“33D.” Gigi grinned.
Oh. Right. Seat assignment. For the first time I got suddenly nervous. Especially as I looked down at my ticket. My heart sank. “I’m 34F. That means I’m not in your row?”
Savannah scowled and glanced down at my ticket. “What the hell, why aren’t you with us? There are usually three seats together.”
Fear bubbled up my throat as we walked through the door of the plane. I wasn’t sitting with them. Who am I sitting with? Or am I sitting alone?
“Ohhhh. I see what happened.” Gigi turned to the side so that Savannah and I could see what she saw. “There are only two seats on each side.”
Savannah bit her lip and glanced back at me. “Don’t worry, once we take off we’ll turn in our seats and talk to you. We’re right in front of you. Or I’ll switch with you,”
I nodded even though I wasn’t feeling relieved. Ms. Kelly knew I had amnesia and cared about how I was doing.It didn’t make sense that she wouldn’t put me with one of my two friends. “I wonder who’s sitting with me?”
“I wonder, too. Maybe it’ll be Ms. Kelly?” Savannah gave me a smile I knew she meant to be reassuring. She stopped and turned into row thirty-three, then took the seat by the window. “You’re right behind me, Safferella.”
I passed the empty seat and tried not to freak out.
“I wish Cooper was on our flight.” Gigi frowned and leaned over the back of her seat.
“That boy is fine.” Savannah sighed and fanned herself. “But he said he’d meet us there.”
Cooper Bishop was eighteen and technically an adult, but more than that, he was a Coven member. I was still new to this whole witch thing, and there was a ton I didn’t yet understand, but apparently Coven members could do whatever they wanted. Being in The Coven was their job. Their job was to protect the rest of us, the civilian witches like myself and Savannah and Landreia…from demons.
My mind flashed to that night of the séance and the demon that attacked me, but I quickly pushed the thought away. It was okay now. I now knew I was a witch and Cooper had taught us about fighting them. And then we had Cooper, or we would. His bosses, The Coven Leaders, had sent him to do something this morning before meeting back up with us.
I glanced out the window at the rising sun. Where would he have gone this early? But it wasn’t my place to question The Coven. Especially when he’d promised they were going to do everything they could to help me get my memory back. And from the magic I’d seen so far, I felt a lot better about my chances.
“Saffie?”
I jumped and looked up only to find both girls in the aisle beside me. “Yeah? Where we going?”
“We’re going to the restroom before takeoff, you good?”
“Oh, no. I’m okay. I went in the airport.”
They nodded then skipped down the narrow aisle. I turned in my seat and counted the empty rows behind me – there were three.
“Hi Saffie,” A soft, very familiar voice said behind me.
I turned and gasped. “Dr. Troy? What are you doing here?”
She smiled and tied her hair on top of her head. “Ms. Kelly thought given your situation, it would be safest if I was on the trip. But I have work to do, so I’ll just be at the hotel in case I’m needed.”
“That actually does make me feel better— oh, are you sitting next to me?”
She shook her head and my heart sank. “Sadly, no. I just wanted to stop and let you know I was here.”
Some of the pressure on my chest lifted. I smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you’re coming.”
“Well I’ll be in the back row if you need me, okay?”
I nodded. She gave me a little wink then walked away. I sighed and leaned back in my seat, turning to watch the sunrise through the small window. The sky was a gorgeous golden color and it reminded me of my magic. I looked down at my hands and pictured the glittery gold wrapping around my fingers. Energy shot down my arms and burst into my palms as my magic surged to the surface. I cursed and swatted at it but that only seemed to make it worse.
“Saffie,” Savannah hissed then dropped into the seat beside me. Her hands covered mine, then whispered. “Calm this magic from these hands, cloak and seal from where it stands.”
Cold energy billowed out of her palms and wrapped around mine. I gasped and looked up. Gigi stood in the aisle, blocking us from the sight of people taking their seats. Her face was casual and calm, like I hadn’t just exposed magic on an airplane full of humans.
