Seduction's Kiss (The Allure Chronicles) (8 page)

A loud commotion woke
me up. Before I could comprehend what was going on, the pain hit
me. Every inch of my body hurt, and stiffness like I’d never
experienced made it impossible to lift my head. I gave up trying
once I realized it only made the pain worse.

The sounds around me
grew even louder. A mix of shrieks, breaking glass, and grunts had
me fighting with my eyelids to get them open, but it was no use. I
was too weak.

“Help me get her
untied,” a male voice hissed.

I struggled once again
to open my eyes, but I couldn’t.

“I’m doing it,” another
man replied, “She’s the last one. We’re fine.”

The first voice sighed.
“But she’s lost a lot of blood. The others haven’t.” I felt the
gentle touch of someone sweeping me up into their arms. “We need to
get her help.”

“Then get her to help.
I’ll stay around to take care of things here.” The second voice was
gruff and held none of the concern the first one did.

“If I hadn’t seen that
vampire she’d been with we’d have been too late.”

“But we weren’t. I’ll
see you later.”

I heard a scratchy
sound, and then more shattering of glass.

I needed to see who
held me, so I worked harder to open my eyes as I felt a moment of
weightlessness. I forced my eyes open and closed them again
quickly. I was dreaming. There was no other explanation for how we
were airborne. I’d never dreamed of flying before, but then again
I’d never felt so dizzy and out of it before either.

The next time I opened
my lids I was staring directly into a set of beautiful blue eyes
and we were definitely on the ground. In the moonlight, I took in
the strong features and blond hair of the man who held me. Large,
black wings spanned out behind him. It was him again. “It’s
you.”

“Don’t speak. You can’t
afford to waste any energy.” His words were terse, but not mean.
“But you need to stay awake. I’m afraid if you lose consciousness
again we might not be able to revive you again.”

“Revive me again?”

He still held me
securely against him. “There’s no time to explain, we need to go.
Just relax, we’ll get help soon.” He sounded like he was saying
those words for himself more than me, but I nodded as I hung on to
his neck. The action sent another searing pain through me.

The man winced as
though he were the one who was hurt. He reached out to touch my
face, but he dropped his hand before it could make contact.

“Wait. Where are my
friends?”

“They’re safe and on
their way back to New Orleans. I promise.”

I nodded. I had no
proof they’d moved my friends, but I had to believe it. Why go
through such effort to save me just to leave the others?

“I’m going to shift you
slightly so I can take off.”

“Take off?” I asked
with confusion.

“I’m sorry but it would
take too long to get there any other way.” He moved me so that my
back pressed against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around my
waist. “We’ll be there soon.”

With that he took a few
steps forward and then my feet left the ground. We were flying, and
I was definitely awake. I’d have added wild hallucinations to the
list of weekend craziness, only this couldn’t have been one—it was
just too real. We moved higher up in the sky.

I looked down at the
ground in time to see a big glowing area of red and orange with
rising smoke. They’d burned the old house down.

My eyes closed, but I
opened them long enough to make sure I hadn’t been imagining it. We
were flying. I tried to look around me, but I couldn’t. I was far
too weak. My eyes closed again, and I settled back against his firm
chest.

***

“You have to help her.”
My hero’s voice woke me up. He was holding me in his arms, and we
were back on the ground. We were inside this time. From the looks
of the hallway we were in, it was a house.

“Come, let me see.” A
low female voice answered.

He started to lower me
down, but I clung to him.

The woman chuckled. “It
seems she’s attached to you, Owen.”

Owen? His name was
Owen. The name seemed to fit.

“I don’t know her.”

“You just found her in
a vampire nest?”

“I’ve seen her a few
times, and I got suspicious.” He exhaled loudly. “None of that
matters. Just fix her.”

“She’s not going to let
go, so you’ll have to sit with her on your lap.”

“That’s fine.” He
shifted us and sat down. I didn’t care where I was as long as he
stayed. He gave me the only comfort I’d had all night.

Someone touched my
face, and I opened my eyes. An old woman’s dark, brown eyes locked
on mine. “You’ve been mixed up with a witch too, I see.”

