We get to the Miami airport early and go inside. I want to be sure I see the people from the dream before we do what we’re planning. I’m a little unsure if the dream is real or not, making me hesitant about all this.
We go to an area near the gate they should be going to. There’s a television on the wall, the weather is on. It shows clear skies with no chance of rain. It gives me doubt.
“Eden, look at the television, the forecast says no rain and clear skies. What if I’m wrong?”
“Then you’re wrong, so what?” he simply says.
I throw my hands up in the air. “Well, that’s bad, and we involved Lana and Jeffrey, their time and effort. I mean Jeffery had to figure out how to be able to get the original pilot off the plane so he can pilot it.”
“Alyssa, it’s no big deal. He loves doing this, and so does Lana. If nothing happens, great. No one is going to think any less of us. It just means the one in charge decided to go a different route. Besides that, you can’t go by what the weather report is. I can’t think of how many times it’s been way off.”
I smile. “Eden, I love you. You’re so fantastic,” I gush, then give him a kiss on the cheek.
I’m the luckiest creature alive!
He smiles at me, but in an instant his look turns serious. “Alyssa, isn’t that the little blonde girl and her mother from the dream? Turn around slowly and see.”
I turn around to look. The moment I see them my heart begins to race. “Yes, it is,” I say as I grab Eden’s arm. “It’s true, we have premonition as well as flight and telepathy. This is unreal!”
Eden’s expression is puzzled as he pats my back. “Simmer down there, little lady. You sure are getting excited about such a small thing. You didn’t get this gaga over transforming into a giant bird.”
My grip on him loosens as I realize how much of a Dodo bird I truly am.
“It’s just a thing I always thought I had, and now I know it’s true. I used to dream things, and they’d come true a lot. All the way back to the first time I saw Kyle. The night before he came to our school I had a dream about a husky, little, blonde haired boy coming into my classroom, and taking the seat next to mine.”
Eden looks away, his chest is tight, and I can feel it. “Perhaps what you and he have, was always meant to be. My mother keeps telling me to let the guilt go but I can’t think it’s anyone else’s fault I must share you, except my own.”
Share me!
Running my knuckles over his cheek, I draw his attention to me. “Eden, please don’t look at it like you have to share me. I’m yours, and yours alone. Our Creator wants things to change. Maybe that’s why he chose us. No matter what, we will make changes to help the future Phoenix couples. Now let’s put this on the back burner, and deal with the task as hand.”
His hand captures mine, and he holds it against his cheek. “Let’s do that.”
I wink at him “Okay, look around. Do you recognize anyone else?”
I scan the people as more begin to crowd into the waiting area. I see the elderly lady I recognize. She’s standing next to a man in a shirt with palm trees on it.
Oh, him, I know him!
Well, not really, know him, but recognize him from my dream.
I motion to Eden for us to get closer so we can hear people talking, my curiosity is peaked. The palm tree shirt guy is talking to the elderly lady.
“Thanks for bringing us to the airport, Madge,” he says, sadly. “We’ve been saving and saving for this trip. I’m happy we can go before Rose gets too ill. God, I’m going to miss her.”
The elderly lady pats him on the back. “I’m here for you brother. You’re not alone in this. Go have a good time and don’t think about that. Enjoy every day and don’t think about when the last one will come.”
I back up a little, wiping a tear from my eye. I look at Eden to see if he heard it too. I know he did as a sad look is on his face.
The lady in blue tells them they can begin boarding now. I see the little blond-haired girl being carried by her mother, her pregnant mother. In just about an hour she’ll realize she’s having another baby.
This is so weird that we know this before she does.
“I think we’ve seen enough, don’t you?” I ask.
He nods then takes my hand, leading me to the exit. We can see the plane taxi out onto the tarmac, getting ready for take-off.
Just as we’re about to walk out, the tall man, the husband of the main woman in my dream, comes into the airport. Anxiety radiates off of him. It takes everything in me not to run after him and let him know everything will be alright.
