Chapter 14
“Ifeel it,” I assured Star at the same time the door to the plane slammed shut.
Zelin had felt the shift too.
The sound of racing hearts and bones breaking reached my ears before I whirled to see about fifty men and women running toward us—half shifting into black wolves, but I’d never seen any of them in my life.
I realized then why Isis had stayed in Rosu Castle. There was no danger there anymore because danger would always follow me.
This was an attack, and they’d known we would come here. They’d been waiting for us.
“Not today, you fucking assholes!” I raged, blue fire erupting along my arms as I lunged forward.
“Natalia, don’t!” André shouted, but it was too late, I had already reached the first one… so had the Beast.
Furry body parts began flying from his clawed hands as I grabbed my wannabe Vampir attacker by the throat and tossed him backward. His screeches cracked the air as my Eternal Blaze consumed him, and I moved on to the next.
They were going to regret this. I was no longer the impressionable, innocent, hybrid girl who couldn’t even shift into her wolf without hurting herself. I was far, far more.
A huge wolf jumped toward me, claws first, but I arched my body backward to let him fly over me and then spun, catching him by the tail. A ragged cry tore from him as I yanked him back with my enhanced strength, and the fire rushed over his dark fur, making him glow blue before obliterating him.
Dante’s shadows drifted past me while I engaged the next asshole, and the silver gleam of a weapon caught my attention. Startled, I turned to find Zelin twirling a sword in the air and slicing through more Vampiri than I could count.
“She has a sword?!”
Apparently, she did. Badass.
A group of Vampir suddenly jumped on her from the other side of the plane, and alarm coursed through me. They were more than she could handle, and they all wore power bands.
“No!” Before I could reason, a wave of fire exploded out of me, swallowing them all… even Zelin.
“Don’t kill her!” Star screamed, but I feared it was too late.
Heart thundering in my ears, I watched the fire sweep over them one by one, turning the Vampiri to ashes on contact. When it reached Zelin, her gaze connected with mine, widening in shock.
The flames rushed over her instantly, and horror gripped as they engulfed her whole… just to sweep over her and to the other side, sputtering into nothing. As if there was nothing there to burn.
“That was so fucking cool,” she gasped, glancing down at the mounds of ash all around her before she slipped the sword back into the sheath I hadn’t noticed on her back.
“You are not hurt?” I asked, frozen in place while fear still chilled my veins.
Zelin chuckled. “I’m an Iron Knight, remember?” Patting my shoulder as she passed by me, she walked back to the plane.
It was then I realized it was all over. Hannes, Dante, and André had eradicated the rest of our ambush, but I couldn’t seem to move. All I could see was the wave of my fire going over Zelin, and how differently this could have ended.
“Bitch, never do that again…” Star chastised, her voice more wolf animal than woman, barely understandable from how pissed she was…
The truth was I didn’t even know how I’d done it.
I guess I wasn’t as in control of this power as believed. The thought was painfully humbling, and I didn’t like it one bit.
“Are you okay?” Hannes’s voice pulled me out of the disturbing instant replay, and I blinked, turning to face him.
“I didn’t mean to. I—”
“I know,” he answered softly in his Beast form. Just like he’d done as a man, the Beast’s thumb rested on the side of my jaw while his fingertips caressed my neck soothingly. “But are you okay?”
Not having words, I just nodded.
He wasn’t convinced.
“We need to go,” André reminded, surveying the area to make sure it was empty.
Taking my elbow, Dante guided me to the plane while my heart still slammed against my ribs.
“Are you all okay?” Vanessa asked the moment we entered.
I nodded, not offering any other explanation.
“G, you have to see Natalia’s power in action. It’s so cool,” Zelin raved as if I hadn’t almost killed her.
If it had been anyone else standing there instead of Zelin, I would have killed them when all I wanted was to protect them. I guess being indestructible meant you didn’t fear anything.
She walked to the middle of the space, kissing a very handsome man on the lips.
“Is it?” he smiled at me, seeming impressed while all I felt was shame.
“Oh, yeah. She turned them all into ashes like this.” Zelin snapped her fingers.
Seriously? She wasn’t even a little disturbed?
“It was stronger this time, for some reason. It isn’t normally that fast,” I added for clarification.
