by Jaymin Eve
Hurry up, Maya. Screwing around was making it worse, so I sucked in a huge breath, and then flicked my nail down and under in one movement, closing my thumb on top. She made another noise, but I was blocking most of that out, focused on using the two nails as tweezers, to pull out the small tracker.
It came with only a little resistance and I managed not to vomit on her, even though I sort of wanted to. As soon as it was out, Callie wilted, and Daniel supported her while he pressed the cloth to her neck.
“You’re going to have to hold it on there,” he said, eyes locked on his mate with intensity. “The plane has a medical kit. I’ll bandage you up once we’re on board.”
“I’m fine,” she said, trying to laugh but failing. Her head turned to me. “Thanks, Maya.”
I shrugged. “No problem, I’ve been dissecting my dolls for years. Plenty of experience.”
Chase lowered me to the ground – I had completely forgotten he still held me. They were strong, these Daelighters. Lexen took the bloody device from me, incinerating it with a flame that appeared in his hand. I wiped my fingers on my already filthy and bloodstained jeans.
“Time to go,” Lexen said. “Jero, can you wait for us back home? Make sure that everything stays in order while I’m gone.”
The brothers exchanged an extended look, and I was betting there was a lot being “said” in that stare. Eventually though, Jero just nodded his head and turned to walk toward the mouth of the cave. Lexen continued watching him for an extra beat before he refocused on us and directed everyone toward the transporter.
One by one we stepped into the ball of light. We were on our way to the land of sand and sun. And possibly the end of the world.
20
It turned out that Xander’s plane had four bedrooms, a lounge and bar, plus three or four bathrooms. Basically, his plane was the size of most people’s houses, or bigger, actually. It also turned out that flying private was much faster than commercial. On my last commercial flight, boarding had been delayed by twenty minutes, then we sat on the runway for two hours, and then they lost half the luggage.
Nothing like that for the billionaire boys. They got the red-carpet treatment. Chase and I buckled into two squishy armchairs, preparing for takeoff. My hands were clenched tightly on the side of the chair, because I might be in more comfortable seats, but that didn’t mean I was any less scared of the process.
Chase, noticing my white knuckles, held his hand out to me, palm up. We were just taxiing down the runway, and I wasn’t sure I could loosen my grip yet, but the thought of touching him was enough for me to try.
“Not a fan of planes?” he joked as I grabbed onto him with a death grip. “Want me to sell the family business?”
That part didn’t sound like he was joking at all. “What?” I forgot for a moment what was happening, swinging my head toward him. “Definitely not. Your family is doing a good thing trying to provide aircraft that don’t horribly pollute the air. Do they crash less as well? Because that would be doubly awesome.”
It looked like he was trying not to laugh at me. “Planes rarely crash. You’re safe. And even if, by some extremely rare occurrence, we have trouble with this one, then I will save you. We’re hard to kill, and I have more than a few skills to keep us alive.”
That did make me feel a little better. But my reflex reactions were still there, so the moment the plane surged forward I had to close my eyes and think happy thoughts. Usually if I was flying with my parents, I’d be dosed up on the Xanax my doctor prescribed me before vacations. Right now, though, I only had Chase.
Surprisingly enough, he worked almost as well, because by the time the seatbelts sign disappeared, I was barely even thinking about the fact that we were thousands of feet in the air. As everyone started to move around, Xander came by our seats. “It’s about six hours to Hawaii with the headwind, so I suggest everyone gets some sleep while you can.”
“Sounds good,” Daniel told him.
Xander didn’t sound angry anymore, just normal. He looked tired, though; fatigue lined his blue eyes. “Couples can take the bedrooms,” he added, just before he left. “The rest of us will use the lounger beds.”
He walked off and I had a moment of panic. This thing with Chase, I wanted it, badly. But I wasn’t sure I was ready for us to share a bed yet. We were only just getting to know each other … and, I’d never done that with anyone before. Except Brad, and he totally didn’t count.
