Love (The Allure Chronicles Book 4) (8 page)

Allie turned off the car. “I really hope it’s nothing.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice for a change?” I opened my door and got out, careful to stand as far from the engine as possible. “Some good news?”

Allie opened her door but stayed seated. “Should I pop the hood?”

“I’m thinking.” Hailey waited next to Allie’s door.

“Get out!” I screamed as I watched a black smoke ascend from the engine.

Allie jumped out. Taylor had already walked over to our side of the car.

Hailey pushed Allie and me behind her as she neared the billow of blackness.

“That’s not a Shadow, is it?” I asked. My heart was beating erratically.

“I don’t know what it is.” Hailey took a step away from it and it followed her. “It’s really weird.”

“But it isn’t killing us.” Taylor pointed to the smoke. “Which begs the point, what the hell was it doing in your engine?”

“It can’t be a coincidence. There are no coincidences.” Allie looked at her car. “Someone, or something, put it there.”

“I’d say to run, but watch.” Hailey took a step to the right and the smoke followed.

“Is it just attuned to you?” Allie asked. She stepped forward, Hailey pulled her back. The smoke followed.

“It looks like any movement gets its attention, so technically if we all ran different ways it couldn’t catch up—but if it chose Daisy or Allie we’d be in trouble.”

“Once again you’re throwing me under the bus?” Taylor laughed dryly. “Lovely.”

“I thought we went over this. They get priority.”

“I know… “

“What if it isn’t bad?” I studied the smoke. It wasn’t doing anything overtly bad.

“Then why was it making that crying sound?” Hailey asked. “That was weird.”

“Is there something else in there?” I pointed to the engine. “Maybe the smoke is just part of it?”

“Yeah… maybe we should open it.” Allie took a step toward her car.

Hailey pushed her back. “I’ve got this.”

I stepped up. “Change of plans. I’ll do it. This is about me, which means I’m the one going first. Owen isn’t here. If he was he wouldn’t want his little sister putting herself in danger either. Two can use that argument.”

Hailey gave me a long look. “We do it together.”

“I never popped the hood.” Allie pointed to the open driver’s door.

“How about you pop it, and I wait at the hood?” I offered.

“Nope.” Hailey shook her head. “Other way around.”

“I’ll pop the hood. You guys wait in front.” Taylor dove for the SUV, and Hailey and I walked up to the front.

The hood popped open a tiny bit.

“Should we open it?” I asked.

Hailey glanced at the black smoke that was still hovering right next to us. It had widened to stay near all four of us now. There went any idea of running in different directions. “Let’s do it.” She pulled open the hood, and we glanced in. We were hit by a whirl of strong wind, my ears popped as though I were on a plane that was landing. The wind got stronger, and I was blinded by a bright light. A few seconds later our feet left the ground.

I
’d agreed
to listen to the Drago’s plan even though I didn’t want to. I wanted to get back to New Orleans and to Daisy. I wanted to disappear with her and leave the mess behind, but that wasn’t going to happen. She’d lose her feelings, and we’d abandon everyone else we cared about. That wasn’t an option.

“Daisy needs to stay safe.” Nothing else mattered unless that happened. I wasn’t agreeing to anything, even to listen, until I got those assurances.

“We will do everything we can to keep her safe. It is in all of our interests to keep her away from the Allures,” Wyatt explained.

“I know why it’s in my interest.” Jared put a hand to his chest. “But why is it in yours?”

“Because she would only give the Elders more power. That would hurt us.” Wyatt’s jaw tightened. “It might destroy us all.”

“That explains why you don’t want her falling into their hands, but what about her getting hurt?” Jared crossed his arms. “How would that hurt you?”

Wyatt folded his arms across his chest. “She’s innocent in all of this. We know that.”

“But it wouldn’t matter to you.” My few moments of staying quiet were over. I had way too much at stake to remain out of this discussion. “In fact if she wasn’t in the picture, things might be better.” My body temperature rose to boiling. They didn’t care about her. Not in the slightest. They had no idea how much Daisy had to offer beyond her unfortunate connection to the Allures.

“That’s not true.” The bearded Drago argued. “If they didn’t have her, Violet would take her place, and we’d still be in trouble.”

