraordinary.”

“Maybe it’s the essence I got.” Daisy turned to Taylor. “Could you feel at all when you had it?”

She shook her head. “Not emotions.”

“Then how or why did you give the essence up?” Daisy made complete eye contact with Taylor.

“Give it up?” Taylor’s eyes widened. “Is that what you think happened?”

“I don’t know what happened. But you are alive. That has to mean something.”

“It was stolen from me.” Taylor’s eyes darkened.

“Not by me.” Daisy put a hand to her chest.

“I am well aware. Before you got it you were human. You were predisposed to accept the essence, but that doesn’t mean you would have been strong enough to take it from me.”

“Predisposed.” Daisy sighed. “Lucky me.”

What did that even mean? Predisposed. I wanted to know, but I tried to keep my questions to myself. I had plenty, but this was Daisy’s chance to get answers to the many questions she’d been mulling over for months—or really years. Her life had changed long before she met the Allures. Getting the paste had changed everything.

“Yes. If you hadn’t been predisposed, it would have been impossible for you to accept.” Taylor twirled her hair around her finger.

“I know that.” Daisy let out a long breathe. “Violet told me that, but I thought maybe you were implying more.”

“It would be nice wouldn’t it?” Taylor walked toward Daisy. “To have an easy answer to everything.”

“Easy answer?” Daisy cocked her head to the side. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

“I’d take any answers right now.” Levi remained in front of the door. “For starters, who are you, Taylor?”

“You haven’t figured it out?”

“I’ve pieced together that Daisy’s Allure essence traces back to you, but that doesn’t mean I really know who you are.”

“A king that admits to what he doesn’t know.” Taylor nodded. “Interesting.”

“None of us know who you really are.” And her true identity was important. Her past held answers to Daisy’s, and therefore my, future. I had met one person who knew her. “Although my uncle seemed to know a lot about you.”

“Your uncle?” Taylor’s face darkened. “Oh, you mean Jim?”

“Yes, I finally made his acquaintance.”

“You finally met your uncle. That would be odd in many circumstances.” She moistened her lips. “Very odd.”

“But not this one.” This situation was crazy. Impossibly crazy. Meeting a secret uncle was nothing compared to everything else we were dealing with.

“No. It is far from the oddest thing going on right now.” Taylor dropped her arms to her sides. “But how was he?”

“Jim?” I ran my hand down Daisy’s back. I needed to touch her. To remind myself that she was at my side. And to let her know I was there for her. I would never let her slip away again.

“Yes. Who else?” Taylor asked.

“He was fine. Crazy, but fine.” Wyatt answered before I could.

“You’ve seen him?” Taylor seemed genuinely surprised by this.

“Yes.” Wyatt walked over to the far wall of the windowless room. “It’s how I tracked down Owen. The Dryads knew where to find them.”

“Jim is friends with Dryads now?” Taylor raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new one.”

“He left The Society. He was limited in his social circles.” I felt for my uncle. Despite his eccentricities, I liked the man. I trusted him enough to leave Hailey with him.

“Why did he leave The Society?” Taylor took a seat at the far corner of a love seat.

I wasn’t sure if she was playing dumb, or if she really didn’t know. “I don’t fully understand.” I glanced at Levi. I didn’t want to go into what happened to push him out of The Society.

“What aren’t you saying?” Levi figured out I was hiding something right away.

“He left The Society because he felt the leadership wanted him to.” I met Levi’s eye.