The Pride

by Patricia Morse

  Chapter 13

  A Return to Domus Aurea

  Lexie

  Thane and I walked back to the house hand in hand, only breaking our hold on one another to embrace and kiss every few hundred meters. My heart was exploding with love, and I could see in his eyes that he felt the same. Our lips met one last time as we approached the edge of the eastern forest. I’d hoped none of Link’s brood was lurking about, as it was quite obvious that we had defied his orders. Thane’s shirt was torn to shreds, and I must have looked a disheveled mess. We crept silently up the stone steps and tiptoed through the house. Thane and I ran up the grand staircase, through the main hallway, and into my room. He slammed the door behind us.

  “Do you think anyone saw us?”

  “I don’t think so.” He still looked concerned. I sauntered over to him and wrapped my arms tightly around him. I looked up at him and into his eyes. He bent down and interrupted my gaze with a forceful yet passionate kiss. Time stood still as our lips eagerly meshed together. We must have stood kissing for ten minutes before he broke our embrace. “Unfortunately we have a plane to catch. Can you be ready in forty-five minutes?”

  I nodded, but I wanted more of him. I wanted to stay in his arms with his lips permanently attached to mine. “What should I pack?”

  “We’ll only be gone for the day. You shouldn’t need to pack anything.”

  “Hmm, ok. I’ll go get ready.”

  “OK beautiful. I’ll see you downstairs in forty-five minutes.”

  I raced into my bathroom. It was going to take a lot of scrubbing to get all the sand off of me. I took a long hot shower, washing every inch of my body with precision. I didn’t want any evidence of the previous night’s bliss to remain. I dried off quickly. I rubbed mousse into my hair then combed it back. I crunched it then fluffed it so it would dry in wavy tendrils down my back. I dressed quickly in a pair of comfy jeans and the white tee shirt, pink cardigan combo that I had rejected the night before. I found some silver sandals in the shoe closet and I slipped them onto my feet. I grabbed a large hobo bag from the top of the closet and carried it into the bathroom. I applied my make-up then tossed it into the bag. I thought it best to throw in some hair products and a change of clothes and under things just in case we were delayed for any reason. I threw the hobo bag over my shoulder and headed for the stairs. Thane was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He always had this look of amazement on his face whenever I entered a room. He rushed up the stairs and took the bag from my shoulder as he kissed me on the cheek.

  “Thirty-eight minutes. I’m impressed.”

  “My hair is still wet, but otherwise I think I made good time.”

  “Yes you did, my dear, and you look breath taking as usual.”

  I couldn’t help but blush. He looked amazing himself. He had on a tight fitting black tee shirt and equally tight fitting black slacks. It was hard not to gawk at the tanned muscles of his arms. I couldn’t believe that he was mine. The Adonis that I’d seen stretching his perfect arms that night in the woods was now standing next to me, hopefully feeling as much love and adoration as I was. He put his arm around my lower back and led me out the doors of the massive manor to a waiting car. He opened the passenger side door for me and held my hand tenderly as I slid in. He put my bag in the trunk and walked around to the driver’s side gracefully sliding into the black leather seat.

  “Lexie?”

  I turned to look at him, and before I could speak his lips were on mine once again. His hand gently massaged the nape of my neck as we kissed.

  “Have I told you yet today that I love you?” he whispered into my ear. I was breathless and speechless. I kissed him again and whispered, “I love you too” into his ear. I wrapped my arm around his and nuzzled my head into his shoulder as we sped off down a tree covered dirt road. We only drove a few minutes before we reached a clearing in the woods. A large aluminum domed warehouse dominated the clearing. A small black helicopter sat a few hundred yards in front of the massive structure. Thane drove the car inside where several vehicles were parked. Most conspicuously were the tanks dominating the back corner. Thane ran around the front of the car, opened my door, and he took my hand as I stepped out. We stopped at the back of the car to get my bag from the trunk. A grease covered man nearly as muscular as Thane stepped from behind one of the Hummers. His long black hair was tied neatly back into a ponytail.

  “She’s all ready to go sir.”

  “Thank you Trevor.” Thane was polite, yet had an air of leadership in his voice. He was very careful and professional around me with Trevor watching. “Miss Love, we will be taking a short helicopter ride to our next destination. No funny stuff now!”

  It was hard to contain the giggles that wanted to burst from my throat. I did my best to look angry and scared. I just looked at him wide eyed and nodded. He grabbed me gently by the elbow and pulled me to the helicopter. I acted as if I was trying to resist, but in all reality this man could lead me into a fire and I’d follow him. He opened the door to the helicopter and picked me up to put me inside. He stood on the ledge and began strapping me in.

  “I’m perfectly capable of doing this myself Mr. Ganyon.”

  “I said no funny stuff Miss Love.” He looked behind him to make sure Trevor the mechanic was no longer looking. He turned and gave me a quick kiss on the mouth. He hopped down from the ledge of the helicopter and shut my door. He bounced into the pilot’s seat and handed me a helmet from the back.

  “We’ll save the funny stuff for later.” My smile was large as I spoke. His toothy grin made me smile even larger than I already was. I put the helmet on my head as he started the propellers.

  “We’ll be at the airport in about thirty minutes. From there we’ll take a jet to Tahoe. I’ll take us by helicopter from there to Domus. We should be in and out of Tahoe in less than an hour.”

