Air Bound

by Christine Feehan

This isn’t going to happen. I’m looking at the same patterns, if that is what has you spooked.

  I’m not taking trouble home with me.

  Yes, you are—I’m going with you. There was a trace of humor in his tone. They all have a better chance with us there. We can control the situation. If we’re not there, how can we protect them? “You’re panicking for no reason, honey.” He stepped into the cabana, his broad shoulders filling the doorway.

  She paused in the act of pulling on her shirt. Was she panicking? “He’s really going to send his men after me again.”

  “I figured he would. You’re valuable to him and he isn’t going to give you up so easily. Men like Evan Shackler-Gratsos tend to feel entitled to whatever they want. Anyone standing in his way will be mowed down. He doesn’t mind selling children and murdering them afterward. He’ll come after your family to get you.”

  She dragged the shirt over her head. “How can we stop him?”

  Maxim smiled at her. “That’s my girl. Now you’re thinking again. We’ve got the advantage at the farm.”

  “How is that?”

  “My brothers. We’ll be ready for him this time.”

  “What if he doesn’t give up and keeps coming at us?”

  “Can you fix this weapon they all seem to want?” He leveled his gaze at her.

  She bit her lip and shook her head. His gaze didn’t waver. She let out her breath. “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. But I don’t make weapons, not for any country. I’m not going back into that life.”

  “Not even if your mind is going a little crazy with inactivity?”

  “I keep it active.”

  Maxim smirked at her, but left it alone. He walked all the way into the room, placed a small pile of folded clothes on the end of the bed and took her hand. “Let’s go outside. It’s beautiful. The waves are rolling gently and everything is an amazing shade of blue. We’ve got our own little private strip of beach. I’ll wrap us up in air to protect us from anyone spying.”

  She went with him, liking the feel of her hand in his. He made her feel safe and loved. It was that simple. The woven chairs under the shaded table were comfortable and she sank into one, still feeling a little shaky.

  Maxim leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve sat outside in a beautiful place and never managed to see it? Until you. Waking this morning with your skin next to mine changed everything for me. I never thought I’d ever have the chance to have a home of my own.”

  He dragged his chair around to place it next to hers, so they could both easily view the ocean as it rose and fell. Dolphins chattered and leapt out of the water in a joyful dance, almost as if they could hear Maxim.

  “The point I’m trying to make is, I’ll protect our home and family with everything in me. I know its value far more than most men. Evan isn’t going to take a single family member from us. It doesn’t matter how long or how often he keeps coming at us, he won’t get any satisfaction. We’ll close ranks and protect our own.”

  “Judith travels. Rikki dives.”

  He nodded. “I understand that and we’ll do the best we can to make arrangements to keep them safe, but sometimes they’ll have to compromise.”

  Her gaze jumped to his face. “You meant that for me.”

  “Airiana, you’re the main target. You’ll need someone—preferably me—with you at all times until this is over. You’ll have to be realistic about what your life is going to be like. You have a gift and everyone wants it. I can’t protect you if I’m not with you.”

  She nodded. “I’m not going to argue with you. I’ve seen what Evan’s men are like. And I’ll convince my sisters.”

  “Levi and Thomas will take care of Rikki and Judith. They’ll see to it that both women cooperate, but Levi tells me that Lissa and Blythe may be our biggest worries. Lexi stays on the farm most of the time anyway except for her trips to the farmer’s market. We can handle that.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “You talked to Levi? Today?”

  He nodded. “Everyone is okay, and they were relieved to know you were okay and with me. The children are very quiet, he says, and are anxious we return. They don’t trust anyone enough to talk about what happened. As far as they can tell, the children really don’t have any relatives. Levi and Thomas have shored up the paperwork and are giving the children histories with us. If anyone tries to trace them they won’t be able to.”

  Airiana felt the burn of tears and quickly blinked them away. Home seemed far away. Maxim had actually spoken with Levi. “Are they coming to get us?”

