Lure Read online

  “The who?”

  “The Laurents. They’re the family running The Society now.”

  “So someone else did before?” I asked.

  “Many years ago,” Violet continued, “But for as long as anyone you know has been alive the Laurents have ruled.”

  “That’s interesting and all, but you never told me what an Allure was.”

  “What do you think we are?” Violet curled her feet up under her.

  “How would I know?”

  “You’ve been around us for a few hours. That should have told you something.”

  “You can control people’s minds.”

  “You’re getting warmer, but it’s not mind control.”

  “You have the ability to make people do things that you want them to do. If it’s not mind control, what is it?” I thought of the guy with the SUV, and about how Evan had walked away so quickly.

  “We’re not controlling their minds. We’re controlling their feelings.” Violet smiled. “But we can only use and play with the feelings they already have.”

  “You lost me.”

  “Remember when I told you why we’re staying here.”

  “You like how many emotions have been felt here?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I’m sorry but you’ve lost me already.”

  “It’s hard to explain without showing you, so let’s use the example of the guy who so graciously lent us his car.”

  “Okay.” I watched Violet uneasily.

  “How do you think I convinced him?”

  “You used magic to make him do it?”

  “No. Not magic. Close your eyes and remember what happened. What words were exchanged?”

  “You asked him if we could borrow the car and he said of course, he’d be happy to.”

  “Exactly. He’d be happy too.”

  “I’m still not following.”

  “He was happy to give me the keys. I made him feel that way.”

  “You made him feel so happy he turned them over?”

  “Essentially. It kind of works on you, but not as well. That’s why I have to touch you. If you were a full Allure it wouldn’t work at all.”

  “I know you said you sense an essence on me, but I can’t convince people to feel so happy they turn stuff over to me.”

  “You can’t willingly manipulate emotions because you aren’t truly one of us. You just have our appeal—our allure. We use that to get access to someone’s emotions.”

  “Oh.” I was startled by the wave of disappointment that hit me. It’s not like I wanted to be an Allure—whatever they actually were. “You say you can use people’s emotions, does that extend beyond happiness?”

  “Of course. Happy feelings are too fleeting. I prefer anger.” Hugh sat forward. “But you already knew that.”

  “You use a person’s anger to make them do something? How?”

  “May I show you?”

  “No thanks.”

  “Come on. Give me your hand, I have to touch you to make it work.”

  “Fine.” I held out my hand more out of curiosity than anything else.

  At first nothing happened, but then I noticed a candy bar wrapper on the floor right outside their little space. Who would litter like that? Were they crazy? Didn’t they have anything better to do? Anger boiled inside me, and I couldn’t stop it.

  Hugh dropped my hand. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who hated littering so much.”

  I grimaced at him while I tried to calm my fast beating heart. I hadn’t been that angry in ages. “I prefer Violet’s happy.”

  Roland laughed.

  I looked at him. “I already know what your preferred one is.”

  “Do you?” He looked at me funny.

  “It’s easy. Relaxing, soothing feelings.”

  All three of them looked at each other. “Uh, what?”

  “Wait. He doesn’t do that to everyone?”

  Violet laughed. “Roland? Roland relaxes you?”

  “Maybe…”

  “I’m glad I do, but the only emotion of yours I’ve touched is excitement. I used it to keep you in the car.” He winked.

  “Then why do you relax me? Is that weird?”

  They all exchanged looks again, and I knew they were hiding something.

  “Come on. What is it?”

  “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” Violet pulled her legs up under her. “We’ve never met someone who’s been given our essence before, so this is all new.”

  “The only thing the essence has done is helped me attract attention: the bad, I want to jump you, kind of attention.”

  “Were you always that way, or did it start when you got that paste?”

  “When I got that paste.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I guess I’ve always attracted some creepers…” I thought about Shawn. He was roommates with Reyna’s crush, and he’d come on to me before I took the stuff.

  “Have you ever manipulated people with it?”

  “Used their attraction? No. I run from it.”

  “We’ll have to see what you can do.” Violet grinned.

  “Uh, no thanks.” I moved to standing. I wasn’t doing any more experimenting.

  “Why not? Might as well use what you have. If it is going to make you a target, why not get something out of the deal?”

  “That’s okay.” Hopefully I’d find a way to get rid of it.

  “Is it really okay? What would have happened to you if Owen hadn’t saved you?” Roland asked. “Would you want that to happen again?”

  I shuddered. “I’ve been safe for over two years.”

  “Nothing weird has happened?”

  “Besides the random weird stalkers?”

  “That’s not normal you know.”

  “It’s just been life. It was the only thing that made me think I wasn’t as crazy as everyone thought.”

  “Sit back down. Tell us about it. Why did everyone think you were crazy?”

  I stayed standing. I felt stronger that way. “When you tell people you were kidnapped by vampires and saved by a hot guy with wings, they kind of think you’ve lost your mind.”

  “You’re spending your time with the wrong kind of people.” Hugh leaned back on the couch. “We don’t think you’re crazy.”

