Chapter 15
Fifteen
“Are we there yet? Seriously, are we there?” Misty’s bottom lip protruded as she batted her large cerulean eyes.
Not again, Ronan sighed.
The sound of Misty’s voice pierced through his sensitive Elattion ears. Her incessant questioning made him crave a goblet of wine. Of course, he would never drink and fly.
“Has it really been that long that you’ve forgotten where your own dwelling is located?” He stared at her, forehead twitching.
He was at his wits’ end. In two seconds, he would drop all of them to their deaths and be done with this mess. Then he could finally be with Sean and take him and Autumn’s father on their way back home. If only his emperor and empress weren’t counting on him.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Misty crossed her arms, “Of course I know where I live. You need to fly faster to Mansion Ridge. You hear me? Mansion Ridge!”
Her eyes narrowed at him as he typed the location into his communicator again. His fingers trembled with ire. The device clicked and beeped before bearing the coordinates 41°17’35.5”N, 74°10’46.9”W.
Caleb glowered. “Misty, stop it, we all want to go home and put this disaster behind us. Why are your needs always first? You and your stupid mansion?—”
“Shut up, Caleb,” Misty hissed. “I didn’t do anything wrong—Autumn did. This is all her fault for putting us through this and conspiring with that monster, Dante.”
Marcela rolled her eyes. “You stupid kids with your stupid problems. I’ve missed an impossible amount of work. I’m probably out of a job by now—and the state of my mortgage. I shudder when I think about it. If anyone has a right to be pissed off, I do.”
Tyler buried his face in his hands, not joining in on the conversation. Ronan supposed he had the most to be ashamed of. He’d struck Autumn’s mother and left her for dead in a hit and run car accident. The offense was unforgivable, but somehow Autumn had managed to pardon him as well. Forgiveness for such a crime was unfathomable where he was from. Tyler would’ve been executed.
“Will everyone please be quiet for just a second?” Ronan snapped. “I can’t find your homes if I can’t think straight.”
His temples throbbed as he searched the poorly lit ground below.
In reality, all he could think about was Sean and what he’d say once he found out he wasn’t human. What if he wasn’t interested? What if he didn’t want him anymore after he’d traveled all this way? And what would he say to Autumn’s father once he returned to his ship?
That should’ve been Dante’s job. If only he offered her father a mature and proper explanation for his intentions or invited him to come along in the first place. He was so selfish.
Ronan descended from the sky, desperate to return Misty before the others. She was the loudest and most distracting human he’d ever dealt with, and he wanted her out of his hair.
He landed on the steps of her so-called “mansion,” which was a below-average-size dwelling back on Surge. Some of the hybrids had better living arrangements.
“It’s about time,” Misty crossed her arms, breasts puffed. “There’s so much I need to catch up on. Shopping, groceries, gossip, my socials haven’t been updated in forever. I’m probably hemorrhaging followers.”
Ronan rolled his eyes so far back it surprised him they didn’t get stuck in his head.
Misty pounded her fist against the door. Lights flickered on from the surrounding garden and the dwelling itself. A woman walked out with waist-length blonde hair, wearing a short fluffy pink robe. She froze, blue eyes widening. She released a piercing scream before colliding with the gray. Her legs wobbled and she passed out cold.
“Mommy,” Misty knelt and shook her. “Mom, it’s okay I'm home. I hope you didn’t clean out my room and sell my Range Rover. I’m going to need both. And what about my phone?—”
Ronan tugged on her ponytail and Misty winced. “Don’t ever forget the great kindness bestowed upon this night. You have Autumn to thank and no one else. Never forget it. If it was up to me, I would’ve left you on planet Halvana to serve out the remainder of your sentence.”
She deserved to suffer for being one of the most annoying people he’d ever met in his life.
“I—” Misty’s pink lips quivered. Her eyes teared up.
“Just remember that. If the empress ever changes her mind, you’ll be transported back to Halvana in a heartbeat with no questions asked.”
Misty gasped before nodding mechanically. His point was well received.
“Th—thank you,” she stared at her hands. “If it wasn’t for you I?—”
Ronan turned on his heel, ignoring her impending speech. Okay, one human down, three to go, he reassured himself.
Already this mission promised to be one of the longest nights of his life.
He bit back a smile, to finally be rid of her. Her incessant whining and complaining was outrageous. A year with her was enough for a lifetime and he didn’t have any more time to waste.
He needed to get Sean along with Autumn’s father and get the hell off this planet.