We find the rental car the Phoenix Foundation rented for us, and Eden opens the door for me to get in, then slips into the driver’s seat. He turns it on, then hits a button on the computer screen. A lady’s voice tells us where to go.
As we travel down the road, I can’t help reaching out for Eden’s hand, and say a little prayer in my head.
We travel away from the city lights, and end up on a vacant lot with tall grass, and several trees on it. The grass is so tall once we drive into it, it envelopes the car, making it practically impossible to see. Eden takes the key out of the ignition and stashes it on top of the front driver’s tire. I grin at how clever he is.
“It’s time to fly, Mrs. Fontaine.”
The sky high heels I have on have to go, and Eden takes his shoes off too. I look over at him with a huge smile. “Our first mission, Eden! Are you as excited as I am?”
“I am, Princess. Let’s get going,” he says, and transforms with a resounding boom of thunder.
Whatever happened to ladies first!
‘Come on, Princess,’ he sends to me.
I picture myself as the huge bird and find I’m close to him just like that.
Magic is too cool!
In the distance, lightning strikes over the water. That’s all I can see, is water beneath me. Another strike of lightning shows there are low clouds beginning to hang out of the sky.
Suddenly, about fifteen lightning strikes happen simultaneously, showing us the storm is really big. Then we hear it as we both look up and to the left, we see the plane as it disappears into the dark clouds.
Eden shrieks.
‘Sorry about that. I attempted to speak out loud. I wanted to tell you to follow me, I’m changing our trajectory,’ he sends to me.
‘I was wondering,’ I send back.
He changes our direction, and I follow him closely. He pounds his wings harder, making him go faster. I do the same, to increase my speed to keep up with him. We enter the cloud bank, and almost immediately the rain pelts us as winds push us around. It takes every bit of strength I have to keep myself steady.
I see the water spout I saw in my dream. It’s like a tornado but it’s made of water. Its spiraling dangerously close to one side of the plane. We see the plane turn around going back in the direction it came from.
I follow Eden as he changes our path so we can get to it. As we near the plane Eden flies around the back of it, and I lose sight of him.
Crap! I’m alone over here. Okay, be cool, you knew this was going to happen.
I fly next to the plane trying to remember the dream. I think I’m supposed to go up and get in front of the plane. As I fly by the side, I can see the faces looking out at me.
Oh, that poor lady is screaming.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I cry out but all that comes out is a thunderous shriek.
What kind of idiot am I? Eden just told me that would happen. Well, that probably made her feel even more afraid!
I focus on getting to the front of the plane. I remember Jeffrey is flying the plane, so he’s probably looking for us, so he can follow us out of this mess.
The wind is blowing so hard it’s difficult to move up to the front of the plane. I feel a difference in the air on my toes or claws or whatever they are. I dive my head down to bring my body into it, then I find I can glide really fast in this pocket of air.
/>
Before I know it I’m at the front of the plane. I dive a little more, and I’m in front of it, and now I see Eden, I move towards him, we curve to the left some, and I can see the plane is following us.
The wind is hard, pushing back at me, as the water pounds at me, like fists punching me all over my back. Lightning zig zags really close to me, and I can feel the electricity from it. I can’t see for about a second from the bright flash. Then I see the edge of the storm. Thankfully, we fly out of it.
The air is so different it disorients me. I move my wings a little to find my stride. Eden moves us to the right. I see the runway lights shining up at us.
“We made it,” I shout, only to hear that shriek.
‘I really have to stop that!’
‘We’ll get used to it,’ Eden sends back.
We move away from the plane towards another part of the shoreline. I look back to see it land safely on the runway. As we near the place where we parked the car we slow.
Eden must have spotted it because he makes a b-line for a certain spot. He hits the ground just before I do. I see his bird feet hit the ground, and turn into his legs, then I touch down.
