Page 19

19

Claira

G etting through security wasn’t anywhere near as stressful as I’d feared, but as soon as I looked through our boarding passes, my stomach plunged.

Nope—this wouldn’t go smoothly.

“Now boarding group four,” a voice chirped over the intercom.

Barren rose to his feet. “That’s us,” he said, snatching the two tickets with his name on them from the stack he’d asked me to hand out to the group.

He threw my carry-on over his shoulder, positioning it next to the belt bag he’d slung over the top of his arm brace, and turned to me with a gruff, “After you.”

“Time to go?” Kai sprung up, pushing his arms over his head in a big stretch. Once he’d worked out his back, he offered Leander a hand up. Prince Golden Grump ignored it, of course, but the rejection didn’t seem to affect Kai’s mood. “It’s about time! My legs were getting all sleepy.”

“Just your legs?” I teased, watching as he gave his thighs a good smack. Moments ago, he’d looked close to dozing off, even though the chairs at our gate were horribly uncomfortable. Leander, too.

Kai grinned as I pulled his ticket from the bunch, but before I handed it over, I checked it once more, confirming my fears from earlier. By the time I looked over Leander’s, I was frowning. “Actually, you’ve got to wait here,” I said, pointing at the group eight printed on both of their tickets. “Barren and I are in a different boarding group.”

Leander let out a hollow laugh as he stood. “Sounds about fucking right.” His tone was cutting when he turned to Barren. “No surprise that you’re the one who gets to board with her.”

Barren gave a shrug, looking completely unconcerned with Leander’s comment. “I took the tickets that were available.”

Right—that made sense. This was a last-minute flight, after all. It would be difficult for all four of us to board at the same time, though I’d naively assumed we’d be staying together.

“Last call for group four boarding,” the voice echoed through the airport terminal. I flinched, scrambling around for my carry-on before remembering Barren had it.

“It’s fine. You guys will be right behind us,” I said, giving Leander a quick hug he didn’t seem to want to let go of. “They’ll call you in a few minutes, okay? Group eight,” I reminded, hugging Kai next. As soon as I let go, he deflated with an exhausted sigh, melting back into his seat like a wilting marshmallow.

I nudged Leander’s ribs. “Don’t let him fall asleep, okay?”

He nodded, still grumpy as he’d been since he realized Barren gave me his last name. He folded his arms securely across his chest, and it was hard to ignore the way his fists clenched, his sharp gaze boring into the back of Barren’s neck. “Don’t worry,” he said firmly. “Go on. We’ll be with you soon.”

With some hesitation, I followed Barren’s lead up to the boarding gate. It didn’t feel right to leave them, but as Leander said, we’d all be together again soon. By the time it was my turn to show my boarding pass, my nerves had returned in full force.

We were really doing this. Going on an airplane .

“You first.” Barren steered me with a gentle touch on my hip. A narrow hallway that seemed to have been constructed just to reach the airplane curved in front of us. Despite the wind whistling through the cracks of the walls and the ground shaking with each step Barren made, I felt a sense of comfort having him right behind me.

“Watch your step,” his rough voice warned as the ground slanted, and I could definitely see myself stumbling a step—not from the uneven hallway, but from the effect his nearness had on me.

“Thank you,” I breathed, my heart rate kicking up faster with each step closer to the plane’s entrance.

As I stepped onto the plane and my surroundings opened up, I couldn’t help but feel awestruck. “It’s huge,” I blurted, temporarily holding up the line as I took it all in. Barren closed in on my back, and I quickly glanced at my boarding pass, committing the seat number to memory before springing down the aisle toward row eighteen.

As we approached our seats, Barren asked, “Are you alright with a window seat? I can try to squeeze in if you prefer the aisle.”

That… would be difficult. He’d have to fold his knees up to his chin. Plus, the row in front of ours was at the beginning of our seating group and comprised only two seats instead of three, which would give him more room if he sat near the aisle.

