by Jen L. Grey
"We should've already visited more places." I hated that I'd let them down so much.
"Between the vampire attacks? Or when you had to heal from a near-death injury? Or the holidays? Or wait, when we had to plan a coronation for Mason?" Ella piped up from the back seat in her usual spot in the middle. "I mean, we had so much free time that I could see where we might beat ourselves up over it."
"Don't be an ass." Mason turned around and glared at his sister.
"No, she's right." There had been a lot going on. It's not like I was being Darren and purposely neglecting them. I couldn’t think of any reasons why they'd be willing to follow Richard after the way his father had reigned.
"Still could be nicer about it," he grumbled as he faced forward again.
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Ella snorted in the back seat.
"Ella." Even Louis's low tone held a warning.
"Right now, we need to focus on getting there and then figuring everything out." We had to work through things one at a time.
It wasn't long before we were pulling up to the airport. Tommy stopped in front of the entrance.
Kassie jumped out and scanned the area. She paused before coming over and opening our door. "Let's get out."
The six of us exited the vehicle while some people were unloading our bags. When Tommy drove off to find a parking space, we walked inside.
As usual, Kassie was in front, scanning everything, and Mona was guarding the back. When we entered the building, everyone seemed to get even more tense.
It was more crowded than usual, and Kassie stayed close to us as we swerved through the crowd and headed to our gate.
A chill ran down my back. I glanced around and couldn't find anything or anyone unusual standing out.
Are you okay? Mason's concerned voice filled my head.
I don't know. Something feels off. A few people had looked our way, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. Do you feel it?
No, but that means something is definitely wrong. He stepped closer to me and took my hand. Whoever it is likes only you being aware.
That sounded about right. Let's just get on the plane. I was hoping it was due to me not feeling the best and surrounded by all of these people. Maybe I was being paranoid.
As we entered the plane, some of the edginess had worn off. The feeling has gone away.
Thank God. Mason took my hand and led me toward the bedroom at the very back of the plane.
I stopped, making Mason pause. ”Do one of you mind getting me an outfit before we leave?" I wanted to make sure I at least looked somewhat put together when we landed.
"Yeah, I'll grab something." Mona headed off the plane, passing Tommy as he climbed on board.
Tommy made his way to the cockpit. "How much longer until we take off?" His voice was tense and direct.
"Once the guard gets back on the plane." The pilot sounded almost terrified of Tommy.
"Perfect." He nodded at the captain and headed toward us. "Do I need to check anything?"
"Nope, I already checked the cabin." Kassie glanced at Mason. "Go back there with her. We aren't leaving her alone."
"I planned to."
"Let her sleep though." Ella sat on one of the couches that had a drawer next to it, and she was facing a television. "I don't want to hear anything, and she still appears as if she’s at death's door."
"Sometimes, you can be quiet." Louis smiled at her adoringly but shook his head.
"Nah, it's part of my charm." Ella winked at him as she pulled some beef jerky out of the drawer.
"What charm?" Mason reached over and snatched the bag she had just pulled out.
"Hey, that's mine." Ella pouted and held her hand open, waiting for him to give it back.
"It's for Elena." He took my hand, and together we began heading to the back.
"Then it's fine, but you better not have one morsel," Ella yelled at him.
Normally, they would crack me up, but I still had a huge headache and wished they'd be quiet.
Mona jogged back onto the plane and tossed Mason a small duffle bag. "Here are the extra sets of clothes you packed. She should be good to go."
"Thank you." I didn't know what I'd do without every single one of these people in my life.
Mason opened the door to the bedroom, and I sat on the bed to open the bag, wondering what they had packed for me. Thankfully, it was a pair of jeans and a shirt. It might not be the most regal of attire, but they knew I'd want to be comfortable. Just as I set the bag on the floor, a flash of light caught my eye.
My body tensed as I leaned over and dug through my bag. My hand hit something cool and smooth. I pulled it out from the bag, and just like twice before, I found a small sphere-shaped stone, red and black mixed together with the double infinity sign.
"What's that?" Mason's voice sounded deep and raspy.
He already knew what it was. "It's another marble."
"Of course it is." He stepped next to me and stared at it. "Do you know what that symbol means?"
"Revenge." Granted, I already knew that was what Debra and Richard wanted, but how did they manage to sneak it into this bag? That's the part that scared me the most.
Chapter Seven
My heart thudded in my chest. "Do you think something is wrong with our plane?" Would someone be desperate enough to want me dead that they'd take the whole plane down?
"I don't know." He took the marble from my hand and closed his eyes. "This is getting to be too much."
"At some point, we have to get a reprieve, right?" At least, I sure hoped so. I spun around and opened the door. We needed to take care of this before we took off.
"What's wrong?" Mona's eyes landed on mine immediately. "You're supposed to be resting."
"Someone left me another present in my bag." I glanced at Kassie and Tommy. "There's another marble, this time with the double infinity sign."
"Revenge." Kassie jumped to her feet. "We need to get off of the plane immediately and make sure everything is okay."
"What if that's what they want?" Mason ran his hands through his hair. "This could go so many ways."
