Allure (The Lilituria Prophecy Book 2) Read online

  Published by Grace White

  First eBook Edition

  Copyright © Grace White 2017

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  If you are reading a copy of this book that has not been purchased from a licensed retailer, please destroy it. Thank you for your support.

  Edited by Jenny Carlsrud Sims of Editing4Indies

  Cover designed by The Graphics Shed

  Images: Licensed from Shutterstock

  Formatted by Shanoff Formats

  Titles by Grace White

  The Lilituria Prophecy

  AWAKEN

  ALLURE

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  Title Page

  Published by Grace White

  Titles by Grace White

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Playlist

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  DEDICATION

  To Anna.

  Thank you for believing in this story.

  KAI

  “You look like shit.” Laker was waiting when I climbed out of my car.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, not wanting to get into it with him. My eyes scanned the parking lot for any sign of Daiya. I’d barely heard from her over the weekend after she left in a hurry Saturday.

  “So?” Laker fell into step beside me as we made our way up to the school building.

  “So what?” I scanned the crowd, but didn’t see her.

  “What happened? I figured since I didn’t hear from you all weekend that something had happened.”

  I still didn’t know the answer to that question. But maybe if I’d been paying attention—if I hadn’t been so caught off guard with Dad showing up—I would have recognized how strange Daiya was acting.

  “I-I should go,” Daiya whispered.

  Something was wrong.

  She’d hardly touched her breakfast, pushing the fork around the plate while staring at nothing. I wanted to go to her, to wrap her in my arms and make everything okay, but anger still boiled underneath the surface at finding him standing there on the doorstep like it was his right. After all these years, he just turns up expecting me to welcome him with open arms.

  Delusional bastard.

  My body tensed, knotting the muscles in my neck and shoulders. I needed her. My Daiya. The unexplainable thread that tethered us tugged sharply in my stomach. The first time it happened, when she first arrived all those weeks ago in Decker County, was like a sucker punch to the gut. The sight of her literally winded me. At the time, I’d put it down to bad sushi, but then when we’d kissed at the bar, I’d felt it. The connection.

  The pull.

  Only, I still didn’t know what it was. I figured I was just attracted to her, but it was more than that. We were connected. I didn’t know how or why, but I felt it all the way down to my soul. The guys were constantly yanking my chain about it in the beginning, especially Laker, but even they had begun to accept that this thing between Daiya and me was different.

  I’d never really had time for girls between practice and tryouts and regionals. Hockey came first. Always had and always would … or so I thought. Because somewhere in the past month, Daiya had become everything to me, and it scared the shit out of me. She thought I didn’t remember what happened at the tournament—but I lied.

  It was hazy, at first, and then gradually, piece by piece, I started to remember. I wish I didn’t. The guy taunting me, trash talking me at every turn. Anger had burned through me like acid, and then he’d made some comment about my girl, and I saw red. It was crazy—he didn’t even know about Daiya—he was just trying to push my buttons, but it was the right button, and I detonated. I’d never lost my cool like that before.

  Ever.

  It was her. Daiya. She was so far under my skin, and it wasn’t normal. Laker saw it. He’d been riding my ass ever since she came onto the scene. He saw the change in me and was worried for me. Probably a little bit for our tight friendship. But the second the words came out of my mouth—the moment I told Daiya we were done—I knew it was a mistake. Laker had every reason to worry because my attraction to her wasn’t normal. I needed her. And more and more, I was beginning to think we needed each other in a way that made no sense. But I didn’t understand so much—she was keeping things from me. I wanted to push, to make her tell me the truth, but I’d sensed her desperation. I could see it now, wrapped around her like a security blanket. She did that sometimes, shut me out. But here, not now.

  Pushing away from the counter, I stalked around to Daiya. She could leave but not before she knew how much she meant to me—how much I needed her. “Stay. I thought we could hang out, just the two of us,” I said. Her eyes avoided mine, so I gently cupped her jaw, tilting her head to me. “Daiya?”

  “I… I just remembered I promised my sisters I’d hang out with them today. I’ll call you later?” Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, and if I didn’t know better, I felt sure she wanted to get away from me. But what had changed in the past twenty minutes? Apart from Dad showing up unannounced, everything was okay, wasn’t it?

  For a second, I thought I’d sensed Daiya’s wariness as she reached out and shook my father’s hand. She’d reached out and slid her palm against his with easy grace, but I caught the way her fingers had grazed my hand before they’d slipped back to her side. Like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing … or was it fear? But that wasn’t possible. I hadn’t seen Isaac Stanton in almost five years. They couldn’t possibly know one another.

  But … something pricked my senses, refusing to stay quiet. Daiya was a mystery. Laker liked to remind me enough. Her family, her past. She guarded her secrets, only letting me in on her terms. For as crazy as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was all connected.

