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  “Where are they? How long have we been parked?”

  “They’re taking care of some things.”

  “They’re stealing something, right? Manipulating someone to get us stuff?”

  “It’s not stealing.”

  “Yes it is. It’s stealing.”

  “You’ll get it one day.”

  “You guys keep saying that, but I don’t think I will. I’m never going to agree that it’s okay to take advantage of people and take what isn’t yours.”

  “You will.”

  I sighed. “Do I have time to go inside and use the bathroom?”

  “Is that your way of asking me to come with you?”

  “Why would I want you to do that?”

  “Because you’re nervous of being left behind.”

  “Why would I be? You guys forced me into the car. Why would you just ditch me at a gas station in the middle of New Mexico?”

  “You have time.”

  “Great.” I unbuckled and opened my door. Once outside I stretched. I’d been sitting for far too long. I also immediately realized that my need for the bathroom was far greater than I originally thought.

  “Daisy!” Violet called as soon as I pushed open the door to the convenience store.

  I waved before heading straight for the restroom.

  I used the restroom and washed my hands. I took in my reflection in the mirror. I should have looked exhausted and rumpled, the way I always looked on a long car trip, but I didn’t. I just looked like me. The nap must have helped.

  Violet was waiting for me outside the door. “What’s your favorite kind of candy?”

  “Why? I don’t need any.”

  “You’ll want some sugar. What do you like? Chocolate or non-chocolate?”

  “Twizzlers.”

  “Interesting choice.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s Roland’s favorite too. You guys can fight over it.”

  “I’m fine. I’m just going to get some water.”

  “Already have it.” Violet held up a plastic bag. “I wanted to make sure I didn’t need to grab more candy.”

  “Are we really driving this straight through?”

  “We’re making one stop to see a friend.”

  “Oh. Roland didn’t mention it.”

  “That’s because Hugh and I just decided.”

  “Oh. Roland wasn’t part of the decision?” I was still trying to figure out the dynamics between the three.

  “He wasn’t purposely left out, but he was in the car.”

  “Okay.” I eyed the door. “Should we go back to the car?”

  “Yeah, but Daisy?”

  “Yes?”

  “Everything is going to be okay. It might get crazy and terrifying, but it’s going to be better.”

  “Uh, and you want me to get back in the car with you?”

  She touched my arm. “You don’t have a choice.”

  “Sure I do.”

  “Wow. That was fast.” Worry lines marred her forehead.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.” She looked out the glass window of the store.

  “No. Just say it.”

  “Even my touch doesn’t work well for you anymore.”

  “You were trying to mess with my feelings?” I whispered. The clerk was watching us. Who knew what she’d already done to him?

  “Yes. Just to test it.”

  “I told you not to.” I put a hand on my hip.

  “You don’t have to worry about that anymore.” Without a word she started toward the door. After a moment’s hesitation, I followed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Owen

  I never thought I’d say it, but I missed my sister. At least I missed her company. She’d only been there for a few days, but I got used to the conversation, and even her nagging had started to seem less annoying.

  I’d been fine by myself before her visit, but after she left I was reminded of how life used to be. I’d only lived alone for a few years after college, and even then I spent more of my time working or with my friends. Isolation was a new experience, and it gave me far too much time to reflect on my past and the possibilities that had never come to be. Inevitably those thoughts always went to Daisy, the girl I knew I could never have, but who had trusted me so much. I’d never shared a kiss quite like the one we’d had, and I always wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t put on the brakes so quickly. Nothing would have happened, I always reminded myself. When the reality of what I was caught up with her, she would have run and never looked back.

  A few days after Hailey left, I found I welcomed the arrival of Clyde’s truck when it pulled into the gravel in front of my cabin.

  I walked out to greet him.

  He hopped out of his truck with a huge grin on his face. “You’re wearing a shirt today.”

  “I am.”

  “Does that mean I didn’t catch you before another hike?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “This is pretty good timing.”

  “I heard your sister left.”

  “She did.”

  “That’s too bad. I was going to talk to you about asking her out.”

  “I had a feeling you were.” I bit back a smile. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, Hailey had grown up, and men were definitely noticing.

  “Have you put any more thought into my proposal? I’m willing to give you a share with no upfront investment if you’ll help with the leg work.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “Yeah?” Surprise covered his face. “I was expecting to have to fight you harder.”

  “I could use something to do.”

  “Want to come into town with me? I was going to meet with Earl Miller to see if he’s ready to talk about selling the place.”

  “Sure, I’ve got nothing else going on.” I got into the passenger’s side and waited for Clyde to pull back out onto the dirt road connecting my cabin to the main drive into town.

  “Sorry, it’s a mess. I don’t have people in here often.” There was something lonely about Clyde I didn’t quite understand. What had driven him out to the mountains? Part of the reason he tried so hard with me was that we were some of the only outsiders. Nearly everyone else had been born and raised in Coleville.

  “The mess doesn’t bother me.”

  “We can get some lunch while we’re in town if you want.”

