Lust

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “I won’t next time. I’ll know.”

  “You’ll be distracted. You’re always going to be distracted where Daisy is concerned.”

  I had so many questions for Violet, but they could wait. We had to find Daisy. “Then what do you suggest?”

  “Have you seen a cat?”

  “Glendale?” Was she really worrying about her cat at a time like this?

  “Yes. He introduced himself, I see.” Her eyes twinkled.

  “I have quite a few questions about your feline friend, but right now my concern is finding Daisy.”

  “Do you know where the cat is?”

  I sighed. “He left when they took Daisy. Maybe he couldn’t find his litter box.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Or he was following them. That’s great news. He won’t let them get all the way to the Force.”

  “The cat is going to stop them?” I raised an eyebrow. Clearly the cat was more than the usual household variety pet. Maybe the ability to speak wasn’t his only skill.

  “Yes. He has plenty of tricks up his sleeves.”

  “Even if he has no sleeves…” I hoped she had a better plan than simply relying on the cat.

  She shook her head at my weak attempt at a joke. “Let’s find our girl.”

  “Our girl?”

  She lifted her chin. “Yes. I want to help Daisy too.”

  “Even though you can’t feel. I’m never going to understand that.” And I was always going to question her motives.

  “It shouldn’t matter. We both want to get her back.” She hurried out the door, and I didn’t see any alternative but to follow.

  It was still dark, but I could see the barest hint of the sunrise. I wasn’t sure if the morning was going to bring any relief from our situation. All I could think about was finding Daisy.

  “Why does the Force want her?” I still didn’t understand what was going on. “And why did they take you and Hugh?”

  “Louie. He turned us in. All new Allures must be checked in with the Force.”

  “Then why didn’t they take Daisy right off?”

  “She isn’t full Allure, so they couldn’t grab her when she transported.”

  “They can grab Allures when you transport? Isn’t that a little extreme?”

  “Or convenient for them, depending on how you look at it.”

  “Or incredibly annoying.”

  “Yes, that’s another way to look at it.” She smiled at me over her shoulder.

  I followed Violet out of the Allure village. We walked across a large clearing and toward the jungle again. Neither of us said anything as we moved at a fast pace. I didn’t know the landscape, so I put my trust in Violet. No matter what her intentions were, she seemed intent on finding Daisy. That meant, if only temporarily, our goals were united.

  “I’m not trying to double cross you.” She broke the silence.

  “I never said you were.” I only thought it.

  “Not with words, but your eyes and body language say it all. You don’t trust me.”

  “Can you blame me?” She’d started the conversation, so I went with it. “You brought us to a new realm and disappeared. Did you think we’d be happy about that?”

  “That wasn’t by choice.”

  “Oh yes, because you were picked up by the Force.” I was tired of excuses and the runaround.

  “I assure you that wasn’t our plan.”

  “Then what was?” I pushed through some long and tangled vines.

  “To get Daisy to Mount Majest. You know that. Seeing the Force wasn’t part of the plan, but they are one of the inconveniences we have to deal with.”

  “Then why did we come this way? Wasn’t it supposed to be easier than going straight to Energo?” So far it was anything but easy.

  “There’s complications with cutting through other nations, but we won’t get noticed this way.”

  “Whatever you say.” I continued to trample through the jungle. I saw no sign of Daisy, and I sincerely hoped this wasn’t a trap. “Is this to avoid being seen too?”

  “It’s a short cut. I know which way Gabriel is going.”

  “Sure. Speaking of where people are going, where’s Hugh?” I didn’t miss the guy, but his absence didn’t go unnoticed.

  “He’s procuring us transportation.”

  “So you didn’t leave him behind?”

  “No.” She smiled. “I’m sure you would have been disappointed if I had.”

  “He doesn’t bother me as much as Roland.”

  “I wonder why?” She laughed.

  “At least Hugh knows his appropriate boundaries.”

  “I find it interesting that you haven’t asked what kind of transportation he’s getting.”

  “I’d assume he’s getting a boat.”

  “Yes. You understand we’re on an island?”

  “Yes, the whole water surrounding us thing made it obvious.”

  “You haven’t seen more than one shore.” She gave me an annoyed look over her shoulder.

  “True, but I figured it out, and we need to get to another island so a boat sounds reasonable. If you want to fly I have my own wings for that.” I’d never grown to like planes. I always felt stifled.

  “Fine, you’re right. We don’t have much time before we need to meet him.”

  “We need as much time as it takes to get Daisy. There’s no point meeting him without her.”

  “It’s going to be easier since you have wings.” She turned, and we moved into a less lush area of the jungle.

  Now that was a plan I could get behind. “My wings are part of your plan?”

  “Yes. Gabriel won’t be expecting an air attack since he will assume the shadow still has you.”

  “Good point.” I bent down and ran my hands over new footprints in the dirt. “We caught their trail.”

  “And you’re a tracker too.” She grinned.

  “I have many skills.”

  “Lucky Daisy.”

  I ignored the sexual innuendo in her statement. “Let’s go.”

  I took the lead, following the footprints. They veered north before zagging off in a strange direction. The trail wasn’t leading to any shore.

