Page 18

Lorcan

W e passed the next few hours in relative silence, at least between Cormac and me.

Rory and Briar chatted about plants and what they would grow in the upcoming seasons.

During the stop in Singapore, we had a few minutes to walk outside and breathe some fresh air.

However, it was the air of the city, not the ocean breeze off Byron Bay.

After we took off again, Briar curled up in her seat under a blanket as she read.

Cormac and Aurora watched a movie from the dining table.

I spent the time glancing around, wondering what my life would have been like had I stayed in touch with my family.

Would I also have a private jet? Of course, I would have access to our vast real estate holdings, but I had long ago stopped wondering about the luxury my brothers must enjoy.

My solitude was worth the price. Yet here I sat, sinking into the buttery leather of the seat on my brother’s plane that stood by, ready to whisk him around the world.

Did it fill the emptiness our shattered family had left behind?

Dani moved around the rear cabin. Her presence when we arrived at the airplane sent a wave of relaxation through me as I realized some things hadn’t changed.

I had always liked her—thought she was a complementary force for my brother.

But I was incorrect. The real complementary force to him was his mate.

Even the couple of dinners I had with them last week hadn’t prepared me for the devotion Cormac showed Rory.

I had never seen him so in love with someone, doting on her every wish.

If she was experiencing any sickness from her pregnancy, she hadn’t let on.

But the three of us knew the real danger lay at the end of the nine months.

Had Cormac worked out how to keep his mate alive yet?

My mind whirred as I caught Briar’s yawn out of the corner of my eye. She closed her book and sat forward. “Cormac?” Her voice was hesitant. “Is it alright if I get some sleep? I’m exhausted.”

Cormac looked over from the bench where he and Rory cuddled together. “Certainly. I assumed you would like some privacy, so I had Dani make up the bed in the back room for you.”

Briar turned and looked past Cormac. My eyes followed where hers led. The sofa along the wall beyond the partition had been folded down to make a bed. She turned to me. “Where are you going to sleep?”

I shrugged. “I’ll stay out here with Cormac and Rory. Unless he plans to strap me to the plane’s wing, which I wouldn’t put past my brother.” My lips twitched as I spoke, memories of some of our antics coming to mind. But all that had changed.

Briar’s brows knitted together before she glanced at Rory. Rory slid to the end of the bench and stood in the aisle, holding out her hand. “Let me show you around a bit, not that it’s all that big.”

Briar followed, relief flooding her face.

Rory’s voice traveled easily to my ears, even over the constant hum of the engines. “Are you alright? You look out of sorts.”

“Would Cormac find it weird if I asked Lorcan to stay in here? It gives you more privacy, and well, I’m just not sure I want to be alone right now.”

“Do you want me to stay? These chairs fold into a second bed.”

Briar’s voice rose in pitch. “No. No. You stay with Cormac. I have a feeling I’m already taking his bedroom. I don’t need to take the warmth from his bed, too.” There was a pause. “I’ve never been on a flight this long, and I think I’d feel better with someone nearby.”

“It is no problem. I’ll send Lorcan to you.”

Rory appeared through the doorway of the partition. She nodded to me, and I went into the room.

“Rory said you wanted to talk to me?”

Briar bit her lip. “This sounds childish and stupid, but I was wondering if you would stay in here with me? I’m a little nervous about being in the air so long.”

My heart sped up in my chest. “Sure, but wouldn’t you prefer Rory to stay with you?”

Briar shook her head. “I don’t want to take her away from Cormac, and lord knows, without her around, the two of you might kill each other.” She smirked.

“But…” I glanced pointedly at the solitary bed.

She gestured to the chairs facing each other. “I don’t mind sharing, but Rory says those fold into a bed. You can have this one, and I’ll take the single if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

My insides stirred. I wanted nothing more than to share a bed with this woman, to take her into my arms. But I couldn’t. But I could stay in the room with her and comfort her. “We’ll work it out in a minute.”

Dani appeared in the doorway and smiled. “Rory said you might need me?”

I nodded. “Could you make up the second bed?”

Dani moved swiftly, pulling linens from hidden storage areas. It was slower than I had ever seen her accomplish a task. I smiled, knowing she was taking her time for Briar’s sake. “There you are. Anything else, Lorcan?”