I transform back into my human body. We look at each other. “We did it, we did it, Eden!” I shout as I run to him, hugging him, and jumping up and down.
He laughs, and tosses me up into the air. “I know, Alyssa. That was great!”
Our first mission has been accomplished!
Chapter 41
KYLE
Laura is fast asleep as I wait up for Ally to come back from their first mission. I wanted to go but with Laura knowing nothing about them I couldn’t.
I’m not sure how Laura and I will work out if I can’t tell her.
Ally’s stayed cooped up her bedroom since they got married. I saw her briefly before they left for Miami, and she told me about her dream, and saving people on a plane.
I bet it was cool, and I missed it.
So now I wait for the second hand details, and stew about my problems.
What am I supposed to do with my life now I’m a primary protector to a mythological bird-woman? Can I still go to college? Will they go to Austin with me? Or do I have to go to a college in New Orleans? When can I tell Laura about their secret? How will she take it if they do let me tell her?
I can see it all now. I tell Laura I have to base my life, and it will out-last hers by a few decades or so, on Ally.
I see a slap coming in my future!
Nah, Laura won’t be cool with that. I wonder if I can talk Ally into telling Laura. It’s a much better idea, and if anyone gets slapped then it will be Ally, and I don’t see Laura doing that. No, she’ll probably just cry.
And that makes me sad.
The old guy said I’d get some gifts, and I know I have telepathy with Ally but no one else. This morning I found out I’m a lot stronger than I was before the ceremony.
I’m not sure if playing football in college is such a great idea anymore, I could seriously hurt someone. Plus, using superhuman powers on the field is most likely against some rule, I bet.
I found out about my strength because Laura couldn’t find her flip-flop and asked me to run into the bedroom to check under the bed. The bed in the room we’re in is giant. Solid wood with four large posts, and a heavy mattress. When I put my hand on the bottom of the bed to pull the blanket up, my hand caught the frame, and I lifted it like it was nothing.
The whole damn bed!
So then I threw a baseball once we were outside. Laura hadn’t come out yet, and Scotty and I were horsing around. I told him about my super-strength, and he found a ball. That kid was impressed, and more than a bit jealous.
“Why couldn’t I get something like that?” he said. “She’s my sister. We come from the same parents.”
I didn’t know what to tell him. I wasn’t about to say, ‘She loves me more than you.’
That would’ve been rude.
The love thing me and Ally have is weird. Not like we used to have, yet deeper. I can’t be jealous about her and Eden.
They were made for each other. Ally showed me the things the other bird-people showed her and let me tell you there is no way she’s made for anyone but him.
I’ve accepted it. Well, kinda. I have no choice. The faithful sidekick is what I suppose I am now.
How depressing. I must work on what I am.
When I saw Ally this morning coming down that hallway, I didn’t recognize her. She was way out of my league. A grown ass, sexy as hell, woman, is what she looked like.
Her dress and heels had to have cost thousands of dollars. Everything about her screamed, ‘I’m not of this world.’ It made me question my mind. Like, how did I never see that in her before?
I’m sitting at the top of the staircase to be sure I don’t miss them coming in. It’s a sure thing they won’t be coming out of their love nest once they get back in it.
I know I wouldn’t let her out much if I was Eden!
A beam of light falls across the huge, marble floor of the room at the bottom of the stairs.
Don’t ask me what the room is called because I have no clue.
There are so many rooms in this mansion, and they call them all something different.
Her giggle hits my ears before I see her. I send, ‘You’re finally back,’ to her.
Ally and Eden walk out of the darkness, and into the light over the staircase. “You waiting up for us, Daddy?” she asks me, sarcastically.
“You are very late, missy,” I return her sarcasm.
I stand up as they make their way up the large spiral stairs. He holds her tight to his side.
It used to be me, holding her like that.
A step back I take to let them pass me. Ally reaches out, and touches my cheek. “Come to our suite. We should talk about things,” she says, and I follow her like a puppy.
