Page 171 of Celestial Combat

The jet was warm, filled with soft chatter and the scent of espresso someone had just started brewing. I was curled into Zane’s side, the quiet thrum of the engines beneath us, my head resting on his shoulder. His jacket was draped over bothour laps, our hands hidden and intertwined beneath it, fingers wound together like roots.

“Oh,my God. Move, Gìo! You’re stepping on my foot!”

“That’s not my fault, you’re walking like a fucking giraffe.”

“Say that again and I’m stuffing you in the luggage hold, jackass.”

Francesca stepped up the steps of the jet like she owned it, followed by her two brothers and no one else but Matteo.

The jet door shut behind them with a final, echoing thud.

“Yo,” Trevor’s voice cut across the cabin as he finally turned, a hint of disbelief. “Fuck y’all doing?”

Tony, already throwing himself onto the empty sofa, lifted his hands like he was announcing a prize. “Going to Hawaiiiii,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Francesca plopped down across from Natalia, kicked off her red bottoms, and crossed her legs. “You didn’t think you’d elope without us, did you?”

The DeMone siblings had been at their own family’s New Year’s Eve party, so my brother was clearly not expecting them to even know about us leaving.

Trevor looked vaguely stunned, but mostly amused as he made his way back to Natalia, who was now smiling hard. He slid into the seat beside her, leaned close, and murmured, “I thought we were eloping?”

I saw Natalia’s lips in a soft smile as she whispered back, “It’s going to be fun.” Then kissed my stupid brother. She really was out of his league.

Trevor sighed like a man defeated, but his arm went around her shoulders anyway.

The jet was full now, buzzing with energy – the low rumble of jokes, the rustle of jackets coming off, bags getting stuffed under seats. Francesca was already searching for the mini bottles of champagne when Matteo handed her one wordlessly,grinning. She narrowed her eyes at him but took one anyways while he past the rest around to us – with the exception of Natalia, to which he gave a bottle of fresh orange juice from the fridge.

Beside me, Zane shifted slightly, making sure his jacket stayed draped over our hands, our secret touch still shielded from view. I glanced down at our hands, his thumb brushing slowly against mine, grounding me.

Looking up, I caught Maria’s eyes. She raised a silent brow, the smirk on her lips unavoidable as she glanced at Zane then back at me.

I smirked back, bringing my finger up to my lips and making her silently promise to keep my secret.

She smiled in return and winked before turning back to our friends.

I glanced out of the window to my side. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but the sky was starting to soften at the edges – shades of pink bleeding into one another.

As the engines roared and the jet began to move, the view outside shimmered with a surreal kind of magic.

We were lifting, wheels leaving the earth, New York City shrinking beneath us – its snow-dusted buildings, its glittering skyline slowly dissolving into cloud.

I rested my forehead briefly against the cool glass, a breath caught in my chest – not from nerves, but from the strange, perfect wonder of it all.

We were flying toward Hawaii – toward sun-drenched hours and salt-laced air. Toward the start of Natalia and Trevor’s new life together.

And under Zane’s jacket, in the secret space of our clasped hands, I felt something solid for me too. Certain.

Maybe not forever yet – but the start of something that could be.

The jet hummed steadily through the dark sky, clouds glowing silver in the moonlight outside the oval windows. A hush had fallen over the cabin, everyone tucked into blankets, some asleep, some lost in their phones or watching the streaming movies. Kali tilted her head against the glass, hands still tangled under the warm weight of Zane’s jacket, feeling his thumb absently tracing circles over her knuckles.

Suddenly, Francesca’s voice sliced through the quiet like a whip.

“Alright! I can’t take this anymore!” she burst out, hands thrown dramatically into the air. “Natalia! Gìo! You two have got to make up! This is crazy! I can’t take it anymore!”

Natalia crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. “I’m not talking to him,” she muttered, eyes sharp as glass and unlike her.

Zane and I glanced at each other. Gìo’s chances couldn’t be good. Five years ago, when Natalia and Trevor were in college and started dating for the first time, he broke them up to fuck with Trevor’s mind and cause him to lose the business war between their rival families.