Allure (The Lilituria Prophecy Book 2)

by Grace White

  It wasn’t safe.

  If they knew where we were, I wasn’t the only one in harm’s way. My sisters and Heather were too.

  “Shh, breathe, breathe, Daiya. We are okay for a while.”

  My head pressed back against the pillow. “We are?”

  “The lines have been drawn, child.”

  More riddles? My head hurt enough without trying to work out her cryptic messages. A pained groan slipped from my mouth, and Demi said, “We should let her rest. We’ll be right here, Daiya. If you need anything, you only have to call, okay.” She leaned over me and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead, but I was already slipping back into unconsciousness.

  “… make her do it.”

  “We can’t make her do anything. Have you seen her? She’s weak, Devlin, and she’s determined not to feed.”

  “So? You had to drag me to the club after those fuckers attacked me, and I still managed.” The voices floated in through the crack underneath the door. I lay perfectly still, straining to listen. “I can bring someone back here; it’ll be easy. I can—”

  “Devlin, please.”

  “What the hell are we supposed to do? Just watch her wither and die? She’s our sister, Demi, our baby sister.” Devlin’s voice was ragged, laden with regret.

  “It’s her choice.”

  “This is messed up, and you know it. The old woman said …” Footsteps moved outside my room.

  “Shh, she’s sleeping. We can discuss it later.” The door creaked open, and I slammed my eyes shut. “Daiya, are you sleeping?”

  I didn’t reply.

  “Come on,” my eldest sister whispered. “Let’s leave her be.”

  Someone left the room, but I daren’t open my eyes to see who. I figured it was Devlin. She never could handle things like this. But then a voice said, “You have to get better. You have to do whatever it takes to get better, okay.” A hand swept across my forehead, and it took everything in me not to open my eyes and say something—anything—to Devlin. “This is who we are, Daiya. You can’t run from it forever.”

  A few seconds later, the door closed, and I was alone.

  My sister—my crazy, impulsive, hotheaded sister—had sounded so vulnerable, I felt it all the way down to my soul. Regardless of our differences, we were family. And blood was thicker than everything. But I couldn’t give her the answer she so desperately wanted. It was my choice to make. Even if it hurt them, even if they couldn’t understand, one day, when I was gone, they would hopefully realize that I couldn’t do it.

  Since awakening, my free will had been taken from me—not that it had been mine to begin with, not really. And then I’d learned of the prophecy, and my world spun again. But part of me had readily accepted that because I thought it was leading to me a better life—to a life I wanted with every fiber of my being. A life where I could love freely. Where I could live outside the shackles of the demon living inside me. Over the past few weeks, that dream had slipped further and further away until it was almost out of reach. But I’d clung on, tried to stay positive that what was supposed to be would come to pass, because it was my shot—my only shot—at the life I’d always wanted.

  And then standing under a glitterball, surrounded by girls in fancy dresses and guys in formal wear, it slipped through my fingers. Because my dream, the one I would have given everything for, wasn’t mine to fulfill.

  Kai held the power. Maybe he always had. Maybe that was the point. Mom had called me the key, but maybe all along, I’d been the lock. And Kai had chosen not to unlock me, closing the door forever on what could have been.

  Silent tears slipped down my face as the reality of my situation weighed heavily on my heart. My mind was made up, but it didn’t make what was to come any easier. But I would die knowing I’d made the decision.

  Not my lineage.

  Not an ancient prophecy.

  Not my sisters or Isaac or the Dei Venatores.

  Me.

  And no one could take that away from me.

  KAI

  “What do you want?” Demi glared at me with hatred I deserved.

  “I need to see her.”

  “No.” She began to close the door, but I slammed my hand against the wood. “Please. She needs me.”

  “Needs you. Are you kidding me? It’s because of you that she’s sick. And even after how you’ve treated her, she still refuses to feed from anyone else, and it’s killing her. You’re killing her.”