“No, this is great,” I said, sliding over to the far seat. “I’m sure I’ll be more relaxed if I can see outside.”

Barren moved in next to me as I peered out the window, taking in the view of the tarmac and the flashing lights of the workers scrambling around the plane in the dark.

Wow . We were so high up. Had they already boarded Laverne? I squinted out, imagining the body count she’d racked up with her spit shots on the way to the cargo hold when Barren’s “Mmh” pulled me out of my reverie.

I turned to watch him lift my carry-on into the overhead compartment. “Storing it for takeoff,” he said, unfastening his belt bag next. He took a few items out of it, stuffing them straight into his pockets before stashing the bag overhead as well. When he turned around to sit beside me, it suddenly made sense that he needed two tickets.

Even with the seatbelt extender, it was clear he was too tall and bulky to fit comfortably in just one seat. He adjusted himself, though his broad shoulders and arm still spilled over our shared armrest. At least with one seat in front of us missing, it gave him enough room to stretch out his legs. Had he booked this row on purpose to give himself more room?

In front of me were two TVs built into the seats. I couldn’t help but feel impressed by the modern amenities on the plane. Gram had mentioned her flights on the drive up, but she’d never taken an international one. I’d only just discovered it was touchscreen and was scrolling through the map when Leander and Kai walked by.

“See? That didn’t take long.” I offered a smile to them as they passed.

Or, at least, I’d thought they were going to pass. But when Leander reached our row, he came to a dead stop.

He spun around to grab Kai’s shoulder. “Switch with her.”

“What?” I sputtered. His demand caught me off guard, and I could feel Barren tense up beside me. Kai glanced between the rest of us, his grin fading as if he could tell the mood was turning.

“No, look.” Kai leaned over to show him his ticket. “You have to match the symbols. Your number is twenty, and your letter is D,” he explained, pointing to what was printed next to Leander’s name.

Leander’s expression darkened, and he snapped back, “I know how to read.” He turned to Barren to repeat his demand. “He’s switching with her.”

Barren inhaled a long breath. “No.”

All the frustration Leander had felt toward Barren in the terminal came back in full force. “ No? ”

“Excuse me, is there a problem?” a flight attendant called from the neighboring aisle, concern etched on her face.

Leander’s scowl was barely restrained. “There is no problem.”

“Are you sure, sir?” she asked, glancing up and down our aisle and at the crowded line of bodies forming behind Leander and Kai.

Trying to diffuse the situation, I quickly spoke up. “Leander, it’s okay. My bag is already up there.” I stood, leaning over to get a better look at the flight attendant. We didn’t need to get kicked off this flight before it even took off. “It’s all right, we just had a little confusion with our seats,” I said, giving her a reassuring smile. “But everything’s sorted now.”

My eyes slid back to Leander. “Isn’t it?” I said, teeth gritted, silently pleading with my eyes.

“This is what he wanted,” Leander growled. “I hope you can see that.” And although he still seemed agitated, he started stalking down the aisle, Kai trailing behind him. I sighed and crumbled back down into my seat. Even though we hadn’t taken off, a sheen of sweat misted my forehead.

Well, this was a disaster. “I wouldn’t mind switching,” I said, glancing over at Barren. “If it’ll keep us from getting kicked off the plane.”

“No.” Barren’s jaw tensed. “I don’t want you to switch.”

“Oh,” was all I could say. He didn’t want me to? Why? Barren seemed to tolerate Kai well enough, but maybe he didn’t want to sit next to him for a seven-hour flight. At any rate, I’d try my best not to bother him too much.

Watching a movie seemed like a safe bet. Even though I didn’t have headphones, I could turn on the subtitles. I was scrolling through various screens, trying to find something that would distract me from the fact that I’d soon be miles up into the sky, when the intercom tinged on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. A storm has formed nearby, and it’s causing some disruptions to our take off plans. Rest assured, your safety is our top priority, and we’re working hard to assess the situation and determine our next steps. Please ensure your seatbelt is securely fastened, and we’ll keep you updated. Thank you for your patience.”