"It's probably nothing." Ella waved her hand as if she was brushing it off. "They're purposely riling you up."
"Well, someone is going to check the plane, at least." Tommy stood, headed toward the pilot's door, and banged on it.
"I'm with Ella." Louis tensed and scanned the inside of the plane as if he was going to see something we couldn't. "They're playing mind games. As of now, they haven't gone out of the way to hurt you themselves, not directly."
"Which is exactly their motive," Kassie growled and paced in a circle. "It was Gabby who was supposed to kill her, then they made her watch her dad die again, so by rigging the plane, it's once again set up so they’re not directly hurting her."
"That's one way of thinking about it, but Ella might not be wrong." Mona tapped her finger on her lips.
Soon, the pilot hurried out of the cabin and ran down the steps to the ground.
Tommy appeared with a frown set deep on his face. "He's going to make sure everything mechanical gets checked over once more."
"Okay, good." Kassie stopped for a second and took a deep breath. "Now, what were you saying?"
"Think about it." Mona tapped her foot on the ground. "Yes, they left a knife with Gabby, but they also didn’t know that Elena would come with her security crew, if at all. And her aunt didn't try anything in the bathroom with her despite the door being magically sealed shut, and with the dream, she was never in danger of truly being harmed."
"They are definitely fucking with her mind." Mason pulled me into his arms and took a deep breath. Maybe we shouldn't go.
We have to. I wasn't thrilled about the prospect either, but damn ... there were actual packs whispering about challenging my throne. They win either way. Either I go and deal with the mess they've created for us, or I stay safe, and they bring the war to me. There isn't a way of winning in this.
One d
ay, we're getting away and spending time enjoying each other. No worries or anything. Mason's strong arms wrapped around me.
That sounds perfect. The thought of him and me at a beach or, hell, even a mountain retreat so we could relax and be a part of nature sounded more than exquisite.
"See, I can get into a stalker’s head." Ella sat straight up in the seat and rolled her shoulders back.
"That's not necessarily a good thing." Kassie shook her head at her.
"Actually, it is." Louis wrapped his arm around his mate, pulling her flush against his side. "It's a strategic advantage to get into your opponent's mind. I'd think guards would need to be able to see things like this too."
"Maybe if there weren't three people going after her at all times." Kassie sighed as the pilot clambered back into the aircraft.
"Everything is locked and loaded." He appeared to be around the same age as Tommy and smelled of wolf. "I have no reservations about taking off."
All six sets of eyes stared at both Mason and me. They were waiting for us to give the order.
You think we should go? Mason's voice was strained, but he already knew the answer.
Yes. I do. We have to get there, and the longer it takes, the worse it'll be.
"Let's go. Worse case, we'll use the parachutes or whatever in here." He tugged me toward the bedroom again. "She's going to rest. Let me know if anyone needs us or if something goes wrong."
Tommy nodded his head. "Yes, my King."
"All right. I'll get us on the runway." The pilot went back into his cockpit.
As we entered the back bedroom again, I took a deep breath. It was only a double bed with cream-colored sheets. The size made it hard for both Mason and me to fit, but I was always up for the challenge, and it was nice having a room to ourselves.
He placed the marble back in my bag and sighed. "Will things ever settle down?"
"I think so." I had to believe that. I couldn't imagine the rest of our lives being this crazy. "You don't regret this, do you?"
"Hell no." He moved to lie on the bed, sliding over against the wall. He spread his arms, waiting for me to cuddle into him. "Of course not."
"Being with me isn't easy, I know." I crawled into his arms and placed my head on his chest. I took a deep breath, feeling right at home.
"And being without you would be impossible." He kissed the top of my head as I closed my eyes.
We lay in silence as I listened to his heartbeat and breathing which calmed my racing heart. The plane began to speed up for takeoff, and soon we were soaring into the sky.
After several long minutes, I gave up on trying to sleep. Despite how hard I tried, my brain wouldn't shut off. Are you awake?
Nope, but you should be sleeping. He began to rub his fingers along my back.
I can't shut it off. Obviously, Debra and Richard are doing most of this, but someone had to help orchestrate it. Who the hell could it be? Was it someone that I'd wronged or maybe my parents had? There were so many possibilities it made me dizzy.
Your guess is as good as mine. He kissed my forehead. But we'll figure it out. They'll mess up, and we'll catch a break.
There's no telling what Richard has said to the alphas. We had no clue what we were walking into other than knowing that the alphas and their packs were turning on me for some reason. It had to be at least good or convincing in order for them to believe my cousin after the way his father had treated everyone.
He must be convincing them somehow. His arms tensed around me. But, you're supposed to be resting.
Well, I can't stop my mind from running. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. I could think of one way, though, of shutting it off.
Oh, really now. He arched an eyebrow and lowered his head. How exactly is that?
Instead of words, I decided it'd be better to show him. I pressed my lips against his and reveled in being completely surrounded by him.
I kind of like your idea. He deepened our kiss, making me dizzy.
A loud knock sounded on the door right before it opened. Ella popped her head in. "FYI, we can hear you all the way out here?"
"What the hell?" Mason leaned back and glared at his sister. "The door was locked."
