“First explain to me how Daisy has Taylor’s essence.” Jim’s entire posture and attitude had changed since hearing about Taylor. I understood his concern, but I needed to find Daisy.
“No.” I shook my head. “Daisy’s location first.”
“I don’t have her exact location.” Wyatt looked away.
“You said you knew where she was,” I said through gritted teeth.
He nodded. “I did.”
“Then where is she?” I stepped toward him.
“I exaggerated to get your attention.”
“What do you mean by exaggerated?” Hailey seemed almost as angry as I was.
Wyatt smiled at her. “Minor exaggeration. Nothing to worry yourself about.”
“Worry myself about?” Hailey put a hand on her hip. “Did you really just say that to me?”
“No.” I shook my head. “No getting into an argument until Wyatt explains to me what he does or doesn’t know about Daisy’s whereabouts.”
“I know she’s been back in this world.”
“She’s been back? That’s pretty vague. Is she here now?” I needed to believe she was close and that I could get to her.
“That depends on how the process went.”
“What process?”
Wyatt looked over his shoulder. “We can’t talk here.”
“Because there’s someone listening in the middle of the woods?” Hailey frowned.
“There’s always someone listening in the middle of the woods.” Sky shrugged.
“But you were more than willing to talk about the Elders.” He hadn’t had any concerns until I asked for the answers I needed. “What are you afraid of?”
“We’ll hear soon enough.”
“What about Taylor? What happened?” Jim returned to his original question.
“No one really knows. She disappeared, and then Daisy turned up with her essence,” Wyatt explained.
“And Daisy wasn’t questioned for it?” Jim pushed his glasses back up his face.
“Daisy did nothing wrong!” I wasn’t going to let anyone, not even my uncle, accuse her of anything. She was innocent.
“I am not implying that she did, but I would think she’d at least be questioned about the situation.”
“She was. Plenty. Nothing about this experience has been easy for Daisy.” Not even finding me.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, surprised to see an unfamiliar number. At any other time I would have ignored it and let it go to voicemail, but this wasn’t a normal time. Daisy was out there, and I wasn’t ignoring any possible means to get to her.
I picked up. “Hello?”
“Get to my house immediately!” Georgina’s distinctive voice was easy to recognize.
“Georgina?” She wasn’t exactly who I’d expected to hear from, and I knew she’d only be calling if it was important. She wasn’t one to waste any time.
She sighed dramatically. “Of course it’s me.”
“I can’t come to your house.”
“Yes you can. And you will.”
“Wait. Why?” A small glimmer of hope swirled through me even though it made no real sense. “Is she? Did you—” Was it possible? Had she found Daisy?
“I’m not saying anything over the phone. Get here now.”
“On my way.” I pocketed my phone. If there was even a small chance she’d found Daisy or knew where she was, I wasn’t wasting a second. “I have to get to Georgina’s.”
“Georgina’s?” Hailey raised an eyebrow. “What does Georgina Laurent have to do with this?”
“I think she knows where Daisy is.” I was too afraid to admit my true hope out loud. That Daisy was with her.
“How?”
“I have no clue, but there is no other reason she’d be calling me over.”
“Unless she needed you for something. People always need people for things.” Wyatt was talking from experience. It was clear on his face and in his voice. And he was right. But Georgina didn’t need me. I had nothing to offer her that ten other Pterons couldn’t and wouldn’t do.
“Just like you need something from me.” Something I was likely going to struggle to deliver on, but it didn’t matter. I’d do anything to get Daisy back. “I’m going to check. It won’t take long.”
“Want me to come?” Hailey asked. “Or should I stick with Jim and find the herb?”
“Stick with Jim.” I appreciated Hailey’s company, but if Jim was right about the herb, finding it was too important to leave solely in the hands of someone I barely knew. “I’ll call you.” I pulled off my shirt and released my wings.
“I’m coming with you.” Wyatt planted his feet in a wide stance.
“What?” I glared at Wyatt.
“I need your help, and I need to find Daisy too.”
“My help was in exchange for finding Daisy.” I turned to him. “I may have found her on my own.”
“You will still want to help.”
“Why would I want to do that?”
“Because Daisy will never be safe. Even if you try to change her back, the Elders will always be after her. They never give up a fight.” His eyes were full of a warning I knew I would be wise to heed. I needed to find and change Daisy, and I also needed to keep her safe. I was never losing her again.
“Fine. But you better move fast.” I didn’t have the time to delay, and I didn’t particularly want to leave Wyatt around my sister.
“You’ll be the one who can’t keep up.” He released his enormous leathery black wings.
Hailey’s eyes widened as she took in his shifted form. “Wow.”
I gave her a long look.
Wyatt laughed. “I’ll see you later.” He winked at her, and I had to resist punching him in the face. Hailey had enough in her life. She didn’t need to get mixed up with dragon boy.
“Be careful.” I’d always worry about Hailey, no matter how strong she was.
“Same to you.” Hailey patted my arm. “I hope she’s there.”
