Deceived by the Shifter

by Juniper Hart

  “Daisy? Sweetheart, what are you doing out in the middle of the night? Is everything okay?” Cassandra croaked to her daughter, motioning for her to come into the house.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she said, walking in and beelining for the living room. Her mother’s home was spacious, but cluttered because it was filled with collections and trinkets. Cassie never seemed to collect any one thing in particular, having a wide range of different niche items. Bird houses, metal art made from car parts, vintage teapots—the home was a museum that should be named Things That Caught Cassie’s Eye. Almost every wall was adorned with a picture from Daisy’s youth. The house always made her feel at home.

  “So, you walked here in the middle of the night?” her mother asked, criticism hinting in her tone.

  “No, I took a taxi. I needed to ask you about something,” Daisy explained as she plopped down on her mother’s couch.

  “Hold on, let me put on some coffee,” Cassie grumbled, shuffling into the kitchen.

  Daisy rubbed her own tired eyes, realizing then just how little she had slept the past couple nights. After a few minutes, her mother moved back to the living room with two cups of creamy, sugar-laden coffee. Cassie sat next to her daughter and handed her a cup.

  They each took a few revitalizing sips before Cassie finally spoke, “All right, so what is it you need to ask me?”

  Daisy stared down into her mug, trying to work up the nerve to ask about her father. Her mother had always been short and dismissive when the topic came up.

  She let out a full exhale before getting the courage to look at her mother. “I… I want to know more about my dad. Is there anything else you know about him that you haven’t told me?”

  Cassandra’s face immediately fell flat as he pinched the bridge of her nose. “You came here in the middle of the night to ask about your father?”

  “I know, I know. I’m sorry, but it’s important. I need to know if there’s anything else you know about him that you never told me.”

  “Daisy Ophelia!” her mother exclaimed in a frustrated tone, calling her by her middle name. “I’ve told you every time you’ve asked; I didn’t know much about him either. I was young and dumb and was just having fun with him because I thought he was hot. He hung around for the checkups and then left the night you were born. I haven’t seen him in twenty-two years.”

  “Mom,” Daisy groaned. “I’m not asking you to get on your nerves, and I’m not saying you’re hiding anything from me. Please just let me know if you can recall anything about him other than gray eyes and curly black hair.”

  Cassandra placed her forehead in her hand, groaning as she tried to keep her cool. “I don’t know, sweetheart… He liked psychedelic rock like I did and always talked about climate change. Forrest was very quiet and calm for the most part, though. I always suspected he lied to me about his name. He loved nature and being outdoors, and his name reflected that. I’m pretty sure his love for nature is why he insisted on naming you Daisy.”

  Daisy felt a little defeated, having known all that information before.

  “Oh,” her mother said suddenly, looking off into the distance deep in thought, “And he had these dreadful blue tribal tattoos everywhere. Really, I don’t know how I got past that. Tribal tattoos were big in the early nineties, though. It seemed like every guy had at least some tribal ink. Your father was on another level, though. Apparently very dedicated to the style. And he got so mad the couple of times I tried to tease him about them.”

  Her blue-gray eyes were near perfect circles as they were wide with shock. Nyle’s words about Elementals having tribal markings rung through her head. She felt like she could faint again. So, it was even more realistic that her father was an Elemental Dragon?

  “You never mentioned the tattoos before,” Daisy muttered weakly.

  “Probably because I tried to cleanse them from my memory,” her mother tried to joke before she glanced up to her daughter, her face falling. “Daisy, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Daisy lied. “Yes, I’m okay. You know, I just remembered I have to be at the office at six. I have to get going so I can get ready.”

  It was Saturday, and she didn’t have to work. She stood quickly, putting her coffee down on the table. “I’m sorry I woke you up for nothing.”

  “Hey, hey, settle down. Hang out while you wait for a ride. And don’t worry about waking me up. It’s nice to see my daughter every once in a while, even at four in the morning,” her mother tried to soothe with a chuckle, pulling her daughter in for a big hug.

