Page 20

20

Claira

“N o windows?” I muttered as we stepped into the noisy London airport. Hiking my carry-on over my shoulder, I let out a sigh. I’d hoped to at least catch a glimpse of London before we boarded our next flight. Who knew if I’d ever have another chance?

I turned around to look at Barren. “How long is our layover?”

He tightened the strap on his belt bag as he walked, securing it over his chest. Then he carefully took my carry-on off my shoulder and placed it on his. “No layover,” he said, supplying no further elaboration.

Damn, there went that idea.

“Too bad,” I grumbled. “I wanted to see London.” My eyes scanned over the swarm of people, looking for any sign of gold or lavender among those who had stepped off the plane behind us. If we didn’t have a layover, we needed to hurry to our next terminal—wherever that might be.

“I’ll take you to see London,” Barren said as casually as if he were asking me out to the movie theater. “Not now,” he added. “Obviously.”

“Obviously,” I said back, grinning. I was sure he wasn’t serious. Still, his words made me feel better about leaving London so soon. If nothing else, it was a dream to hold on to, even if it seemed unlikely it would ever come true. “We won’t miss the next flight, will we?” I asked, tucking in closer to his side. Being surrounded by a throng of people somehow felt safer with his imposing size next to me.

Barren’s deep chuckle had me turning up to him. That is—until Kai and Leander materialized from the pressing swarm of people. “That was the longest flight I’ve ever had,” Kai said, bouncing right up to us, his arms draped languidly behind his head in a stretch.

Beside him, Leander rolled out his neck, his honey-blond hair ruffled from where Kai had slept against it for a portion of the flight. “Isn’t this the second time you’ve ever been on a plane?” Leander asked, not sounding very impressed by Kai’s flying prowess.

Kai frowned. “Well, yeah, but?—”

“Next one’s longer,” Barren supplied, and the rest of us groaned.

“Longer than eight hours? ” I said, glimpsing an array of clocks hung up high on the wall across from us. It was currently 10 a.m. London time, but it still felt like the middle of the night to me. I was grateful that the others had managed to sleep, but I’d kept the volume low and watched movies until the plane touched down, too anxious to rest my eyes.

“Eleven hours,” Barren said in a steady, emotionless voice, as if this were business as usual for him. He confidently strode ahead of us through the airport, leaving us to follow the parted path behind him.

“ Eleven, ” Kai groaned, sounding like a part of his soul was leaving his body. Leander grumbled curses under his breath.

Maybe it won’t be so bad , I thought, though I found it hard to believe.

Leander recovered from his foul mood long enough to pull up beside me and hook an arm around my waist. “You doing okay, beautiful?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, enjoying his nearness. I’d felt so isolated from him and Kai during the flight, and it was nice to see him with an expression other than a scowl. “So, what was it like?” I asked, and he arched a golden eyebrow. “Surveying your entire kingdom from above, I mean. I bet you never thought you’d fly over it.”

Leander’s mouth curved into a smirk. “It was complete whaleshit. I couldn’t see a thing.”

My cheeks heated. Ah—that’s right. He’d been stuck in the middle aisle. “Maybe on the ride back?” I said, attempting to sound encouraging. But I had a hard time picturing what our return trip might look like. Would Barren return with us, or would he be forced to stay back with his kingdom once his queen’s trident was returned?

My stomach twisted sharply at that thought. So much so that I almost collided with the back of Barren’s legs when he suddenly halted in front of us.

I swung my head around to see why we’d stopped. Two men in dark suits stood in the hall before us, blocking our way. Whoa—they were tall. Dark eyes scanned over each of us, the men’s expressions cold and unyielding. Were we about to get into a fight or something? Instinctively, I drew nearer to Barren and reached back to pull Kai and Leander in closer behind me.

When the atmosphere became so agitated that I wasn’t sure what would happen next, Barren gave a single nod. The two mysterious men spun around, wordlessly leading us through the empty hall.

