Page 15 of Anaki

“Woah, cool!” Luis jumped off the couch and ran over. “Is that what you are? With the way your eyes went loco.” Luis pointed to his eyes and swirled his fingers around.

Anaki puffed out his chest. “Aye, that I am.”

That explained the deep, guttural growl that came from him. I’ve never heard such a growl before. It reminded me of Smaug, when we had a ‘Lord of the Rings’ weekend.

I covered my mouth and closed my eyes.

“Hey.” Anaki pulled my hand away. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but we are the good guys. I promise you with my life.” He put his hand over his chest and bowed.

I stared at him strangely as he did the gesture. Butterflies erupted in my stomach as he did, especially when he looked up at me with those eyes that shifted from human to dragon.

“Careful, watch your step,” Nadia said at the door of the private plane. It was luxurious, far better than I thought we were going to be led to. Plush, leather seats with TVs in the backs.

Luis was bouncing on his toes as he ran down the aisle, looking out at the different windows. He’d ran his mouth a-mile-a-minute in the SUV that brought us to the tarmac. He wanted to know everything about The Iron Fang MC and shifters.

Thankfully, Bear and Nadia kept him occupied, answering questions vaguely so I could ask my own later, because right now, I needed to process.

We were leaving with people who could be lying to us, to go to the United States, to an MC club and hiding out in a remote cabin until the coast is clear.

Once Luis learned that there was a naga, or a snake shifter, at the club, his eyes lit up even more. With his love for fantasy, magic and reptiles, he was going to be one happy child.

Meanwhile, I was having a mini panic attack. We were going on a plane—

None of us had flown before, and for good reason. We were in hiding. We didn’t need our legal names to pop up for anyone to find us. Mainly for Emm’s sake, but we were linked to her, and if they wanted to get to her, hurting us would be their way to do it.

The first few seats with tables held folders, laptops, guns and ammo. Quillian and several other vampires sat by them. None of them attempted to move them when we walked by while he flipped through his phone.

Because he trusted us?

Or would he slit our throats if we tried?

“Ah, there you all are,” Abuela said, and put her hand on the table. “Nice to see you all again. Winter, how is the blood lust coming along?”

I made a horrified face when I checked the woman nestled in the lap of a male. “She’s much better after your donation, Abuela. We owe you. She isn’t ready for cold, stored blood yet. I don’t know why your blood called to her so much.”

“No worries,” Abuela waved her hand. “Any time she needs more, you let me know, Cyran.”

Winter cuddled up to Cyran more. She pursed her lips together and nodded. “Yes, many thanks.”

We had a blood-lusting vampire on the plane, and there were threehumans on it. My breath picked up as Abuela pushed me in the back, and I almost stumbled over my cane. “Keep going, Elena. They can smell fear. You might get them wound up.”

I quickly took my seat. My heart raced, and I could feel the sweat building on my forehead. Meanwhile, Luis took a seat beside me, his eyes glued to the scene outside. He watched the other planes landing and taking off.

“Mama?” he asked, and I tried to put on a brave face. I had been quiet for the ride over. I needed to be strong.

“Yeah, what is it, mijo?”

“Why are the other planes getting checked and not ours?”

I leaned out the window, and Luis was right. A plane beside us had a team checking the wings and the tires. When we arrived, there was no one filling our plane with fuel, no one checking the outside. Our plane was already moving and backing out of our parking space.

While I hadn’t been on a plane, I would have thought an engine so large would make noise. I turned in my seat, seeing the rest of the passengers walking around, getting comfortable. Nadia sat on Bear’s lap, his arm wrapped around her.

What was up with these people sitting on laps? Were they couples?

I unbuckled my seat belt and stood, still not feeling the vibrations of the plane. Something was off.

“Need something, Elena?” Anaki’s smooth voice asked. He had appeared before me, and those eyes dug deep into me. How dare he make me freeze in my tracks like that?