“But you’re friends with Violet.” They’d sided with her and the Allures at Daisy’s expense.

“No one can really be friends with an Allure. We got along, but all that will change when she becomes an Elder. The Allures always change when that happens.”

“Daisy doesn’t get hurt.” Levi made eye contact with each Drago. “We won’t agree to anything unless we have that promise.”

The bearded Drago’s eyes widened slightly. “You are that loyal to your subordinate?”

Levi answered immediately. “He is my best friend. Like a brother. Therefore Daisy is like family. I have pledged my protection, and I will not renege on that.”

“Anything we do puts her at risk.” Wyatt scratched his neck. “Just as anything we don’t do does too. She is inherently in danger due to her condition.”

Her condition? His words were like nails on a chalkboard.

Before I could physically respond, Levi jumped in. “You will do everything in your power to ensure her safety or all bets are off.”

“Agreed.” Wyatt nodded. “With that in mind, you need to hear us out. Listen to our full ideas without storming off.”

“I have already agreed to hear you out.”

“Yes, but every time her name comes up you stop listening. You need to listen.”

“Owen will listen.” Levi shot me a look. “Please continue.”

“Are you familiar with the Pyrean Realm?” The Drago with the beard asked.

“The what?”

“I don’t think they are, Fletcher.” Wyatt turned to the Drago with a beard.

Fletcher nodded. “It’s our realm. The one the Dragos spend the most time in.”

“It’s different from the Glamour Realm? And the Energo place?” Those were the only other realms I knew about.

Fletcher nodded. “Yes. Very different.”

I was glad I wouldn’t have to return to the Glamour Realm. That place did not hold good memories. I’d been separated from Daisy there and met a Shadow.

“But the only way to get to it is through the Glamour Realm.”

And there went my relief.

“How do we access these realms?” Jared asked oblivious to the dangers waiting there.

“Through a tree.” At least that’s how we’d entered last time.

“That’s how the Allures enter. We have another way in.” Fletcher and the Drago with the scar exchanged looks.

“How?” Jared’s brow furrowed.

“We fly.”

“That sounds great.” Jared visibly relaxed. “My way of traveling.”

“It’s a bit different from the flying you are used to.” Fletcher’s lips twisted into a smile.

“Meaning?” Jared’s momentary relaxation seemed to already be dissipating.

“Meaning we’re not sure you can survive it.” Wyatt’s face was completely serious.

“So what do you want us to do?” I had no clue where this line of conversation was heading.

“Go the way the Allures go.” Wyatt gestured with his hands.

“But we’re not Allures.” Jared narrowed his eyes.

“Daisy is.” Wyatt shrugged.

“But she’s not a full Allure now anyway.” She wasn’t a full Allure, and she wouldn’t be.

“We can survive anything you can.” Jared’s eyes darkened. “Don’t bullshit us.”

“You’ve never crossed realms, so you don’t know.” The Drago with the scar added kindling to the fire.

“How hard is it to go through the tree?” Levi shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“It isn’t fun, and Daisy may not know how. She hasn’t exactly had training, and as I said and everyone ignored, she isn’t a full Allure.”

“She’d still get access that way.” Wyatt cocked his head to the side. “And I can go with you. Make sure you can get through.”

“And if we can’t?” I asked.

“Then we risk you flying through the realms. At least we will have tried the safer route.”

“I will accompany them too.” Fletcher walked toward us. “I have agreed to protect the girl. I will not let her get hurt entering the realm.”

“That settles it.” Wyatt glanced at everyone assembled. “We need to get Daisy and get to the Pyrean Realm as soon as we can.”

“That settles nothing.” My patience was wearing thin. “We know where we’re going but not what we’re doing.”

“I thought that part was self-explanatory.” Fletcher’s face scrunched up in confusion. “We have to bait the Elders, lure them into the Pyrean Realm.”

“And you want to use Daisy as the bait.” They’d as much as said it already, but I wasn’t going to make any of this easy on the Dragos. If they wanted Daisy’s help they would have to spell it out. And talk to her. “It’s up to Daisy.”

“What?” The Drago with the scar looked at me as if I were out of my mind.