  Maxim nodded and took her hand. “They’ll be here today. We just have to relax and wait for them. They’ll land at Jorge’s private airstrip and fly us home.”

  “It feels as if I’ve been gone a year,” Airiana said.

  He rubbed her fingers over his jaw. “Jorge is bringing the food, honey. Why don’t you slip inside and wait for him to leave.” He kissed her hand. “I like Jorge. I think he’s a good man, but he has a family to feed and to protect. I’m not going to risk trusting him with your safety. Evan’s men will be spreading money up and down the coast, eager to pay for a sighting of you. If Jorge never catches a glimpse of you, there’s no risk of temptation. I’d really hate to have to kill him.”

  Airiana obeyed instantly. She understood. Maxim liked Jorge, but if Jorge betrayed them and put her in danger, Maxim would kill him in a heartbeat. She retreated to the cabana, wrapping her arms around herself, happy to know she would be going home in just a few hours.

  She danced around the room, unable to contain her excitement. She was going home to her family. Things might still be up in the air and frightening, but she’d have her sisters around her to help and she knew, from experience, that when they were together, they were formidable. Now, with three Prakenskiis as well, she felt they had every chance of being successful in fighting off their enemies. She was going home.

  18

  AIRIANA was crying again. Maxim leaned on one hip with deceptive laziness and watched his woman while she sobbed. The five women around her hugged and kissed her repeatedly. He studied each one as a potential threat to his relationship with Airiana.

  Lexi, the youngest, was too sweet for her own good. She showed signs of intense trauma, much like the children he’d sent to the farm. She was a pretty girl, with too-old eyes and delicate, soft features. Her hair was a deep auburn and would burn bright in the sun. She was definitely an earth element, and from what he understood, she ran the farm. He found just looking at her made him feel protective—the younger sister he’d never had. He had the feeling she would be on his side. There was far too much compassion in her than was good for her.

  Blythe was the oldest and clearly the one the others turned to and listened to the most. She was tall and blond with shrewd eyes and a runner’s lean body. She had looked him over carefully when they’d arrived, and even now was sizing him up. She was a potential problem if she thought he might hurt Airiana in any way; otherwise, she would reserve judgment. Clearly she had gifts, but he couldn’t see them, he couldn’t feel the tie that bound elements together, yet there was something subtle there he couldn’t quite comprehend. She was a question mark to him.

  Rikki was different and definitely would have a difficult time with him, but not necessarily because he was with Airiana. He knew from what his brother had told him that she was autistic and had a hard time adjusting to change, yet he watched her with the children and she seemed open to them. She was the water element, and a very strong one, according to Levi. She was fiercely independent, but very loyal to her sisters. She would come to accept him, he was certain, as long as he didn’t push the relationship on her. She would have to accept him in her own time.

  Maxim had absolute confidence in every area with the exception of personal relationships. He had no real experience. He was a you
ng boy when he’d been taken from his family, and his training had been drilled into him. He’d been a loner, and even now, in this circle of close-knit people, two of his own brothers, he felt like an outsider.

  He kept his gaze fixed on Airiana. He knew her better than he did his brothers. She was the only person in the world he really knew—the only one who saw him. He willed her to look at him, make some acknowledgment that she was as aware of him as he was of her.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, afraid if he blinked, she’d vanish without a trace, like everything else worthwhile in his life had done. His palm itched, but he wasn’t going to use that connection between them, it wouldn’t be fair to her. She was holding on to her sister, the one with flaming red hair.

  No doubt that was Lissa, the fire element. She was the one he would have to be careful around. She would defend her sisters with her last ounce of breath. She was fairly small, but in her case, he didn’t think for one moment it was a handicap. He could see she was especially close to Airiana and blamed herself for not being home when Airiana was kidnapped. She hadn’t yet asked for details—how he’d come to be involved—but she would soon.