  “Let’s meet with Miller first, then we can worry about the rest.” As much as I welcomed the company, I didn’t know how much of him I could handle in one day.

  “All right, sounds like a plan.”

  Clyde chatted on about some random town news as he drove, but I wasn’t really listening. Instead I watched a bear poke its head out from the forest line. Something about the bear was off. It was too big.

  “You okay over there?” Clyde asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” I tore my eyes from the bear to speak to Clyde. “Sorry.” By the time I glanced back the bear was gone. That wasn’t good. I was going to have to follow up on my hunch later.

  We reached town and Clyde found a spot along the curb outside of the hardware store. The same man who owned it also owned the one, now closed, bar in town. Hopefully for Clyde, he wouldn’t play hardball to a willing buyer since it was currently making him nothing.

  The bell over the door rang as we walked into the store, and we headed right for the counter. Usually Miller was working the cash register himself. The counter was empty.

  “You back there, Miller?” Clyde called. He was much more comfortable with the locals than I was. He lived in town, which may have been part of it. He also wasn’t hiding a secret. I’d never fully gotten used to developing friendships with humans.

  “I’ll be right out!” Miller yelled.

  I decided to peruse the aisles while I waited. This was more Clyde’s conversation than mine anyway.

  “Hi, boys. What can I do for you?” Miller walked out to the counter looking more harried than usual. He ran a
hand across his forehead. I hoped he wasn’t ill.

  “We were hoping to talk shop if you had a few minutes.” Clyde wasted no time.

  “Is this about buying the bar?”

  Clyde nodded. “Yes.”

  “You got a real offer for me?” He watched Clyde from over his wire rim glasses. “Not an insult like those kids who tried to buy it?”

  “What kids?” Clyde asked suspiciously. “I wasn’t aware anyone else was interested.”

  “The new ones who got here this week. They tried to buy this store as well, but they were offering me peanuts.”

  “What did these kids look like?” He had my attention. As far as I knew no one new had come to town that week except my sister. The coincidence had me suspicious especially after seeing the bear.

  “Real tall like you.” He gestured to me. “One with fiery red hair and another two with brown. They looked rough, but not much worse than a lot of the kids here.”

  “Did they leave a card?” There was no way I was going to let this slide.

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “Ok, thanks.”

  Clyde looked at me funny. “You think you know them?”

  “Nope. I just like to know our competition.” That sounded like a plausible excuse.

  “They’re not your competition if you two have a real offer. First, they offered me a pittance, and second, I don’t know them from a hole in the wall. You’re both pretty new, but you’ve been here. The town likes you. Marta likes you.” He grinned.

  Clyde adjusted his hat. “You do have a lovely daughter, Miller.”

  “I know I do. Maybe you should tell her that some time.”

  Hailey was right. Marta was into him. I didn’t want to tell her that though. It would go to her head.

  “We’ve got a real offer.” Clyde pulled a business card out of pocket and slid is across the counter. “How does that look to you?”

  Miller put on his glasses. “That’s a place to start.”

  “How much higher are we talking?”

  I turned toward the door as I sensed someone watching. All I caught was a figure dashing from the window. “Clyde, do you have this? I need to check something out.”

  “Sure, that’s fine.” He waved me off.

  “I’ll catch you later.” I hurried out of the store, hoping the figure hadn’t gotten too far ahead.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Daisy

  “This friend of yours, is he or she an Allure too?” We’d been back in the car for hours already, and we’d fallen into what was, at least for me, an uncomfortable silence. I could pretend to know what they were thinking when we were talking. The silence was making me paranoid.

  “Yes. He’s an Allure.” Violet kept her eyes on the road as she answered. I wondered if she’d taken a nap when I did because she didn’t seem tired at all.

  “And how is he going to feel about you bringing me there? I’m guessing he is going to sense the Seduction’s Kiss as well.”

  “How many times do we have to reassure you that we’re not trying to kill you?” Hugh glared at me. He’d taken the back seat this time. I didn’t mind since Roland hadn’t been particularly friendly either.

  “You are the ones who told me that if the wrong Allures had found me I’d been dead.”

  “We’re not taking you to meet one of those kind of Allures. Louie is our friend. He may even be able to help you.”

  “Help me how?” I knew she wasn’t talking about finding Owen.

  “To help us figure out exactly what’s going on with you. We need to know what was in the paste the witch gave you, and what effect it’s had on you beyond what we can see already.”

  “You think there’s more than we already know?” My chest tightened as panic set in.

  “Of course there is. You know it as well as we do.” Roland turned slightly in his seat to look at me. “Don’t you? Don’t you feel it?”

  “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to feel.”

  “Don’t push it. We’ll talk to Louie when we get there.”

  “What if I don’t want to talk to another Allure?” I barely trusted these three, and I wasn’t particularly keen on meeting another.

  “I’m going to insist on it.” Violet turned off at a barren exit. By the looks of it, we were in the middle of the desert. We were surrounded by cactuses, and I was waiting to see some tumbleweed blowing by.

