Love (The Allure Chronicles Book 4) Read online

  He pointed to the still closed door. “If they aren’t out in twenty minutes I’m coming back.”

  “Worried about Daisy?” I guess I wasn’t the only one.

  “And worried about my office.” He grinned before walking back down the hallway.

  3

  Daisy

  I watched as Taylor closed the door to the office. I looked around at the space that hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d been inside. There was still a pile of papers on Levi’s desk. This time the pile was higher, and I wondered if some of the same papers were still waiting on the bottom of the stack.

  I was both anxious and terrified to hear what Taylor had to say, which is why I studied the framed photo of Allie that sat on the desk in front of the papers.

  “Are you done staring at that picture?” Taylor pulled my attention away from the photo.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good.” Taylor stepped further into the room. “I thought we’d never get a few minutes to talk.”

  “It’s been crazy.” I stared at the door. Owen was probably waiting right on the other side.

  “You’re telling me.” Taylor shook her head. “But I guess you’re used to flying that way, huh?”

  “I am. Kind of.” Was Taylor really thrown off from flying? Being an Allure brought so many crazy things with it, but I guess flying wasn’t one of them. My experience with flying came from a completely different reason. “I wish I were more used to it. I could do it all the time.”

  “What you mean is you wish you could spend all your time with Owen.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Something like that.” She was right of course.

  “You love him.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Yes.” I didn’t hesitate with my answer, although the feeling behind it felt odd. The numbness was getting worse. I needed to fight. I wasn’t giving up love.

  “Yet you’re an Allure.” Taylor’s voice lilted as if asking a question.

  “Unfortunately.”

  “You don’t like the gift?” There was something about her voice that made it hard to tell what she was getting at. I didn’t know whether she was being serious or not.

  “No.” I hopped up onto the desk. “Not at all. It is not something I ever wanted.”

  “Despite the beauty and the power?” Taylor eyed the empty chairs.

  “Yes.” The desk had seemed like a better option than the chairs. I liked sitting up higher. It gave me an artificial feeling of being in control.

  “Despite the immortality?”

  “Immortality is overrated.” Who wants to live forever without those they love? I’m not supposed to love. The answer to my question ran through my head.

  “Says the girl who’s only just started to experience it.” Taylor sat down beside me. “It’s supposed to happen so differently. Has anyone explained the real process to you?”

  “No, and I don’t care.” I didn’t care about anything but changing back.

  She ignored me. “You’re supposed to lose emotion. The numbness fades away as you manipulate and the essence grows. The more you manipulate the faster it grows until its whole again.”

  “But you can never give a piece of it again?” I definitely had major holes in my Allure knowledge.

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “It’s a one-time deal. Each Allure gets to give once.”

  “I want my life back. Well, my life plus Owen.” I never wanted to go back to life before him. I couldn’t even imagine that anymore.

  “I admit he’s cute.”

  “He’s more than cute.” He was the most attractive man I’d ever met. I still remembered the first moment I saw him. His expression-filled eyes had pulled me in. But it was more than his appearance that had me hooked. It was his heart, his humor. The way he made me feel alive and whole.

  She laughed. “I wasn’t putting him down.”

  “I know.” I did. Just as I knew this conversation wasn’t supposed to be about Owen. “But what did you want to talk about?”

  “There’s a lot that I want to talk about, but we only have time to discuss a few things.”

  “Then we should probably start discussing them.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. That was new since the last time I’d been in the office.

  “And there’s that edge to you again. It disappears when you talk about Owen.”

  “Don’t change the subject again.” Mentioning Owen was a very easy way to distract me, but I wouldn’t let that work this time.

  “Fine.” She nodded. “How much do you know about the Allures you were spending time with?”

  “Only what they told me.” And that hadn’t been much. I’d had to pull details about their lives from them.

  “In other words, almost nothing.”

  “Pretty much.” But it hadn’t mattered before. “Are you really Roland’s maker?”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it. She opened it again. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because he seemed pretty hung up on you disappearing.” And unfortunately he transferred his feelings to me.

  She ran her teeth over her bottom lip. “He came onto you I assume.”

  I frowned at the mention of it. “Yes. Annoyance was one thing I could still feel, and he made me feel it a lot.”

  “Poor Roland.” She looked off across the room.

  “You chose him.”

  “I did.” She swung her legs.

  “Why?”

  She laughed. That wasn’t the response I was expecting. She laughed and laughed.

  “Is there a reason you’re laughing?”

  “It’s how you said it. Like it’s crazy I chose him as a companion.”

  “No offense, but he wouldn’t be my choice.” I rested a hand between us on the desk.

  “I am well aware of who your choice would be.”

  “But I wouldn’t want to pick Owen.” I hoped to never be in the position to have to. “I would never want to subject him to a life without emotions.”

  “You shouldn’t even care anymore.” She hopped off the desk.

  “I know.” But for one reason or another I did.

  “So something is wrong.”