“It’s up to her. I won’t stand in the way, but Daisy has the right to decide what she does and doesn’t do.”

I expected Jared to make some stupid snide remark. He didn’t. Instead he nodded. “Yes. We agree not to get in the way, but it’s up to Daisy.”

“The Society has changed.” The Drago with the scar rubbed his chin. “The Society I knew gave no thought to what a female—a non Pteron female at that— would want.”

“Things have changed.” Levi stepped toward him. “I’m king now.”

“Women have had the real power in The Society for years.” Fletcher smirked. “Your grandmother pulled plenty of strings.”

I thought of Georgina. Fletcher wasn’t wrong about that.

“So what happens once we get the Elders into Pyrean?” Jared turned the subject back to the present.

“Confident we’re going to get them there? What if Daisy says no?” Wyatt seemed to study Jared.

“She won’t say no.” Jared looked at me as he answered.

“You know her that well?” Wyatt looked between us.

“I know that any girl who’s been willing to go through so much to be with that idiot over there.” Jared pointed at me. “She has got to be strong, and she’s not going to sit back and let others take care of her problems.”

“She’s going to want to do it.” There was no reason to pretend. “But we need to keep her safe.”

“We’ve already discussed that.” Wyatt sighed. “We don’t need to keep returning to the same point.”

“So what happens next?” Jared asked before I could tell Wyatt exactly what I thought of pushing aside that point. “That’s the part involving us I assume? You could have gotten Daisy by talking to Owen. That’s not the reason you dragged us out here, is it?”

“We hardly dragged you.” Fletcher ran a hand through his beard. “You came on your own volition.”

“We came because Wyatt made it sound urgent.” Levi clenched his jaw. “That is the only reason we made the trip out here.”

“And it is urgent.” Wyatt shot Fletcher a look. “Very urgent.”

“So tell us the rest of the plan.” I was tired of being given the run-around.

“The Elders believe they are immortal and unstoppable. That will be their downfall.”

“I hope there’s more to the plan than that.” Jared’s expression darkened.

“There is.” Wyatt nodded enthusiastically. “They will enter Pyrean unprepared. They will pretend to bargain with us. Offer to give us Troy back and forget what they asked for as long as we hand over Daisy.”

“What did they ask you for?” Levi asked. “And why am I only hearing of this now?”

“They want us to give up our longevity. Commit to a shorter life.”

“Why would you do that?” Jared exchanged glances with both Levi and me.

“Why do you think they took Troy?” Fletcher crossed his arms over his chest. “Our numbers are small. Each one of us is essential to our kind’s survival. Troy is especially important.”

“Why is Troy especially important?” This was the first I was hearing about it. “He didn’t look any different from the rest of you.”

“Looks can be deceiving.” Fletcher’s turned to watch the flickering flames of the fire.

“I know that. But Wyatt and Troy introduced themselves as equals.” At least that was how it seemed to me. Although to be fair, Violet was the one who’d introduced us.

“Troy is the only one left from the original ruling line of Dragos.” Wyatt ran a hand through his black hair.

“So you all aren’t actually brothers?” Jared looked at each Drago. “Didn’t think so.”

“No. But we view ourselves as a brotherhood.” Fletcher explained.

“Except for Troy who is higher up.” I was still suspicious about that.

“You who serves a king will be condescending to us?” Fletcher raised an eyebrow.

“I am merely trying to understand the dynamics.” If I was going to put any trust in these creatures, I needed to understand them.

“Ok, back to what’s important. How do we come into play?” Jared asked.

“When they come, we act like we’re going along with what they want. They know how desperate we are to get Troy back, so they’ll believe we are stupid enough to give in. Then when they think it’s over, we strike.” Wyatt’s eyes darkened until they became completely black.

“Strike how?” Jared rubbed the back of his neck. “Are we talking brute force?”

Wyatt shook his head. “Brute force may be needed later, but for now we have to target their weakness.”

“Which is?” I wish someone had mentioned their weakness when I was facing them the first time.

“Hubris.” Fletcher continued to gaze into the fire as if it held some answers.

“Ok. Enough. This isn’t Ancient Greece.” Jared stepped into Fletcher’s line of vision. “We want real answers.”

