by Jaymin Eve
It felt right.
That in itself should have had me flipping out, but I just … went with the flow. Wherever this new path took me, something told me it would be better than the path I’d been on. Loneliness … displacement … isolation. Silent killers, slowly leeching away my will to live, turning the world dark and depressing.
The moment I’d seen Maya, my vision filled with so much … hope. I didn’t understand it at the time, but now I did. These seven people—aliens—were what I’ve been searching for. Even if I didn’t know that’s what I was doing at the time.
The helicopter ride was uneventful—I’d been tense the entire time waiting for an ambush. When we landed at an airport, Lexen got out first, and after he had a quick look around, helped Emma, Callie, Maya, and me out.
No one slowed, rushing across a large open expanse of asphalt toward a very shiny white plane.
“Xander’s plane,” Emma explained to me in a low voice. “He had one of them moved to this small airport. Luckily it has a just-long enough runway for this size of aircraft.”
I’d probably be an arrogant bastard like Xander if I had a private plane as well. Wanna go shopping? Sure, let’s take my plane.
I must have been grinning to myself, because Emma chuckled. “I can guess what you’re thinking. All of them have private planes. It takes some getting used to.”
That hadn’t been what I was thinking, but now that she pointed it out, I had to ask, “How can they all have a private plane? I mean, how do aliens make money here on Earth?”
They were royalty, sure, and maybe the government gave them lots of money to integrate into our world. Still, private planes were not cheap, even for royalty.
“They’ve been coming to Earth for a long time,” Maya said, picking up the conversation, her shorter legs pumping hard as she tried to keep up with us. “They own tons of companies, have their fingers in all the major industries, and basically control a lot of the world’s wealth.”
Number two reason to be arrogant. Still, Xander was a being of the water, like me. Money could not buy the true beauty in life. He should know better.
As if he’d heard that—or maybe it was the narrow-eyed glare I leveled on him—he tilted his head in my direction. “I own PlastoDestruction. Our company designed the machine that is stripping the oceans of plastics, pollutants, and other trash. I’m using my money to preserve this world for as long as possible.”
That placated me somewhat, so I gave him a nod and tucked my bitch face away. No doubt I’d have to bring it out again soon; Xander was very good at pushing my buttons. But I had heard of his company, and I’d long admired the work they did. The smallest of grins tilted up the corner of his lips as he reached the steps to his plane. He had a quick chat with the pilots who were standing there before they boarded the aircraft.
He turned to us. “Everything is good to go. Final safety checks are complete.” He then stepped aside and let everyone board first. I ended up being at the back of the group, which meant Xander was eye level with my ass as he followed me up. I wanted to turn and see if he was staring, but part of me was worried he wouldn’t be, and that would upset me.
Because I was an idiot who stupidly cared if an alien found me attractive.
When I reached the landing, I stepped into the opulent entrance of his plane. There were large, plush chairs everywhere, and I chose one at random. Emma and Lexen were across from me. Maya and Chase to my right. Callie and Daniel were two seats back.
Xander chose to sit in a single seat near the front. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or not that he was putting some distance between us. It was certainly easier to ignore someone when you couldn’t see their stupidly handsome face.
“Seat belt.”
My head snapped up at that command, and I realized it was the man himself. He had leaned out so that he could level that stoic glare on me. “What?” I asked him, my eyebrows slamming together.
“Put your damn seat belt on. We’re about to take off.”
I flipped him off. My finger rose without me even taking a second to think about it. I waved it at him like it was a friendly greeting.
He pressed his lips together and it kind of looked like his right eye was twitching.
“Please put your seats upright and seat belts on. We are about to depart.” The pilot’s voice echoed around the cabin.
This time I clicked my belt into place and focused on the floor. The nerves in my belly were kicking in hardcore. The helicopter ride had been okay, because I could see clearly out the windows. But the plane felt different.
Please don’t let me get airsick. That was my one hope. Nothing worse than barfing in front of four hot princes.
The plane taxied, slowly moving into position. It stopped for a few moments. I wasn’t sure why that was, but it did nothing except increase my panic. This was not normal. No one should fly like this. I was meant to be on land … in the ocean. I was leaving my ocean.
Squeezing my eyes tightly closed, I started taking long, slow breaths, in through my nose, out through my mouth. It didn’t seem to be doing anything. A hand gripped mine and I squinted one eye open to find Emma next to me.
“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “I’m not a huge fan of flying. None of us are.”
I swallowed, my chest heaving. “It’s too enclosed,” I managed to choke out. The helicopter hadn’t been the same. “I can’t see the sky. I can’t feel the breezes. I can’t breathe.”
A choking feeling was creeping up my throat, and I was about live out my worst nightmare by vomiting everywhere. Emma’s eyes grew really wide. I heard her shout something, but in that moment the plane cranked into gear and we were all shot back in our chairs as it took off along the runway.
A low whimper escaped me. I slammed my lips and eyes closed again. I was holding Emma’s hand like my life depended on it, and while part of me worried I was literally crushing her hand, I couldn’t seem to loosen my grip. There were voices around me, everyone talking, but it all sounded like static to me. My brain was locked in the throes of panic.