  “Are we that close? We’re getting off the interstate already?”

  “Has this trip seemed fast to you?” Roland asked.

  “Roland, stop,” Violet snapped. “I’m not going to warn you again.”

  “Fine,” he grumbled.

  His question hadn’t seemed like one worth jumping all over him about, but I’d given up understanding the dynamics of these three. “What kind of place does Louie live in?” I sincerely hoped it wasn’t anything as creepy as that abandoned amusement park.

  “A cemetery,” Hugh said calmly.

  “A what? I thought you guys liked emotion, not dead people.”

  Violet laughed. “Hugh’s kidding. He lives in a house. A large, old, and rather opulent house, but a house none the less.”

  “Does he know we’re coming?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “Meaning he knows you guys are coming.”

  “We didn’t want to get him unnecessarily excited,” Violet explained. “It’s fine. He’ll treat you well.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” I needed more than Violet’s assurances to put me at ease.

  “Would you prefer we drop you off on the side of the road and let you face your fate on your own?” Hugh scoffed. “Let you wander around the desert as you struggle to understand why you feel the way you do?”

  “I don’t want to be dropped on the side of the road.”

  “Being stranded would be the least of your problems. You can trust me on that.”

  “Why? What aren’t you guys telling me?”

  “Let’s get to Louie’s house. We’ll talk more there, and he’ll hopefully be better able to shed some light on everything.”

  “Or so you say.”

  “Have we done anything to mislead you so far?” She drove through what appeared to be a small town. All I saw was a church, a restaurant, and a few stores.

  “No.”

  “Then why are you questioning us?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly. “Suddenly I’m overwhelmed with anger and annoyance, and I don’t know what to do with it.” I looked at Hugh. “This isn’t you, is it?”

  “Do you see me touching you?”

  “Touch doesn’t work anymore anyway,” Violet said softly. “I realized that at the last stop.”

  “Really?” Roland turned around. “Not at all?”

  “Can I try?” Hugh asked. “We need to know.”

  “I’m so angry already, I don’t see how it could hurt this time.” I held out my hand.

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” Hugh dropped my hand.

  Violet turned off on a side street. “We’re almost there.”

  I tried to relax, but I couldn’t.

  “Daisy, you need to calm down.” Roland turned around from the passenger seat. “You’re stressing me out, and you’re not even sitting next to me.”

  “Why? So I can be forced into more situations I don’t want to be in?”

  “I’m going back there.” Roland climbed over the seat into the middle. “Give me your hand.”

  “Why? Touch doesn’t work anymore, remember?”

  “Just give it to me.” He picked up my hand, and I took a deep breath. I could do this. I was so close to finding Owen. I let out a sigh of relief.

  “None of this makes sense.” Hugh scooted away slightly from Roland. “Our touch does nothing, yet Roland’s still works in the opposite way it’s supposed to.”

  “Actually it makes complete sense; you guys just don’t want to believe it.” Roland smiled.

  “I’m ridiculously confuse
d, but I feel better than I did a few minutes ago so don’t move.” I closed my eyes and leaned back against the seat.

  “I wasn’t planning on it.”

  Out of nowhere an idle thought hit me. “How long does your effect last? Won’t the guy who owns this car call the cops to report it missing? Won’t they be searching for the license plate?”

  “Nope. He still thinks he lent it to a friend.”

  “What about his wife? She’s never going to believe him.”

  Hugh laughed. “I’d love to see that conversation.”

  “You guys are so mean.”

  “We’re fun, not mean.” Roland patted my leg. “Get over it. There are way more important things to worry about.”

  Violet turned once more and stopped in front of a large wrought iron gate. She rolled down her window and pressed the button for an intercom.

  “You’ve arrived!” a male voice yelled. “Come on in!”

  The gates slowly opened, and Violet drove us down a long, winding drive that seemed to continue on forever.

  I was almost sick with nerves by the time Violet pulled to a stop in front of an enormous home.

  Hugh opened the door and got right out, followed by Roland. I took a deep breath before following them.

  I’d barely made it two steps before one of the large front doors at the top of a steep set of brick stairs burst open.

  “Welcome!” A man dressed in what could only be described as a bright white leisure suit called down. “Welcome one and all!”

  What the hell was this? This couldn’t be for real. He took a few steps down, and it got worse. He had his shirt unbuttoned revealing his chest.

  “Louie is a fan of the seventies,” Roland whispered as he clasped his hand with mine.

  “Violet, wonderful to see you.” Louie, a man who appeared to be in his early thirties, took her hand and brought it to his lips. “Hugh, nice to see you, and Roland, I see you brought a new friend.”

  I held on to Roland’s hand for dear life. Hopefully he wasn’t about to go into his anti-social mode on me.

  “This is Daisy.” Violet took her usual spot on my other side. “She’s why we’re here.”

  “I see.” Louie eyed me up and down, but he definitely wasn’t checking me out. It was more like he was trying to solve a puzzle.