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  “You mean steal another car? I’m not going anywhere with you unless I know where we’re going.”

  “We’re going to find Owen.”

  “Even his friends don’t know where he is. Why would you?” I stuffed my hands into the back pockets of my worn-in jeans.

  “We have to tell her who he is. This is getting ridiculous.” Hugh sighed.

  “We’ll tell her in the car.” Violet stepped into the middle of the road. A luxury sedan squealed to a stop right in front of her.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” I turned away. Maybe if I looked away I wouldn’t be as much of an accessory to the crime. Who was I kidding? I was. Just like I was going to go with them. I had no other leads, unless I counted Andrew, and who knew whether he was any more trustworthy than the Allures, or any safer.

  “What the hell are you doing? Get out of the road!” The driver screamed.

  Violet walked over to the driver’s side window and leaned in.

  She started to speak, and moments later she walked back over to us. “We’re all set. You drive the first leg.” She tossed a set of keys to Hugh.

  “Fine with me.” Hugh walked over to the driver’s seat.

  “Do you want shot gun?” Roland held open the passenger door.

  I shook my head. “Tell me where we’re going.”

  Violet glanced back the way we came. “Not yet. We need to make sure we weren’t followed.”

  “Of course we were followed,” Hugh said through the open door.

  “By Levi and Andrew?”

  “Get in the car.” Hugh wasn’t asking a question.

  “You’re really going to help me find him?”

  “How many times do I have to tell you before you believe me?” Violet gritted her teeth.

  “We’ve got to go.” Roland pulled on my wrist and launched me into the car. He followed in behind me and slammed the door. Before I could make sense of what was happening, Hugh hit the gas and we sped away. He was an even crazier driver than Violet.

  “What the hell?” I struggled to buckle my seatbelt. If I was going along for this ride, I was going to do everything possible to survive their insane driving.

  Roland gave me an apologetic look. “Sorry, doll, but I saw the king. We don’t need him slowing us down.”

  “The king?” What was he talking about?

  Roland made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Levi. He’s The King of The Society. It’s a giant paranormal organization, and he doesn’t like you sniffing around for lover boy.”

  “King? That guy is a king?” They had to be kidding.

  “And your boy Owen is his chief advisor.” Violet turned to look at me. “Good, you’re in shock.”

  “The thing I’m in shock over is you guys kidnapping me, but why is it good?”

  “Because it means you’re telling us the truth about something. I wish you hadn’t hid your conversation with Levi from us. Now we’re going to have to be more careful.”

  “It’s not like you guys have given me all that many reasons to trust you. I mean you did just force me into a car.”

  “We are protecting you.” She leaned her elbow on the center console.

  “From what? You really think Levi would hurt me?”

  “Not him directly, but others. An Allure essence is strong and others will want it for themselves. They might do desperate things to try to extract it from you.”

  “So you say.”

  “We more than say it.” Roland wrapped his hand around my wrist. It was the second time he’d grabbed my wrist, and he was making me nervous.

  “Just get it out of me then. Get it out of me, and we can go our separate ways.”

  I held onto the seat as Hugh continued to weave through traffic.

  “You can’t just get rid of it. It’s part of you. It’s why no magic could remove it.”

  We turned onto the interstate, and Hugh stopped cutting in and out of cars so much, but that change was overshadowed by his crazy speed.

  “Great.” I leaned back. “At least I know I’m not crazy.”

  “You already knew that.” Roland’s voice was friendly again.

  “Where are we going? You can at least tell me that.”

  “We’re seeing a friend out in California.”

  “California?” I sat up straight. Hugh had finally slowed down to driving a normal pace.

  “Yes. Just outside L.A. We know another Pteron that seems to know everyone. He’s got ways of tracking people down who want to stay hidden.”

  “Wouldn’t a king have that ability too?”

  “Of course, but he also has honor.”

  “What does honor have to do with anything?”

  “Does a man of honor track down his friend and confidant against his wishes?”

  “No.” I leaned back. “Does that mean I don’t have honor?”

  “Honor has nothing to do with it. You need closure.”

  “It’s more than closure,” I said half to myself.

  “It’s closure.” Roland scooted closer to me. He’d never bothered with a seatbelt. “Don’t let yourself think it’s more because you’ll only get hurt.”

  “And maybe both of you will,” Violet said quietly.

  “I’m not worried about getting hurt.”

  “Whatever you say.” Hugh changed lanes. “It’s going to be a while before we stop.”

  “Wait. We can’t leave yet.”

  “We’re already ten miles from the city.”

  “I thought you were only getting away from Levi.”

  “If he’d wanted to follow of us, he could have, but we didn’t need to deal with another confrontation.”

  So all the crazy driving was for fun? “Whatever. I have to get my stuff and check out of the hotel.”

  “I’ve already contacted the hotel. They’ll move your stuff and put it in storage.”

  “When? When did you contact them?”

  “I went outside to make a quick phone call while we were back at the bar.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  “I guess you were too distracted by your date.” Hugh laughed.