I lost my grip on Emma, but her hand was soon replaced with another; larger, more callused, and with a heat that Emma’s didn’t have.
Xander. Somehow that fact registered in my brain even when nothing else did. I wanted to throw his hand away, to move away from him, but I couldn’t. This literally felt like life or death to me, and I was holding on with everything I had.
“It’s okay, Avalon,” I heard him whisper. “All Royales react badly to flying. Something to do with our dependency on the water. But you’re going to be fine. You will make it through this. I promise.”
For the first time since I met him, there was no tone in his voice. It was just soothing. Caring. For a second I pretended he did care, that he wasn’t just trying to prevent a situation where I freaked out at the start of a six-hour flight. More warmth wrapped around me and I sank into it, my head going fuzzy as the adrenaline started to wane and my body crashed. We were definitely in the air, the plane smoothly gliding skyward. My eyes were still tightly closed, but the static in my head was easing.
As my breathing evened out, I pressed my face closer to the softness of Xander’s shirt. He smelled of the ocean. That briny, fresh, perfect scent of home. Damn him for smelling like home.
The captain’s voice sounded over the loudspeaker again, advising everyone it was fine to remove seat belts and move about the cabin.
“Is she okay?” I heard Chase ask, his voice close by.
Xander shifted, pulling me closer to him. I was half sprawled across his body now, but I couldn’t seem to move away. I needed my ocean.
“She’s dealing,” Xander said bluntly. “She’s a lot more Royale than I expected. We’re prepared for this when we travel on aircraft for the first time, but I didn’t think Avalon would have the same issues.”
“Whatever you’re doing appears to be helping,” Callie said, sounding exhausted. “Thank you for helping her.”
&nbs
p; I loved that there was so much concern in their voices. No judgement. Just worry for me. There went those warm fuzzy feelings again. Knowing I needed to stop relying on Xander, who was no doubt hating every second he had to “deal” with my situation, I wiggled my hands up to his hard chest, preparing to push myself away.
He didn’t let me go though, not even when I applied more pressure in an attempt to move back. I literally didn’t shift at all. “Give yourself a few more minutes.” His low voice sounded near my ear. “It’s a long flight, and I know you need my energy right now to deal. So … stop fighting me.”
Moisture pricked my eyes and I was glad that my face was still hidden in his chest. “You’ve been fighting me since I first saw you,” I murmured back. “I’m not going to be a burden for you.”
I was a burden for my parents. It eventually caused them to resent me. I’d made myself a promise I would never be that for anyone else, ever again.
Xander paused, and when he spoke again his voice was rougher. “You’re not a burden. In another life….”
He trailed off, and even though I was desperate to hear the rest of that sentence, I didn’t ask. But I did quit fighting him, relaxing against him again. By the time I was calm enough to function on my own again, the flight was half over. Xander didn’t say anything more as he left my seat, returning to where he’d originally been sitting. But I did feel his eyes on me.
A middle-aged man dressed in a suit paused at my side. “Would you like anything to eat or drink?” He rattled off an entire selection of food and my stomach rumbled in response.
I decided to order a few things, hoping it would be a good distraction. When the steward hurried off, I leaned back and reached for the headphones, which were wrapped around the armrest. A television popped up with the press of a button and I flipped through the millions of movies. I wasn’t one to watch television much; I couldn’t remember the last time I even went to the theaters, but … maybe there’d be something here.
“That one is great!” Emma said, walking back from the bathroom. She dropped into the chair next to mine, picking up a second set of headphones.
“Callie and Daniel are in one of the bedrooms,” she explained. “Maya and Chase have another. They’ll try and sleep for a few hours. I’m too amped to sleep right now, so let’s watch a movie.”
“Okay,” I said, excited. “You think this one?”
She laughed. “Oh yeah, the remake is better than the original. I laughed so hard.”
Funny sounded like the exact remedy for what I needed.
The next few hours were killed watching movies and eating food. Emma was one of the easiest people I’d ever talked with, and when Maya joined us, it was just as relaxed.
“Do you think Callie is okay?” I asked, feeling the loss of one member. “She’s slept almost the entire flight.”
We’d checked on her a few times. Daniel had assured us she was just asleep. But the look on his face wasn’t as reassuring.
“We’re due to land in forty minutes,” Lexen said. He had Emma in his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Both of them looked content. “She’ll make it to House of Imperial, no worry.”
“We’re about to start our descent. Please return to your seats.”
The pilot’s voice spurred us all into action, and as I slipped back into my squishy chair, I tried really hard not to think about landing. It had to be better than taking off, right? Ocean washed across my senses and I turned as Xander dropped into the seat next to mine. Our eyes met, and I expected embarrassment to hit me, but there was none.
“Thank you for before,” I said, wanting to express my gratitude. “I really appreciate your help. I’m not sure what would have happened if you weren’t here.”
Xander shrugged. “You seem like a strong, independent sort of person. I have no doubt you’d have managed it on your own. But … just in case, I’m here if you need me.”
