Free Storm: The Empire Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy

me know she wasn’t surprised that I knew her. That could only mean one thing. She knew we were in the veil.
    “You two know each other?” Levi looked between us. “Why am I not surprised?”
    “Jared and I go way back. We know each other extremely well.” Tiffany laughed.
    “Too much information,” Owen muttered. He’d been so silent I’d nearly forgotten he was there.
    “The girls asked for a tour of the quarter. You want to help me give it?” Levi was speaking to me, but his eyes were on Vera.
    “We’re meeting someone else here first.” Vera looked panicked. I felt exactly the same way. Not only was Allie nowhere in sight, but Tiffany was here? Things had gone from bad to worse. Way worse.
    “Oh, why don’t you call and let them know your plans changed?” Tiffany’s voice was sugar sweet. It was fake like the rest of her. Even her appearance was borrowed from someone else.
    Vera’s hand was fisted at her side. “I don’t have her number.”
    Levi smiled. “Her number? I guess we could wait a few minutes.” He definitely hadn’t met Allie yet with the way he was checking Vera out.
    “I’m in a bit of a rush.” Tiffany stepped toward me. “You don’t want to leave me waiting, do you, Jared?”
    My skin crawled. “We can wait.”
    “Or we can leave Vera here by herself. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And who knows, maybe she’ll find her friend here after all.” Tiffany grinned wickedly.
    Levi didn’t seem to notice the smile, but he did hear her words. “You know Vera too?” His forehead furrowed. “When did you all hang out?”
    “Vera, Jared, and I have had a lot of time to get to know each other.” Tiffany ran her hand down my arm. I pulled it away.
    “Vera?” Levi looked at her with new eyes. “Really?”
    “Ugh.” Vera shook her head. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
    “You don’t?” Tiffany’s lips twisted into another smile. “Are you sure? Should I detail exactly how I know you guys then? When we first met?”
    “No. That’s fine.” Even if I was forced to explain to Levi about the time travel thing, I wasn’t doing it in the middle of a crowded club. “No reason to be embarrassed, Vera.”
    “I’m not an idiot. Something is going on here, and one of you is going to spill.” Levi’s expression darkened. He was annoyed, and that was also a bad thing.
    “Not here.” And not in the present company.
    “That’s a great idea.” Tiffany nodded. “Why don’t we go back to my hotel room?”
    “Where are you staying?” Levi asked.
    “The Crescent City Hotel. Have you ever been there? I have a suite.”
    I was seized by panic. Allie was in danger. I knew it. I could almost guarantee what room she’d be taking us to. Not only had Allie missed meeting Levi, but now she was in harm’s way. “Let’s go.”
    Levi grinned, completely misinterpreting my urgency. “What he means is we’ve been there many times.”
    “Great. I’ve had a lovely visit so far.” Tiffany twirled a strand of her blond hair around her finger.
    The other girl who’d been quiet before turned to Owen. “Want to do something else? It seems stupid to go back to the hotel already.”
    He shook his head. “I think I’m going to go home anyway.”
    She seemed unmoved by his response, which begged the question of why she asked him to hang out in the first place? There had to be a reason. There was always a reason. “Oh ok.”
    Owen shrugged. “But have fun.”
    “Sure.” She half waved. And that was it. She wanted to get rid of him.
    Owen walked off. I wanted to scream at him not to. We could use all the help possible, but I couldn’t do that. I needed to get Levi alone.
    I didn’t recognize the other girl, but I assumed she was also a witch. There was nothing innocent about her. She knew exactly what she was involved in. I couldn’t worry about her yet. There were so many other things to worry about first.
    I'd started to accept we were back