After a second, Savannah sighed and pulled her hands back. She chuckled. “That was close.”
“Sorry.” I groaned. “I didn’t mean to, I was just thinking about it—”
“You’re very powerful, Safferella.” She frowned and shook her head. “My guess is you had some hella epic abilities before your amnesia. Your mind may not remember it, but your body and your magic do. You need to be careful until you have more control. And you need more lessons.”
“Pardon me, ladies.” I recognized that deep, rough voice in an instant.
My body locked up, every muscle went tense. My chest was tight and burning. I looked up and found Riah standing in the aisle right behind Gigi. My heart fluttered. God, he’s beautiful. Savannah and Gigi just stared at him.
He arched one eyebrow and his golden gaze swept over my two friends. “I believe you’re in my seat.”
I gasped. My eyes widened. His seat? Where? Which one?
When no one moved, he pointed right at Savannah.
“Oh. Shit. Sorry. Um…right. Okay.” She jumped up and hopped into the aisle, then dragged Gigi toward her by the sleeve of her sweater, gesturing toward the seat beside me. “Go ahead.”
He gave her a quick nod and stepped into my row. His big body dwarfed the small space yet I didn’t feel claustrophobic or trapped. He lowered into the seat beside me and slid his bag under the seat in front of him. Savannah and Gigi were frozen in the aisle with their jaws hanging open. Their eyes were wide.
“Hello passengers, we’ve just made the final boarding call so we’ll be taking off in just a few minutes,” the flight attendant said over the speaker. “Please take your seats.”
Gigi yanked Savannah back to their row, but neither of them looked away from us. They were openly gawking.
Gigi shook herself. “Saffie, let me know if you wanna borrow my tablet for the flight, okay? Okay.”
“Right, so um, I’ll talk to Cooper about that thing.” Savannah giggled and tried to hide it under her hand. Gigi’s hand popped up over the seat and started to pull her down, but Savannah fought it. Her blue eyes were bouncing back and forth between me and Riah – who luckily hadn’t looked up yet. “But…uh…I’ll just show you myself once he leaves—”
Gigi hissed and Savannah dropped down into her seat. She turned and peeked at us through the crack between chairs…and giggled. My face was on fire, so I knew I was blushing. I knew I wouldn’t be able to pretend this crush didn’t exist with them any longer, especially since they already didn’t believe me – not after he and I spent an hour alone together.
At this point, I just prayed he didn’t know it too.
Because that would be mortifying.
Kind of like the way Savannah and Gigi were giggling in front of us.
Riah sat up then leaned back against his seat. He stretched his legs out, but they were so long his knees about touched the seat in front of him. Heat radiated out of his body so warm he felt like sitting beside a fire. Or maybe the burning ember scent did that. Or it was a combination. I didn’t know why he smelled like that but it short circuited my brain and made my heart do these weird little flips.
He ran his hands over his thighs and my fingers itched to do the same, so I shoved my hands under my legs to stop myself. But he was just so close. His body took up the entire width of his seat, his legs were even partially into mine. There couldn’t have been more than three inches between our legs but it felt like they were touching.
Fire scorched down my
throat and into my lungs. Each breath burned as I gasped for air. He was too close. I couldn’t think when he was this close. I cleared my throat then took a few deep breaths, and then I looked up at him — and found his golden eyes watching me.
My breath left me in a rush.
I couldn’t look away. There must have been some kind of magic in his eyes because when he looked at me I fell into a trance. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that his eyes were the same exact color as my magic. That had to mean something. Or I was grasping for a reason that he had such an effect on me.
Time seemed to slow down as we just stared at each other. Neither of us spoke. Neither of us moved. But there was an energy floating between us so thick and hot it could’ve started a forest fire. He was hypnotizing. Intoxicating. My chest was burning so bad from lack of air.
“Flight attendants, prepare for take-off.”
Riah jumped and looked away from me. I gasped for air yet it did nothing to soothe the storm inside of me. The plane rolled forward. The world passed by in a slow blur out my window and then we stopped. The engine roared and the plane buzzed with power. I tried to focus on that and not him.