  “Water.” Violet explained. “He’s taking her to the stream.”

  “He’s concerned with getting her drinking water?” Somehow I doubted that.

  “Probably. Daisy can be mighty persuasive.”

  “To humans and some paranormals, not to Allures.”

  Violet shrugged. “You don’t know that for sure.”

  I sped up my pace. Knowing we were getting closer gave me new motivation.

  We were almost there. I could hear the flowing water. I released my wings and flew up to a tall tree. I didn’t wait to confer with Violet. We were close, and I wasn’t losing my chance.

  I flew quietly and scoured the landscape. Daisy was seated on a rock by the water. The Allure held her arm in a tight grip. I noticed Glendale hiding in the brush nearby.

  “I’ll be ready in a minute.” She looked up. She caught my eye and smiled for a split second before composing herself. She didn’t seem surprised to see me, and my heart soared. She’d known I’d find her eventually. Of course she didn’t realize Violet had saved me.

  “What? What did you see?” Gabriel looked up. I quickly moved lower behind a tree so I was out of his view.

  “Nothing,” she hurriedly replied. “I was just looking.”

  “You saw something.” Gabriel grabbed her and yanked her off the rock.

  Watching him handle her roughly was more than I could handle. I didn’t pause to think. I swooped down and pulled her from his hold as I knocked him to the ground.

  I flew back up to the tree so I could assess her. “Are you hurt?” We didn’t have much time, but I had to make sure she didn’t need medical attention.

  “No.” She rested her head on my chest. “Are you?”

  “I’m okay.” Other than a damaged ego, I was fine.

  “What
do we do about him?” She pointed down to where Gabriel was now talking to Violet and Glendale. She looked between the figures on the ground and me. “Violet? You found her?”

  “Actually she found me.” I wasn’t eager to relay how I’d had to be saved by an Allure.

  I listened to the argument below. Violet wagged a finger in Gabriel’s face. “How dare you. After all these years, you turned on me?”

  “It was a double bounty, Vi. What did you expect? You want the same thing.”

  She shook her head. “I want to help the girl. Stay out of my way.”

  “Not this time. I need this.” His eyes bore into hers. “I need it.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to find another way.”

  “No, you are.”

  “You think you’re going to stop me?” Violet put a hand on her hip.

  “Yes.”

  Glendale made a loud hiss, and the ground started to tremble. Within moments at least a dozen striped tigers moved out from deep in the jungle. The largest approached Gabriel and roared loud enough to shake the trees as the other tigers circled around.

  Gabriel groaned. “Really? Cats? Is that really your plan?”

  “Think you can fly one more?” Violet called up to me.

  “Yes.”

  “And a cat?” Glendale flicked his tail from side to side.

  “Yes.” I would do whatever it took. We had Daisy back, and as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had Violet to thank for that.

  “Violet, no. You can’t leave me here.” Gabriel gazed at the tigers surrounding him.

  “You’re clever. You’ll find a way out. Besides, they don’t like Allures. They won’t eat you.”

  I swooped back down and picked up Violet and the cat. Flying two people was new, as was flying a cat. I wouldn’t mention that part to the guys.

  “Glendale?” Daisy asked as I flew.

  “Yes?”

  “If you could summon giant cats, why didn’t you do that when they first arrived?”

  “I cannot summon them out of thin air. They live in this jungle.”

  “Do they talk, like you?” Daisy asked.

  “No.”

  “Fly to the north shore,” Violet directed.

  I tuned everyone out and focused on flying toward the shore.

  15

  Daisy

  Every few hours I reevaluated the term crazy. As soon I was accepting one situation I was hit with another. They changed so fast it was making me dizzy, but none of that mattered as Owen flew us away from the river. I was back with Owen, and somehow everything was going to be okay.

  He flew for miles, and I forced myself to keep my questions to myself. Owen was using all of his energy to fly us, and I wasn’t about to make things harder on him by flustering Violet or anything. Instead I focused on how lucky I was to get to spend a few more minutes with Owen. Selfish or not, I savored his touch and the feel of his body against mine.

  I closed my eyes, inhaling his scent and every single sensation. I wasn’t ready to give up, but even if I failed, I wouldn’t forget. I’d find a way to feel the love again. Not only for Owen, but for my family also.

  Finally he slowed and landed on the sandy beach. The beach was empty aside from a few sea birds walking along the water’s edge.

  Owen walked off a few feet, and I assumed it was because he didn’t want us to see how tired he was. I still couldn’t believe he’d carried Violet, me, and a cat so far. His wings were strong, but that had to have been pushing it.

  I gave him space and instead gazed out at the water. I noticed a large yacht in the distance.

  “That must be Hugh.” Violet waved even though I assumed Hugh was too far away to see.

  I’d barely talked to her yet, and I wasn’t sure what to say. Did I confront her about her motivation to glimpse memories with emotion and watch her response? It all had to tie back to that New Orleans ball. It had to. The logical side of me kept my mouth shut. Aside from seeing the Elders, I had no plan. If I confronted her she might not take me to them. Whether she was turning me in or not, I still needed to get there. I could figure out what to do next once we arrived.