As we drew further away from the stream of people rushing through the airport, I looked around, baffled. “This is our next terminal?” I asked. No one else was even down here, just us and the two large strangers.

Kai’s lips drooped in worry as he jogged up to Barren, placing a hand on his upper arm. “They know to bring Laverne on our next flight, right?” Barren gave a slight nod, and Kai’s shoulders sagged in relief.

To deepen the mystery, we walked right past the waiting area. My anticipation built as we approached the boarding area, and the men walked through it without a delay.

Now this was strange. Were they expecting us to board already?

Without waiting for airport staff, one of the men pushed open a door that led to steps going down to the runway.

“We’re going outside?” Kai asked as the light from outside streamed in. The men said nothing.

“I guess we are.” I shrugged, following in Barren’s shadow. Although the morning sun beat down my face as I descended the steps, the air was brisk. It was so frigid, in fact, that I felt the chill from the tarmac seeping through the soles of my shoes as we walked across the runway.

Then my gaze fixed on the impressive aircraft sitting in the distance, and I stopped in my tracks. There was no commercial branding or logo on the plane to be seen. “Barren,” I called. “Is this a private jet?”

Barren looked back, and our eyes locked as he nodded. “Mmh.”

I knew I shouldn’t be surprised, yet I couldn’t help shaking my head. “Hotels, an island, and now a private jet. Is there anything your kingdom doesn’t have?” I asked until I remembered the two men in suits who were still in front of us. Oops.

I swallowed, leaning over to Barren to ask, “They’re, uh…” Only I wasn’t sure how to say it. Not without giving even more possible secrets away. Keeping my lips sealed, I made a swishing motion with my hands. One I hoped he’d recognize as the movement of a tail if it worked. “Aren’t they?”

“Yes,” he said gruffly. “They are subject to my queen’s authority.”

I exhaled a tremendous breath. Thank goodness . It wasn’t too surprising, considering how inhumanely tall they were. Were all Indian Ocean mers tall? Well, I supposed I would soon have my answer.

When we reached the aircraft, the two men halted, dividing to both sides of the stairs that led to its entryway. I gazed upward, marveling at the plane’s smooth lines and shiny surface. So it belonged to the Indian Ocean. How bizarre.

Now that we were away from other people, I expected the men to greet their prince with the same reverence the Atlantic Ocean showed to Leander. But the men stood rigid, not speaking a single word or even a nod to Barren as he passed up the stairs. Perhaps customs were different in the Indian Ocean?

When it was my turn to take the stairs, Leander stepped up, positioning himself between me and the bigger of the two men. “After you, beautiful.” Although his voice was smooth and casual, I could tell he didn’t trust either of them.

My fingertips met the cold metal of the staircase, and the chill spread through my fingers as I clutched the railing. So, this was it. Next stop, some remote island somewhere. “Thanks for coming along, guys.” I turned back to give Leander and Kai each a smile. “Really. I know you didn’t have to.”

Leander chuckled, leaning in to give my forehead a kiss. “No need to thank us.”

When he pulled away, I stole one last second to look around, taking in what I could of London before entering the plane. I wasn’t prepared for what was waiting for me inside.

The interior opened up to a spacious lounge area filled with plush leather recliners arranged around a polished wooden table. “Dang,” I said, clicking my tongue. On the far wall, a television hung, even larger than the one Dad kept in our living room.

Soft lighting and muted colors created a cozy atmosphere, but I only had a moment to appreciate the plane’s luxury before a body came barreling toward me.

“Kai-Kai!” Laverne shrilled, bounding straight for the entrance. Right for me . Barren’s quick reflexes saved me from being bowled over by the crazed sea lion—a fate that Leander, unfortunately, had no room to escape.

“Lee!” I gasped as he stumbled onto the plane, tripping over Laverne and falling in a heap of golden limbs. She’d lowered her head, flattening her plump body, apparently thinking that would be enough to let her squeeze between his legs.

It had not.