  The last time I was in Tahoe was a nightmare. I wondered if Evie and the fellas were still looking for me. It was doubtful they would still be there. By now, if they were still alive, they were scouring the country for any sign of me. I let out a loud sigh as I stared at the tree tops of the northern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I knew Thane couldn’t hear me over the loud engine of the helicopter, but he took my hand and gently kissed the palm. Perhaps he could sense my sadness and worry as I thought about my family, a family that I’d felt as if I had abandoned.

  Thane was a skilled pilot. He set the copter down without even a shudder. I took my helmet off and fluffed my hair. Helmet head was not a good look. We waited until the propellers stopped before exiting the aircraft. Thane was at my door before I could blink, to help me out. He grabbed my bag from the back and escorted me to the airplane. Two dashingly dressed pilots were waiting for us on the runway.

  “We’re ready when you are, Mr. Ganyon.”

  “Thank you Captain.”

  “And who is your lovely guest?” The captain eyeballed me like a piece of meat.

  “This is Miss Love. She is one of Link’s new acquisitions.”

  “Aah.” The pilot’s ravenous look suddenly turned to one of fear. I glowered at him, letting him know I did not appreciate his ogling. Thane grabbed my elbow a little more roughly than usual and escorted me up the stairs. The pilots were close behind. I could feel them gawking at my figure.

  The plane was sensational. Grey leather seats flanked either side of the cabin. The thick burgundy carpet on the floor, and cherry wood covering the walls, made for a homey feel. There was a large flat screen television to the side of the pilots’ door, and a built in stereo system to the right of the flat screen. A full galley style kitchen was hidden behind a curtain at the rear of the fuselage. Thane showed me to the restroom just through a cherry wood paneled door in the kitchen. This was the nicest airplane bathroom I’d ever seen. I took a moment to fix my hair in the mirror. I spritzed a bit of perfume on my neck, the reapplied lip gloss before throwing my bag into a cabinet under the sink. I emerged from the restroom feeling refr
eshed. Thane was waiting for me on one of the leather sofa like seats with a soft blanket in his arms.

  “Sometimes it gets a little cold in this cabin.”

  “But, I’ll have you to keep me warm.”

  “Lexie, we need to be careful. The pilots can come out at anytime once we reach altitude.”

  “Then I guess we still have a few minutes to snuggle.”

  He kissed me on the forehead and wrapped the blanket around my shoulders. He got up and moved to the other side of the plane. “Sitting next to you is way too much temptation.”

  I could see the flush on his cheeks as he sat across from me. I stared at the features of his face. There was so much perfection. His angular jaw and protruding cheekbones were the perfect frame for his piercing blue eyes. His thick dark hair and abundant dark lashes made the blue of his eyes seem even more extreme. His eyes were intense and far away as I watched him. The plane took off with a thunderous roar. It never seemed so loud when I was human, but sometimes the super charged lion ears were a burden. Thane never took his eyes from the blank black flat screen.

  “Would you like me to turn it on?” I giggled as the words came from my mouth.

  “Huh? Oh sorry. I was spacing out there, wasn’t I?” He gave me a crooked smile.

  “Just a little. Would you like to talk, or can we put in a movie?”

  “I’d rather talk.” He walked across the fuselage and sat next to me, keeping a professional distance.

  “Ok, then let’s talk. Who is your favorite football team?”

  “The Raiders.” He stated with a proud resolve.

  “Ugh!” I made an ick face to him and stuck out my tongue.

  “Be careful, or it may stick.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  He smiled and shook his head as if in disbelief that someone didn’t like the Oakland Raiders. “Ok, so you don’t like the Raiders, then who do you like?”

  “The Lions of course. They have the best uniforms.” We both laughed. “Ok, we both like sucky teams. We’re hopeless,” I laughed as I stared into his blue eyes.

  “You really like football?” He seemed shocked. “Pizza, beer, champagne, and football. You really are the perfect girl aren’t you?”

  I could feel my cheeks begin to flush. “Let’s see if you feel that way when my Lions whoop up on your Raiders!” I playfully poked him in the chest.

  “Um, zero and sixteen. I don’t think that will ever happen.”

  “C’mon now, that was a few years ago. We made the playoffs last year. How bout a bet?” My eyes danced devilishly.

  “OK, I’m game. What shall we bet?”

  “If the Lions win you’ll teach me to fly a helicopter.”

  “And if they lose?”

  “They won’t lose, but just in case hell freezes over, I’ll be yours forever.” I tried to dazzle him with my smile.

  “If I have to jump on the field and play for the Raiders myself, I will make sure the Lions lose.” He had a playful ferocity beaming from his eyes.

  “So it’s a bet?” I extended my hand to solidify our bet with a handshake.

  “Damn straight it’s a bet.”

  We shook on it and smiled mischievously at each other. I was feeling comfortable, so curiosity started to get the best of me. I wanted to know more about him. “OK, next question. How old are you?”

  “Well physically I’m probably about twenty-four or twenty-five. Mentally I’m thrity-seven.”

  “How does that work?”

  “The lion DNA we received repairs cells lost to aging, so we regain our youth. You know how we heal up so fast?”

  “Umhm.” I nodded with interest.

  “That’s because our damaged cells have super repairing abilities. This is what will keep you young and beautiful for a very long time.

  “I think I can handle a perk like that.”

  “It’s definitely useful.” He said as he brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.

  “Thane, how did you become a half-breed?”

  His devilish smile turned into a frown. “It’s a long story Lexie. I’d really rather not get into it.”

  “We’ve got about four hours to kill, and if we’re going to be together forever after the Lions lose I think I have a right to know.”

  “It was a long time ago Lex, and I don’t like dwelling on the past.”

  “Please. If you want me to trust you, then we shouldn’t have secrets.”