“A witch?” Was I right?
Did all the trouble start with that potion?

“Yes.” She brushed my
hair back. “You were bitten by multiple vampires. That’s not
common. Vampires don’t generally share their human prey. I sense a
witch’s influence on you that is probably the cause.”

“I saw a witch in New
Orleans, but it wasn’t real. It was one of those tourist
spots.”

“Now that you’ve been
kidnapped by vampires and saved by a Pteron, do you really doubt a
witch could be real?” The woman asked.

I didn’t answer. I
didn’t know what to believe. And what the heck was a Pteron?

“The only thing strong
enough to cause this would be Seduction’s Kiss, and there’s only
one witch in New Orleans crazy enough to make that anymore. Did you
see Kalisa at the Midnight Cauldron?”

“Yes.”

“Darn that woman. She
thinks she can play matchmaker, but she doesn’t realize the other
forces at work.”

“Matchmaker?” Owen
asked.

“Any witch could tell
this human is something special. She sensed she was meant for a
paranormal and gave it a push.”

“A push?” Owen absently
ran a hand through my hair. “Is that why I couldn’t stop thinking
about her?”

Couldn’t stop thinking
about me? At a time like this I shouldn’t have cared that he liked
me, but I did. Then I thought about Reyna. “Are my friends
okay?”

“Yes. They are all back
at home. Don’t worry about them.” He paused like he was debating
whether to continue. “And I might as well just get this out of the
way. They won’t remember a thing, and neither will you.”

“What?” Why wouldn’t I
remember?

“I’m afraid she’ll have
to remember, Owen. Letting a witch into her mind could do damage
right now. She’s weak, and that potion Kalisa gave her is potent.”
She put a damp washcloth on my forehead. “And to answer your
previous question, no, your thoughts have nothing to do with
witchcraft. You’re a Pteron after all.”

An unreadable
expression crossed his face. “Oh.”

“So if you’ve been
thinking about this human, it’s because you like her.” The woman
laughed.

“A Pteron?” I decided
to ask out loud this time.

“Did you notice his
wings, sweetie? He’s a crow Pteron, aligned with royals.”

Owen balled his hand
into a fist. “Stop. Don’t tell her anymore, Mayanne.”

“Don’t you plan to
introduce her to Levi?”

“No. I don’t plan to
see her again.”

She made a grunt.
“Somehow I doubt that.”

“But she knows our
secrets. What do we do?”

“You don’t need to kill
me. I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

“After all the work
I’ve done saving you, I wasn’t planning to hurt you.” He smiled for
the first time. “But can you tell me something?”

“Yes. Anything.” I felt
like I could tell him anything. There was just something about him
that made me want to spill out my life story. I also owed him my
life. From the bits and pieces of my memory coming back, I knew
that the vampires were close to leaving me for dead.

The witch laughed as
she banged around behind us.

“Why were you with that
vampire?”

“Duncan? I was trying
to stay away from a creep I was staying with. I’m only here because
my friend’s visiting her boyfriend.”

“So you don’t live in
New Orleans?” There was a note of disappointment in his voice that
made my heart soar.

“I live in
Atlanta.”

“Ok, drink this.”
Mayanne brought over a cup of something red.

“What is that?” I was
skeptical of drinking anything after the night I’d had.

“It’s not going to
taste good, but it will rid your body of the magic and anything
those vampire teeth left behind.”

“Go on, drink it. I
promise Mayanne wouldn’t hurt you.” Owen’s words were enough. I
took a sip. I recoiled, but cleansing my body of those vampires was
worth it. I drank the whole thing down.

She smiled. “I’m
impressed. I’ve never seen a human drink that without being
forced.”

“I’ve had a rough few
days.”

“Hopefully some rest
will help.”

“Rest? But I have to
get home.” I glanced around at the room. It looked like a kitchen
that hadn’t been updated in decades. I still had no idea where we
were.

She shook her head.
“Not yet. You need to stay and rest a few hours. I need to make
sure this worked.”

“I’ll stay with her.”
Owen started to stand up.