  “I missed you.” Owen’s arms slid around my waist, and I leaned back into him.

  “I missed you too.”

  “Does that mean you won’t run off on me again?” he teased.

  His teasing was exactly what I needed. Things were so crazy that I needed to find some normalcy anywhere I could.

  “I’ll try not to, but did you see that Allure?” I teased him right back.

  “Did my heroic acts make you forget him?”

  “Yes.” I turned in his arms. “Thank you. I’m starting to lose count of how many times you’ve saved me.”

  “Doesn’t matter. As I always tell you, I’d do it anytime.”

  I watched as the boat pulled near the shore. “Our ride is here.”

  He leaned in. “Trust no one.”

  “I was going to tell you the same thing,” I whispered back.

  “We need to get to Mount Majest either way.”

  “Once again, I was going to say the same thing.” We were definitely on the same page.

  “Finally get free, bird?” Hugh called from the deck of the boat.

  “Hugh?” I spun around and looked up at him.

  “It’s me in the flesh. Miss me?” He smirked.

  “Not really, but thanks for getting the boat.” I looked at the nearly forty-foot wooden yacht.

  “No problem. Glad I could be of service, but I’m waiting for your usual question.”

  It took me a moment to follow his train of thought. “I was hoping you didn’t have to steal vehicles here.”

  “Not steal, borrow.”

  “Great.” Even in the Glamour Realm I couldn’t avoid feeling like a criminal.

  “Come aboard,” he called. “I promise you’re going to like it.”

  “It doesn’t really matter whether I like it or not. We need the ride.”

  “Testy, testy.” He grinned. “Need help getting on?”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Owen wrapped his arms around me and flew us over onto the deck.

  “Showing off?” Hugh rested his hand on the wheel.

  “More like saving Daisy the energy. She’s had a busy few days.”

  “So have you.” He smirked. “So tell me, did you get out on your own, or did Violet save you?” He spun the wheel and pushed the throttle forward. The engine roared to life.

  Owen shrugged. “Violet helped.”

  Hugh nodded. “I’m impressed you’ll admit it.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Owen kept his arms around me. “I have nothing to prove.”

  “Or so you say.”

  “Speaking of helping, want to help me?” Violet called up.

  “Go ahead.” I touched Owen’s arm. The sooner Violet got on, the sooner we could go.

  Owen flew down and picked her up. He landed next to us.

  Violet grinned. “Everyone ready to head to Energo?” She was annoyingly cheerful again, as if my entire fate wasn’t hanging in the balance.

  “How long is this trip going to take?” Owen led me over to the railing of the ship.

  “A few hours.” Violet tied her hair up into a ponytail. She managed to make it look perfect despite not having a brush or comb. I wondered if becoming an Allure would suddenly make my hair perfect. I pushed away the thought. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t going to happen. We were going to stop the change in time. “You two can sleep first if you want.”

  “Sleep? This trip is going to take long enough that we sleep in shifts?” I’d thought she said it was only a few hours.

  “Not in shifts, but enough time for you to get some rest.”

  I looked over at Owen. We needed some alone time. “I wouldn’t mind it.”

  “I agree Daisy needs rest, but why do you want her to have it?” Owen studied Violet. “How do we know you are really taking us to Energo?”

&n
bsp; “Either trust us and get some alone time or don’t.” Hugh shrugged. “What’s it going to be?”

  “We need alone time.” I tugged on Owen’s arm. Stupid or not, I wasn’t wasting another minute of the time we had left.

  16

  Owen

  The bedroom in the hull of the boat was small but luxurious. I locked the door behind us, even though Violet or Hugh walking in was the least of my worries.

  Daisy sighed and walked further into the room before stopping right in front of the double bed.

  “Promise you’re okay?” I ran my eyes up and down her body in search of any evidence of physical injury. I’d found one already. Her wrist was red from where Gabriel had gripped her too tight. He’d pay for it eventually, but at the moment I was just so relieved Daisy was okay.

  “I’m fine.” She ran her hand up my arm.

  “I’m sorry.” I finally said the words that had been spinning through my head since landing on the boat. Now that we’d found Daisy and the adrenaline had worn off, I was reminded of what happened at Violet’s house.

  “For?” She lifted her head up.

  I chose my words carefully. I didn’t want to sound like I was feeling sorry for myself, but I wanted her to understand I was going to make sure it never happened again. “Allowing my weakness to put you in danger.” I shouldn’t have been so confident. I’d had no idea what I was up against.

  “It’s my weakness that has us in this positon to begin with.”

  “Not your weakness. Your strength.” The fact that Daisy was able to handle the Allure essence was a testament to her strength. As was her ability to fight it from changing her completely.

  “What do you mean?” She sat down on the edge of the bed.

  I sat down next to her. “If you were weak you wouldn’t have taken to the Allure essence. It was your strength it was attracted to.”

  “But then my strength became my weakness.”

  “This conversation is getting too complicated.” I rubbed her back gently.

  “Then stop talking about being weak. You saved me, focus on that.”

  “I shouldn’t have let him take you to begin with.”

  “You had no choice. That thing had you.” She put a hand on my leg.