“Saraphina?”
My heart skipped a beat. I loved the way he said my name, even if he was the only one who said the whole thing. I didn’t even want him to call me Saffie.
“Saraphina?”
Oh shit. I looked up and prayed my face didn’t betray me. “Y-yes?”
His lips curved up into that slow, sexy smirk. He leaned closer and his breath brushed over my face. “I believe you’re sitting on my seatbelt.”
“Hmm?” I blinked up at him, lost in the way his eyes shimmered. Then his words registered. Shit. I flinched and looked down. Sure enough, the buckle to his seat belt was somehow between my legs. Warmth exploded in my cheeks as I lifted my leg and pulled it out. “Sorry. Here you go.”
I lifted the blue material up with fingers that trembled more than I was comfortable with. As his long, tan fingers reached for it they brushed against mine and electricity shot up my arm. Goosebumps broke out across my skin. I sucked in a deep breath and held it while my pulse went wild. His eyes widened just a fraction, enough to make me think that maybe – just maybe – I wasn’t in this alone.
His eyes lowered to my mouth and I found myself leaning closer.
The clicking of his seatbelt echoed in my mind. We both jumped apart. I turned and forced myself to look straight ahead, at the back of Savannah’s seat. I tried to focus on the sound of their voices but my mind was too stuck on the fact that the armrest between Riah and I was not down – and neither of us had made a move to put it down. And I didn’t want to, and that bothered me more.
The engines of the plane roared and then we shot forward like a comet. I gasped and threw my hands out to grab the armrests – but my left hand landed right on top of his.
I flinched and yanked it off. “Sorry—”
He reached out and took my hand in his, tangling our fingers together. Then he lowered them onto the seat between us. “It’s okay. Just breathe, the take off is quick.”
Quick? It already felt like an eternity. I meant to look out the window, to watch the world disappear beneath us, but I was stuck. Riah must have been related to Medusa because whenever his eyes were on me I turned to stone. A very overheated stone. Fire burned between our palms and raced up my arm. My pulse beat faster than the engines of the plane.
The plane shook and rattled all around us. I hated to admit it, but it frightened me. So I let myself get lost in him…until the pressure loosened and the plane leveled out. My ears popped. I let out a long, shaky breath – then realized the ninja death grip I had on Riah’s hand. My knuckles were white from how hard I squeezed him.
I cursed and pulled my hand free. “T-thanks…f-f-or the hand.”
“Anytime.” He grinned. Then his eyes flashed bright. “Actually, I have something for you.”
I frowned. “For me?”
He nodded then leaned forward and reached into his bag. A moment later, he pulled out something gold and sat back. I frowned and tried to see what it was but his hand was too big.
“A friend of mine made this and…well…” he licked his lips then opened his hand. A gold bracelet dangled off of his finger, glistening against the morning sun rays shining into the plane. His gaze met mine. “He said citrine helps with memory issues, so I thought you needed it.”
My heart thundered against my chest. The bracelet was made of shiny gold metal that was the exact shade of his eyes. There was one massive dark yellow stone, about the size of a quarter, that dangled from it. At the base of the stone, where it attached to the bracelet, the metal band had three small stones on it – one clear crystal, one shimmery blue, and the other was the same purple stone he wore on his ring.
I looked at it dangling from his finger then back up at his face. “You got this for me?”
“I did,” his voice was rough and low. His smile took my breath away. “Here, let me see your hand…”
I held my left hand up and held my breath as he carefully hooked the cool metal around my wrist. His fingers were warm to the touch, and everywhere they grazed my skin I felt more of that electricity shoot up my arm. I shivered and prayed he didn’t notice.