  Daisy gave into her mother’s embrace. She’d forgotten how comfortable she felt in her mother’s arms. When she pulled back from the hug, Daisy sat back down and sighed deeply, trying to pull herself together. She called a taxi.

  “Where did you get this outfit, by the way? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in it. It’s so cute on you,” her mother gushed.

  It relieved Daisy to hear such a normal question; the last couple of days had really tested her sanity. Then Daisy realized she hadn’t told her mother about Nyle.

  “A guy I’ve been seeing bought it for me,” she said meekly.

  “A guy you’ve been seeing?” Cassie gasped. “You woke me up in the middle of the night. The least you could have done was tell me that there’s a new man in your life!” she teased her daughter. “Now, you know I have to hear all the details before you leave.”

  Daisy went on to tell her mother everything she could about Nyle. About the way she felt when she first met him, how well he treated her, and how gentle he was, and how attentive he acted towards her. The entire time she spoke, she was a blushing mess. She must have sounded like a schoolgirl or something, as there was no logical explanation for having such strong feelings for someone so quickly. However, when Daisy finished talking, her mother was smiling ear to ear.

  “You know, the old me would have criticized you for being so involved with this man right away, but I haven’t seen you smile this big in a long time. He’s clearly making you happy. So, I’m not going to question it. Though of course, you’ll have to bring him by one day so I can do my interrogation,” her mother laughed.

  “Of course,” Daisy smiled. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, drawing it out to see that her car had arrived. Twenty minutes had gone by already?

  The two women stood and embraced yet again, giving one another cheek kisses and promising to visit each other soon. Daisy walked out of the house, her mind settled a bit after such a warm conversation with her mother—though the thought of her biological father being an Elemental Dragon hadn’t left her mind entirely. She made her way to the taxi and climbed in the back. She gave a heavy sigh and relaxed into her seat. Luckily it was only a twenty-five-minute ride to Nyle’s, and then she could get back into bed with him and sleep.

  Daisy didn’t make it more than a block down the road before her head leaned against the window with her eyes fluttering closed. She felt the car slow down as it came to a stop sign to get out of her mother’s suburban neighborhood. As the driver pulled out onto the next road, she heard the sound of an engine speeding nearby.

  Her eyes looked up to see a black SUV closing in on them, going full speed. “Oh my—!” she began to screech.

  SLAM.

  She was deafened by the sound of crushing metal and squealing tires as the taxi was pushed into a nearby tree. The SUV had collided with the opposite side of Daisy, but the car hit the tree between the driver’s side doors, the frame of the car crushed inward. Metal from the door and the floorboard left Daisy trapped in place, but luckily nothing felt broken. The left side of her forehead and her arm were cut and scratched by the glass from her broken window. Her vision was blurred and doubled, from tears and hitting her head against the window when the two cars collided.

  Daisy was thankful to be alive and conscious, though, knowing that if the car had hit her side, she’d probably be dead. Her first thoughts were on the driver, looking over to him. He looke
d unconscious; his head lay against his headrest with a large gash in it. Daisy managed to unfasten her seatbelt, the thing nearly cutting into her it was so tight. She sat up and tapped his shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Then, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking out the shattered windows, Daisy watched as two tall, dark-haired men get out of the black SUV and slowly stalked toward the car. Her blood ran cold. Could they be Elementals? No; she was just letting her mind run wild.

  Another car pulled up to the scene, an antique car in pristine condition, waxed and polished. The men stopped in their tracks. She watched as a woman with short ash-blonde hair emerged from the driver seat of the car, a cigarette between her lips. Mylora. It had to be her. Daisy’s eyes widened, desperately trying to reach her purse that had fallen to the other side of the backseat. With her leg pinned in place, though, she couldn’t quite reach it. Damn it!

  Her attention went back to the driver, tapping him rapidly on the shoulder, “Mister? Can you hear me? Are you awake?” she asked him frantically, continuing to shake his shoulder.