  “Or something is right.” That was how I was going to look at myself now. Not as a broken Allure, but as someone too attuned to emotions to give them up.

  “That’s an interesting way to look at your situation.”

  “It’s the only way I’m looking at it now.” I looked up at the white ceiling.

  “This positive attitude thing is a bit hard to take. It’s too unexpected.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with unexpected.” Many of the best things in life are surprises. Although many of the worst are too.

  “There’s plenty wrong with it.”

  “Enough!” I hopped off the desk. “Either talk about what was so important you dragged me in here, or we’re going back to the others.” I was done wasting time. Owen was on the other side of the door, and if Taylor couldn’t help me I’d have sure rather have been with him.

  “How well do you know this place?” She gestured to the office, but I knew she was talking about more than the room.

  “The Society?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Not all that well.” I told her the truth. I knew only what I’d learned from Owen, and it wasn’t his favorite topic of conversation.

  “Then what I have to tell you may not be as hard for you to handle as I’d feared.”

  “Ok.” I braced myself.

  “You can’t trust them.”

  “Oh.” Trust was a weighted word. I only trusted one other person in the world anymore. Well aside from my family, and I couldn’t see them without taking the chance of getting them in trouble. That meant I couldn’t see them. I wasn’t putting anyone else in harm’s way.

  “You can’t trust the Allures either. Or the Elders. Or Wyatt. Or even your lover boy, Owen. Or anyone really.”

  “Or you?” I asked slowly. I fought o
ff the seed of doubt about Owen. I needed to trust him. It was the only thing I had.

  “You probably shouldn’t, but I need you to.”

  “Need me to?” The fact that she said that she needed me to, not the other way around didn’t go unnoticed.

  “It’s the only chance either of us has to survive.”

  “To survive?” She was talking about my life or death now? “Please explain.”

  “You’re probably wondering how I’m alive.”

  “Yes. That thought has crossed my mind more than a few times.”

  “Which it should have. I’m supposed to be dead.” She slumped into one of the seats.

  “But you’re not…” At least she seemed perfectly alive to me. But what did I know? Maybe corpses walked around like normal people if they were former Allures.

  “Nope. I’m alive. But not for long.”

  “Not for long?”

  She pulled her knees up to her chest. “I’m living on borrowed time.”

  “Borrowed time?” I raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain?”

  “When they took my essence I thought I was dead. I think I did die at first. Well, not really. Evidently they thought they’d killed me because they threw me in a ditch and buried me.”

  “Wait. Who is ‘they’?” I got chills.

  “You don’t know?” Taylor narrowed her eyed.

  “I know there was a witch… Kalisa.” The last time I’d seen her she was being dragged off by Louie’s men. She’d been the root of most of my problems, but I still didn’t want to think about her being tortured—or worse.

  “She was just a pawn. She wasn’t the one behind it.”

  “Then who was?” I wasn’t surprised by Taylor’s words. Kalisa had told us she was working for someone else.

  “I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out.” Taylor put her feet back down on the ground.

  “Tell me.” I wasn’t going to play games.

  “I’m not sure if I should.” Taylor looked down at the floor.

  “Nuh uh. None of that. Tell me.”

  “What did Roland tell you about me?” She looked up at my eyes.

  “Not much. Just that he missed you. And since I had your essence… well you know. I reminded him of you or whatever.”

  Her face hardened. “Glad I left such an impression on him.”

  “He can’t feel…” And I suddenly understood the significance of that. Even if you had half of another Allure’s essence you still couldn’t feel for them.

  “Sometimes the sex can fool you into thinking you do.” She looked off again. She seemed lost in thought half of the time.

  “Yeah… I heard that. Sort of.”

  “Is that how he tried to get you to sleep with him?” She crossed her legs.

  “One of the ways. He said it would help with the numbness.”

  “Numbness?”

  “Yes. The numbness. Why am I not surprised that you don’t know what I’m talking about?” I sighed.

  “I do know… but it was never much of a problem. It’s supposed to be a quick change.”

  I shrugged. “Not for me. Nothing seems to happen the way it was meant to happen.”

  “Or it happened exactly the way it was meant to be. Isn’t that how you’re supposed to spin it?” Taylor smirked. “Since you’re all positive about things right now.”

  I shrugged. “True.” I waited a moment before repeating my question. “Tell me. Who took your essence?”

  She said nothing for a few moments. Instead she played with a loose string on her t-shirt. Finally, when I was about ready to repeat my question, she answered. “I don’t know.”

  I forced myself to keep my annoyance down. “Uh, you just chided me for not knowing.”

  “Because I hoped it would make you spill the beans.”

  “Why did you think I would know? Because I have it?”

  She shook her head. “No. I know you didn’t do it, but you’ve spent a lot of time with someone who might have.”

  “Who?” This was news to me. I thought about the Elders, the Dragos. Is that why she wanted to talk alone? She wanted to get away from Wyatt?

  “Violet.” She said a name I hadn’t been expecting.