She held up a bobby pin. "They made it easy to unlock in case of an emergency." She rolled her eyes.
"Really?" Now that she’d said it, that kind of made sense.
"Duh." She snorted as she took in my expression.
"Is this an emergency?" Mason growled the words in warning.
"Yeah, it really is." Ella placed her hands on her hips and glared. "The last thing that any of us wants to hear coming from in here are moans and groans. I was afraid the bed was about to squeak."
"We weren't moaning." Actually, I wasn't quite sure about that. For some reason, I thought the small room would be more soundproofed.
"Oh, you were." Ella pointed her finger at me. "It may be a new plane, but it’s not sound proof."
I wanted to turn invisible right now. “Good to know.”
There’s no reason to be embarrassed. We’ll pretend like she’s not here. He lowered his head to mine, kissing me slow and sweet.
"I'm right here." Ella's voice raised an octave.
What are you trying to do? If he thought this was some sort of punishment for his sister, I was all for it.
She tried riling us up with her theatrics. His tongue skimmed my lips. I figure we owe her a show.
"Don't make me have to sit between you two." Ella took a few steps closer to us. "Because I will."
For the love of God. Mason pulled away and readjusted so I was against his chest. "There, Mom. We're behaving."
"Good." Ella sighed. "Because that could have gotten awkward like that one time you kissed my hand."
"You put it between our mouths." Mason's voice was low and annoyed. "Don't make it sound like I actively sought it out."
"Leave them alone, for God's sake." Louis chuckled. "They are now fully aware that we can hear them."
"We're resting, promise." Even though Ella was annoying as hell, she had some kind of charm. "You can even leave the door open."
"Okay, but one more sound, and I'll be taking his place." She winked at me as she turned around and skipped back to her seat.
Why did we bring her again? Mason growled in my ear.
Because she might have been more of a target otherwise. We had actually been torn on that decision.
Fine, but next time, I might be willing to take our chances. He growled.
"Noises," Ella called from the other room.
My shoulders shook with laughter. I guess we better behave and actually try to take some kind of nap.
When we landed, the Atlanta airport surprised me, it was the largest airport I'd ever been in. Even the private area was packed.
As we climbed from the aircraft, it felt nice to place my feet on solid ground after our initial scare. "Do we have vehicles and a hotel lined up?"
"Of course we do." Mona grinned as she caught up to me. "Do you think this is our first rodeo?"
"Let me guess—Suburbans?" Ella rolled her eyes as she shook her head.
"Of course." Tommy laughed as his hand brushed against Kassie's.
"And we'll be staying at the Four Seasons." Kassie noticed my glance and stepped away from Tommy. "I'm just glad nothing happened on the flight. I'd been worried."
"I'm not sure if it's much better." Louis frowned and shook his head. "Head games can be more brutal and tragic than physical trauma."
He was right on that. Watching my dad die all over again continued to haunt me. It didn't even matter that it was only a dream.
"Well, once we figure out who it is, we'll level the playing field." There was a darkness to Mason's tone.
We entered the airport and hurried through the crowd.
"Tommy and Mona are going to go ahead and take you to the hotel while I stay behind and load up the second vehicle." Kassie motioned to the two Chevys ahead.
"Someone needs to
be with you." I hated to leave her alone. "What if something happens?"
"It won't." Kassie's voice was tense.
"There's got to be a way we can all stay together." If we left and she got hurt or worse, I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
"Elena is right." Mason took my hand and stepped closer to me. "We'll all leave together."
Kassie's eyes narrowed. "But ..."
"You heard them." Tommy's tone was rigid. "And I agree. We can get them settled into the first vehicle, and Mona can keep watch. It'll be easier to take one Suburban anyway."
"But we said two." Anger flared in her eyes.
"It's not safe." Mona's calming voice interjected. "It's better with larger numbers."
"Fine." She hurried over to the black vehicle in front and opened the trunk. "Get those four inside now."
I hated how each one of us felt stressed at this moment.
Mona hurried to the car door as Tommy kept an extra eye out for anything out of place. I rushed into the car so the other three could climb in right after.
"Was it always like this when your dad ruled?" Louis asked as he brushed by me on the way to his normal seat in the back.
"Not as far as I can remember. His reign was expected, and it was mapped out seamlessly with little to no backlash." Dad had told me that growing up in the spotlight always helped the transition into the crown easier if done correctly. However, I didn't get to have that privilege. "Granted, there were things that came up, but nothing like this."
"It's even further proof that your uncle messed everything up." Ella sat next to Louis and placed her head on his shoulder. "It appears he didn't even do the job as needed."
Two men put our four bags into the back of the Suburban and then sealed it up. Mason's side door opened, and Mona began crawling through to the back.
"That went faster than expected." She sat in the back next to Ella and scanned our surroundings as Kassie and Tommy climbed into the car.
"It's only twenty minutes from here." Tommy shifted the car into DRIVE and merged with the traffic.
The sun was setting, and it hit me that it was slightly past six. "It's too late to try to schedule a meeting." I pulled my phone from my pocket and scrolled through my contacts. "I'm going to call them and schedule something for in the morning."