  “Because you’re not human.”

  “So stay away from humans.”

  “I want to find Owen.” That was the only reason I was in New Orleans anyway.

  “We’ll help you.”

  “How?” Now we were getting somewhere.

  “We’ll have to do some research. There can’t be too many Pterons named Owen in the city.”

  I considered telling them I knew he wasn’t in town, but I changed my mind. Maybe I could use this as a test. If they came to me and pretended to have found him I’d know they were making things up. I silently praised myself for the quick thinking before belatedly replying. “Why are you going to help me? What’s in it for you?”

  “In return you help us track down that Kalisa. She has to answer for her crime.” Violet’s hand balled into a fist at her side.

  “Although I still don’t get how she did it. No witch can subdue one of us.” Hugh seemed pensive.

  “I already told you I don’t know where she went.”

  “But you also said you met another witch. The one the Pteron brought you to. She could help. We’re not asking for miracles, only some help.”

  “I’ll try, but I don’t know where that witch even was. Owen flew us there.”

  “So Owen knows.” Violet ran her hand over the satin fabric. “Another reason to find him.”

  “Help me find Owen, and I’ll do my best to find Kalisa.”

  “Deal.” Violet held out her hand.

  I shook it hoping I wouldn’t end up regretting my decision, but I’d have done almost anything to get closer to Owen. I was tired of wasting my life away.

  “Great, now what should we do
the rest of the night?” Violet stretched out on the couch.

  “Tonight? I have to get back to my hotel. It’s getting late, and I’m completely unprepared for my interview tomorrow.”

  “You aren’t still planning to go on that interview, are you?” Roland asked.

  “Of course I am.”

  “Doesn’t that seem pointless?”

  “I need a job. Unlike you guys I can’t just get people to give me money.”

  “You have your whole life to get a job if you want, but trust me, it’s over rated.” Violet stood up. “Sure it might be exciting at first, but it’s going to get boring fast.”

  “I’m not worried about that now.”

  “Where’s the interview at?” Hugh asked.

  “The New Orleans Times.”

  “So you want to be a journalist?”

  I shrugged. “Sort of.”

  “Let her do the interview. We can wait.” Roland smiled. “What time will you be done?”

  “It’s a nine a.m. interview. I’m not sure.”

  “Nine a.m.? We need to get you back to your hotel then.” Roland jumped to his feet. “I’ll drive you.”

  “I’ll take her,” Violet offered. “I don’t mind at all.”

  Hugh stood up. “I’ll take her. I need to run an errand downtown anyway.”

  “No making her mad to test the limits,” Violet narrowed her eyes.

  “Would I ever do that?” Hugh asked with puppy dog eyes.

  “Yes. You definitely would.” Roland glowered. “And you better come back tonight. No staying over with her.”

  “Uh, no one’s staying with me.” There was only one paranormal creature I was interested in sleeping with…

  Hugh laughed. “I’m immune to your love potion, Daisy. Don’t worry.”

  Violet tossed him the keys. “Be safe. We’ll see you tomorrow. Good luck with your interview.”

  “Thanks.” I followed Hugh out through the makeshift living room and back into the abandoned park. “At least it stopped raining.” I once again used the flashlight on my phone to light our way. The light wasn’t nearly enough to get rid of the creepy factor.

  “That’s what we call a New Orleans rainstorm. It stops and starts quickly.”

  “No complaints. I thought we were going to get soaked.”

  “Worried about ruining the upholstery in the borrowed car?” He laughed.

  “Are you trying to make me annoyed?”

  “It’s a bad habit. I can’t help it. I like riling people up.”

  “Try harder to help it.” We walked at a brisk pace through the amusement park. It was even more eerie this time with a layer of fog surrounding us. I wished I was wearing more than flip flops as I stepped in a deep puddle.

  “Want me to carry you?”

  “Please tell me you’re joking.” I started walking even faster. I was hungry, tired, and ready for a hot shower.

  “I’m just offering. You’re wearing the wrong shoes, and you look pale.”

  “You can’t see that I look pale.”

  “I can see better than you can in the dark.”

  “Great.” Spending time with paranormal creatures reminded me of how human I was. Seduction’s Kiss or not, all I could do was attract unwanted attention. I couldn’t do anything useful.

  “Are you excited or nervous for tomorrow?” He dropped the carrying offer quickly. I was glad. The thought of him picking me up didn’t sound appealing even though I was close to falling over with exhaustion.

  “For the interview?”

  “What else would I mean?” He smirked.

  “How would I know?”

  “You’re fun.”

  “Fun?” I wrapped my arms tighter around myself. Despite the warm night, I was cold. Maybe my wet feet and damp hair had something to do with it.

  “Yeah. You’re sarcastic and you say what’s on your mind. Not enough people do that.”

  “Do you?”

  “Mostly.”

  “Do you ever do good things with anger? Use it in ways that don’t cause trouble for people?”

  “Sure I do. It’s called passion. Have you ever been so mad at someone you’ve wanted to kiss them?”