A… storm?

My eyes snapped to my window where lightning flashed in the not-so-distance.

Oh no.

Without thinking, I popped up and practically crawled over Barren’s lap. My hand perched on his chest for balance as I peeked back at Leander and Kai.

Kai’s hair was the first thing I spotted, two rows back in the middle section. He had a grip on Leander’s shoulder, massaging it as he whispered what I assumed was a mix of you’re okay and dude, calm down into his ear .

Leander clenched his armrest with a clawed grip, his whole body drawn and tense. Through gritted teeth, he grumbled something that looked an awful lot like, “I’m trying.”

Trying, and not succeeding—obviously.

“He needs to learn how to control his emotions.” Barren’s warm breath tickled my arm, jolting my attention back to our row of the plane. “The sooner he learns, the less of a strain it will be on his body.”

I turned down at him in disbelief. “You did this on purpose?” I whispered, my fingers tightening over the thick brace running across his chest as my eyes searched his.

Wait—what was I doing? My legs tensed to confirm that—yep—I was definitely straddling his leg. His very solid, very warm leg.

“Maybe,” Barren rumbled, his deep voice vibrating my palms on his chest. His dark eyes betrayed nothing—not a single emotion. “Or maybe I wanted to sit next to my wife.”

“Your… wife.” The words seemed to float off my tongue like a leaf trembling along a breeze. I wasn’t like him. I wasn’t a stone titan whose aura seemed to exude rigid control. Heat rushed right to my face, and if it weren’t for Barren’s arm coming up behind my back, my spine would have smacked into the row of seats in front of ours.

Nervous laughter was the next noise to spill from my throat as I retreated, sliding off his leg and back into my seat.

His wife . Barren teasing me with that stony face of his was more impactful than I’d expected. “Well, you won’t be sitting next to me for long if a thunderstorm cancels our flight,” I said, hiding my embarrassment by looking out the window.

I should have traded places with Kai. At least then I wouldn’t be sitting here worried about Leander, nor would I have ended up on Barren’s lap. “Should I go back and check on him? Try to calm him down before the trident hurts him?”

“You won’t always be there to calm him down.” Barren seemed strangely unaffected by me jumping up on his lap. Which was good, right? Maybe when you were as huge as a tree, you were used to having squirrels accidentally scamper up your trunk.

“That’s true,” I said, buckling my seatbelt to make sure I didn’t accidentally throw myself onto him again.

Sure, I wouldn’t always be there for Leander, but I couldn’t help my pang of longing, wishing that the four of us had been seated together. Although my brain understood the very rational reason we weren’t, my heart disagreed. Madness , it told me with every new prodding beat.

My eyes scanned the window for flashes of lightning—any sign that Leander was still calling on the trident’s power—until I couldn’t take it anymore. With a decisive nod, I yanked my seatbelt back off and stood straight up.

“Ma’am, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened while the light is illuminated,” a flight attendant called to me almost immediately.

“Sorry,” I squeaked, but before I sat back down, I stretched up on my toes, leaning this way and that to catch a glimpse of Leander.

There he was . His back was flat against his seat, head thrown back and eyes shut tightly as he drew in long, deep breaths. Kai was right there, his face calm, saying something into Leander’s ear. As soon as Kai finished whatever he was saying, Leander gave a nod, his eyes still screwed shut. Then he took in another deep breath, looking a fraction more relieved.

“Ma’am,” the flight attendant repeated. She was shuffling down the aisle toward me.

“Yes—sorry.” My heart warmed as I slid back down to my seat, and I reached for my lap belt before the attendant made it over.

“Those two are getting kind of close, aren’t they?” I said with a shake of my head. It was utterly baffling. When had this happened? “They have nothing in common.” Well, okay, they were both princes and mermen, but other than that, they were complete opposites.