I
blinked
as I tried to adjust to the blinding sunlight. We’d moved from late evening to the middle of the day—I’d only made that switch once before, and it was through a magical tree. I didn’t remember going through a tree this time. There were trees around us though. Lots of them. We were in some sort of small clearing inside the woods. We definitely weren’t on the side of I-10 anymore.

“You’re alive.” A vaguely familiar scratchy voice called from somewhere nearby. “Good.”

“Where the hell are we?” Hailey jumped to her feet and turned around. “And where are Allie and Taylor?”

I looked around. Hailey was right. The others were nowhere in sight.

“Your friends are fine. At least I think they are.” The scratchy voice sounded amused.

“Who are you, and where are we?” Hailey raised her arms, poised for a fight.

“Daisy knows me.” A slim orange and white striped cat walked toward us.

“Glendale?” I was simultaneously struck with relief that it was someone I knew but scared at why the cat had brought us somewhere. I was also hit by a flashback to the first time I met him, right before a Shadow attacked Owen, and I was kidnapped by an Allure from the Force.

“That cat is talking.” Hailey pointed to Glendale. “And you’re talking to it.”

“Yeah, he talks.” It had been novel the first time, but it was far from the strangest thing I’d encountered since being introduced to the supernatural world.

“And you know it.” Hailey appeared just as concerned about my familiarity with the cat as with his propensity to talk.

“We’ve met before. He helped save my life.” I still wasn’t entirely sure why, but he wasn’t a fan of the Force—and I assumed he wasn’t a fan of the Elders either. At least I hoped he wasn’t. But he had been a fan of Violet, and that scared me.

“You mean I saved your life. There’s no helping involved here.” Glendale purred.

“Owen helped too.” It wasn’t the only time he’d saved me.

Glendale licked his paw. “Technically he was a little bit helpful.”

“But you only helped me because of Violet. Is that why you’re here now?” I knew I wasn’t listening to anyone working for her.

“Not at all. Things are bigger than the Allures right now. I’m here on my own behalf.” He lay down at my meet.

“Why should I believe you?” I wanted to trust him. It would mean the difference of us being in danger or in relative safety.

“Because I wouldn’t have transported you here if I was helping Violet. I would have brought you to her. I didn’t though.” He rested his head on my foot.

Somewhere deep in my chest I knew he was telling the truth. Trusting anyone completely was out of the question, but for the time being I would hear him out.

Hailey watched both the cat and me incredulously. “Answer my other question. Where are we?”

“Aren’t all places subjective? They exist on one plane of existence or—”

Hailey stormed up to Glendale. “Nope. You’re not allowed to pretend to be a philosophical cat. You’re going to answer my question. Where are we?”

“Is she always like this?” Glendale wagged his tail back and forth. “I didn’t mean to bring her here with you.”

“Please, Glendale.” I ignored his question. “Tell us where we are.”

“You could say thank you.” He resumed his licking.

“Why would we be thanking you?” Hailey shook his head. “As far as I’m concerned we’ve been kidnapped.”

Glendale started to circle around her. “Because I’m saving Daisy’s life. Again. And maybe yours. You are probably in danger for being with her.”

“Saving her by bringing her where exactly? Two seconds ago we were next to Allie’s Land Rover.” Hailey glanced up at the sky as if it might hold some answers.

“Land Rover? Is that what that purple thing was? I don’t know much about cars.”

“Answer the question, cat.” Hailey gritted her teeth.

“My name is Glendale.” He squinted his eyes so that they appeared to be tiny slits. “Please call me by my name.”

Hailey groaned. “Where the hell are we?”

“We are nowhere near hell I assure you. This is a waiting room of sorts.” Glendale’s eyes returned to normal. “Wait. That sounded off. I don’t mean purgatory. You aren’t dead.”

“A waiting room?” I asked. “What are we waiting for exactly?” I was unusually calm. I wasn’t sure if it was the location or Glendale causing the feeling. Either way, it wasn’t having the same effect on Hailey.

“We are not waiting on something. We are waiting on someone.” Glendale rubbed his head against my legs. He was such a strange creature. He acted like a cat in his mannerisms, but normal cats didn’t talk. They also didn’t transport people to new places.