“Me too.” I turned to Jim. “Make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
“I will.” He nodded solemnly.
I took off. I knew the flight would be short, but that time seemed endless. I flew as fast as I could, well aware Wyatt was flying alongside me. I refused to let him get to me. I had to believe Daisy was with Georgina. And she would only be there if she hadn’t fully changed. Maybe Wyatt's informant was right. Maybe she was still human enough. Hopefully when Jim found the herb we could change everything back. We could start over yet again, and this time there would be no ending.
“You can slow down,” Wyatt called from where he flew next to me. “You aren’t going to lose me.”
“I don’t care where you are, but I’m in a hurry.”
“You believe she’s there?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t sure why I was willing to admit it to this Drago and not my sister, but we were on our way now. It felt different.
“And what if she’s not?”
“I’m going to ignore you.”
“I’m preparing you for reality. She may not be there, and you can’t let that destroy you.”
“I’m going to find her.”
“I never said you weren’t, but it might not be as soon as you think.”
“Do you actually know anything or are you just running your mouth?”
“I’m being real with you. I’d want someone to be real with me.”
“I’m living in reality. I don’t need another dose from you.”
“Then what do you want?” He flew around me.
“I want to get there. I want to find Daisy.”
“In other words you want me to shut up.”
“Bingo.” I smiled. “I’m glad we’re finally on the same page.”
* * *
“Owen.” Georgina pulled me inside the second I hit the porch. She also unceremoniously slammed the door in Wyatt’s face. That last part was particularly satisfying, but I didn’t focus on it long. The
re were far more important things going on.
My heart beat erratically. “Is she here?”
“Yes.” Georgina paused. “But she’s not quite human. She’s struggling. She’s trying to hold onto her emotions, but I can tell it’s difficult. She seems to think you’re the key to keeping them.”
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs in the shower. She mumbled something about hot water helping her, so I sent her up to the room you used last time.”
“Thank you.” I headed for the stairs.
“Owen?” Georgina called me back. “Who is that boy out there?” She pointed to the door.
“His name’s Wyatt.” I hesitated with my foot on the first step. “He’s a Drago.”
“A Drago?” Her eyes widened. “You are starting to sound like—” She stopped herself.
I finished her sentence. “My Uncle Jim.”
“You know him?” Georgina watched me carefully.
“Just met him. Hailey’s with him now.” Disrespecting Georgina and walking away before she was done talking wasn’t a good idea, but I was so close to Daisy. It took every ounce of resistance I had not to run immediately upstairs.
“Does your father know?”
“He’s the one who took us to him. It was a crazy reunion.” I glanced up the stairs longingly.
“Go.” Georgina gestured with her hand. “I will have my security see to the Drago.”
“If he asks, I will uphold my promise, but I have to take care of Daisy first.”
“I probably do not want to know to what promise you are referring to.” Georgina folded her hands in front of her.
“Probably not, but you should know.”
“Yes. I like to stay informed. You understand that.” Georgina’s lips twisted into a hint of a smile. “But go to Daisy. She needs you.”
“And I need her.” I took the stairs two at a time, desperate to find Daisy. I heard the water running in the bathroom and knew she was still in the shower. I opened the door to the bedroom suite we’d shared the last time we’d been there.
My heart rate accelerated as I neared the bathroom.
There was only a door between Daisy and me, and I knew this was the moment of truth. I didn’t know what I would find on the other side. Would she be the Daisy I knew or would she be something entirely different?
It didn’t matter who she was. I’d love any version of Daisy, and I’d find a way to bring her emotions back.
18
Daisy
The hot water cascaded over my body. I focused on the sensation of the water and the dense steam that permeated the shower stall.
At the first signs of the numbness I’d escaped upstairs. Sol had warned me that the effects of what he did might be short lived, and I was determined to hold onto my feelings long enough to see Owen. Even if I couldn’t have the feelings forever, I needed to see him one more time. I needed to experience the kind of love I had never thought possible. It was the kind of love that could transform someone. Even as I tried to minimize the hope, it was still there. Maybe I could go back to my old self and truly spend my life with him.
The door creaked open, and I froze. My heart beat accelerated, and I turned off the water. It wasn’t Georgina. She’d have knocked first. There was only one person Georgina would have allowed to come up to see me.
I heard nothing, so I built up the courage to speak. “Owen?” I spoke his name slowly. Carefully. Was he really there?
“Daisy.” He said my name in the same slow and careful way.
I pushed open the glass door, oblivious to the fact that I was still completely naked and soaking wet. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered beyond seeing him again. And he was there. Shirtless, with the same gentle eyes I’d always loved.
He stepped toward me, searching my face for something.
“It’s me.” I knew he’d understood what I meant.
He reached out for me, pulling me into his arms. Tears spilled down my face as he cradled me against him. My body heated, my heart felt like it might explode inside my chest. I gasped for air.
“Daisy?” He pulled back slightly.
“Don’t let go.” I tightened our embrace.