  Benito leaned against the other side of the door and crossed his arms over his chest, regarding the women as well. “She’s happy to be home,” he observed.

  Maxim nodded. Benito had a houseful of sisters. He would know why women cried all the time. He made certain his expression was sheer stone. The boy saw far too much.

  “What do you think, Benito? Have you and your sisters decided what you want to do?” He needed to take his mind off his insecurity and focus on something that mattered—like the four children. “You’ve been here long enough to get some kind of idea what it would be like. Is it too different from where you grew up?”

  Benito shrugged, trying to look both nonchalant and tough at the same time. “The girls want to stay, so we stay.” His dark eyes bored into Maxim. “You’re staying, right?”

  Maxim jerked his chin toward Airiana. “She’s home for me. So yes, I’m staying.” He bared his teeth at Benito. “That means I’m in charge.”

  Benito made another casual shrug, and Maxim’s heart turned over. That shocked him—having a physical reaction to another human being other than Airiana. The boy was trying so hard to be grown up. He didn’t know the first thing about kids, but he could see Benito’s struggle. There was a man’s cold rage deep inside him and yet a boy’s much more sensitive emotions. The kid was struggling to hold back the tears and keep his head up.

  “I can live with that,” Benito said. His voice sounded a little strangled, and he couldn’t keep the relief from showing on his face. “Too many women around here. They’re trying to make me see a counselor. A woman. I’m not talking to any woman.”

  Maxim frowned. “You’d rather talk to a man?”

  Benito’s expression changed swiftly to outrage. “That’s never going to happen. I don’t need to talk to anyone about anything. My sisters can go.”

  “Benito,” Maxim said softly, searching for the right thing to say, wishing he had more wisdom. “Your parents were murdered. They weren’t killed in a car accident. Ricco murdered them for the specific reason of acquiring you children. Your younger sister was murdered by a depraved madman.”

  Benito ducked his head. “I know.”

  “See all these women?” Maxim gestured around them at the women who had gone from crying to laughter. “Each of them had a loved one or loved ones murdered. My parents were murdered. That ties us all together in a weird way. We understand one another where other people don’t have a hope in hell of knowing what we’ve gone through.”

  Benito ducked his head and scuffed the floor with the toe of his shoe. “Yeah. I got that.”

  “Talking to someone helps with the grief and anger and the guilt. We all feel guilty for something we had no control over. Guilt is a strange thing, Benito, it eats you alive. So does misplaced shame.”

  The boy’s head snapped up. His eyes blazed fire. “I’m not talking about anything ever with any man or woman.”

  Maxim wanted to pull the boy into his arms and hold him tightly. Instead, he shrugged lightly. “It’s up to you what you talk about. But going to the counselor and talking about your parents is a smart idea.”

  He needed Airiana more than ever. He was so out of his depth with this boy who looked at him with something close to hero worship. He was no hero and no one for a boy to admire. He cleared his throat and nodded at Judith. She was the spirit element and she was married to Stefan, his brother, although Stefan was now Thomas Vincent. “What’s she like?”

  Judith seemed to be a happy person and her laughter could make everyone in the room want to laugh with her, but she kept sneaking glances at him and frowning. He didn’t like the feeling that she saw more than he wanted her to.

  It wasn’t like he was a great prize to look at. He was rough, and it showed in the lines of his face and the ice cold of his blue eyes. There was no getting around the scars on his body or hands. He looked like what he was, and it was unrelenting. He didn’t have Stefan’s sophistication or Lev’s ability to charm.

  “She’s all right. She let us all make a kaleidoscope.” There was a small thread of hidden excitement in the boy’s voice. “That was cool. She’s an artist and does a lot of paintings.” The thread grew stronger, although clearly Benito tried not to give away his interest.

  “She’s a good artist,” Maxim agreed. “Her paintings are shown all over the world. I understand she restores art as well. I’ve always thought that was a really cool process. Did you know that about her?”