“Who are we waiting for?” Hailey glanced into the woods.

“Another being who doesn’t want Daisy dead. You have quite the fan club.” He rubbed against my leg.

“Where are our friends?” I bent down to Glendale’s level. “Would you please answer that question?”

He bumped his head into mine. “They are safe.”

“You said that before, but then you backtracked.”

“I’ve made sure they’re safe. My friend is having them brought somewhere as we speak.”

“How did you do that? You’ve been with us this whole time.” I returned to standing.

“I have plenty of abilities. That doesn’t mean I’m going to share all of them with you.” He rubbed against my leg again.

Hailey kneeled down and looked into Glendale’s eyes. “I need to know Allie’s safe.”

“There are two girls. Yet you are only concerned with one?”

“Pretty much, yes.” Hailey’s chin dipped to her chest. “I’d like the other one to live, but Allie is very important.”

“She’s the queen, you mean.”

“If you knew who she was, then why did you play stupid?” Hailey’s expression darkened.

“I didn’t play stupid. It never came up.”

“Whatever. Just tell me where they are.” She put a hand on her hip.

“They are safe. Isn’t that all that matters?” Glendale circled her again.

“I need to know where she is.”

“She’s on a tropical island sipping a cocktail. How’s that?” He strutted away from her.

“No bullshit.”

“Watch the language.” He lay down on the grass.

“Why am I watching my language?” Hailey narrowed her eyes.

“Because I don’t appreciate foul language.”

“You’re. A. Cat.” She grimaced.

“So?” Glendale rolled onto his back.

“So cats can’t be sensitive to bad language.”

“Says who?” He swatted at something with his paw.

“Says anyone.”

“Ok. Enough of this.” Hailey’s face turned completely serious. “Right now there are several important things. Where we are, who we are waiting for, and where is Allie?”

“I can’t tell you where Allie is.” Glendale rolled back over.

“Why not?

“Because then I’d have to kill you.”

Hailey and I exchanged looks.

“Just kidding.” Glendale made a noise I assumed was normal for a cat laughing. Not that normal cats laughed.

“So, where is she?” I asked. Maybe Glendale would answer me.

“It’s safer that you don’t know, but they’ll be fine.”

“I might need Taylor. She was once a—”

“An Allure,” Glendale interrupted. “Yes, I am quite aware of who she is. I do live in the Glamour Realm after all.”

“I know where you’re from, but then why are you here? Or rather why were you in our world?” I pointed between Hailey and me.

“To save you of course. Haven’t I explained myself well enough?” He stretched as he stood up.

“Not at all,” I admitted.

“Let’s wait. When our mutual friend arrives he may be able to explain it better. And who knows he may even have your friends with him.”

“Ugh. Could you please answer a question with an actual answer for once?” Hailey put her head in her hands. “But I’m talking to a cat so I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You have wings.” Glendale swished his tail again.

“So?” Hailey crossed her arms.

“You have wings and can fly, yet you are struggling to believe a cat can talk? I could understand the confusion if you were a human—but you my lady are not a human.” Glendale rubbed against her legs.

Hailey stepped back and away from the cat. “Your lady?”

“Do you have a problem with me calling you that?” Glendale followed her.

“Not necessarily.” Hailey straightened up. “It just seems like an abrupt departure from how you were talking to me.”

“You were the one who started the fight. You must declare it over.” He rubbed against her leg again. Either he didn’t understand personal space, or he didn’t care. My guess was it was the latter.

“Do you have an identity issue or something?” Hailey stepped back again.

“What do you mean?” Glendale lay down right in front of her.

“You keep changing your manner of talking.”

“I have lived many years; I have picked up on many colloquialisms.”

“Great.” Hailey walked to the other side of the clearing. “Are we safe here? Could you please answer that?”

Glendale turned his attention to a bug.

“Of course not.” Hailey sighed.

Glendale kept his eyes on the small bug. “You are safe. This plane only exists to those who know of it. Very few of us know of it.”

“This is crazy. And my life has never been normal.” Hailey wrung her arms. “How are you taking all of this so well?” She turned to me.

“I’ve been in weird alternative places before.” Then I thought of something and turned to Glendale. “This friend… have I met him or her?”