“I would have
insisted.” She took the empty cup. “I’ll get you something else to
wear as well.”

I looked down at the
ripped lace dress, remembering I had nothing else on under it.

She seemed to sense the
direction my thoughts were going in. “Do you feel strong enough to
clean up?”

I nodded, but then
turned to Owen. “Will you still be here when I get done?”

He smiled. “I am your
ride home after all.”

“Those beautiful wings
are real?” I knew they had to be. We’d flown, there was no other
explanation.

“You think they’re
beautiful?” he asked with genuine surprise.

“Absolutely. I’ve
wanted to touch them since I first saw them.”

“She’s made for a
paranormal, Owen. That includes Pterons.”

An unreadable
expression crossed his face. “I’ll wait here.”

Mayanne took my arm to
steady me as she led me down the hall. She opened the door to a
small bathroom and helped me wash off and change into some fresh
clothes. “You were very lucky tonight.”

“I know. I could be
dead right now.” The reality of how close to death I’d been was
hitting me full force. I’d been living a nightmare.

“And he’ll come
around.” She helped me slip into a soft cotton dress. It felt
strange to have someone I didn’t know dress me, but I was too weak
to argue. Besides, anything was better than that old lace
dress.

“Owen?”

“Yes. I can tell your
feelings for him run deep.”

They did. That reality
was an easier one to accept. “I already knew he was attractive, and
now he saved my life.”

“You really think your
interest lies in his appearance? He’s a handsome young man—but
that’s not it.” She put some sort of first aid ointment on my
shoulder and neck.

“I barely know
him.”

“And you’re going to
have to work hard to find out more.” She took the old ripped dress.
“For right now you need to rest before he takes you home.”

I nodded. “Thank you
for all the help.”

“Of course.” She led me
down to a small bedroom with a double bed. “Rest here.”

“Is Owen still in the
house?” I asked.

“I’m right here.”

I turned, and he was in
the hallway. “I can sit with you if you want.”

I nodded. “Please,
do.”

I lay down on the white
and red quilt, and Owen sat down in the chair next to the bed.

“Don’t let me sleep too
long.”

“I won’t.”

I tried to keep my eyes
open so I could enjoy the time I could with him, but my eyes were
too heavy. My lids closed.

“What’s your name?” He
asked in half a whisper.

“Daisy.”

“That’s a beautiful
name.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.
You scared me. I thought I was too late when we first got
there.”

“We? So there was
someone else there?”

“Yes. A friend.” He
didn’t elaborate, so I didn’t push for more. The other guy didn’t
matter.

“And he’s a Pteron
too?” Even though I didn’t care who the guy was, I did wonder
what
he was.

“Yes, but you need to
stop talking about us. You need to forget we exist.”

“How am I supposed to
do that?” I opened my eyes as best I could.

He was turned to look
at me. “I don’t know, but talking about us will only put you in
danger or get you committed.”

“Both wonderful
possibilities.”

“Great sense of
humor.”

“What did Mayanne mean
by my being meant for a paranormal?”

“I don’t know, but you
need sleep. Rest up.” He turned away.

“All right.” I closed
my eyes.

“If you need anything
let me know.”

Need anything? How
about want? I decided to be bold, to take one more chance. “Could I
get a kiss? Something good to turn this whole weekend around?”

“You want me to kiss
you?”

I kept my eyes closed,
unwilling to see him laugh.

“If I kiss you, will
you promise not to talk about us? To forget about Pterons?”

“I can’t forget.”

“Will you try? At least
promise not to tell anyone.”

“I can promise to
try.”

I felt the bed shift,
and I stayed as still as possible. Was he moving closer to me?

His lips brushed
against mine lightly, but that small contact set me on fire. I
reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. The action did
something to him, because the feather light kiss grew more fevered.
I soaked up the salty-sweetness of his mouth. My entire body hummed
and responded to his lips. His hands pressed into the bed on either
side of me as he hovered over me, and I buried my hands in hair. In
those moments I knew one thing. I was forever ruined for other
guys. Forget the witch’s concoction—this was seduction’s kiss.