  “Uh…” I struggled to come up with an answer. “Why would Violet have wanted to do that?”

  Without a moment’s hesitation Taylor answered. “Because she hates me.”

  “She hates you because…”

  “The because doesn’t matter. She was behind it. I’m sure of it.” Taylor slumped down in the chair again. This time so far, she nearly slipped off the chair.

  “Then why not confront her?”

  “Are you crazy?” Taylor looked at me as if I had two heads. “Confront Violet? Do you know who her maker is?”

  “Uh…”

  “Abe. The leader of the Elders… I thought you met them. I doubt you’d forget him.”

  Abe. The mention of his name made me shudder. No wonder everyone held Violet in such reverence. Her maker was the head Elder. “I…I guess you have a point then.”

  “You see why confronting her is not my first choice. But now I’m looking at death, so I’m done waiting.”

  “Why?” I looked her over. She appeared perfectly fine from the outside. “What’s wrong? Why do you think you’re going to die?”

  She sat up. “I can hear it.”

  “Hear what?” I strained my ears to make sure I wasn’t missing something obvious.

  “The ticking clock.” She pulled her knees up to her chest again. “It never stops.”

  “Um…” I struggled to come up with some reasonable response.

  “I’m not crazy!” She yelled.

  There was a loud knock on the door. “Daisy? You okay?” Owen’s worried voice called.

  “Yes.” I sure hoped I was. “I’m fine.”

  “I’m not crazy.” Taylor spoke softly this time.

  “I believe you.” I replied right away. “I know what it’s like when everyone assumes you lost your mind. It’s one of the worst feelings ever, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” I’d spent years in therapy because of it. “But tell me more. What kind of ticking clock?”

  “It’s a constant ticking, and it’s speeding up.”

  “You hear it all the time?” I asked to buy myself time to think.

  “Not when I’m sleeping.”

  “I guess that’s good. You get a short break.” I continued to struggle for words. Being on the other side of this was harder than I thought.

  Taylor lowered her knees and scooted to the end of her seat. “Can I have it back?”

  “Excuse me?” I watched her looking for a sign she was joking.

  “The essence.” Her eyes got wide. “You don’t want it. I do.”

  “Uh.. .you just told me you’re going to die without it. I feel for you, but I don’t particularly want to die either, especially if there’s a chance I can keep my feelings.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” She clasped her hands together in her lap.

  “Then how did you mean it?”

  “Maybe we could split it? Like you give me half of your essence.”

  “Like I’m selecting you as my companion?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Kind of. I mean it was mine to begin with.” She stood up.

  “Do you really want to be an Allure again?” I looked at her long and hard. “To return to that emotionless state?”

  “I want to live. I want to live forever.”

  “If I could give it back to you I would, but I’m not giving my life for you.” I had too much to live for. Owen, my parents. I had barely started my life. I’d have sacrificed myself to save a friend in heartbeat, but Taylor wasn’t my friend. Even if I was giving her the chance to talk, that didn’t mean I trusted her in the slightest.

  “I know. I only meant if we could find a way to do it that wouldn’t involve you dying.” She stepped toward me. “I swear, I wasn’t saying I wanted you to die.”
/>
  Before I could respond the door burst open. Owen rushed in. “There will be no mention of Daisy’s death.”

  “So much for giving us alone time to talk.” Taylor rolled her eyes.

  “Alone time to talk can’t involve discussing anything bad happening to Daisy.” Owen’s eyes blazed with anger. “You got it?”

  “Is Jared back yet? Does he know anything more?” I wanted to cut off the line of conversation. Talking about my death wasn’t going to help anyone.

  “Jared’s back.” Owen took my hand. “They know we are in New Orleans.”

  “Was Violet with them? Was it the Allures or the Elders?” Taylor asked.

  Owen squeezed my hand. “Both maybe. Jared didn’t know for sure.”

  “I need to speak with Jared.” Taylor walked toward us. “I can figure out who we’re dealing with.

  “You like to demand things.” Owen wore a pinched expression.

  “I do. And I generally get what I ask for.”

  “That was when you were an Allure,” I said under my breath.

  She heard me. “And you pretend you don’t like the gifts that come with having what once belonged to me?”

  “I would rather not have them, but I understand the appeal.”

  “Ahem.” The sound of fake throat clearing had us all turning toward the hallway.

  Wyatt stood there with a big grin on his face. “So nice you are all getting along.”

  “Where’s Levi?” Owen rubbed the back of his neck. “I find it hard to believe he would let you wander down here on your own.”

  “Glad you haven’t lost faith in me.” Levi appeared in the now very crowded doorway. He turned to me. “You up for some company, Daisy?”

  “That depends.” I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any one like Taylor. That was for sure.

  “That’s a smart answer. The company is my wife.”

  “Allie?” She was the kind of company I was fine with.

  “She’s the only wife I have.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t mind her company.” I smiled. “As long as it doesn’t put her out.”

  “Good. She’s waiting for you a few rooms down.”

  4