“Of course. How else would he be a fan of yours?”

“Is it Sol?” Hope swirled through me. Was he ok? Could he help us? He’d helped bring my emotions back once. Maybe he could do it again.

“You will have to wait to find out.” Glendale curled up in a ball.

“Do you get some sort of high from keeping people waiting and wondering?” It was my turn to question the cat. “Is there a reason you can’t answer any of our questions?”

“See this is why it matters who your friends are. She’s rubbing off on you, Daisy.” Glendale curled up even tighter.

“Are you serious?” Hailey groaned. “You really just said that?”

“Evidently yes.” Glendale closed his eyes. “I must say this has turned out to be a more entertaining experience than I imagined.”

“I am glad we entertain you.” I rolled my eyes.

“See, now you’re being sarcastic. Pick your friends wisely.” His eyes were still closed, but I wondered if he’d seen me anyway. He could talk. Maybe he could see with his eyes closed.

“This friend better show up soon or you’re in trouble, cat.” Hailey stared daggers at him.

“Should I be afraid of that threat?” Glendale opened his eyes.

“You know the answer to that.”

Glendale made that weird cat laugh again as he stretched his long front legs revealing his sharp claws. “Maybe you aren’t so bad after all. And look at that. Our guest is here.”

“Where?” I glanced around but saw nothing.

Hailey stayed close by my side. “Where is he?”

Glendale laughed again. “And I thought Pterons had heightened senses.”

“Here.” Sol materialized seemingly out of thin air. “I’m here.” He was dressed the way he’d been when I’d first met him. Leather jacket and sunglasses. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating this time now that I knew him, even though knowing him meant I knew how dangerous he was.

“And you are?” Hailey strode toward him.

“Sol.” He held out a hand. “You’re a Pteron.”

“I am.” Hailey thrust out her chest. “What are you?”

“A Seer.”

“A Seer?” Hailey raised an eyebrow. “What is this? Every creature that isn’t supposed to exist is around now?”

Sol smiled. “Oh, we exist.”

“Yet you never show yourself to us.” Hailey narrowed her eyes.

“I’m showing myself now.” Even with his sunglasses on it was obvious he was taking in her form.

“And I assume that’s for a particular reason.” She frowned.

“Yes, it is.”

“And it has to do with Daisy.” Hailey pointed at me.

“Yes. All of this has to do with Daisy, doesn’t it?”

“Glad to see you’re alive.” I smiled. “Thanks for getting me away from Abe.”

“I could say the same to you. About being alive that is. I was worried.”

“Why?” I asked. “You did what you could to help me, why do you care what happens next?”

“I helped you, that should earn me some trust in your book, shouldn’t it?” He cocked his head to the side.

“In theory.” If trusting people came easily anymore. “But it’s still hard to know what anyone’s true motivations are right now.”

“It’s always hard to know someone’s true motivations. Impossible really. There’s nothing different about right now.”

“There’s so much different right now.” I wasn’t even sure about my own emotions, crazy powerful beings were after me, and I wasn’t in my own world.

“True, and I hope you took what I said to heart. Our interests are aligned right now. That means I’m on your side.”

“But what happens when our interests are no longer aligned?” That was the million dollar question. The other question was when would it happen.

“Hopefully by then you won’t need my help anymore.”

“I’d love to stop needing help.” I hated having to rely on others, especially because I knew I couldn’t actually trust them.

“You’ll always need help. We all do. Even the strongest creature needs help once and awhile. To forget that is to put yourself in a dangerous position.”

Hailey yawned. “Sorry to interrupt. Or well, not sorry. But I am interrupting. Are you why the cat brought us here?”

“The cat?” Sol raised an eyebrow. “Glendale is letting you get away with calling him that?”

“Am I supposed to be afraid of him?”

“Are you supposed to be afraid of a cat with the power to transport you to another plane of existence?” Sol shrugged. “I’ll let you decide that for yourself.”

“Where are our friends?” Hailey asked. “Glendale said you could tell us.”

“And she finally used my name.” Glendale remained laying down. “I am touched.”

Hailey closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them. “Please, I need to know if Allie is okay.”

“You genuinely care about your queen.” Sol studied Hailey. “Interesting.”