  The man grunted, indicating he was alive, but he didn’t answer. Daisy’s eyes went back out the window. Mylora walked directly toward the car.

  “Please, please, please wake up,” she begged the man.

  “Good morning, honey,” Mylora cooed to Daisy when she poked her head through the busted window. “Sorry about all this. It must make me seem like a colossal bitch, huh?”

  The woman gave a cackle of a laugh, withdrawing herself from the window. Daisy watched as Mylora grabbed the door handle and pulled. The door was caved in, and it looked like it needed the jaws of life to open it. But in just one strong tug, Mylora managed to get the door open. The metal screeched as it scraped against the other bent metal to get free.

  How was she so strong? Were all dragons that strong?

  “Ah, right here. I don’t even have to dig for it,” Mylora grinned, grabbing Daisy’s purse, along with the items that had fallen from the bag. “Don’t worry, these fellas will get you out and keep you real safe.”

  Daisy’s eyes went back to the men as Mylora walked away. The men pried Daisy’s door off with minimal effort. To her, their silver eyes were ominous, reminding her of a snake. The two men didn’t say a word to her. Instead, they moved to effortlessly bend the metal that was trapping her leg. As soon as the metal trapping her was removed, she pulled her leg from it and kicked the man closest to her in the face before quickly trying to climb to the other side of the car. A ferocious growl sounded from him, and the man quickly seized her leg before she could get too far. In a single pull, Daisy was dragged from the car, tiny pieces of glass scraping and digging into her skin as she was raked across the seat. The man threw her onto the grass on the side of the road, pinning his knee into the center of her back. Daisy tried to scream for help, but as she lifted her head to scream, the other man slid a black bag over her face that was soaked with chloroform. The smell was sweet and pungent, and Daisy gagged as she inhaled it with every breath. She struggled against their hold, but she could feel her consciousness beginning to slip. Her efforts were futile.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Nyle rose from bed, scratching his tired head as he yawned. He wondered idly where Daisy had gone as her spot on the bed was empty. Maybe she had gone down to the kitchen to make herself something to eat or to brew a pot of coffee. Not bothering with boxers, Nyle threw on a pair of joggers and headed downstairs. His tired eyes shifted around the open space, not seeing her anywhere. Maybe she had gone out to get breakfast? Moving into the kitchen, he fixed a pot of coffee and hit brew before leaning against the counter to wait for it to brew. It was then he spotted a piece of paper sitting on the middle of the island. Stepping over, he picked the note up.

  Call me.

  xoxo, Daisy

  His stomach twisted at the simple and blunt note. Why did she leave a note for him to call her, instead of just talking to him before she left? What if last night had been too much for her? His heart ached at the thought, hurrying over to the coffee table to get his cell phone. With nervous, shaking hands, Nyle found her contact in his phone and called.

  As soon as the line picked up, Nyle asked in a panic, “Hello? Daisy? What’s going on? Where are you?”

  “Hello, my prince,” a low female voice responded.

  Nyle’s blood ran cold. “Where the hell is she, Mylora?” he snarled.

  “I told you that you had until morning.”

  Panic sieged his chest, his breathing becoming ragged. “You didn’t even give me a chance to give you an answer! I thought you meant you would be by in the morning, not that you would be by to kidnap my girlfriend.”

  “Oh, she’s your girlfriend? My, Nylyrias, I never took you for a guy that conformed to labels. And I didn’t kidnap her from your apartment. She was out on the other side of town when I picked her up. Maybe you don’t know her as well as you thought,” Mylora chuckled.

  Worry overtook Nyle’s senses. The other side of town? What had Daisy been doing out over there?

  “I figured you were trying to worm your way out of my ultimatum, so I wanted to be sure you followed through with making a decision.”

  “I swear, Mylora, if you hurt her…”

  “She’s a little banged up, but she’ll be just fine once you give me an answer.” She paused. “Well, that’s not entirely true. It depends on your answer.”