  Pain splintered through my chest. It hurt thinking about Daiya with another guy almost as much as it hurt thinking that I’d caused this. That by staying away, I’d made her sick. At that moment, I’d never hated my father so much. If it wasn’t for him … That wasn’t entirely fair, but Daiya was paying the price for decisions taken out her hands.

  Something flared in her sister’s eyes as they swept over me, and I knew what she was thinking. “You … you look well. I thought the bond weakened you too?”

  “It did,” I said. Only since my father showed up—since the hunter gene activated—I had been weak in an entirely different way.

  “Did?”

  “My father found a way to reverse it.”

  “How convenient,” she hissed.

  “I didn’t come here to fight, Demi. I came here to help Daiya.”

  “How? How can you possibly help her?”

  “I have it under control. I’m stronger.” I paused, uncomfortable with having this discussion with Daiya’s sister, but from the look in her eye, I wasn’t getting anywhere near Daiya unless I gave her something. “I’m strong enough now. She can take what she needs from me. I can make her better.”

  Demi’s mouth dropped open as the realization of what I was proposing sank in. “You’re crazier than I thought.”

  “It’s the only way.” She had to know that. Deep down, underneath her need to protect Daiya from me, she had to know this was the only way.

  “No. I won’t let you do this to her. She still believes in the prophecy. Believes that it’ll all work out but you abandoned her when she needed you most. What does that say about your love for her? Do you think that will test true in the eyes of God? Because I sure as hell don’t.”

  “Demi,” a weak voice said, and my eyes found Daiya, only she looked different—her once bright blond hair dull and her eyes lacking their usual sparkle. Demi rushed to her side, holding her up. I’d known she was sick—Poppy and Isaac had told me as much—but I hadn’t expected to see this. What had I done?

  “You should go,” Demi barked, a protective arm wrapped around her sister.

  “Demi, it’s okay,” she said.

  “Daiya, no. He can’t be trusted.”

  Daiya leaned in and whispered something to her sister and then patted her hand as she moved toward me slowly as if each step was exhausting. “What do you want, Kai?” She tugged her robe closer, her slight frame lost among the pale pink fluff.

  “I just want to talk.” I wanted so much more than that, but I didn’t want to scare her off or alienate Demi any more than I already had. And then there was the question of whether she’d still want this.

  Want me.

  After everything I’d put her through, I couldn’t blame her if she told me to get out and never come back.

  She glanced back at her sister and said, “Demi, give us some privacy?”

  Demi’s frown deepened, her steely gaze set right on me. I felt her distrust, her anger. And I got it, I did, but if there was even so much as a flicker of hope that Daiya would talk to me, I was taking it. “Daiya, I don’t think—”

  “Come on,” I said. Wrapping an arm around Daiya, I winced at how fragile she felt underneath my fingers. “Let’s get you back to bed.” I didn’t miss the apologetic look Daiya shot her sister or the flare of anger in Demi’s eyes, but I was here to help.

  We didn’t talk as I helped Daiya back to her room. The stairs had taken double the time given her steps were so small. She was weaker than I anticipated. It had only been days s
ince I’d last seen her at the dance when I’d held her close and whispered words she didn’t deserve. I’d had some pretty rough times in my life—my father walking out, moving to a new town where I didn’t know anyone, losing important games—but nothing compared to the pain I felt right now.

  Inside her room, I helped her out of her robe and into bed, pulling the covers up around her. Daiya sat upright, cushioned against a stack of pillows. “What do you want, Kai?”

  “To help,” I stated the obvious. “I know everything, Daiya. My father told me everything.” The prophecy, how we were connected. I’d known it already; I just didn’t understand it. But it didn’t matter—nothing mattered anymore except Daiya.

  Except this.

  She smiled sadly, and it tore my chest in two. “You broke my heart, Kai.”

  I dropped to my knees at the side of her bed and grasped her hand in mine. “I know, and I’m sorry. I am so, so sorry. It was too much to deal with, and he kept showing up and telling me things. I didn’t know what to believe, Daiya. He said I’d hurt you, that we’d hurt each other.”