While Leander’s chin smacked against the floor, Laverne didn’t bat an eye at the chaos she’d caused. She lunged out of the plane’s door, and the next sound I heard was a loud “oof” as she collided with Kai. I froze, stuck between choosing who to tend to first—Leander on the ground or Kai, who had likely been tackled off the stairs and was now possibly writhing down on the runway.

Leander made the choice for me. He sprung back to his feet and swung around, blocking the airplane’s entrance, his fists clenched. “The fuck ,” he spat as he swiped the back of his hand across the underside of his chin.

Just outside the door, I could see one of the men in a suit coming up the stairs. Kai was there, too, being crushed between the tall man’s chest and Laverne as she leapt up, attempting to land in his arms. “It was horrible!” she shrieked, her tail slapping the stairs every time she bounced. “The most humiliating ? —”

Laverne’s pupils went wide as Leander’s arms wrapped around her. He yanked her back, dragging her off Kai and back into the plane.

“Don’t hurt her!” Kai choked out, grappling with the railing as he struggled to stand upright.

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Leander growled as he deposited Laverne right back onto the leather chair she’d been sitting in before she’d decided to lunge at us.

Kai stumbled into the doorway, one hand braced on the doorframe. His breath was clearly knocked out of him. “Glad you’re… okay,” he rasped, toeing steps forward.

Laverne shook off her daze, stretching up on her chair so that her front flippers were on the back of the seat. “Just look at this place, Kai-Kai!” she said, all excitement and clearly not reading the room. Her whiskers twitched, her nose pitched high as she scanned the lounge. “This is more like it!”

She had a point—the plane was luxurious. Each seat looked wide and comfortable, and I found myself wondering if one of the buttons on the side of their armrests would make them recline.

I must have been ogling the chairs, because Barren came over to guide me to one. Since he was offering, I sank into the buttery soft leather.

I practically moaned, cozying into it, feeling my body truly relax for the first time in what felt like days. “Is this your plane?” My gaze flicked up to Barren as he turned to the seat next to mine. Leander beat him to it, sliding in sideways before he could sit down. Barren peered at the opposite side of me, but Kai had already claimed that seat.

Barren’s jaw clenched as he walked over to the other side of the wooden table, taking the empty seat next to Laverne. Despite the extra space, his hips looked pinched between the armrests. “My queen’s plane.”

“She has good taste,” Laverne said as I eyed the two men in suits. They latched the door, closing themselves in here with us. Did this mean they were going to stay with us the entire flight?

Beside me, Leander looked like he was ready to fall back asleep. “Tired?” I asked, and he tilted his head back, his hair becoming even more artfully disheveled. “I thought you and Kai slept together most of the last flight,” I teased.

Laverne shot straight up, her nose pointing like an arrow aimed straight at Leander. “WHAT!”

“What?” Kai echoed her sentiments, his head shaking wildly as he turned to me. “W-we didn’t,” he stammered, but the paleness of his face had me wondering if he truly believed it.

When I turned back to Leander, I was taken aback by the way his lips curled into a sinful smirk. He reclined more in his chair, his voice rough and gravelly from being exhausted. “Jealous?”

Instead of giving a reply, I snorted. I wasn’t jealous. No way. Okay, maybe a little—but only because part of me wanted to be there sleeping in between them. Okay, a big part of me, but how was that fair? I’d be getting both of them, while they’d have to share me. But then again, if they didn’t mind sharing…

The intercom system tinged, and Barren went for his seatbelt. We were leaving already? Stomach twisting, I reached for my seatbelt as the two men disappeared into another section of the plane. By the time I had it clicked, a rogue thought had my heart pumping up into my throat. “The pilot is a human, right?”

Barren’s deep chuckle eased my panic. “Of course.”

Oh, thank Poseidon—I might have had to convince all of them to abort this mission with me if the pilot was mer. Sure, Barren was a capable driver, which meant that merfolk could learn how to do things on land. But Barren was Barren, and he didn’t seem to have trouble doing anything.

The plane started moving, and my fingers sank into the soft leather.