If you need me….
I really wished he hadn’t said those words, because the mental images that sprang to life had nothing to do with flying and everything to do with sex. I was not a virgin; the surfer community was free and easy with more than just riding the waves, but I did tend to be on the more conservative side. I’d had a few casual relationships. One semiserious one. But nothing for the last six months. Just surviving had been hard enough.
But right now, in this very moment, all I could picture was climbing into Xander’s lap. Pressing my lips to the bronze, hard muscles lining his chest. Running my fingers through his perfect strands of blond hair. He turned me on in ways that should be illegal. Especially when he wanted nothing to do with me.
Gold flared in his eyes, and the blue went dark enough to almost be black. “You need to stop looking at me like that,” he warned, leaning in close. “You and I might not be the soul mate types, but I am attracted to you. You’re extremely beautiful, and right now I can think of nothing except stripping your clothes off and tasting every inch of that stunning body. But that’s where it would end, and something tells me that wouldn’t be enough for you.”
Irritation pricked at me. “You don’t know me,” I returned, keeping my voice as low as he had. “I’m perfectly capable of handling a casual affair.” Despite my calm word, my mind and body were on fire. I couldn’t get the visual he’d painted out of my head … or the fact that he was feeling the same level of attraction as me.
What the hell is happening?
His jaw tightened. “Something you’re familiar with?” he asked.
“Isn’t it the Royale way?” I shot back. “Not settling into long-term relationships.”
He shook his head. “It’s more complicated than that. For starters, overlords are together long-term. The energy of an overlord facilitates a proper bond. And more of our people are starting to build long-term family units. We’re changing.”
Except Xander clearly wasn’t.
“Maybe I would be the one who could walk away and you’d be the one wanting more,” I suggested casually. “Maybe that is what has you worried.”
He laughed, the sound loud and jolting after our intimate whispering.
“Is that a challenge, Avalon? Because I have to tell you, I never refuse a challenge.”
Was it a challenge? Did I want to explore this sexual need I felt for Xander? Would there be a possibility I would fall for him though? I didn’t want to get my feelings hurt and somehow destroy the group dynamic…
“Who’s scared now?” he taunted, and my spine went straight.
“You’re on,” I blurted out. “I’m game for a sexual relationship, no strings attached. If you think you can handle it with no hard feelings, then I’m in.”
He leaned in closer. “Oh, there is going to be a lot of hard. But it won’t be my feelings.”
I tried not to laugh. His arrogance was almost endearing.
“We need some ground rules though,” he continued.
I agreed with that, so I nodded. “Okay, let’s think on the rules and then we can discuss them later.”
Somewhere a little more private.
He nodded as well. “Agreed. Although, I can tell you my first one right now. No mentioning this to anyone else. I do not need our friends trying to matchmake us. I had enough of that before we even found you.”
I could see why they would. The six of them were so happily teamed up, they would have expected the same from Xander and me. But Royales were different. This sort of deal would suit both of us better.
My pulse was racing as we settled back together, energy dancing along my skin even though I wasn’t actually touching Xander. But he was close. And all I could think about was sex.
The cabin dropped a little and I realized Xander had distracted me so well that we were almost landed. Looking around, I noticed that Callie and Daniel were absent, which meant Callie hadn’t left the bedroom. Worry replaced the sex thoughts. I mentally started urging the plane on.
She had to be okay. There was no other option. I would n
ot find this new family only to have one of them stolen away from me.
“She’s going to be fine,” Xander reassured me, facing the same direction I was, staring at the bedroom doors.
“I know,” I returned shortly. “She’s too tough to give up.”
I might not have known her long, but I already knew that about her.
She was a fighter.
Chapter 9
It turned out that there was no need for any identification when you flew in an alien spac— I mean a private plane. We were ushered into two dark SUVs, and none of the officials who helped us blinked an eye. Not even when Daniel had to carry his semi-unconscious mate to get her off the plane.
Xander and Lexen were the drivers. I ended up in the back seat with Emma in the car behind Xander’s. We flew through the town. I barely even got a glimpse of the ocean and cute little houses, we were going at such speeds. I understood it though, and I wished Callie was in the car with us, because I wanted to check on her.
Panic was hovering at the edge of my mind. Emma was very pale, her eyes locked forward through the windshield. No one spoke. It was like we couldn’t until we knew that Callie was going to be fine. Lexen practically drifted around the corner, flying between two huge, ornate gates. We then raced along a fancy street. Near the end, we screeched to a halt and everyone was out in seconds.
“I’m taking her right through,” Daniel said without preamble. “When she’s recovered her energy, we’ll meet you at Darken.”
Callie’s body was limp, her head lolling against Daniel’s chest.
Lexen, Xander, and Chase just nodded and slapped their friend on the back. Daniel swiveled and ran, moving superfast. Within a few of my rapid heartbeats he was completely out of sight, disappearing down some green-covered lane.
“Holy shit,” Emma burst out, holding a hand to her chest. “I didn’t think we’d make it in time. But she’s fine, right? Unconscious is not dead….” Her eyes darted between us. “Right”
