Chapter Twenty-Three
THE SLEEK SILVER PLANE LOOKED FAR smaller than the one I’d flown in when Marcus dragged me to England. Back then, as a nine-year-old, everything had seemed so huge—
“That concludes the extraction part of our service, sir,” the masked man—who hadn’t shown us his face, even in the one-hour car ride—pointed at the plane and awaiting airhostess by the open stairs.
“The crew works for Sovereign Retrieval. You’ll be perfectly safe.
A helicopter will take you the rest of the way when you arrive.
” Backing up, he added, “Is there anything else you require before we depart?”
I tried to answer him but...the outside world was too much. Too bright. Too noisy.
Having twenty men surrounding me set my system on a razor-sharp edge.
The entire drive, Rook had been in the backseat with Whisper, while I’d been up front, which meant I hadn’t been able to touch her.
And the burning was getting bad.
Even now—even on the cusp of vanishing from Marcus’s control forever—I was still fucking weak...just like he’d made me.
Something feral snarled inside.
What if I got on that plane and they flew me back to hell?
What if they betrayed me like everyone else?
“Lucien.”
I flinched as Rook’s dainty hand slipped into mine, wrenching me back onto the private airstrip in the dead of night.
Her touch.
Fuck.
I could breathe again for the first time since we’d left the room.
I could move without flames chewing my joints like I’d somehow ingested the sun.
Whisper chuffed and headbutted me, sensing my pain as Rook squeezed my fingers. “Whatever you’re thinking about...stop.”
The heat in my blood cooled as if she had the ability to pour ice directly into my veins.
I shuddered.
All those moments where I’d relied on her in Cinderkeep reminded me all over again how dangerous she was.
She could calm my heart and quieten my mind just by touching me.
She could leash and control me with a single orgasm.
The fact that she was the only thing to grant me peace didn’t offer me comfort but fear.
Because I was taking her home...
And if she ever betrayed me—
Fire surged.
“Lucien,” she hissed under her breath. “I really need you to calm down so you don’t start steaming on the runway, okay?
” Flicking a look at the masked men waiting behind us by the black vans, she kneaded my forearm with her other hand, reminding me of the night she’d massaged me in my quarters.
How I’d jerked her over the back of the couch and kissed her.
How I’d wanted to do so much more than just steal a kiss—
“Don’t touch me.” Pulling out of her grip, I did my best to ignore her pained inhale.
Fresh anger arrowed through me.
I didn’t want to be cruel but...I was starting to trust this girl.
And that made everything so much worse.
“If you’re concerned that the plane won’t make it in one flight,” the extraction leader said. “Rest assured, you’re travelling in a Gulfstream G800. It will get you home in one leap.”
I nodded tersely as if that was what I was concerned about. “Fine. You can go.”
Rook blinked beside me, looking small and fragile in her bulletproof vest. She also looked cold. Her teeth chattered as a particularly icy breeze kicked around the hangar.
Without thinking, I tapped Whisper’s head as he leaned against me. “Go to her.”
The panther shot me a look before pressing protectively against her side.
Rook smiled in gratitude as Whisper shared his heat, even as his gaze locked onto the horizon. A soft grumble echoed, no doubt thanks to the wide-open space triggering his need to run.
Pity I didn’t have a gazelle for him to hunt.
“Bet you’d love to race down there, huh?” Rook asked quietly, mirroring my thoughts as she tugged his ear. “I bet you could fly as fast as a plane.”
Another gush of heat crippled me.
These two kept putting me in a highly vulnerable position because how was I supposed to keep my guard up when I kept melting around her?
Behind us, the company who’d been hired by my father all those years ago vanished into the night, pulling away with silent tyres.
I breathed a little easier with less people, but my skin crawled at the thought of spending the next long hours in a claustrophobic tin can.
What if I overheated?
What if I set it on fire like I had with the wall and the tap and the carpet?
The night ticked past until Rook finally asked, “Are we going to board...or just stare at it?”
Not answering her, I gritted my teeth and strode toward the plane.