  Benito nodded. Now his eyes had gone bright. “She took us through her studio and explained how it’s done to us. My sisters were annoying and she had to stop.”

  Maxim shrugged again. “Fortunately she lives here on the farm, and from what Airiana tells me, everyone goes to each other’s homes when they want. I’m sure if you want to understand art restoration, she’ll talk to you without your sisters.”

  Maxim looked over at Airiana. Her gaze jumped to his face and he found himself falling into her blue eyes. Yeah. He could live here and take care of the kids with her. The boy needed a firm hand or he’d turn out just like Maxim. He smiled at her.

  They’ve had to call Jonas Harrington and inform him I’m back. He’ll be showing up soon and he’s a cop. Are you ready to meet them all?

  That’s a silly question. There’s six of you and only one of me.

  But you’re a badass.

  The laughter in her voice warmed him. She had a way of tying them intimately together with just a few words. Where he had no clue what to say, she always seemed to find the right thing.

  “I’m crazy about that woman,” he admitted to Benito. “There’s danger in separating yourself from everyone, not wanting anyone to see inside of you where you’re vulnerable. We know the world isn’t safe and perfect like the fairy tales. But if you let it eat away at you, when that one comes along, that woman you know is going to make your world for you, you won’t see her, because you’re too busy hiding. I almost missed my chance with her.”

  “We’re going to live with you and Airiana, aren’t we?” Benito blurted hastily as the women crossed the room toward them. “All of us. Together in the same house.”

  Maxim realized that was the burning question Benito had had on his mind all along, but hadn’t known how to work it casually into the conversation. He feared they would all be divided into the other women’s homes.

  “If that’s what you want. But Benito, once you’ve decided, there’s no going back. Airiana and I will be your parents. What we say goes.”

  Benito tried to hide his relief. “I can live with that.”

  “So can I, but we’ll have a lot of women to take care of. I believe in being prepared for anything. I’ll want you to learn.”

  Benito stood straight,
his chest out. “I want to learn. No one is ever touching my sisters again.”

  Airiana came to him, holding out her hand. She smiled at Benito. “Have you picked your rooms yet?”

  Maxim closed his fingers around hers and pulled her beneath his shoulder. Her sisters were right behind her, surrounding them. Levi and Thomas grinned at him, knowing how uncomfortable he was in the spotlight. He was introduced to each woman, and he’d assessed the situation correctly. Lissa was going to be the holdout. She was polite about it, but she was extremely reserved.

  Still, he felt power in the air. It was unmistakable. Surrounded by them all, with Judith and Blythe close to bolster the other elements, he felt the ripples in the air, as if it were impossible to contain so much energy. He glanced at his brothers. These women were a force to be reckoned with when they were together.

  Thomas nodded, and Maxim relaxed just a little more. It wouldn’t just be the three Prakenskii brothers protecting the farm and everyone on it, these women could protect themselves if need be. It was only a matter of getting them into that mind-set. He knew having the children there would help. Women had a tendency to protect children when they might not protect themselves.

  “Thank you for bringing Airiana back to us,” Blythe said. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”

  Maxim tightened his fingers around Airiana’s. “I rescued her at sea, on board a ship. That makes her mine. The same with the children. Isn’t that right, Rikki?” he asked, drawing in the water element. “That’s payment enough, finding a family.”

  The sisters turned to Rikki. She nodded her head slowly. “He’s right.” A slow smile lit her face. “That’s how I got Levi. The sea’s been good to us, hasn’t it?”

  Maxim nodded, feeling very lucky that he’d had the chance to include Rikki. She was more open than ever to including him in their family. Before the women could ask any other questions, Lucia came in, holding tightly to her sisters’ hands. Nicia gave a soft cry when she spotted Maxim and raced to him, startling him. The child flung herself at him, wrapping both arms around his leg. Lucia and Siena stood uncertainly just a few feet away.