Page 16 of Anaki

“Ah, well. I just, I’ve never flown before and…”

“Are you scared? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” He sat across from me. The table in front of us gave us enough space. “Don’t forget to buckle up. I can do it for you if you like.” He sent me a wink that made my tanned face flush. I quickly buckled so he wouldn’t dare come over.

“They didn’t check the plane!” Luis panicked. “They checked the others. Why not ours?”

Anaki chuckled and leaned his head back on the cushion. “Don’t need to. Ours is a special plane,” he said in an excited, childlike voice.

Luis narrowed his eyes. “How is it special?”

Anaki rolled his eyes. “Magic, duh.” He bit his lip to suppress a smile.

Luis scoffed. He was a smart child. While he had seen a vampire and Anaki’s pupil-changing eyes, none of us had yet to see any magic.

Even that felt far-fetched.

Abuela held onto her purse, nudged Anaki, and shook her head. “They are non-believers. I’ve been telling them for years.”

Anaki gasped in mock horror. “I think we need to bring in the pilot, Tajah, the club sorceress. She will be very disappointed in both of you.”

Chapter Six

Anaki

Itook another SUV rather than staying close to Elena. I needed time to calm my dragon, but that proved to be the worst decision.

As soon as I shut the door, my dragon went to work on the black leather. He clawed the back seat and tried to open the side door while we were in motion. Quillian wanted to pull over, but that would have been worse. I didn't want to run after Elena's vehicle because then too many humans would see me.

We didn’t need the Royal Council popping up to dispose of me.

So instead, the inside of the vehicle was slashed to leathery shreds. The material was ripped so fast, I swore I saw smoke from the fabric.

Cyran held onto Winter, his eyes narrowed as I growled and held my head to contain the beast inside.

Be still, you idiot. She’s safe.

He reared back his ugly head, we let out a roar, and the vamps covered their ears.

“Fucking hell!” Quillion swerved on the bumpy road.

Great, I’ve got vampires pissed and my phone kept vibrating.

I pulled out my phone to see it was Nadia and Bear. They were worried,of course. The string of texts kept coming, asking what the hell was going on behind them.

Little Bear- Is she your mate?

One text said.

Big Bear- Damnit, Anaki, answer. Why aren’t you in this car, then?

It was hard to text with my claws out as I tried to keep my dragon calm. Cyran ripped the phone out of my hand to text back a quick, “Yeah, she’s mine. Keep her safe,”and chucked the phone right back at me.

Nadia and Bear sent a picture of Elena staring out the window, and instantly, my dragon calmed. Just seeing her, knowing she was safe in my friend’s presence, was enough to get him under control.

I’d have to thank Bear later. He knew what it was like when your animal came back out to bite you in the ass, literally when you got your second chance. He would make sure I got my space. He obviously knew I needed a picture of Elena to calm my stubborn dragon.

My dragon was strong and relentless, everything I wasn’t. He pressed against my mind and searched for everything he had missed over the years. Sweat trickled down my brow, mingling with the cool scales that had protruded down my neck, creating an odd sensation against my skin. The world around me seemed to blur, sounds becoming distant echoes as I teetered on the edge of consciousness, like a fragile glass ready to be shattered.

We did not need Elena seeing that. Didn’t need her to see us break.