  A single tear slipped down her face. And then another. Until a steady stream trickled silently down her cheeks. Daiya’s eyes shuttered, and I just kneeled there, watching her. Wondering how we’d ended up here. I loved her, for Christ’s sake. I loved her so much that sometimes I couldn’t breathe.

  I’d known the first time I ever laid eyes on her that she was going to bury herself deep. She was easy to fall for. Her innate goodness, her innocence, her unawareness of just how beautiful she was. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would have loved Daiya even if she was just a girl, and I was just a boy. Because it was her.

  Everything about her.

  “It doesn’t matter now. None of it matters.” The conviction in her voice terrified me. What did she mean it didn’t matter? Of course, it mattered.

  “Daiya, don’t say that.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and met mine. “Kai, I’m dying. Don’t you get it?

  I flinched back, her words like a fist the stomach. “D-dying?” No. She was sick. Weak because she needed to feed. But dying? I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t.

  She smiled sadly again, nodding her head in a small motion. “It was always inevitable. I think I knew it would happen one day. Being Lilituria isn’t something I ever wanted. I was always different from my sisters, always knew I wouldn’t be able to feed. I guess a part of me hoped that the prophecy was my shot at something normal. A loophole. But it wasn’t meant to be; I see that now.”

  Without realizing, I leaned over the bed, touching my head to hers. “You are not dying. I can’t lose you. I refuse to lose you.” I only just found you. We hadn’t had enough time. I could learn to accept who we were. What we were.

  “Kai.” Thin fingers slid to my cheek and palmed my face. “There’s nothing you can do.”

  “Feed from me,” I said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “W-what?” she stuttered, pressing her hand firmer and pushing me away from her until we were eye to eye. “What did you say?”

  “Feed from me. Take what you need.”

  “I can’t. I would never …”

  “Daiya, my love.” I covered her hand with my own. “This is supposed to happen. I realize that now. My father lied, Daiya; he kept something from us both.”

  Her mouth dropped open—she was rendered speechless—but the realization flashed in her eyes. “You’re strong enough to survive it?”

  “No. Maybe. We’re not sure—”

  Something else flashed across her face. “No, I won’t risk it. I won’t risk you, Kai. I’ve made my peace with this.” Her eyes closed again, blinking away the fresh stream of tears.

  “Daiya, look at me.” I placed my hand on her cheek. She felt cold underneath my fingers. “Daiya.” When her eyes finally opened, I said, “My father gave me something.” I held out my hand. Her hand slid down my arm, across my skin, until it landed on the amulet. “It’s beautiful.”

  It was so much more than that.

  “It’s powerful.”

  “What do you mean it’s powerful?”

  “It channels my energy, lets me control the hunter inside.” Maybe if Isaac had just given it to me in the first place, we wouldn’t be here now. “It will give me the strength I need to be who you need me to be.”

  Her eyes—the eyes I’d spent so many nights dreaming of—widened. “You mean …”

  “I’m yours, Daiya. Let me do this for you.”

  My offer hung in the space between us. The silence stretched on until I couldn’t wait anymore. “Daiya.” I brought my hands up to her face careful not to hurt her. “I love you. I never stopped. He played us; my father played us. He wanted to keep us apart, to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass. And I fell for it. I thought by walking away I was protecting you, but I can see now it’s only hurt you.”

  “Shh,” Daiya whispered. “None of that matters now. It doesn’t matter.”

  Why was she still talking like it was over, like there wasn’t hope?

  “Daiya, don’t you see? I can fix this. I can do this for you. I choose you. I will always choose you.” I leaned forward, touching my lips to hers. She had to feel it, my promise to fix this.

  I kissed her, pouring my regret, apologies, and shame into every graze of my lips against hers. But she didn’t respond. Daiya’s body remained still, the gentle rise and fall of her chest between us. I pressed another kiss to her lips before pulling away and meeting her weary gaze.