“Claira,” Barren said, making my pulse jump. His eyes were intently on mine. “The takeoff will be rough.”

The takeoff will be rough ? What kind of reassurance was this? My voice cracked with nervous laughter. “Will it?”

“Mmh.” He nodded in a slow rhythm, perhaps to show me how I had nothing to fear. “It is normal,” he said in that same slow beat. “This plane is smaller.”

“Smaller, right—” I mirrored his nod, struggling to tamp down my anxiety. “Makes sense.”

“Laverne!” Kai shifted in the seat beside mine, and I gasped as I glanced over to see him throwing off his seatbelt. Didn’t he realize we were already moving? “You have to wear your plane leash,” he scolded.

My mouth nearly dropped to the floor when he leapt right over the table. Laverne screeched, clashing with him as he attempted to get a seatbelt around her.

“Stop! ” she hissed, flippers flapping at his face. He avoided every slap like it was something he was long used to. “I will not be contained again!”

Laverne attempted to make a run for it, but the plane bumped, nearly knocking Kai over on top of her. He recovered just in time to wrestle her back into her seat. “You—need—” He gasped between each word. “Your—leash!”

“Hurry up.” My panic rose as the airplane turned. Soon, we’d be speeding down the runway, and at this rate, neither of them would be strapped in. I looked to Barren and Leander for help, but they were mere spectators, leaning back and taking in the mayhem.

Finally, the seatbelt clicked, and with a triumphant roar, Kai sprung away. He landed back into his seat with a bounce. He’d barely pulled his belt over his lap when the plane started down the runway.

Across the coffee table, Laverne glared at Kai, not pleased that he was attempting to protect her from herself. “I hate flying,” she proclaimed, her long snout jerking up into the air. “Next time, I’m swimming.”

As the plane sped, I released a strangled laugh. “Count me in,” I agreed, momentarily hating everything about this, too. Sure, things weren’t so bad once we were in the air, but I was positive I’d never get used to the takeoffs and landings.

The plane jostled as the landing gear retreated, signaling that we were airborne, and my grip on my seat eased as we leveled out.

I didn’t even have time to enjoy my relief before Laverne projected right in my head so loudly, I had to wonder if she was speaking to me alone. “I’m not dragging you around,” she seethed, and it hit like a gut punch. “Useless harlot.”

I felt my lips twitch. So, we were back to this, were we? I knew I couldn’t swim, of course, but I’d only meant that any other means of travel would be better than this. “Fine. Kai will take me.” I turned over to him with a smile that I hoped wasn’t ruined by the cold sweat I’d worked up during the stress of the last five minutes. “Won’t you?”

“Yes,” was his immediate response. His words were airy when he added, “Where are we going?”

So, Laverne had spoken her taunt only to me, as I suspected. “Where do you want to go?” I asked, just to get under her skin some more, and Kai’s face pinked.

“Kai is going back to the Pacific with me!” Laverne cut in. She bared her teeth. “As soon as we’re done here. The two of us are on a mission.”

Kai’s eyes dropped. A pained look crossed over his face, but he didn’t say a word. I wondered if the mission was to find his sister, but I didn’t dare ask. Not here, in front of everyone.

The thought of him leaving after this made my chest feel numb. I sat back, taking in the array of apps on the television screen. An uneasy quiet filled the plane until the intercom tinged, indicating that we could release our seatbelts.

Not long after, a delightful aroma of fresh coffee wafted about. Coffee—now that sounded heavenly. I was so tired.

One of the men reappeared, this time rolling a cart. “Breakfast,” he said in a peculiar accent much like Barren’s, and we all sat up a bit straighter. To my horror, my stomach was the first to grumble a reply.

“Gosh, I’m hungry,” I said, watching the man’s back as he laid the platters on the wooden table and put white mugs of coffee around them.

Before I dug in, the second man came in, pushing a silver cart filled with ice.

“Wine?” he asked, lifting a bottle and pulling a chilled glass from among the ice.