  “Nope. Can’t say I have.”

  “Are you mad at Owen?”

  “Why would I be mad? He saved me.”

  “But didn’t he ditch you? That is why you’re searching for him, right?”

  “Yes.” To be honest I had been mad at Owen. I’d cursed him many times over the years for making me want him so bad when I couldn’t possibly have him.

  “But when you see him, are you going to still want to kill him? Maybe you’ll slap him first, but then you’ll kiss.”

  “If he’d kiss me.”

  “It’s pretty inconvenient that Pterons are immune to mental magic and persuasion.”

  “Is that why he didn’t want more?”

  He laughed lightly. “Didn’t want more? As in he wasn’t dying to get in your pants?”

  “Exactly,” I mumbled.

  Climbing over the fence was even more nerve wracking the second time. There’s a different feeling when you’re breaking out of somewhere rather than sneaking in. I got a flash of a mental image of trying to break out of some sort of prison. Hopefully it wasn’t a premonition of the future. I was beginning to feel like anything was possible.

  Hugh waited for me at the bottom. “Can you go any slower?”

  “Can you be any more impatient? We’re not all super human.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Unlike you, I don’t frequently climb chain link fences.”

  “And that’s where you’re life has gone wrong.” He got in the driver’s side and started the car.

  I jumped right into the passenger seat. I wouldn’t put it past Hugh to speed off without me, and there was no way I was climbing back over that fence to look for the others in the ghostly amusement park.

  In all of my planning and thinking about my trip to New Orleans, meeting a group like the Allures had never crossed my mind. I still wasn’t sure I could trust them, but if they could get me closer to Owen, I had to give them a chance.

  Chapter Nine

  Daisy

  I groaned, rolling over and away from my cell phone. The incessant buzzing of my alarm was giving me a headache. I could have sworn I’d only had one drink the night before. So why did I feel hung over? I reluctantly rolled back to my phone and shut off the alarm. I needed to get up. Otherwise I was going to be late for the interview.

  Less than an hour later, I was showered and dressed, but I wasn’t ready to go. At least not mentally. Even though it felt like I’d spent so much time planning the trip, very little of that time was spent preparing for the interview. Luckily I was usually pretty good at thinking on my feet, but I had no idea what kind of questions they’d throw my way. This wasn’t the only job out there I reminded myself. I wasn’t the kind of person who thrived on stress. Instead I preferred to view events as what they were, stepping stones in a much broader journey. Of course there were some exceptions. My near death experience felt a lot bigger than a stepping stone.

  I hopped into a white cab outside the hotel and headed toward my interview. I’d gone through the route on my phone a few times already, so I knew it shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes even with some traffic.

  The driver was quiet once I gave him my location, so I pulled out my phone and checked out the paranormal forum. I had a message from Andrew. We still on for tonight? You doing all right?

  I’d forgotten all about meeting Andrew. It’s like my time with the Allures had made me forget everything else. I replied. Yes. See you as planned. I’ve gotten some leads, but nothing concrete.

  That seemed fair enough. Hugh had given me his phone number. For all I knew it was fake. I couldn’t worry about any of that now. I had to keep my head in the game. In another few hours the interview would be over, and I was free to worry about anything else.

  I slipped my phone into
my black bag. It was my version of a brief case, and it matched the black skirt suit I was wearing. Both the suit and bag were graduation gifts from my parents. They were eager to see me find a job and move forward with my life. They didn’t need to worry. Even if I didn’t get this job, I wasn’t planning to live at home. Whether they voiced it or not, they still thought I was crazy. I refused to spend my life living with people who didn’t think I was all there. I guess that was the good thing about the Allures. They didn’t think I was crazy because they were even crazier.

  “You got an appointment?” the driver asked, breaking me out of my thoughts.

  It took me a moment to respond. Thinking about Violet and her friends made it hard to concentrate on anything else. “An interview. I have a job interview.”

  “You going to work for the paper?”

  “That’s the hope.”

  “Now, why would you want a job like that?” He glanced over his shoulder.

  “Excuse me?” I prepared my women power rant. We belonged in the workforce as much as men. We could do more than pop out babies and make dinner.

  “Wouldn’t you want to do something more fun? See things? What fun is it to report on the news when you can live it?”

  Wow. I wasn’t expecting that one. “Live the news? I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”

  “Sure it is. Not all news is bad. That’s only what gets reported the most.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I know I am. I’ve learned a lot driving around this city.”

  “I bet you have, but even if this isn’t the most ideal job, I still need it.”

  “And I understand that. You’ve got it.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Just a sense. You seem like a woman that can get what she’s after.”

  “Thanks.” I looked out the window as we passed office buildings. This was definitely a different part of the city.

  “Here we are.” He pulled up along the curb in front of a large concrete building. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.” I handed him the fare. “Keep the change.”

  “Thank you.”

  I got out and closed the door behind me. I could do this. It was only a job interview.

  I walked through the glass doors and over to the reception desk.