“No, thank you.”

She walked from the room. “Good night.”

“Good night,” I replied, looking over my shoulder.

Cormac appeared in the doorway. “Good night, you two. Lorcan, do let us know if you need a manual on how to make the first move. If you start practicing now, you might work up the nerve to kiss her by sunrise. Maybe.” He closed the partition with deliberate flair, his smirk unfaltering.

And there it was, the comment I didn’t need from my elder brother. Briar giggled.

I heard Rory’s whispered voice through the partition. “Really?”

“I haven’t seen my brother in almost one hundred and twenty-five years.

That is a lot of advice I haven’t given.

And she makes him happy. Just like you make me happy, so come here,” Cormac growled.

I pushed the sound of Rory’s moan from my head as soft music filled the plane.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only vampire who didn’t want to listen to them.

“I’m going to go change.” Briar’s voice pulled me back to the room. My throat tightened. Maybe this had been a bad idea. She disappeared into the bathroom.

Cormac was right; Briar made me happy. Being with her felt like a puzzle piece snapped into place.

But there was no guarantee of happiness.

I swallowed the lump in my throat—no guarantee I wouldn’t end up like Ashdowne.

I pulled off my pants and folded them, placing them at the end of the single where I could get to them if needed.

Just before she emerged from the bathroom, I slid into the sheets of the smaller bed.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her body, stunning in the V-cut pajama top and short shorts.

It was a good thing my cock was well-covered.

I bent my knees so she wouldn’t see the growing erection.

She tilted her head. “I thought I was taking the smaller bed. I don’t need the double when you’re taller than me.”

“Guests always get better accommodation. Mother’s rule.”

She pressed her lips together before she slid to the top of the double bed. “Thank you for staying with me. Are you sure this isn’t weird?”

“Not weird,” I said with a smile, although I couldn’t ignore the fire in my groin. This woman was beautiful.

Briar pulled the sheets back. They rustled as she smoothed them over her, leaning against the wall facing me, her legs stretched out in front of her. “Have you and Cormac always been at each other this way?”

I swallowed. “You mean the teasing? Only sometimes.” When he can tell I like someone.

I wanted to say it, but I kept it to myself.

“Cormac really is more trouble than he’s worth.

” The words came out clipped, and I turned my gaze to the floor, my shoulders stiffening.

I glanced at her and pulled at the fabric of my shirt.

“Um, do you mind? I’d rather not sleep in this? ”

She shook her head. “No, get comfortable. Besides, I’ve seen it all already.” Her cheeks reddened as she spoke, a smile dancing on her lips.

I pulled my shirt over my head, throwing it to the end of the bed with my pants.

“Tell me about your brothers.” She tilted her head, elongating her neck.

The slight perfume of her blood reached me.

My gums ached. Being in here was a horrible idea.

I swallowed, forcing the sensation from my mind.

I couldn’t imagine how bad this would be if I were lying beside her, pressed against her body.

“Cormac is the best of them, but there’s a side to him most people don’t see.

As for the others… Aiden has issues, and Conall—let’s just say, don’t make him angry. ”

Her brow furrowed, her gaze locking onto mine as if trying to decipher my meaning, but I was sure she wouldn’t stumble onto the idea of bodies falling in Conall’s angry wake.

Oddly, despite rivaling Aiden’s, Conall’s body count didn’t bother me.

The madness—the hunger for power—to be above it all was the issue.

Conall just showed what we were—monsters parodying the rich and cultured.

Her face smoothed out as her lips curled into a smile. “What happens if I make Conall mad?”

I shook my head, voice low. “It’s just never a good thing.” I shifted on the narrow bed, the mattress squeaking softly under my weight.

She laughed, but her words cut deep. “You talk like they’re evil.”

My heart skipped a beat. She didn’t understand evil. There was so much I wanted to tell her, but I deflected. “Says the woman whose ancestor wrote about killing vampires.”

“Vampires aren’t real, Lorcan. Your brothers are.” She stretched her arms above her head, the yawn softening her words. “But if you don’t want to have a genuine conversation, we don’t have to.” She glanced around the walls.

“That isn’t what—”

She turned the overhead lights out, ending the conversation.