“Natalia, this is our big brother, Gustav,” Alyce added, pulling me out of my thoughts.
My gaze went from her blonde hair and light eyes to the dark-haired, dark-eyed hottie. His happy disposition was the only thing they seemingly had in common.
“I’m their adopted older brother,” he clarified, noticing my confusion.
Gustav… His name sparked a memory to unfurl, and my eyes widened in recognition. Dresden had told Natasha about him when they spoke about his parents and the ReinheitWolfe race.
“You are the RavenWolf boy the queen adopted,” I gasped. “The reason she went to war with them. Because she loved more than anything.” I realized my mistake when a hint of sadness entered his gaze. “I am sorry. That was so rude of me. I didn’t mean to bring up a painful past.”
“Not rude at all. We are Wolf Shifters. In our family, everything is everyone’s business,” Gustav joked, his smile returning. “I’ve already healed from that past. It doesn’t bother me anymore… I understand you grew up with RavenWolves too?”
“I did. Well, Natasha did. But I think she healed from that too.”
“Good.” Gustav beamed. “I’m happy to finally meet you, Natalia.” Offering a hand to me he nodded outside. “Pleased to see you held your own out there.”
Returning his smile, I shook his hand. “Thanks.” I guess… “Nice to meet you too.”
The door was sealed shut behind us, signaling we would soon take off.
I turned back to look at my mates, finding Hannes still in his Beast form—thanks to the appearance of my fire. Ugh. Not again.
Walking past us in the luxurious space, Hannes grinned at three girls with fair skin and raven black hair who ran toward him from somewhere in the back, gleefully jumping on him.
The others took their places in the seating area.
Placing the box on the dining table, I swiftly sat near Vanessa and Alyce.
“These are my precious nieces,” Hannes explained, carrying them as though they weighed nothing. Kisses and hugs bombarded him while he settled the girls into their seats, securing their seatbelts a moment before the aircraft began to move.
I could tell they adored their uncle.
They were the reason Zelin had closed the door when she sensed the attack, and her husband stayed inside it. They were protecting their daughters. The girls seemed so carefree, with no idea of what had just happened outside.
“This is Ella, this is Lorelai, and the youngest is Milly,” Zelin offered next to them.
“If you are an Iron Knight, who is your charge?” I wondered, feeling the plane lift into the air smoothly.
Gustav grinned mischievously at my question, obviously loving it.
“The bratty prince over there.” She gestured to him.
“Right, you became a prince when the ReinheitWolfe Queen adopted you.”
“Not really. It’s a long story, but the gist of it is I was made a Moon Prince by our Moon Goddess. Don’t worry. I’m not interested in the throne.” He visibly shuddered like that was the last thing he wanted. “That honor goes to the twins.”
Alyce snorted, not seeming to want it either, which meant the honor was all Hannes’s.
“Z is my Iron Knight and my wife,” Gustav continued. “But for some reason, the twins grew up calling me brother while calling her Aunty Z… What can I say? Our family is weird.”
A few chuckles escaped me at that. It was safe to say we all were, not just his family.
“Get comfy,” Zelin suggested. “It’s a long flight to Germany.”
“We are going to Germany?” I sat forward, startled by the news.
Her eyes snapped toward the guys.
“You didn’t tell her where you were taking her? Idioten…” she huffed, shaking her head. “I’m sorry about that. Yes, we are going home, to Neuschwanstein Castle in the Great Alps.”
“Damn, does everyone have a castle around here?”
A small smirk tilted her lips. “No offense, but Rosu is no castle. That’s more like a really large estate. Now, the flight is about eight hours so you should probably rest. There are two suites in the back if you’d like to get more comfortable and sleep.”
“Thanks.” I nodded, truly grateful for the info, and glanced at the sky outside. It was my first time on a plane, and I had to say, I was enjoying it.
After a while, shadows swirled around me, and Dante materialized next to me.
“You know you can’t stay mad at me, Cuore mio,” he whispered against my ear before placing a kiss over my bond tattoo.
“I will melt your sorry ass without a second thought.”
His sensual laughter fanned my neck before he placed another kiss there and leaned back into his armchair.
My gaze traveled across the aisle to where Hannes remained with his older brother, his aunt—who was his brother’s wife and Iron knight—and their girls.