  Daiya stared up at me, her eyes asking a hundred silent questions and answering none. She didn’t speak, though, as she opened her arms. I went willingly, dropping my head onto her shoulder and breathing her in.

  “Is everything okay at home with your sisters?”

  Daiya tensed. “Everything’s fine. I promise. I’ll see you later, okay?” she said.

  A hollow feeling settled deep in my chest. Why did this feel like goodbye?

  “Kai?” The softness in her voice calmed me, easing some of the storm that had whirled when my eyes landed on my father, but something still wasn’t right. I felt it with every fiber of my being.

  “Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll wait for your ca
ll.”

  I would always wait for her.

  She nodded, her arms slipping away from me. I watched her go, wondering if she knew she was taking a piece of me with her.

  “Huh?” Catching me off guard, Laker drove his elbow into my side, and I cussed. “What the hell, man?”

  “I’m trying to ask you what’s up, and you’re acting like a brain-dead zombie.”

  I dragged a hand over my head and clutched my neck, grinding to a halt. “Saturday, my dad showed up.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, fuck.”

  “What did he want?”

  “To talk, I guess. It wasn’t as if I invited him in for coffee. It’s been five years, but he checked out long before we moved here.” If Dad thought he was going to insert himself back into my life, Mom’s life, just like that, he was wrong. Very wrong. I wasn’t the same weak twelve-year-old kid as I was back then. I’d grown up.

  “Rough gig …” Laker trailed off. We’d talked about my dad some when I first arrived at Decker County, but we were guys; we didn’t do the warm and fuzzies often.

  “I’ll live.” My eyes continued to search for her. It was instinctual. Whenever I entered a room, I looked for her.

  “Geez, you have it bad.” Laker let out an amused laugh. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Not this again.”

  “I’m just saying. You never showed an ounce of interest in the puck bunnies, but Daiya’s got you tied up in knots. Look at you; you’re a mess.”

  “Dude!”

  “Yeah, yeah, I’m trying, I’m really trying to understand. Maybe one day I’ll meet the girl, and the rest will be history, but she’s changing you, Kai. We all see it.”

  Was he right?

  He was. I knew it. He knew it. The whole team knew it. Even Coach. Ever since Daiya walked into Decker County, my head had been out of the game. The most important season of my life and I couldn’t think straight. But I also knew I couldn’t walk away. She was my weakness.

  But she was also my strength.

  “Speaking of your girl …”

  I followed Laker’s finger, my eyes landing on Daiya and Poppy cutting across the grass leading from the library. My eyes drank her in. She looked like something out of Shakespeare. Delicate blond waves resting on milky white skin. Full pink lips and soft blue eyes that spoke a thousand words. But it was more than looks with Daiya. It was her. Her presence. Her essence.

  It was like she’d reached into my chest cavity and stolen a piece of my heart, replacing it with a piece of her own. Shit. Laker had good cause to be worried. I was worse than a lovesick puppy.

  “Dude, you’re staring. Are we going over there or what?” My feet were already moving, and I heard him grumble behind me, “Of course, we are.”

  “Hey,” I said as I reached them. “Everything okay?”

  Daiya looked up and smiled weakly. She understood the meaning of my question, but her face gave little away.

  “I don’t know about our girl here, but I’m peachy with a side of keen. Thanks for asking, Stanton.” Poppy flashed the three of us an overzealous smile, a move that would usually have us smiling back. But not today. Not after two days of vague texts and unanswered questions. Poppy must have noticed the tension because she turned to Daiya, her eyes silently asking her if everything was okay.

  “Myers,” Laker interjected. “Nice bow.”

  “Laker, how wonderful of you to grace us with your presence.”

  “Poppy,” Daiya hushed, but her friend shrugged, shooting Laker a smirk.

  He needed to come clean about the two of them. I’d been asking, but my questions hit a brick wall every time.

  “What? I’m just saying we’re honored to be in his presence.”

  Daiya stifled a laugh while Laker blew out an exasperated breath and said, “I’m out. I’ll see you in class.” He nodded at the girls and brushed past me on his way to the building.

  “Yeah, I’d better get to class too. Daiya, Stanton, the pleasure was all mine.” She saluted and hurried after Laker.

  “Well, that was … weird,” I said, watching the two of them squabble all the way inside, hoping to break the ice between us.

  “Yeah.” Daiya’s voice was guarded. “I don’t know what is going on with them. Poppy is holding her cards close to her chest where he’s concerned.”

  That makes two of you, I wanted to say, but I couldn’t run the risk of her shutting me out any more than she already had. Turning my focus back on her, I noticed she wouldn’t look at me. “Did you have a good weekend with your sisters?”

  “Hmm, yeah, thanks.”

  “Listen, Daiya.” I reached out for her, entwining our fingers together and coaxing her to meet my concerned gaze. “Is everything okay? You seem, I don’t know, distant. Was it the stuff with my dad? I had no idea he would show up like that.”