“You need rest.” Chase was watching me closely. “I’ll stay out here if it makes you feel more comfortable. But you should definitely grab one of the beds.”
I shook my head. I was an idiot. We were only sleeping, nothing else. Chase would never push me, and possibly it would be me making the first move, because he was a total gentleman. I didn’t have anything to worry about except my own stupid nerves.
I grabbed his hand. “Come on, we both need the sleep. It’s been a long day.”
He didn’t argue, he just squeezed my hand and followed me through the plane. The first door was closed, so we went into the second. The room was small, fitting a king-sized bed and a single side table. There was a television on the wall, but neither of us turned it on. “I really need a shower,” I said, staring down at the pristine white sheets.
Chase reached out and pulled the thick blanket back. “You can shower, but I don’t think we have anything to change into. All of our bags were left at the car.” When I hesitated again, he added, “Don’t worry about making the sheets dirty, they’ll change all of the bedding as soon as we leave the plane.”
“I might just wash my face and hands,” I decided.
Chase nodded, and I quietly left. I went to the closest bathroom, but it was occupied, so I walked on to the next one. There was a shower inside the small stall, but I ignored it. After I used the toilet, I quickly washed my hands and face. The soft white towel came away streaked with dirt and blood, and I ended up stripping half my clothes off in an attempt to get all the blood off me. My eyes lingered on the two-inch cut on my shoulder, surprised by how healed it already looked. It was half scabbed over. Insane.
Once I was eighty percent clean, I made my way back to the bedroom to find it empty. Chase must have gone to use the bathroom, too, which gave me a second to shuck off my shoes, jeans, sweater – despite Chase’s assurances, they were way too gross to sleep in – and crawl in under the sheets. My eyes grew heavy almost instantly, and while I registered the door opening and closing again, I didn’t move. As his warm weight settled in behind me, I instinctively turned toward him and he wrapped me up in his arms. Once my head was on his bare chest, everything inside of me calmed … and grew excited at the same time.
“This is surreal,” I whispered, my body molded to his. “I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.”
Chase’s lips brushed across my forehead and I just breathed him in, that mint and pine scent that was already so familiar. “I was there when you were born,” he told me. “It was a special, sacred moment. We waited on the other side of the trees that held the legreto. When your mother was able, she wrapped you up and brought you over for us all to see.”
I let the silence cloak us while I thought on what he’d said. “My entire life, I’ve felt out of place,” I admitted. “Fitting in wasn’t the problem. I was popular, a cheerleader, but always seeking more. Now … that feeling is gone. It’s clear to me that I was searching for you.”
He tilted my head up and our lips met. Lying side by side, the difference in our heights didn’t matter, and I had easy access to his mouth. My leg went up over his body because I needed to be closer to him. Everything inside of me was thrumming, and it was really difficult to remember that not only was I a virgin, I was on a plane filled with Daelighters who no doubt would have fantastic hearing.
Did I really care, though?
As my tongue brushed against his, a low breathy sound escaped and Chase’s chest rumbled under me. After endless minutes – or days – of pure bliss, he
pulled away, both of his hands cupping my face. “We should cool off,” he breathed against my lips. “Because my control is shot right now.”
He wasn’t the only one.
“You need to sleep,” he added, pulling me closer until I was half sprawled across him. “I’ll keep you safe.”
At this point I’d completely forgotten that I’d been nervous to sleep in the same bed as him. Tangled up in his arms was the most right my life had ever felt, and as I drifted off to sleep, I sent out a hope for many more nights like this.
I woke up with less than an hour to go in our flight. It was the first time I’d managed my fear of flying without medication, or a lot of emotional trauma. Chase remained asleep, holding me against his chest. The warm smoothness of his skin, along with his steady heartbeat, almost lulled me back to sleep, but my stomach was protesting too much about lack of food for me to actually doze off.
