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“It’s over the top, I know.” Allie gestured for me to take a seat on a beige couch. “This was a bribe—I mean gift—from Levi’s parents.” By the sparkle in her eye, the slip was very much intentional.

Levi’s parents. That meant his dad—my dad.

“Nice. I wouldn’t complain if I had to live in a place like this.”

“I’m sure Georgina is going to find you an awesome place in New York, but if you want a place down here, we could find you a great one.” She pushed Levi’s arm. “Right?”

“Of course. You’re family.”

I forced a smile. “Yeah. Family.” I was tired of the act. Levi couldn’t be that okay with the situation. He’d found out that his parents’ relationship wasn’t as perfect as he thought. Judging by how upset I was at finding out that my family was also less than what it seemed, I couldn’t imagine he was very happy to have me around.

I took a seat on the couch, and Hailey sat down next to me. Allie and Levi sat across from us. He rested his hand on her leg. “How has the adjustment been? Finding out you are a Pteron couldn’t have been easy.”

“It’s been interesting.” That was honest.

“Interesting? What’s your favorite part?” He surprised me with the question. He seemed to legitimately want to know.

I didn’t need to think about my answer for long. “Flying. It’s definitely flying.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I figured. There’s nothing quite like it, is there?”

“No. It’s a high like no other. I thought flying with Jared was cool, but doing it myself is so much better.” My stomach turned at Jared’s name. I was still terrified of facing him.

“Everything without Jared is better,” Hailey mumbled. Did she really dislike Jared, or was it a show of support? Then she smiled. “I had to say it. I’d usually let one of the guys do it, but Levi’s not going there.”

“Going where?” His forehead crinkled.

“Doing it yourself is so much better than doing it with Jared…” She bumped her shoulder into mine.

I groaned.

“Hailey…” Allie glared.

“Oh, come on. It was too perfect. I had to go for it.”

I forced a laugh. If the situation had been a little different, I might have laughed for real.

Levi smiled, probably trying to hold in a laugh of his own. “We’ll have to fly together sometime.” Levi’s words seemed to surprise even Allie. She tried to hide the surprise, but the expression on her face betrayed her. She’d told Levi to be on good behavior, but this particular suggestion wasn’t one of hers.

His words seemed genuine. Maybe he understood me. Maybe he understood just how alone and confused I was. “Sure. That would be nice.”

“Although many of the Pteron traits come naturally, we all need training. You will be assigned a mentor to work with you over the next few months.”

“Months? I need to go back to New York.” Although considering the circumstances, I doubted Marty and Eric would fire me, but I still couldn’t take that much time off.

“You can come and go as needed. The benefit of wings is that travel isn’t quite as big of an inconvenience.” Oh. Flying from New York to New Orleans? I hadn’t even considered the benefits of wings for long distance travel. I’d been focusing on the rush of it all still.

“Who’s my mentor?” His answer would determine whether I agreed or not.

“My first choice isn’t being cooperative, but Hailey has graciously offered to work with you.”

“Oh. Awesome.” I smiled at Hailey and tried to hide the ache in my chest. I knew who his first choice was, and his response meant one thing. Jared wanted nothing to do with me.

I mustered all my courage. “You can tell him I’d prefer to work with Hailey anyway. Women tend to be far superior teachers than men.”

Levi looked at me for a second then smiled. “Now you’re starting to sound like a Laurent. Hold on to that confidence. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”

“Don’t I know it?”

“Can we start tonight?” Hailey looked at me even though I knew she was asking Levi.

“By start, do you mean actually training or going out?” he asked.

Hailey didn’t hesitate. “We’re going out.”

He laughed and turned to Allie. “I’m guessing you’re going with them?”

“Yeah…I’d ask you to come, but you’re not invited.”

He shook his head and smiled. “Gotcha. Have fun.”

I sighed with relief. Hanging out with Allie and Hailey was something I could handle. I happily followed them out the front door after a quasi-awkward goodbye with Levi. I wondered if I’d ever truly consider him a brother. Despite his charm and attempts to put me at ease, he was still more daunting than welcoming.

“Let’s take your car, Allie. It’s more comfortable.” Hailey walked over to the back door on the driver’s side.

“Oh. You can have the front,” I quickly offered. I was still the new girl. I wasn’t going to step on any toes.

“No. I insist. You’ll have a better view of the city that way.”

Arguing seemed pointless, so I got into the front seat. “Where are we going?” I looked down at my jeans and black t-shirt. I hoped I was appropriately attired for an evening out wherever we went.

Allie started the car. “Are you thinking college bar, tourist place, or just local?”

“Can we go somewhere and listen to music?” I hoped I wasn’t pushing my luck, but I needed a distraction that only music gave me.

Allie pulled out onto the street. “I know just the place.”

“The Maple Leaf?” Hailey leaned forward from the back.

Allie rolled down our windows. “Yup. It’s where I met you the first time.”

“Really? I had no idea.” She chuckled and leaned back then I heard a buckle.

We drove around the Garden District for a few minutes. I hadn’t had a chance to admire that area the first time, and I loved it. My eyes were glued to the large southern style mansions lining St. Charles. Allie turned a few times, and before long, she parked on the side of the road. I followed her into an unassuming building that could have been any sort of place if it weren’t for the beer signs in the window.

“This is where I fell in love with New Orleans,” Allie said softly as we slipped past the guy at the door. He didn’t blink or ask for ID, so I assumed he recognized her. Did everyone in New Orleans know the Laurents were important?