‘Don’t think like that,’ she sends to me.
I follow them into their new place at the very end of the long hall. I look around as we go inside. It’s nice, like really nice. Two huge, overstuffed, red leather sofas. A chandelier in the middle of a high ceiling. A monster television hanging on the wall.
Damn! My room is a dump compared to this place.
Ally spins around out of Eden’s tight grip. “Where is it you’d like to live, Kyle?”
“Me?” I ask, surprised at how fast she turned around, and is right in front of me. So close I can smell her hair. It smells like honeysuckles.
“I’m going to take a shower, Princess. You talk to Kyle,” Eden says, then leaves the room.
I’m no threat?
“No, you’re not,” she says as she takes my hand, leading me to one of the sofas.
She sits down, pulling me down to sit next to her. “You don’t even look the same, Al.”
“I know, Kyle. Something woke up in me. The Phoenix I guess. I feel different. Flying is so phenomenal, so is telepathy, and the ability to have premonitions.”
Her legs look gorgeous in those heels, and her red dress leaves nothing to the imagination. My eyes can’t stop roaming over her body. “I wish I could’ve went,” I say. “When can I tell Laura?”
The touch of her hand on my chin brings my face back up from looking at her legs. “While I’m flattered by your adoration of my physique, Kyle, I’m trying to talk to you. We must get past this physical thing we have. It will never happen, so we must let it go. I thought you understood that when I showed you the reality of who and what I am,”
“Yeah, I do. I really do but what’s happened to you?” I ask, then touch the top of her arm as her bicep is firm and shapelier than it had been. “You’re buff, Ally.”
“The flying I suppose,” she says, and releases my chin. “So you wish to tell Laura our secret?”
“I should’ve been there with you tonight,” I say. “I am your primary guardian you know.”
The flip of her hand into the air makes one of her breasts move under the tight, red dr
ess, drawing my attention as she says, “We must think of another name for your position, I hate that one. It makes me think I must ask you before I do anything, which I don’t have to do.”
I smile at her, and lean close to her ear as I whisper, “Remember the old guy’s words, and your vow to me, Mistress Fontaine. Do you vow to follow this man, and do as he bids you to, without hesitation as he is your guardian for life? Then you said, I do.”
The warmth of her breath on my cheek as I purposely drag it by her mouth, makes me hesitate as our lips are so close it would be easy to touch them.
“I did agree to that, didn’t I?”
“That you did, and I have to hold you to it. So what I say goes, Princess.”
‘I hate the fact we can’t be together,’ I send her as our foreheads touch.
‘It’s not our fate. You and I are to be something else to each other. Hard as it may be, we’ll have to get past this,’ she sends me.
Not really wanting to move away from her, I do anyway. I sit back on the sofa and take in a deep breath. “Why would he do this to us?” I ask.
“Our Creator?” she asks.
“Whatever you want to call him but yeah. Why?”
Ally slips her heels off, and turns towards me, putting her feet underneath her. Her legs are hidden from me. Something which is probably for the best.
“I remembered something today,” she says. “I had a dream about you. The night before you showed up at school that day. When the teacher introduced you, you came and sat in the empty desk next to mine.”
“I did sit next to you, Al,” I say. “You’re just remembering what really happened.”
“No, I’m not. A little girl named, Stacy sat in that desk but she was absent the day you came. You took her seat, and the teacher moved her when she came back to school.”
“So, stuff like that happens, Al.”
“You and I were meant to be together,” Ally says. “You are my protector though, not my lover. Our teenage hormones created that need for each other. You do remember how you also wanted Laura at the time you kissed me. Our deep connection made you and I both think we were attracted to each other in that way. Only we weren’t supposed to go that route. It was Laura you should’ve been with the last few years, not me.”
Quartet Complete Series: Billionaire Romance Box Set (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) Page 90