  “Daiya, please.” My voice cracked.

  And then I felt it. Her slim fingers curled into my sweater, tugging me closer. “Is this real?” she said so quietly I wasn’t sure it was meant for me.

  “It’s real.” I brushed her hair away, tucking it behind her ear. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere again. I promise.”

  “But I could still hurt you. I could—”

  “Shh.” I pried her fist away and brought her knuckles to my lips. “You won’t. Trust me.”

  “I’m scared, Kai.”

  “I know. I’m scared, too. But all that matters is that you get better. I can’t do this without you, okay?”

  Daiya nodded and whispered. “Kiss me.”

  DAIYA

  This couldn’t be real.

  But then Kai’s mouth sealed over mine, and I knew it was. He was here, and he was willing to risk himself.

  For me.

  “Kai, wait—” I pressed a hand to his solid chest, pushing gently. I needed to catch a breath, to process what he was offering me. “Are you sure? What if I can’t stop it?”

  Our connection was severed. Even now, as he pressed his upper body onto me, I didn’t feel it. And since waking to the concerned faces of my sisters, I felt different. The demon living inside me felt different. No longer was its focus on Kai; it was on survival. And it was unsettling.

  “Daiya,” he rasped, stroking his fingers across my brow and down my cheek. “Let me do this for you.” He kissed me again. Slow and unhurried, he traced the outline of my mouth with his own. A shiver worked its way through me, pooling into my stomach. Growing into something more.

  I flinched, expelling a pained breath, and Kai reared back. “Daiya, what is it?” Concern glistened in his eyes.

  “My stomach, it hurts.”

  His gaze slid down to the comforter. “Can I?”

  I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry. He shuffled back and gently pulled back the covers until my body was visible, my bare legs poking out underneath the oversized shirt my sisters and Heather had managed to dress in me after attending to my wound. His fingers moved the hem of the shirt, grazing my thigh. Our eyes locked, and for a second, neither of us moved. But then he started to inch up the material, his hooded gaze never leaving mine.

  Under normal circumstances, I would have felt shy, self-conscious, that I was lying there in just my underwear and a shirt, but the moment seemed too significant to care.

/>   “Can you remember it?” His eyes had left mine, staring hard at the dressing covering the four-inch cut.

  “Not really. They think it was the Dei Venatores. It makes sense, I guess.”

  Kai’s whole body stiffened as his gaze slid over to me. “I’ll never let them touch you again, ever. I promise.” His head dropped. “This is all my fault.”

  “Don’t. Don’t do that. We both made choices we regret. All that matters is that you’re here now.” Even if it didn’t work, even if I couldn’t be saved, I’d know that he came for me. That, in the end, he chose me, and it would be enough.

  Kai’s fingers absently traced the edge of the dressing, barely touching my skin, and then he recovered my legs. “Can you move?” he asked, his voice unsure.

  I nodded and shuffled in small movements to one side of the bed. Kai stood and kicked off his shoes before laying down beside me. I rolled onto to my side as much as I could manage to face him.

  Silence filled the space between us. Heavy and laced with questions neither of us were brave enough to ask. But then he said, “I trust you. Take what you need; I’ll be fine.”

  This time, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. He tasted like peppermint and fresh air. Kai closed the space between us, careful not to touch my injury. One hand stayed firmly between us while he ran the other up my arm and across my shoulder blades. His touch incited a shiver again, stirring things I’d fought so hard to keep locked away.

  “You are so beautiful, Daiya.” His warm breath feathered against my skin. So much was still left unsaid between us, but I didn’t know where to start. I couldn’t think when he was looking at me like that, and I had a rainbow of emotions rushing through me.

  Kai sat up and slipped his t-shirt over his head, my eyes raking over his sculpted torso; the hours of physical training evident. “Is this okay?” he asked as he lay back down beside me. I nodded unable to take my eyes off him.

  He laughed, smooth as silk, and I beamed at him. God, I’d missed that sound.