“They have you in common,” Barren offered.

I snorted. “Me? Yeah, like that’s enough.”

“Seems to be.” Barren shrugged, then stretched out his neck and shoulders. The way his neck hit between the two seats looked painful.

“Here,” I said, throwing back my armrest. “You can lean over on my side if it’s more comfortable. So your head isn’t stuck between the seats.” I pulled his arm in closer, until it fell next to my lap. “Really, I don’t mind.”

“Thank you,” was all he said. I went back to scrolling through my screen, my eyes boring into a map I cared nothing about as I tried to ignore the heat coming from his arm and shoulder. At this angle, at least his head could rest. And honestly, he smelled really nice.

Notes of leather and cedarwood, maybe. Was it from the brace that he wore, or was it him? My curiosity tempted me to lean in and investigate, but I resisted the urge. “Are you going to sleep?” I asked casually, halfheartedly scrolling.

The intercom tinged back on. “Good news, ladies and gentlemen! This is your captain speaking. The storm that caused our delay seems to have been a blip in our radar system that our technicians have resolved, and we have confirmed a smooth path to our destination. Our flight crew is ready to get us in the air, so please ensure that your seatbelt is securely fastened as we prepare for takeoff.”

My tension eased. Leander had gotten control after all. Beside me, Barren nodded. “See?” He shifted, his shoulder settling into the middle seat like he was hunkering down for the flight.

“Trying to get some sleep?” I asked again. Even though he didn’t look as exhausted as Kai and Leander, he’d still driven them all the way to the airport.

“No. But you can.”

“I’m a bit too nervous to sleep,” I admitted, turning my attention back to the screen in front of me. “I thought watching a movie might help me get my mind off of things, but I don’t think it has internet.”

Barren’s hand dug into his pocket and reappeared with earbuds. He popped the Bluetooth jack in and handed me the square, white case. “Here. The internet will turn on once we’re in the air.”

“It’s so we’ll pay attention to the safety brief, isn’t it?” I mumbled, taking the case from him. When I opened it, not a single speck of dust was present inside. In fact, they looked brand new. Knowing Barren, I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I hadn’t expected him to be so prepared.

I must have stared at them for too long, because Barren said gently, “They’re clean. My ears are in perfect health.”

My lips tilted as I popped the left one out of the case. “You think I’m afraid of your germs, dear husband?” I prodded his elbow as I secured the earbud in my ear. “We’re married, after all,” I drawled, chuckling to myself at how absurd the entire scenario was.

I went to pull the second earbud out, then paused as I thought better of it. Wearing both seemed too much like isolating myself from Barren, so I flipped the case closed and handed it back to him with the right one still in it. “In case you want to listen.”

Barren didn’t hesitate to thump open the case and pop the earbud in his right ear. As I debated internally if I should switch to the screen closer to him, I felt his breath on my skin as he leaned in closer. “What are we watching?” he asked, the low gravel of his voice making me shiver. Yeah, I was definitely not switching screens. Nope. No way.

“Haven’t decided yet. Guess I’ll see what there is when the internet comes on,” I said as I went back to scrolling. Then the airplane started moving, and my whole body tensed.

We were moving.

The flight attendants started going through their spiel, and I didn’t realize I was frozen, watching them pantomime what to do in case of an emergency, until Barren’s wide hand closed over mine, bringing it down off the tv screen. “Claira,” he whispered, his voice even and unaffected. “I was nervous my first time, too.”

The plane lurched, and my heart jumped into my throat.

“I’m here,” he said, this time louder, in that same steady, unshakable tone.

“Right. Yeah—” I choked out, turning to look at the window, then thinking better of it because things were moving fast past my window. “Are—are we supposed to be rattling like this?”

He pulled my hand over onto his thigh as his grip tightened over my fingers. “Yes, my wife. Normal and expected.”

Normal, right. Expected, sure.