  Nyle roared loudly out of frustration. What could he do? “Fine. You win, Mylora. We’ll get married. You happy now?”

  “You think I’m that gullible?” she scoffed. “I want you to take me to meet your parents. Introduce me as your fiancée. And don’t think of trying anything sly. I’m meant to check in with the people who have her every ten minutes. If I don’t check in, then… well…” Mylora let the statement drift off with a sinister giggle.

  “Understood,” Nyle grumbled. “Meet me at my apartment in fifteen—”

  The sound of the door opening startled him. Mylora walked in with the keys dangling from one hand and Daisy’s phone in the other. His eyes darkened, and he hung up the call.

  “Sorry, I had to let myself in earlier. The walking pig had your keys. Did you know that? It’s lucky for me that she left me a little handwriting sample.” Mylora flashed him the company card that Daisy had left on her pillow with a note before carelessly tossing it away. Mylora hoisted herself up onto the island. “This is going to be great. You’ll see. We’ll make the perfect couple.”

  Nyle was fuming, but he tried to keep it bottled up, not wanting to lash out and risk Daisy’s wellbeing.

  “Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

  “I have all the time in the world,” Mylora answered.

  Turning on his heel, Nyle walked back up to his bedroom. As soon as the door shut behind him, his chest began to heave with anxiety. Poor Daisy… His mind was plagued with horrendous thoughts as he wondered what she had been through and where they were keeping her. Nyle had no idea how he was going to get Daisy and himself out of this situation, but he would have to stay alert and think on his feet.

  Nyle took a quick shower and tried to think of a way out of the mess, but he didn’t know what to do. He got dressed in a navy suit with a plum tie and matching pocket square. He simply ran his fingers through his hair, put on his watch, and moved downstairs. He wanted to move quickly, anxiety nipping at his heels. At the forefront of his mind was Daisy’s safety. He wanted her back.

  “All right, let’s get going,” he said flatly, buttoning the top button of his suit jacket.

  Mylora offered a wicked smile on her lips as she sashayed her way to the door. Nyle couldn’t help but roll his eyes as her back was to him. She was so over the top, trying to ooze sex appeal in hopes of it making up for her lack of personality. Even if he hadn’t met Daisy, Nyle would have only been interested in Mylora for a night and nothing more. The woman wasn’t his type in the slightest. Then again, his judgment was cloud
ed with Daisy. She was nothing short of perfection to him.

  Nyle and Mylora made the silent trip down to his private garage. Mylora’s car was in one of the guest spots. It was a gorgeous vintage car from the sixties with a powder blue and cream paint job. Nyle hoped that if he got out of his current situation, that he’d get to smash the hell out of it just to spite her.

  Nyle insisted on driving his own car and then forced himself to be a gentleman and open the door for her. He hoped that if he played nice long enough, she would drop her guard. Once she stepped inside, he rounded the car and hopped in. The tires squealed as he left the garage, pulling out onto the street with little caution.

  “Are you trying to kill all three of us?” Mylora questioned, referring to Daisy as well.

  Twitching with anger, Nyle slowed down to the speed limit. The car ride to the palace was going to take forever going the speed limit, but he played by her rules, obeying all the traffic laws. The car ride was mostly silent as Nyle had nothing to say. As he drove, he noticed Mylora texting on her phone every once and a while. Every ten minutes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed on her screen that she was typing a text to someone that was labeled as ‘Unknown’. But before he could see what she was trying to text, Mylora turned her phone away from his view.

  “Excuse you,” she snapped.

  Nyle looked back to the road. After a moment, he looked back over to see her deleting whatever it was she just sent. She certainly was trying to cover all her tracks. He assumed they were using a secret phrase as well for checking in, so that they would know for sure it was her. It was smart, but it wasn’t foolproof. From then on, every time she got her cell phone out he tried to sneak a peek at her screen, but she caught onto his game and became extremely cautious.

  In a little over an hour, they finally pulled up to the palace. As he put the car in park, Mylora’s hand was over his on the gear shift.