Lust (9 page)

strong. “I’ll be right here.”

“Come on, hun.” Mayanne put a

hand on Daisy’s back and led her

toward the doorway.

I had to fight the urge to follow.

As soon as they disappeared I

turned back to Violet. “What is

really going on?”

“We already told you. We’re

here to help.” Violet rolled her eyes.

“But why?” I pressed. “Why are

you helping?”

“Because I like Daisy.”

“But you can’t even feel. You

can’t actually care.”

“I’m not heartless.” Violet

sighed. “I may not be able to feel

true emotion, but that doesn’t

mean I can’t feel others’. There’s an

intensity in Daisy.” She looked off.

“Her love for Owen is strong.”

Georgina smiled warmly. “It’s

strong enough that it got your

attention.”

“It’s what’s keeping her fighting

the change, isn’t it?” Violet turned

to Georgina. “Otherwise she’d have

given in.”

Georgina nodded. “I’m sure

there is more at work. She loves

her family I have no doubt, but her

feelings for Owen are intense,

maybe part of that originated from

the way they met or the magic she

was exposed to, but it doesn’t

matter now. Her heart is what it is.”

“That kind of love is rare.” Hugh

rocked back on his heels. “It’s hard

not to play with it.”

Violet glared at him. “You will

not make things any harder than

they already are for her. No one

will.”

Hugh scrunched up his face. “It’s

almost pathetic.”

My hands balled into fists. “Shut

up.”

“You’re lucky we left Roland

behind.” Hugh grinned. “You’d be

even more annoyed at him.”

“Where is he?” I had to ask.

“I guess leaving him behind is

making it sound nicer than it was.”

Hugh stuffed his hands in his

pockets.

“Meaning?” Levi asked. He’d

been unusually quiet.

“Meaning we had to use force.

He’s drawn to her, but we couldn’t

have him getting in the way.”

“You used force against your

own?” Levi seemed surprised. Very

little surprised him.

“As if you should talk? You have

imprisoned Pterons before.”

“Not my friends.”

“Maybe not your social friends,

but friends of The Society.”

“You have him imprisoned?” I

asked. “That seems extreme even

for you.”

“Not imprisoned so much as

distracted.”

“What does that mean?” Levi

stepped toward them.

“Why so curious?” Violet asked.

“Looking for new ways to control

your people?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Violet crossed her arms.

“Got it. You want to know how to

subdue an Allure. Now that we’re

back, you’re worried.”

“We’re not worried.” He

straightened out. Violet had him

ruffled.

“You are. You don’t know what

to do now that older, stronger

creatures are in your midst.”

“He is not worried.” Georgina

stepped between her grandson and

the Allures. “The King of The

Society does not fear others. He is

only doing his job. Protecting his

people.”

“I like you.” Violet studied

Georgina. “Why aren’t you in

charge?”

“Because she’s human,” Hugh

said matter-of-factly. “A human

would never be put in charge of the

Society.”

“Our mates still play a major

role in our decision making. That

has been the case since the

Laurents have been in power.”

Georgina held her chin up.

Violet seemed pensive. “I like

you better than your predecessors.”

“My dad?” Levi asked.

“No, the family before.”

“You were really around for

that?” Georgina seemed to be

looking at Violet with new eyes.

“Yes. We live long lives.” Violet’s

face fell into a wistful expression.

“There are good parts and bad

parts about that gift.”

I thought about what Myrtle had

said. How Violet had searched for

the guy and then disappeared. How

did that all tie in? I sensed there

was a significance we needed to

understand.

“But you call it a gift, so that

already speaks for a lot.” Georgina

walked toward a sitting room and

set down her purse. The rest of us

followed.

“It is a gift, but even the best

gifts come with strings.”

“You were in love.” Georgina

reached out and touched Violet’s

hand. “That’s why you understand

Daisy.” Georgina turned to me.

“Absent of true feeling or not, this

one still has a heart.”

“Then Daisy might too. Even if

we fail…” Levi started.

Violet shook her head. “It’s not

the same. She won’t be able to give

him what he needs, and he what

she needs. It would never be love.

And it would take her years to even

remember why she cared so much.”

Georgina took Violet’s hands in

hers. “I’m sure he was a good

man.”

Levi and I exchanged looks.

Georgina had softened over the

past few years, but this was

extreme for her. This had to tie into

Myrtle’s story.

“I barely remember why I loved

him, but I know I did.”

“How old are you?” Levi asked.

“Leviathan Laurent.” Georgina

scowled. “You were raised better

than to ever ask a woman her age.”

“I don’t think that rule applies

for an Allure.”

“I’m old. Older than anyone

you’ve ever met.”

“Older than me.” Hugh laughed.

“Age stops having meaning after

a while.” She turned to me.

“Everything does.”

“Mayanne is going to find a way

to delay the change.”

“She will. We discussed it before

you arrived.” Violet spoke calmly.

“What? What did you discuss?” I

needed to know everything.

Violet sighed. “Calm down. If

you want to help Daisy, you are

going to have to learn to trust me.”

“How can I trust someone who

doesn’t feel?”

“Don’t let Daisy hear that,”

Hugh took a seat on a couch. “She’s

already starting to change. My

guess is that would insult her.”

“Everything will insult her right

now.” I slumped down in a chair. “I

don’t know what to do. I just wish I

could make it all go away.”