“I think I’d better feed you,” Chase rumbled, his eyes opening. “Starving my mate on the first day we’re bonded does not seem like a good way to start our lives.”
Groaning, I buried my head into him, blocking out everything else. “Do we have to leave? The moment we get off this plane, we’ll be back to tracking down Laous and trying not to die. I like it better in here.”
In an instant I was flipped over onto my back, Chase perched above me. “What did I tell you before? You’re not going to die. I won’t let it happen.”
His confidence was cute and amusing, and while it bordered on arrogant, I didn’t mind. Chase was just doing Chase, and I happened to like exactly who he was.
“Neither of us will die,” I agreed. “It’s a deal.”
Reaching up, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his body down onto mine. I wanted to feel his weight while I wrapped my legs up around him and pressed my body to his. Chase did not fight me, and he was strong enough to resist if he wanted to.
“We still have an hour,” I murmured, my lips pressing to his, while my body ached for his touch.
Chase let out a low groan. “We don’t need to rush.”
“We don’t have to have sex,” I reminded him, because he was right about the rushing. “Plenty of other fun things to do to kill time … if you can be quiet.”
I winked, even though it was no doubt going to be me screaming the plane down. Chase pushed himself back up, the muscles in his biceps standing out starkly as he stared down at me. I had no idea what he was looking for, so I just let all of my emotions and love for him rise to the surface.
I might not have said the words yet, but I definitely felt the emotion. In my old life I would have laughed at any girl who said she was in love after knowing the guy for less than a week, but as far as I was concerned, I’d known Chase my entire life. We were destined. He stirred feelings in me that went beyond the normal.
“You’re my everything, Maya,” Chase told me, still holding himself just away from me. “Beyond love. Beyond life. Beyond the worlds we are from. You are my first and only priority, and I will strive every single day to never fail you, this I can promise.”
I pulled him down again, and this time our kiss felt different. Hotter, more intense, and also more emotional. As he moved those full lips across mine, down my cheek, and along my neck, I threw my head back and bit my lip to stop from making noises. He stripped my shirt away, leaving me just in my black bra. I was thankful at this point that I’d taken the time to clean up last night. Not that Chase seemed to really care about a little dirt.
We wasted no time, touching, kissing, learning each other, and before I knew it there were only thirty minutes left in the flight. When I stepped out of the bedroom fully dressed – and wholly satisfied – I was still a virgin. But it felt like everything had changed.
I did agree with him, though. I wasn’t quite ready for that step, and it would be nice for my first time not to be on a plane filled with other people. Although it certainly had felt romantic in our little bedroom. Our bubble.
“Come on,” Chase said, leading me back to our original chairs. Mostly everyone else was seated. I waved to Emma and Callie as I passed them. They both looked more relaxed than before. Callie had white gauze visible behind her ear but didn’t seem bothered by it.
I wondered if they’d enjoyed the use of the bedrooms as well. At least I didn’t have to feel embarrassed to think I might have been loud. Over the noise of the plane, I hadn’t heard anything. So hopefully they hadn’t either.
“Do Daelighters have better hearing than humans?” I asked Chase as we buckled ourselves in.
His smile was knowing. “Yes, but not by that much. No one heard us.”
Thank you, Jesus.
Just before taking their seats, a steward brought us a sandwich and bottle of water. We had twenty more minutes to descend, so there was time for me to get some food in my stomach. And hope I didn’t throw it up as we came in to land. Chase held my hand the entire time, and even when the wheels touched down, bouncing a little – which normally was the point I’d freak out – he kept me from losing it. By the time all the checks were complete, and we’d waited for our turn to taxi into the main hub of buildings, I barely felt stressed at all. Someone needed to bottle these mate bonds; they were ten times better than Xanax.
“When we disembark,” Daniel told us, “a car will be waiting. We have government contacts in this airport. They’ll make sure we get through without any issue.”
