Lorcan let out a harsh breath, grabbing the back of his neck before meeting my eyes. “I know,” he said simply, pausing as he looked to the room where Orin sat. I looked too, and realized that the video was of him and his parents, before they were taken from us. “He told me what happened,” Lorcan continued. “He couldn’t sleep either. I think it’s time we switched up our strategy. Come with me.”
He began to walk to the staircase that led to another training room upstairs, which had sensory training equipment installed. I hated the room, but I knew it was time to bite the bullet and follow him without resistance. Last night was proof of that.
Once we reached the room, I paused at the doorway, my body momentarily stopping me in response to the impending panic that would soon ensue once I stepped in. Lorcan waited behind me, letting me get my courage up. I walked over to the chair in the center of the room and sat down, watching Lorcan as he took down the blindfold and rope from a hook on the wall. My heart raced. I knew what was about to happen. He walked over, a grave look on his face, and tied my hands behind me and my ankles to the chair legs. The blindfold followed, and when he cut the lights, the darkness overtook me.
“Now. Free yourself.”
Fingers massaging my scalp pull me out of my slumber. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs as I stretch out across the couch. I open my eyes and see Callum staring back at me with an easy smile. His fingers trace the lines of my face, landing on my bottom lip with his thumb. His gaze settles there as he strokes it, back and forth. I feel a grin pulling at the corners of my mouth, and suddenly his eyes flash with lust. I sit up just enough for his mouth to meet mine, and he palms my cheeks, deepening the kiss. His tongue strokes mine, reminding me of what he’d done just last night in the shower. I moan at the thought, and Callum growls huskily.
Suddenly, I hear someone clear their throat, and I break the kiss, turning my head to see Ronan standing in front of us, a shit-eating grin on his face. I’d almost forgotten that we weren’t alone on the plane.
“You know, Ro, there’s free porn you could get your rocks off to. Just clean up after yourself when you’re done in the bathroom,” I quip with a cheery tone, annoyed at his interruption. He laughs, shaking his head at me.
“Oh, sweet Maeve, I don’t need to watch when I live it on a daily basis,” he answers, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Ugh, you perv,” I say, rolling my eyes and turning back to Callum.“How long was I out?” I ask, brushing a stray hair off his forehead, only for it to fall back down seconds later.
“We slept for close to,” he says, pausing to look at his watch, “eight hours. Which means we slept through the worst of the turbulence. Only three hours until we land in Shannon,” he tells me, like it’s no big deal. Only it is a big deal.
I slept eight hours without a single nightmare.
Eight hours without waking up, without sweat coating my skin, eight hours with my head in his lap, keeping my mind at ease. I close my eyes to keep the tears at bay.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice soft, pained. I can’t speak without a sob threatening to escape me. I shake my head and lean forward, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“That was the longest I’ve slept without a nightmare since… since that night.” I don’t need to say anything else for him to understand. His arms tighten around me, and we sit entangled like this for a few moments before I finally pull back, leaving my hands on his neck, my forehead pressed against his. His hands settle on my hips, gripping me firmly.
“I love you, Maeve,” he says, his voice full of adoration.
“I love you, too, Cal,” I say softly. Just then, my stomach decided to ruin the moment and growl loudly. I hear Orin snicker from the front of the cabin. Cal and I chuckle at the timing. I stand up, pulling him up with me, and we join the guys at the little table they’re sitting at.
Cal presses a button, and a steward emerges from the front of the plane, carrying trays of food. She sets it in front of us, and for a reheated meal, it certainly looks delicious. I cut the steak and am surprised to find it perfectly cooked. I moan as soon as it hits my tongue. Cal and the guys just laugh and look at each other as they stuff their own faces. I roll my eyes and go back to eating, savoring every bite. The moment I finish, the steward is back to clear our table, then returns with key lime pie.
Cal looks over with a grin, and I know he had the menu made just for me. Ronan and Orin are talking animatedly, not paying us any attention. I mouth, “You really do think of everything,” silently to Callum, and he winks at me. Suddenly, we hear a thud from the back of the plane, and all of our heads jerk in that direction.
“What was that?” I ask. The guys grin at each other, taking pleasure in the irritation painting my face. Ronan and Callum chuckle and walk to the back, opening the door to the private quarters and sliding in before I can get a good look.
“Care to let me in on the secret?” I ask Orin incredulously.
“It’s a surprise,” he says, his tone amused and menacing. I roll my eyes, but I realize I need to take the moment alone with him to ask him something.
“Orin,” I say gravely, and he sits up straighter, concern masking his features. “When was the last time I went more than four hours without a nightmare?”
Realization dawns on his face. “Almost six years,” he says, speaking low, slumping into his seat. He’s still beating himself up for that night. “I didn’t even realize you’d been asleep that long. With Cal and Roan here, the threats are at an all-time low, so I didn’t think about it too much.”
“I just hope it wasn’t a fluke and I can sleep through the night again,” I say, watching the clouds beneath us, and I can’t help but think that they match what I’m feeling in this moment: a false sense of security. The clouds look soft and gentle, like they would provide the smoothest landing. But in reality, they would part if I fell into them, and I’d plummet to my death.
Suddenly, I’m aware that Cal is again sitting next to me, smiling as he wipes…blood…off of his hands with a handkerchief.What the hell?
“Don’t worry, it’s not mine,” he says with a wink. My mouth falls open, and I turn to Ronan, who is sitting in his seat, another shit-eating grin on his face. I’m about to start questioning them when one of the stewards comes into the cabin, letting us know we are preparing for landing.
Cal and I make it to our seats and secure our seatbelts, and the guys do the same. I reach for Cal’s hand, intertwining our fingers as I feel my anxiety slowly rise. Less than twenty minutes later, the plane begins to descend, and my back is pressing into the seat so tightly that I might become one with it. But we land without any complications, and once the plane slows on the tarmac, I feel the tension begin to seep out of my muscles. We all gather our carry-ons and exit the plane, thanking the crew as we go. As I descend the stairs, a cold wind whips my hair around my face, and I look up to see watery sunshine filtering down through sparse clouds.Hello, Ireland.
A few yards away is a red-haired woman, just a touch shorter than me, leaning against one of the three blacked-out Rovers. She’s dressed in a white t-shirt, a dark leather jacket, a pair of distressed jeans, and a well-worn pair of combat boots. She’s chewing a piece of gum, making little popping sounds as she works it between her teeth. She seems rugged, edgy. I think she and I will get along just fine.
“Maeve, this is Saoirse, my cousin,” Cal says, extending his hand towards Saoirse. “Saoirse, this is my…” he trails off thoughtfully, then simply says, “Maeve.”
I smile at his awkwardness, then shake Saoirse’s hand. “Nice to meet you,” I say.