A strangled laugh escaped me. “Thank you, dear husband. I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect it,” I wheezed out, clutching my seat as the plane ascended. It was an odd sensation, as if the surrounding air was pushing against me. Like being underwater, only without the protection of magic or the familiar shield of a scaled tail.

Even after the plane leveled and steadied, the reassuring grip of Barren’s hand on mine stayed constant. “What do you want to watch?” he asked as soon as I resumed breathing in a normal rhythm. “The internet is on,” he said, pointing to the corner.

This wasn’t so bad. We were in the air, and that was the worst part of flying, right? Well—there was the landing to worry about, of course. But that was hours away.

“Comedy, maybe?” I said, my voice strained. Yeah, this was fine. I was fine. I cleared my throat and used my other hand to scroll, pressing extra hard with my finger to hide its trembling.

A comedy seemed like a good idea right now—maybe something that could get Barren to laugh as well. I passed by a movie Gram had mentioned enjoying and paused there to look over the details. “This one seem okay?”

“A rom-com.” Barren nodded. “This will be my first. I don’t watch many movies.”

Barren knew what a rom-com was? “Glad to be here to witness your first,” I said, selecting it on the screen. “Gram saw this one in theaters with her friends. She said it was hilarious.”

The music slowly faded in, and I got comfy in my seat as the movie began. That is, until a groan pierced my earbud and I nearly leapt from my seat.

“Yes. Oh god, yes! ”

All the blood drained from me as the first scene panned over the tv screen. Legs, long and bare. Rhythmic rutting and the crumpling of bedsheets. Moaning. Lots of moaning.

Why, Gram? Why?

The music kept building, rising and falling, as the screen zoomed on manly abs and thighs. A female’s well-toned ass. Gritting my teeth, my mind raced. Should I change it? Would he think I was weird if I did? Prudish? Someone who, until very recently, hadn’t ever moaned and gyrated on top of a man—er, merman?

Beside me, Barren didn’t react. His chest rose and fell with the same slow, measured breaths as it always did, although I could bring myself to check whether he was watching.

“God, yes . More! ”

It was like staring down an impending train wreck, and I couldn’t look away.

Then she tumbled off whoever was giving her “more,” falling right over the side of the bed, and both Barren and I winced as it transitioned to the movie’s title.

“Breaking your neck,” Barren said as the music crescendoed. For once, he barely restrained the amusement in his voice. “Both romantic and humorous.”

Somehow, his thick accent made his assessment seem even funnier. “Rom-coms are not usually like this,” I said with a laugh. There was a time jump in the movie that cut over to a sweeping building in New York City. A woman in red heels, shiny auburn hair, and maybe a bit of a limp, sporting a professional looking dress suit. “Oh. But they are usually like this,” I mumbled, and he huffed a laugh beside me.

We carried on like this for the rest of the film—him picking out every cliche that I either cringed at or defended. With the movie almost finished, I was about to ask him to choose the next one when I looked over and saw he had dozed off.

Even in his sleep, his neck was strained, and I wondered if a light touch of my hand on his jaw would ease his features.

Whoa, now. Better not start touching people while they sleep.

The seatbelt sign had been off for over an hour now, and although his grip was still firm on mine, I pulled my hand free to creep up in my seat and check on Kai and Leander.

Kai was leaning his head on Leander’s shoulder, eyes closed and mouth slightly open. His spiky hair was even more messy than usual. Leander had his head tilted slightly toward Kai, his expression peaceful in his sleep.

I sighed a relieved “aww” before settling back in my seat, grateful that they were all getting some rest. Then I sat there for a moment, soaking in the stillness of the moment.

If only we had more quiet times like this. It almost felt like I might fall asleep myself until unease crept in, slowly gnawing at me.

A new kingdom of merfolk. Another royal hungry for me to help them reclaim their trident.

Yes, I had to take in these quiet moments while I could, because I had a horrible, sinking feeling that once we got to Barren’s island, the time for relaxation would be over.