“I won’t,” Owen promised “I’ll never let you go.”
“Neither will I.” I connected my lips with his, overwhelmed by the current of emotions and electricity flooding my system from the touch. He responded immediately and wrapped his arms tighter around me. My head spun with a myriad of colors and sensations, but the only thing I focused on was the taste of his lips and the way my body fit perfectly in his arms.
There was so much more to talk about. So much to do. Georgina was downstairs, but I didn’t care. This time the lack of care had nothing to do with being an Allure. It had to do with being human and so completely in love with someone that it brought me back from a place no one had ever left before.
“It’s you.” He whispered the words against my lips as he held me against him.
“It’s me.”
“Are you? You feel this. I know you do.” He lifted his head away from mine, without loosening his hold on me.
“I feel it.” Tears fell down my face. “I’m not human, but I feel this. I feel you. I feel us.”
“I’ve missed you. I thought I’d lost you forever.” He wiped away a few of my tears. His eyes glistened with unshed tears of his own.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” His lips returned to mine again, and this time he picked me up and carried me into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers and lay me down in the bed. He removed his clothes before laying down next to me.
“I need you.” I reached up and cupped his face.
“I need you too.” His lips crushed into mine while his hands roamed up and down my body.
I moaned when he squeezed my breast. He broke the kiss and took my other breast in his mouth. Every touch set me on fire. It wasn’t only physical. It was emotional. Each touch ignited me and brought back sensations and feelings I’d thought were gone forever.
His hand slid down between my legs, and I opened up to him as I pulled his face back to meet my own. There were things I needed to express to him I couldn’t say in words.
He removed his hand and thrust into me, all without breaking the kiss. I kept my eyes closed, focusing and savoring each and every sensation. The feeling of him inside me, rocking me to my core. We moved together perfectly, even better than before, as if our time apart had strengthened our bond.
“I’m yours.” I ran my lips down his neck.
“And I’m yours.” He sucked my lip into his mouth.
I moaned, overwhelmed by the intensity of my feelings. I’d known love, but not this. Not this all-encompassing sensation.
“I love you, Daisy.” His words urged me to open my eyes.
I looked deep into his eyes. “I love you, Owen. I always will.” It was a promise to myself as well as to him. I wouldn’t let go. I’d fight the change even if it killed me. Life was meaningless without feelings, and I refused to live that way again. I would never go back to the numbness, and I’d never go back to a life without Owen.
He continued to move inside me, bringing me pleasure I never imagined possible until finally he pushed me over the edge. He reached his release moments later, and we lay there with him still inside of me. Neither of us wanted to move or break the magic that tingled in the air.
We were meant for one another. No one and nothing could ever tear us apart again.
* * *
A knock on the door brought me back to reality.
“Who is it?” Owen called.
"It's me," a somewhat familiar voice called.
"Levi?" Owen gently moved his arms from around me. "What are you doing here?"
"Georgina called and told me there was a dragon on her porch. She also said you were with Daisy but she couldn’t be sure how human she was. I figured I should come check on things."
"Hold on. Give me a second." Ow
en kissed my forehead. "We need to get dressed."
I sighed. "Yes, time to face reality."
Owen took both of my hands in his. "Face reality together. It's time to face reality together."
"And that makes it completely doable." I squeezed his hands.
“Yes. I agree completely.” He kissed me hard on the mouth. It was the kind of kiss that promised much more to come later.
We quickly got dressed and opened the door. Levi was standing on the other side with a guy I vaguely remembered.
"What is he doing here?" Owen pointed to the guy with the short black hair.
Levi smiled. "I figured we might need reinforcements."
"Aren't you going to properly introduce me to your friend, Owen?" The dark haired guy grinned at me.
"We've met." Although it had been years.
"Yes, but you are less bloody this time."
Bloody? There was only time he could mean. I thought over the night with the vampires. Had he been there? I shivered remembering that night. I used to want to forget it, but now I appreciated all my memories and besides it was the night that Owen and I kissed for the first time. "I'm Daisy."
He held out his hand. "Jared Florence."
I accepted his handshake. "Pleasure to meet you."
"So what are you?" Jared looked me over. "Levi told me to guess."
"I'm not sure what I am." I answered honestly. "But I'm not convinced it matters."
"And the dude outside? He with you?" Jared nodded toward the stairs.
"No. She's with me." Owen put his arm around me,
Jared smiled. "Yeah, I gathered that much, but who the hell is he? He's claiming to be a Drago."
"He is a Drago." I remembered his black leathery wings from our journey to Mt. Majest.
"And for some reason he seems to think I'm going to help him with something?" Levi narrowed his eyes.
"I said I'd help, that doesn’t mean you have to."
“Yes it does.” Levi leaned one hand on the doorframe. “You know I’m not leaving you hung out to dry.”
“Do you know what kind of help he wants?” Owen raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think that detail is important before you agree to help?”
Lost (The Allure Chronicles Book 3) Page 16