I nervously looked around the room while I waited for someone to answer, when I realized the man was staring directly at me. “We’re not old enough to drink.” I glanced over at Leander. “At least… Lee and I aren’t. I–I don’t actually know how old you two are.” The words stuck in my throat, and a wave of embarrassment washed over me for not having ever asked their ages.

Barren unbuckled his seatbelt. “We’re still in London.” He shifted in his seat to have enough room to stick his hand in his pocket. “Eighteen and older can drink. Plus, here.” Standing up, he reached over, passing a stack of plastic to me.

I stared down at the IDs in my hand, my eyes widening as I flipped through them. “Oh, wow,” I said, coming to my ID. “Claira Arwa is twenty-one.” I stole a quick glance up at Barren as he settled back in his chair. Of course, I was only twenty years old, but how would he have known? I’d never told him my age, either. “And she has her North Carolina driver’s license,” I added with an appreciative nod. “Nice.”

Dad had let me practice driving with him a few times, in case of an emergency, but I never saw much of a point in learning. Driving had been one of those land things I’d long come to terms with never being able to do. Without identification, I’d never been able to get a license.

I flipped through the stack, finding Barren’s image next. “And my husband is…” My eyebrows lifted. “Twenty-three?”

Barren’s nod was firm. “I am.”

“Geez, we married young,” I murmured, ignoring Leander’s grumpy scowl. Evidently, it would take him a while to get over our fake marriage.

The corners of Barren’s mouth hinted at a smile. “We did.”

A sudden wave of heat came over my neck, and I quickly looked away, switching to the next ID. Leander also had a North Carolina driver’s license— scary —and was fake twenty-one as well. Then I moved on to Kai’s ID, and my head tilted. He had a California driver’s license, which made sense enough, but the rest of it didn’t make sense at all.

“That’s a funny mistake,” I said, doing the math in my head a second time, just to be sure I’d calculated correctly. “Twenty-eight?” I glanced up at Barren. “Why did you make Kai so much older than we are?”

Kai scratched at the back of his head, a mouthful of eggs from the breakfast they’d brought already stuffed into his mouth. It looked painful, how fast he wolfed it down. “What do you mean?” he asked, his smile wobbly. “I am twenty-eight.”

“No way.” I shot forward, shifting to look straight at him. I studied his smooth face, lavender hair, and the cute slightly reddened tips of his ears. “ Seriously? ”

His anxiety was clear in his laugh. “Is… Is that a problem?”

Laverne’s whiskers twitched. “ Are you implying that there is something wrong with Big Brother?”

“No, I—he’s perfect.” I leaned back, not sure what else to say. I’d thought Kai was my age, or at the very least, close to it. An assumption I should have known better than to make, considering how slowly merfolk aged. “How old are you, then, Laverne?” I asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from my blunder.

“ Twenty ,” she said proudly, her chest puffing up.

“I will have some of that wine, yes,” I said, my exasperation evident as I signaled to the man behind the cart. Yeah—there was no way Laverne, a sea lion , was the same age as me. As soon as the wine glass was in my hand, I sat the IDs down next to my plate and drank deeply.

By the time I’d downed the glass and dug into my food, I could barely keep my eyes from closing. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was Barren’s deep chuckle as Leander mashed buttons on the television remote, trying to figure out how to make it work.

When I regained consciousness, Kai was there, his eyes shining and his body hovering above me. “Claira?” He bit at his bottom lip. “I hate to wake you, but we’re here. You slept the whole way.”

I swiped a hand over my face, the leather of my seat warm underneath me. “We’re here?” I asked, trying to stand.

“Wait, your leash.” Kai reached down, and with a click, my seatbelt retreated. “I was sure you would wake up when we landed, but you must have really needed the rest.”

When I got up, Barren was standing at the door. “We’re here,” he said, only his words were gruff, dread resonating through every syllable. His hand clenched around the phone he held in his hand. “Welcome to the Isle of Lahkri.”