  “It wasn’t a date.”

  “If it was it was a short one.” Roland brushed his hand against my neck. I shrugged him off.

  “You say that now, but you wouldn’t have said it earlier.” Hugh glanced back at Roland.

  Roland shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “What are we going to do for clothes? I have nothing on me. I’m missing important things.”

  “What kind of important things?” Violet asked.

  “Things.” I was grasping for straws, but I wasn’t ready to leave the city yet. I needed my bag, and I needed to slow things down. Everything was happening too fast.

  “Don’t you have your birth control in your purse?” Violet turned around again.

  “Who said anything about birth control?”

  “It makes sense that you’d be concerned about that, but don’t you have it?”

  “I do. But that doesn’t matter.”

  “I have condoms.” Hugh winked. “I have you covered.”

  “This has nothing to do with birth control or condoms!” I screamed.

  “We can get everything we need on the way. Just enjoy the ride.” Roland scooted back over to his side. I appreciated the space, I could barely breathe as is.

  I took a few deep breaths. “What’s going to happen when we find your friend?”

  “We ask him about Owen.”

  “And if he doesn’t know anything?”

  “We keep searching.”

  “That’s going to take time.”

  “We have all the time in the world.” Roland grinned.

  “Is that your way of saying I have no life?”

  “No.” Roland leaned in. “It’s my way of saying you’re going to have one hell of a life.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Daisy

  “We aren’t really going to
drive all the way to LA just to find your friend, are we?” Once the shock of it all wore off, it was time to ask some questions.

  “Not directly, no.” Violet turned around in the passenger seat. “We’ll make some stops.”

  “Stops as in hotels? No offense, but I’d rather not sleep in another abandoned amusement park.”

  “What she’s trying to say is she wants to get us in a hotel room with her.” Even without seeing him, I knew Hugh was smirking.

  “It’s not going to work. You’re not going to make me mad.”

  “I wouldn’t challenge me if I were you.” There was a warning in his tone that should have scared me, but I was feeling so overwhelmed it was starting to make me numb.

  “Hugh, don’t you dare. There are far better ways to entertain ourselves on this trip.”

  “Like what?” He changed lanes, narrowly avoiding a tractor trailer. Staying entertained wasn’t my highest priority.

  “We can play a game.” Violet turned back to the front.

  “Why does the thought of playing a game with you guys scare me?” I asked.

  “It shouldn’t scare you more than being in a car with us.” Roland stretched out his legs beside me in the cramped car.

  “You’ve got that right.”

  “Ok, great. What game should we play?” Violet’s constant good mood was nice, but it bordered on annoying. Did she have to be peppy all the time?

  “How about truth or dare?” Hugh smiled at me in the rear view mirror. “Ever play that one?”

  “Of course I’ve played it, but how do you play that in the car?”

  “The same way you’d play it anywhere,” he challenged.

  “What kind of dares can you do in the car?”

  “Fine, if that concerns you we can keep it simple and play truth.”

  “Meaning the only option is to answer a question?” This game didn’t sound fun if I had to answer, but I wouldn’t mind asking the Allures some questions of my own.

  “You up for it?” Roland asked.

  “As long as you don’t get too personal with the questions.” I had to protect myself somehow.

  “Why?” Roland rested his arm behind me on the seat. “You afraid to share your secrets with us?”

  “The whole point of a secret is that it’s just for you. You’re not supposed to share.”

  “Are you too scared to play with us?” Hugh asked. “You don’t think you can handle it?”

  “I don’t want to play. It has nothing to do with fear.” I didn’t need to give them any more ammo against me. As far as I was concerned, they already knew too much.

  “Well, we have to do something. Either come up with your own game, or we play that one.”

  I thought it over. “I’ll play.” I didn’t want to share anything more than I had to with the Allures, but really, they already knew the embarrassing stuff. If I could learn more about who they actually were from the game, then it was worth it. “Who goes first?”

  “I will.” Violet’s quick response put me at ease. Of the three of them I’d rather face her questions. “Daisy, truth or truth?”

  “Why bother asking it as a question if it’s not one?”

  “I’m trying to still make it feel like a game.”

  “Ok, fine. Truth.”

  She kneeled on her seat to look at me.

  “You could get killed that way.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “With Hugh driving, I really wouldn’t do that.” He was even worse than Violet was.

  “It’s not a problem.” She brushed her hair off her shoulder. “Ready for your question?”

  “Sure.” I swallowed hard.

  “Does your name suit you?”

  “My name?”

  “Yes. Does the name Daisy suit who you really are.”

  “I’ve never thought about that before.”

  “That means it’s a great question.” She grinned. “You can take a second to answer.”

  “It doesn’t.”

  “Why not?” Roland asked.

  “I’m not delicate like a flower. I’m not girly pretty either. I’m much rougher around the edges.” Or rougher all over now. I’d changed a lot since that fateful Halloween night.