That was legit the weirdest sentence ever.
Star’s sadness reached my being as I glanced at him. She wished the Beast felt Hannes was safe near me, so it would let go.
During the flight, I found myself binge-watching every TV show, documentary, and movie available in Gustav and Zelin’s vast digital library.
Their daughters joined me, getting a kick out of my ability to fast-forward through the shows and movies while perfectly capturing and retaining all the information.
Pausing, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by their chef in the aircraft’s small kitchen and then resumed our watching.
I had to admit that it was kind of cool to be able to learn at such a fast pace, as I had from the books after I first awoke. It was almost like my mind was ravenous for knowledge, and I couldn’t hold back. Not that I tried.
I wanted to know far more about this world I was kept from for so long. A world I was always meant to live in and protect. A world I belonged to, and I wanted to learn everything.
After Hannes’s nieces snoozed off during Legally Blonde, he carried them—still as the Beast—to one of the suites in the back to rest.
Before I knew it, I was sitting on Dante’s lap and passing out against his chest.
At least now I knew that Germany was our next stop; I just needed to find out what the hell awaited me there.
No offense to Dante’s sexy chest, but the second consciousness returned to me I knew my cheek was no longer resting on him. Nor André.
This chest was different—firmer, stronger, hotter, with extra room for me to spread myself all over it to my heart’s content.
No offense indeed, this chest was massive, and that sexy scent of Fresh cut cedar, cinnamon, and mint exuding from his pores made him extra yummy.
“Mine…”
“Yeah, yeah… You and Hannes are wolf mates, I know.”
As the sleep cleared from my head, I realized that not only was I no longer on Dante’s lap, but I wasn’t on the chair either. Faint voices drifted from the living area on the other side of the door, telling me I was in the private suite of the plane.
My body was perfectly snug between the plush pillowtop of the mattress beneath me and the delicious thickness of Hannes’s warm body.
He was all man right now, his Beast nowhere to be found.
Lazily, His large fingers moved over my back, tracing invisible patterns that caused goosebumps over my skin until my nipples puckered for him.
My hand tingled as it spread over his insanely hard abs, discovering the amazing fact that my palm was directly on his skin right now. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. My nails traced the little squares on their way down his stomach until deep chuckles suddenly made my new pillow quake.
“Is he ticklish?” Star asked, seeming enthralled by the news.
“I guess we will have to find out…”
“Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty.”
“I haven’t watched that one yet,” I admitted in a hoarse voice, a yawn escaping me.
It had been on the list for the girls and me to watch together, but they fell asleep before we could get to it. It still impressed me that they could keep up with watching the movies on fast-forward with me. Everyone else was annoyed by it, but they enjoyed it as though it was the normal speed.
Opening one eye, I lifted my head to find Hannes looking down at me with an expression I couldn’t quite identify.
“Do you make it a habit to kidnap sleeping women and then lay them over your shirtless body like you are the Goddess’s gift to them?”
His lips twitched but before his swooning smile could take over, he bit his lower lip instead, slowly shaking his head.
“Aww, I wanted him to smile. It makes me horny.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem with his brilliant smiles. They make you swoon. It’s like an instant panty-melter.”
Suddenly, the amusement disappeared from Hannes’s gaze, and he took a settling breath. “I’m sorry, Natalia.”
“Good Goddess, it’s not that serious. You just moved me from the chair to the suite. Plus, you are Star’s mate, I’m not holding this against you.”
A brief chuckle left him before he slowly shook his head again. “Not for that.” His arm tightened around my waist, and he pulled me fully on top of him until we were face to face. “The last thing I want is for you to feel like I’m manipulating you.”
Oh, that…
Lifting myself on his chest, I held his gaze. “Why did you do it?”
“It wasn’t intentional,” he confessed. “I was fully planning on telling you when you returned that we were coming to my home, but when you saw me and assumed I was leaving… When I saw your expression, I just couldn’t help myself.”
His thumb went to my jaw like that was his favorite thing to do to me, his fingertips caressing the side of my neck gently, where my bond tattoo was, and sending new sensations through me.
“I felt relief when you get nervous thinking I wouldn’t be there anymore. It was nice to finally feel that you need me too.”
“Awe, he’s so honest. Forgive him!”
I internally rolled my eyes at Star.