Page 17 of Moonlight Bonds (The Nexus #4)

I lie. “Sure.” I mean, it’s not all a lie.

Our feet will land on the ground, but we have to jump first. The next hour is spent with Dale, fixing the coke machine for us to still have flat coke, and it tastes awful, but I drink it anyway, just to make him smile.

Before following him to the back, we all walk past a massive dog statue that’s only got fur on its head, oddly enough.

Still, it makes me think of Nibbles, and I miss her.

We come into the warehouse and see the giant rusty plane. All four of them look at me, and they, for once, have exactly the same look on their faces. “Do you want us to die?” Finn asks.

“No, but we’re going to go in the plane. He’s going to fly us there.” I smile confidently.

“I’d rather drive; it’s much easier with wheels on the ground.” Hollis rubs his face. “How old is this plane?”

“You’re insane,” Onyx simply states.

“Absolutely,” I agree. I’ve never said I wasn’t. “You’re only just realising this?” I pat his arm as I walk past. “You need to catch up, mate.”

“Gwen,” he says in warning as Dale brings down the steps to the plane while he hums a song under his breath.

A piece of the steps falls off, clanging on the ground.

He kicks it under the plane and shrugs. “Nothing to worry about. We don’t need that part.

” I almost laugh at the way all four of them actually pale to look like ghosts this time.

I climb into the rust bucket, which is quite literally its name, painted in red paint across the side of it.

The seats are gone, and it’s an empty tin with some ropes hanging from the ceiling.

I sit down on the edge of the ground where there’s a tiny bit of a hole near me.

I cover it with my hand before one of the guys sees it, because they’re definitely going to freak out about that. They’re so touchy.

“Here you go, what we talked about.” Dale hands me a silver ball as he passes.

“Sure it works?” I tap it.

“No, but you’ll figure it out.” He shrugs. “It needs a blast of magic. Let your Nexus throw it.” Got it.

He gets to the front of the plane. “Everyone sit down. I would say put your seat belts on, but I threw those things out years ago. They’re completely useless.”

“No, they’re not!” Hollis mutters. “Seat belts are very useful to make sure we don’t?—”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Dale puts on headphones, covering his ears, and begins to flick switches on. The plane vibrates to life.

There are broken headphones clipped to the wall, and we each put them on.

It silences the noise of the plane as Dale leads it out of the warehouse and onto the runway.

Honestly, I’m quite surprised that it manages to go straight down the runway and off into the sky without a hitch.

It occasionally shakes and shudders, and even I feel a bit worried about it for a second. But it’s fine.

Alek looks over at me from the other side of the plane, while Finnegan and Onyx are on either side of me. Hollis sits apart, gripping the side of the plane. The headphones aren’t good, but I can just about hear Aleksander. “We are going to find your aunt after all.”

“Well, hopefully, I find my aunt. I mean, she might not even be there anymore.” I have to be realistic. “I’m not having that much luck with my family. If she is anything like Georgina, finding her might be a bad idea.”

“I know.” Finnegan takes my hand, hearing it all.

Aleksander continues, “It’s going to be okay. You know that?”

I smile softly and lean over and rest my head on Finnegan’s shoulders.

He doesn’t know it won’t be okay. It’s not been okay since the moment I was born into this world, and when I tell them what my Nexus told me, they might very well run from me too.

Like the rest of the world will. The flight takes half an hour.

Half an hour of listening to the wind rip through the metal of the plane, feeling it shake under us. Eventually, it slows down.

“Here we are. We’ll be up in exactly two minutes. Good luck, crazy lady. Look forward to seeing you again. Bring the other two next time. I’d like to see the full collection,” Dale shouts to us over the headphones.

“I’ll see you again. Keep safe, Dale, and thank you!” I shout back.

I walk over and yank the door open, looking down at nothing but grey skies, and occasionally I can see below.

The sea glistens in deep blues. It just looks like the sea off the coast between London and Wales, and to humans, there’s absolutely nothing there, but there is.

I know there is. The hidden city of Morriganis, shelter to Nexus, a community that rarely lets new people in.

“What’s the plan, then?” Finn shouts at me over the roaring of the plane that sounds like it’s one gust of wind away from breaking down. It shakes just as I grip the doorframe and look down at the forest. The forest where the city is hiding.

“I’ve only done this once, and it can hurt if you don’t land right, but the ward magic doesn’t sense you if you’re fast?—”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Onyx demands, gripping one of the ropes hanging from the ceiling.

I grin before opening my arms and standing in the frame as the wind smacks against my back. “Don’t die, my mates. I’ve begun to like your pretty faces.”

I jump out as they scream my name.