  “Flowers aren’t always delicate. They’re strong, and who says you aren’t pretty?” Violet stared into my eyes so intently I felt like she could see my soul.

  “My turn.”

  “Okay, who are you asking?”

  I debated who would be the most forthcoming. Violet had played fair with her question, so I didn’t want to make things too crazy. “My question is for Hugh.”

  “For me?” He chuckled. “All right. Let’s have it.”

  “How long have you known Violet and Roland?” I needed to get a sense of how far back their friendship went.

  “I’ve known Violet the majority of my life. I’ve known Roland for less time.” He smirked at me in the mirror.

  “That doesn’t answer the question.”

  “Sure it does. I’ve known Violet for the majority of my life, and I haven’t known Roland as long.”

  I groaned. “Fine. How many years have you known Violet?”

  “You already asked your question,” Roland playfully pushed my arm. “It’s my turn.”

  “Let me guess, your question is for me too?”

  “Yes. This one’s for you.” He crossed his legs at the ankles. “Why are you so determined to find Owen? And no bullshit response about wanting to thank him or something. I want the real answer.”

  “What does it matter to you? You’re only helping me so you can get to the witch.”

  “We still want to know what’s motivating you,” Violet said softly. “You haven’t told us much yet.”

  “Was that the point of this whole game? To get information from me?” I realized the hypocrisy of my question. I was doing the same thing to them.

  Violet shook her head. “No. The point was to pass the time.”

  “Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Are you going to answer?” Hugh asked.

  “Sure. Why not? Because of how he made me feel. No one’s made me feel that way. And that kiss.”

  “This is all over a lousy kiss?” Roland’s mouth fell open. “Seriously?”

  “Partially.”

  “Describe it,” Violet ordered in a surprisingly strong tone.

  “What? The kiss?”

  “The kiss, the feeling. All of it.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it. Okay?” There was something almost desperate in Violet’s words that got me talking.

  I closed my eyes. “The kiss was magic. Not the artificial magic of the witch, but an all-encompassing out of body experience that left me wanting and needing everything yet nothing.”

  “More. Tell us more,” she begged.

  Once I started recounting it, I didn’t want to stop. “I can still feel his hands, his lips. Hear his voice. It’s like he seeped into my soul.”

  “Wow.”

  I opened my eyes to see Violet kneeling on the seat staring at me.

  “Ok, I know that sounds sappy.”

  “Not sappy. Wonderful.” Violet smiled sadly. “Hold onto those memories. Hold onto them and never let them go.”

  “I don’t plan on it.” I stared out the window at the seemingly endless interstate. We’d crossed into Texas at some point, but I hadn’t noticed.

  “Do you want to go Hugh, or should we quit?” Violet asked.

  “We can quit.”

  “Already?” I had so many more questions to ask. “But no one’s asked Roland anything.”

  “Fine.” Hugh changed lanes. “Roland, what’s your favorite color?”

  “Blue, but you already knew that.”

  “It’s my favorite too.” I eagerly grabbed hold of something I had in common with him. They seemed so different than me that any common ground helped.

  “I knew you had good taste.” Roland smiled.

  That tiny
tidbit in common gave me the confidence to push for more information. “So I know the game is over, but could I ask another question?”

  “Ask away,” Violet answered without turning around.

  I let out a deep breath before diving in with my question. “Were you ever human, or were you born Allures?”

  “Really? Is that the best you can do?” Hugh asked.

  “What questions should I be asking then?”

  “None. You should just worry about finding your precious Owen.” Roland spoke without looking away from the window. “You’ll have time to worry about us later.”

  “Whatever.” I’d had it. Even Roland was being a jerk to me? What was with the whole mood swing? Hadn’t Violet told me to ask away? I waited for her to say something, but she remained silent. Instead of pushing my luck further, I sent a quick text to my mom to let her know I was hired by the paper and wouldn’t be coming home as planned. I knew she’d have a million questions, but I didn’t have any answers for her yet. I pocketed my phone and closed my eyes. I needed to do something to make the time go faster.

  ***

  I blinked to get rid of the fogginess. The sky was dark, but a fluorescent light shone into the car through the windows. We were parked at a small gas station. “Where are we?”

  “We’re at a gas station.” Roland smiled. Was he back to himself again at least?

  “Other than the obvious?”

  “We’re somewhere in New Mexico. I haven’t seen the name of a town in a while.”

  “Already? How long have we been driving?”

  “You were sleeping for hours.”

  “For hours?” I knew I was exhausted, but I’d never fallen asleep in a car like that before.

  “We’re trying to make good time. Violet’s taking this shift, and then I’ll take the next.”

  “Do I get a shift?” I glanced at the empty front seats. I didn’t see either Hugh or Violet outside. Where were they?

  “I’m not sure if we should let you.”

  “I’ve seen how Violet and Hugh drive. I assure you I’m not any worse.”

  “Yeah, but you’re too emotional.”

  “What does emotional have to do with driving a car?”

  “You might make rash decisions.”

  “You sound ridiculous.”

  “I know.” He smiled.