“There will be nothing ‘just’

about it. Even if Mayanne is

successful in delaying the change,

it’s still going to be a difficult

journey.”

“Journey? What is with all this

journey talk?” I needed to know

more.

“You don’t know yet?” Violet

turned to Georgina. “You feel

confident, determined. I assumed

that meant you knew.”

“I know the place isn’t of this

world.” Georgina took a seat on a

chair across from me.

“No. It’s not.”

“Where is Energo?” Levi asked.

“Be frank with me.”

“Your matriarch is correct. It’s of

another world, but it’s not Energo

you need to find.”

“Then what is?” I was tired of

the games, the never ending

circles.

“It’s Mount Majest. The palace

at the top of the highest mountain

in all of the worlds. You can only

get there through Energo though.”

“I take it you know where to

go?” Levi asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Tell us.” I didn’t bother with

being polite. They’d worn out any

politeness I had in me.

“No.” She shook her head.

“Tell us.” I repeated.

She shook her head. “No. I will

show you though.”

“No. You are not coming.” I

didn’t trust the Allures. They had

too many of their own motives, and

we knew almost nothing about

them.

“The creatures you need to talk

to will not give you an audience.”

“Then what’s the point of

going?”

“They will however give me

one.”

“Who are these creatures

anyway?”

“The Elders.” Violet tossed her

dark hair off her shoulder.

“They are as close to the gods

as…” Georgina trailed off.

“They do say we descend from

the gods don’t they?” Violet gazed

off into the distance.

“And you think they will help?”

“No. I doubt they will.”

I froze. “Then I ask again, why

bother seeing them?”

“Because they are your only

hope.”

8

DAISY

Mayanne led me into the same

room I’d slept in the last time I’d

been in Mayanne’s house. This time

was different. I wasn’t begging

Owen to stay with me—for him to

kiss me. But the memory was there.

That first kiss, the first taste of the

man who would get under my skin

in a way that no one else ever had

or ever would.

“Why don’t you lie down?” She

gestured to the bed that held so

many memories it made my chest

clench. Whether I wanted to admit

it or not, I was changing. Intense

emotions were becoming harder

and harder to handle.

“Still don’t believe you were

destined for him?” Mayanne asked

as she laid out several vials and a

glass flask on the bedside table.

“I believe he’s the most amazing

man I’ve ever met.”

“But you doubt destiny?”

“With everything looming over

us, the only thing that seems

destined is that we’ll both get hurt.”

“Stay confident. You will need

it.”

“That word has been thrown

around a lot in the past few days.”

“Because it’s an important one.”

Mayanne smiled lightly.

“It’s hard to feel that way right

now.” I ran my hand over the soft

bedspread.

“You are still in control of your

emotions. Don’t forget that.”

“Sometimes I am. Sometimes

I’m not. I’ve had enough angry

bursts and mood swings lately to

prove it.” I’d also manipulated a

man again, and from Owen’s

reaction and the waiter’s, I’d done it

well.

“Then try harder to control

them.”

“You make it sound easy.”

She laughed. “What in life is

easy?”

“Not much apparently.”

“Exactly. It all takes hard work,

at least at times.”

“Do you really think this is going

to work?”

“Confidence, Daisy. Confidence.”

“Oh no.” I groaned.

“What?”

“Is this one of those things that

is all in my head? Like it’s not going

to do anything except push me to

fight against the change harder?”

I’d read a lot about placebo sugar

pills and things like that.

“Fighting it will help, but this

should make the fight easier.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called a slug. It might make

you sick, but it will also make the

essence weaker.”

“Great. I’m hoping it’s called a

slug because it slows things down

and not because it’s gross.”

“It’s both actually, and I can tell

you don’t want to be sick or weaken

the Allure essence.”

“I want to weaken it, but I

don’t.” I was attached to the new

side of me though, even if it

terrified me.

“It’s already become a part of

you.”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m still

human.”

“You are human, mostly.”

“I’m human.” I was confident

about that. Aside from my ridiculous

mood swings, I was still me,

bumbling along toward some sort of

solution.

“Still don’t trust me?”

“I trust you enough to let you do

whatever it is you are going to do.”

“I was right about Owen coming

around.”

“After I searched for him for

years.”

“But he came around, didn’t he?

I thought he was going to lose it

when you told him to wait in the

other room.”

“He’s protective, in a surprisingly

nice way.”

She rested her hand next to me.

“Why surprisingly?”

“I don’t usually go for those kind

of guys. I mean, yeah, I loved that

he saved me, but I don’t need to be

the damsel in distress again, you

know?”

“I do. Drink this.” She handed

me a clear glass filled with a

strange blue liquid that gave off a

mist of smoke.

“What is it?” The blue color was

one thing, but the smoke? Was it

really safe to drink?

“It’s strong. As I warned you, it

will likely make you sick and you’ll

feel tired.”

“You probably should have

waited until after I finished the

drink to remind me of those side

effects.”

She shrugged. “You deserve to

know what’s happening to you.”

“I wish I did…”

“Violet has a plan. I know you’re

wary of her, and you have good

reason, but I’d trust her.”

“You think she’s trustworthy?”

“Trustworthy enough, and she’s

your only option. Besides, if the

change truly happens she’s going to