  She squeezed my hand. It was a small gesture. One that confused me. “I’m sorry. It’s just been a crazy few days. Demi wanted us to spend time at home with Devlin.”

  I swallowed hard and nodded, trying to understand. “Okay. Come on; let’s get to class.”

  Daiya smiled up at me and nodded. But it did little to ease the storm churning in my stomach. Something was wrong. I just had to find out what.

  DAIYA

  I slid in my seat, the weight of Poppy’s stare burning through me.

  “Just say it,” I groaned.

  “What?” She held up her hands innocently. “I was just going to say I like your shirt.”

  “Poppy.”

  “New girl,” she replied with a hint of a smirk.

  “Whatever.” I shuffled a bunch of papers and focused on the teacher at the front. I should have known that wouldn’t deter Poppy. She leaned in close and whispered, “Sorry, I was just messing with you. Is everything okay? I’m sensing …” She hesitated. “Something. Do I need to kick Stanton’s butt already?”

  “Shh,” I hissed, not bothering to face her.

  “Did he cheat? Because this one time, I heard—”

  My head whipped around to her, and I said, “For the love of … Poppy, stop. I’m fine. Kai and I are fine. Everything. Is. Fine.” My eyes widened, fixed on her.

  “Fine. Got it.” She cocked her eyebrow in a challenge.

  She didn’t get it at all. How could she? Everything was different now. As if things hadn’t been bad enough, then I see him standing there. Isaac. Kai’s father. A hunter of Lilituria, and the man responsible for attacking Devlin and killing her friends. If the odds had been stacked against Kai and me before, they were insurmountable now. Kai was a descendant of the Dei Venatores—the bloodline of those tasked with extinguishing my kind. It was cruel and ironic … and in a strange way, it made complete and perfect sense. It was forbidden love personified. If Kai ever discovered his ancestry, he would not only have great cause to hate me, but he would also have an ancient obligation to kill me.

  It was impossible for us to be together, but according to the prophecy—and what we’d already experienced—it was impossible for us to be apart.

  Lost in my thoughts, the teacher’s voice drifted into white noise. It wasn’t until Poppy stomped on my foot that I even realized the whole class was waiting for me to answer a question.

  “Hmm, sorry,” I choked out.

  “Keep up, Miss Cattiva, or prepare to fail my class.” His glare pinned me to the seat, and I felt my cheeks heat.

  “Busted.” Poppy whistled low beside me. “So much for everything is fine.”

  I sank further into my seat.

  Poppy was right.

  Everything was not fine.

  “Whoa, easy there.”

  I inhaled a sigh. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” My eyes darted around Laker. I could feel the weight of his stare, but I couldn’t meet it. If I did, he’d know—know that something was wrong.

  “Not joining us for lunch? Kai will be bummed.”

  “I- hmm, I need to stop by the li
brary and pick up a book.”

  “Right.” He didn’t sound convinced. “And you need to do that right now at lunch? Kai’s had a stick up his butt all morning.”

  My eyes finally looked at Laker. “He has?”

  He shrugged. “I figured you guys had a fight.”

  “We haven’t.” In some ways, that would have been easier.

  “So come and cheer my guy up, would you? Or practice tonight is going to suck.” He slung his arm around my shoulder and started leading me toward their table. “Kai needs his head in the game, Daiya. Now more than ever. You know that, right? He can’t afford to screw up this year over some …” His voice trailed off.

  “I know. Hockey is everything to him.”

  “It used to be,” he grumbled. “I’m not sure what he’s thinking lately.”

  Laker paused, but I felt the unspoken words between us—his warning. Hockey had been everything to Kai … until I arrived in Decker County. I wanted to reassure him that I had no intention of getting in the way of Kai’s future, but I couldn’t make that promise. One way or another, I was a part of Kai’s life now.

  “Look who I found,” Laker called as the table came into view. All heads looked over in our direction, and Kai’s eyes landed on me. He smiled, and the thread tugged sharply. Before anyone else could comment on my skittish mood, I slid in next to him.

  “I missed you.” He dropped a kiss on top of my head.

  “So … big game on Saturday? Your head in the right place this time?”

  I shot Laker a questioning glare. What was he playing at?

  Kai leaned over and punched his friend’s arm. “You know it.”

  The guys fell into easy conversation about their upcoming game, but Kai’s arm remained firmly wrapped around my waist. I didn’t like it, the tension between us, the distance even though we were close. He sensed the change in me and knew I was lying to him.

  But right now, what other choice did I have?

  “Demi? Devlin?” I called as I entered the house. I was emotionally drained. Between keeping up pretenses with Kai and Poppy, I was exhausted. Not that Kai believed me every time I said the words ‘I’m fine,’ but he didn’t push me for answers either. I suspected he was still digesting everything. Still trying to figure out what had changed from me turning up for breakfast to choking out an excuse and making a sharp exit, and then evading him most of the weekend while I tried to figure out what to do.