When he was done fastening it, he ran his fingers down my wrist to where the stone hung. “This big one is raw citrine, and these are…”
I blinked up at him, far too caught up in the closeness of his face to really pay attention to whatever he was saying about the stone. All I heard was raw amethyst, clear quartz, and labradorite. I’d ask Savannah later what they meant. She’d told me all about stones and how they held power. I wondered if he knew that, but I couldn’t get my mouth to work. My attention was lost to the softness in his skin, and the smoothness of it. Even up close there were no marks, blemishes, or scars of any kind. His eyes were gold, without even a speckle of another hue. His long pale blond hair draped over his shoulder and fell onto my arm. I fought the urge to lean forward and bury my face in it – barely.
And then he turned and our eyes met from mere inches apart. I licked my lips and his gaze tracked the movement.
“Thank you, Riah,” I heard myself whisper. Just saying his name out loud did weird things to my insides.
“You’re welcome, Saraphina,” he said with that musical voice of his. “Wear this always, for it will bring you strength and luck.”
I nodded and our noses brushed. My pulse pounded through my veins. “I will. Always.”
His lips curved into a sideways grin.
The plane dropped and my stomach sank and turned. The seats shook violently. The people standing in the aisle wobbled and fell against the seats. I gasped and leapt – into his lap. My eyes widened. Heat exploded within me. I was halfway in his lap. My legs were curled up and lying on top of one of his legs. And to my utter horror, my hands were fisting his shirt.
I swallowed nervously. I needed to move but I was frozen.
He chuckled and it vibrated against my body. His finger pressed under my chin and then my face was tilted back until our eyes met. He ran his finger down my nose, then across my right cheek. “Sleep, and fear cannot harm you.”
I blinked and my eyes grew heavy. I couldn’t keep them open. The sounds of the plane around me vanished until I only heard the beating of his heart against my shoulder. He smiled down at me and I sighed. A yawn slipped out before I could stop it…and then my head landed on his shoulder, nestled in the crook of his neck. I felt his fingers running through my long hair…and then everything went black.
Chapter Forty-Three
Saffie
I sat on a bench off to the side under a sprawling oak tree and just watched the crowd go by. Hidden Kingdom theme park was already the coolest place I’d ever been and we’d only been there a couple hours. We’d only gone on one ride so far and that was just a train that went around the perimeter of the entire park. We’d wanted to get a good preview of the place. So far, I
’d learned two things: theme park crowds were intense and the heat in Florida was worse.
In Salem, the temperature had been in the teens, but here in Florida it was almost triple digits. In December. Sweat rolled down my spine and soaked my hair. I didn’t remember much of anything but I knew this was supposed to be winter. Apparently Florida didn’t participate in the change of seasons. All of the trees – and there were trees everywhere – were bright green and thriving with life. It made me happy. I liked the warmth. I loved the bright sunshine shining down on us. It made my heart happy.
Which was saying a lot since Riah had basically disappeared after the flight.
I was trying not to let that bother me…but it was difficult. And the fact that it bothered me so much really bothered me. Savannah and Gigi had gone into the bathroom so I was just sitting there in the shade pretending like I wasn’t scanning every tall blond head for Riah.
And then I spotted someone else. I sat up straight as she came near, typing away on her phone. “Dr. Troy?”
She froze and looked up, then smiled at me. “Oh, Saffie! Hi!” She bounced over to the bench and sat down beside me. “Are you all right? Why are you alone?”
“Savannah and Gigi are in the bathroom and I didn’t have to go.” I smiled, relieved to have something other than my own thoughts to focus on. “I thought you were going to be at the hotel?”
“I couldn’t help myself.” She said with a laugh and a shrug. Then she glanced sideways at me and wagged her eyebrows. “I saw you and Riah on the plane…you all cuddled into his lap and sleeping on his shoulder.”
I groaned and heat exploded in my face. “I know. I don’t know what came over me. The turbulence scared me and then…I don’t know.”
She chuckled. “So things are going well then?”
“I have no idea. But…” I held up my left wrist. “He gave me this bracelet.”
Her light eyes widened. “Wow. That’s gorgeous, and very thoughtful. And I think we now know this crush is mutual.”
My heart fluttered at the mere idea of him feeling this…this…thing. Not that I believed he did. “I don’t know, he practically ran off the plane to get away from me and has been ignoring me since.”
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