I freaked for a second, because I had completely forgotten I didn’t have any identification on me. Really should have been something I thought about before this moment, but I guess no one had any on them, so it wasn’t like they were going to leave me behind. As the stairs lowered for us to exit, there were two dark SUVs waiting a dozen feet away. Their engines were running, and the drivers – wearing slacks and casual shirts – got out and opened the doors for us. I slid in the back seat next to Chase. Xander took the passenger seat, while Emma and Lexen got in the very back. The others got in the second car.
“Straight to the house,” Xander said, and the driver didn’t waste a second spinning the car around and getting out of the airport. There were some security personnel on the gates as we exited, but none of them stopped us. Being rich opened doors … or gates, apparently.
Once we were onto the road, I recognized where we were. Our plane had landed on a smaller airfield near Lanai Airport. I could see the bigger airfield just off to my right. So we were about four miles from the city.
“Why did your family choose this island to holiday?” Chase asked, while both of us stared out at the sights.
“Mostly because it’s quieter than the bigger islands,” I replied. “And it’s absolutely stunning here – sightseeing, swimming, day tours. We liked to stay active, but in between have really relaxed downtime, which was harder in the crowded areas. This was like … being off the grid for a short time.”
“There are no stoplights here,” the driver said, joining the conversation. “A lot of the roads require a 4-wheel drive vehicle.”
“Tommy is usually manning some of our businesses in Honolulu,” Chase explained, “but he always raves about Lanai. I think it’s his favorite.”
Tommy didn’t say anything, but if his grin was any indication, he was definitely a fan. As the car wove along the winding road, we ended up going past the main part of Lanai City toward some exclusive little alcoves where rich people built their beach houses.
Beach houses and private beaches.
“Who owns this property?” I asked.
Xander’s hand went up. “It’s mine. I have a house on each of the islands here. Surfing is kind of my thing.”
For a merman, that made sense.
Xander’s house was definitely not a house in any sense of the word. Okay, it did have walls and a roof. A lot of walls, if the size of the estate was any indication. It looked like a resort. We turned into the main drive and waited for the double fences to open. We were at the top of the land and had to wind our way down to the main residenc
e. It was white, a sprawling square building. I caught a glimpse of multiple pools adjacent to a long stretch of stunning white-sand beach. You could swim in the pool and stare out into the ocean beyond.
Ah-Ma-Zing. “Could we maybe visit here another time? When we’re not saving the world?” Emma asked from the back seat. “Because I wouldn’t mind a few days swimming in that pool.”
Dream come true for sure.
Xander’s smile was crooked. “You’re all welcome here whenever you want, of course. This is my personal property, so you won’t run into any other Royales.”
He was much more personable when he wasn’t scowling and worrying about being forced into a romantic relationship. “Okay, let’s make a deal right now,” Emma piped up again. “Get rid of Laous quickly, no one else … dies…” She choked on the last word before recovering. “And then we all finally get a chance to enjoy the beauty here, and in Overworld…”
“Deal,” I said immediately.
The rest of the car, including Tommy, added their voices.
“Tommy, I’m going to need you to rustle up some clothing for everyone here,” Xander said as the car pulled up. “We have to start our search, but we’ll all need to clean up later and no one has a change of clothing.”
Tommy nodded. “I’ll just need your sizes and I can make that happen.”
He got out of the car, hurrying around to let the rest of us out. Once we were all in front of the vehicle, we told him our sizes and then he crossed to the other car. As the second group joined us, I didn’t miss the tension between Daniel and Fraizer. They stood as far apart as possible. It was only the withering looks Callie was shooting between them that connected the two at all.
“What’s the plan now?” Xander asked, his back to the magnificence that was his house. “Did you get any other details about her location, Maya?”
I thought for a moment of the glimpses of Lanai I’d seen when I surfaced. “I think she was near Hulopoe Bay – one of the main beaches. I also saw … the underwater cathedrals, I think. I’ve dived a few times there with my parents. We’re all big into water sports. Well, my dad is, my mom not so much. But the light streaming through the water reminded me of them.”