Lust (20 page)

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?”

“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.

“I had no idea that Shadows

even existed. It’s a crazy species.”

I’d never seen anything like it. I

would tell Levi all about it as soon

as I saw him. The Shadows could

be a real threat to The Society. We

needed to develop a defense

against them.

“Isn’t it hard to believe all this

exists,” she spread out her arms,

“and no one in our world even

knows it?”

“I guess it’s similar to how most

humans don’t know that paranormal

creatures exist either.” Even Daisy

didn’t know about us a few years

before.

“When this is over I want to go

away somewhere where we can

forget about everything but humans

and Pterons.” She smiled.

I pulled her close. “We can go

anywhere and everywhere you

want.” I would go anywhere she

wanted. I’d never been much of a

traveler, but with Daisy any place

would be exciting.

“Do you like the beach?”

“The beach?” I thought about

the beach we’d just been on. I

probably would have found it

beautiful under different

circumstances.

“Yeah. We’ve never talked about

stuff like that.”

“We do have a lot more to talk

about.” Tons. There was so much

more I needed to learn about her,

and I couldn’t wait to have the

chance.

“Is it strange?”

“Is what strange?” I ran my

hands through her hair.

“How strong our feelings are for

each other considering how little we

know of one another?”

“No, because that’s not how love

works. It’s not about the details, it’s

the big picture and the feeling.”

“Have you ever been in love?

Before now?” She crawled onto my

lap straddling me.

I rested my hands on her hips. “I

thought I was once, but I wasn’t.”

“How did you figure out you

were wrong?” She shifted on my

lap, moving her chest even closer to

mine.

“When it ended. She hurt me,

there was no question about that,

but it wasn’t because I loved her.

What about you? Have you been in

love?”

“Before you?” She shook her

head. “Never.”

“Good.” I smiled.

“Glad to be my first love?”

“Glad to be your first, your last,

and your only.” I brushed my lips

against hers.

“That line has several meanings,

you know.”

“Everlasting.”

“That’s better.” She ran her

hand up and down my bare chest. I

wasn’t sure where I was going to

find another shirt, but at the

moment I didn’t care.

“I agree.” I left tiny kisses up

and down her neck.

She moaned, and it urged me

on.

“I know we’re going to fix this,

but I don’t want to waste a

minute.” She moved back and

pulled off her t-shirt.

“We should never waste a

minute.” I reached around and

unclasped her bra. I tossed the bra

and immediately claimed her

breasts with my hand and my

mouth. She rewarded me with a

moan and she wriggled on my lap.

She unbuttoned my pants and

took me in her hand. I groaned, and

bit down lightly on her nipple.

“I need you,” she breathed

against my neck.

“No rushing this.” I unbuttoned

her jeans.

She moved off my lap and slid

her jeans off.

Before she could follow with her

panties, I took care of them myself

as I stepped out of my own pants

and boxers.

“I could stare at your naked

body for hours.” My eyes moved

over every inch of her.

“You could do a lot more than

stare.”

“Oh yeah?” I closed the space

between us, returning my mouth to

her breast as my hand slid down

between our bodies.

“I will never get enough of your

touch.”

“That’s a good thing, because

you’re always going to get it.” I

moved my hand between her legs,

slipping one finger inside of her.

She moaned and took me in her

hand again. Her touch was strong

yet gentle, and I couldn’t get

enough of it.

She thrust her body against

mine, and I slid in another finger.

She gasped. We were both

struggling to stay standing, but

neither of us were eager to change

that yet.

“Owen,” She moaned my name,

and I couldn’t take it anymore. I

lifted her up and laid her down on

the bed.

I moved beside her and left

kisses up and down her entire body

while she watched me with wide

eyes. “I am going to worship every

inch of you.”

Her eyes met mine. “It’s all

yours.”

“Forever?”

“Forever.” She reached up and

pulled my head down to hers. Her

lips crushed into mine, and I

responded immediately. I needed

more of her taste.

I moved over her while

continuing the kiss. My tongue

tangled with hers as I thrust inside

of her, returning to my favorite

place. She opened up to me, as I

continued to move in and out until

my entire length was inside.

She raked her nails down my

back, and I continued to kiss her,

loving the combination of being

inside her body and mouth. She

moaned against my mouth, urging

me on. I sped things up, making it

harder and faster. She wrapped her

legs around me, and I pulled her

closer.

“Owen,” She moaned. She was

getting close, but close wasn’t good

enough. Her breathing picked up

and she panted. “Owen.”

I held myself back until she was

going over the edge, and then I

shuddered as I reached my own

release. I relaxed, remaining inside

of her.

“Don’t move,” she ordered.

I kissed her lips gently. “If it

were up to me I never would.”

“I love the feeling of you pulsing

inside of me.”

“That makes two of us.”

She bit down on my lip, and I

groaned before returning the

gesture.

“And I still want you.”

“Now?”

She nodded.

I moved my mouth to her

breast. I’d never done foreplay

while still inside a girl post sex. It

was such a crazy backwards thing,

but it worked. Too well. I was hard

again within moments.

She grinned. “Now that’s a great

sensation.”

I laughed. “Was that your plan

all along?”

“Maybe,” she smiled coyly.

“Well, it worked.” I ran my lips

down her neck while I prepared to

start all over again.

17

DAISY

“ We’re crazy.”

“Why would you say that?”

“We’re on a boat going who

knows where, driven by Allures who

may or may not be on our side, yet

we’re down here naked.” I ran my

hand down his bare chest to

emphasize my point, and because

he was too irresistible not to touch.

“Yes, we are naked, aren’t we?”

He pulled me on top of him.

I giggled. He was the only man

to ever make me giggle. “That

wasn’t a cue that we should have