The helicopter ride was uneventful—I’d been tense the entire time waiting for an ambush. When we landed at an airport, Lexen got out first, and after he had a quick look around, helped Emma, Callie, Maya, and me out.
No one slowed, rushing across a large open expanse of asphalt toward a very shiny white plane.
“Xander’s plane,” Emma explained to me in a low voice. “He had one of them moved to this small airport. Luckily it has a just-long enough runway for this size of aircraft.”
I’d probably be an arrogant bastard like Xander if I had a private plane as well.Wanna go shopping? Sure, let’s take my plane.
I must have been grinning to myself, because Emma chuckled. “I can guess what you’re thinking. All of them have private planes. It takes some getting used to.”
That hadn’t been what I was thinking, but now that she pointed it out, I had to ask, “How can they all have a private plane? I mean, how do aliens make money here on Earth?”
They were royalty, sure, and maybe the government gave them lots of money to integrate into our world. Still, private planes were not cheap, even for royalty.
“They’ve been coming to Earth for a long time,” Maya said, picking up the conversation, her shorter legs pumping hard as she tried to keep up with us. “They own tons of companies, have their fingers in all the major industries, and basically control a lot of the world’s wealth.”
Number two reason to be arrogant. Still, Xander was a being of the water, like me. Money could not buy the true beauty in life. He should know better.
As if he’d heard that—or maybe it was the narrow-eyed glare I leveled on him—he tilted his head in my direction. “I own PlastoDestruction. Our company designed the machine that is stripping the oceans of plastics, pollutants, and other trash. I’m using my money to preserve this world for as long as possible.”
That placated me somewhat, so I gave him a nod and tucked my bitch face away. No doubt I’d have to bring it out again soon; Xander was very good at pushing my buttons. But I had heard of his company, and I’d long admired the work they did. The smallest of grins tilted up the corner of his lips as he reached the steps to his plane. He had a quick chat with the pilots who were standing there before they boarded the aircraft.
He turned to us. “Everything is good to go. Final safety checks are complete.” He then stepped aside and let everyone board first. I ended up being at the back of the group, which meant Xander was eye level with my ass as he followed me up. I wanted to turn and see if he was staring, but part of me was worried he wouldn’t be, and that would upset me.
Because I was an idiot who stupidly cared if an alien found me attractive.
When I reached the landing, I stepped into the opulent entrance of his plane. There were large, plush chairs everywhere, and I chose one at random. Emma and Lexen were across from me. Maya and Chase to my right. Callie and Daniel were two seats back.
Xander chose to sit in a single seat near the front. I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or not that he was putting some distance between us. It was certainly easier to ignore someone when you couldn’t see their stupidly handsome face.
“Seat belt.”
My head snapped up at that command, and I realized it was the man himself. He had leaned out so that he could level that stoic glare on me. “What?” I asked him, my eyebrows slamming together.
“Put your damn seat belt on. We’re about to take off.”
I flipped him off. My finger rose without me even taking a second to think about it. I waved it at him like it was a friendly greeting.
He pressed his lips together and it kind of looked like his right eye was twitching.
“Please put your seats upright and seat belts on. We are about to depart.”The pilot’s voice echoed around the cabin.
This time I clicked my belt into place and focused on the floor. The nerves in my belly were kicking in hardcore. The helicopter ride had been okay, because I could see clearly out the windows. But the plane felt different.
Please don’t let me get airsick.That was my one hope. Nothing worse than barfing in front of four hot princes.
The plane taxied, slowly moving into position. It stopped for a few moments. I wasn’t sure why that was, but it did nothing except increase my panic. This was not normal. No one should fly like this. I was meant to be on land … in the ocean. I was leaving my ocean.
Squeezing my eyes tightly closed, I started taking long, slow breaths, in through my nose, out through my mouth. It didn’t seem to be doing anything. A hand gripped mine and I squinted one eye open to find Emma next to me.
“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “I’m not a huge fan of flying. None of us are.”
I swallowed, my chest heaving. “It’s too enclosed,” I managed to choke out. The helicopter hadn’t been the same. “I can’t see the sky. I can’t feel the breezes. I can’t breathe.”
A choking feeling was creeping up my throat, and I was about live out my worst nightmare by vomiting everywhere. Emma’s eyes grew really wide. I heard her shout something, but in that moment the plane cranked into gear and we were all shot back in our chairs as it took off along the runway.
A low whimper escaped me. I slammed my lips and eyes closed again. I was holding Emma’s hand like my life depended on it, and while part of me worried I was literally crushing her hand, I couldn’t seem to loosen my grip. There were voices around me, everyone talking, but it all sounded like static to me. My brain was locked in the throes of panic.
I lost my grip on Emma, but her hand was soon replaced with another; larger, more callused, and with a heat that Emma’s didn’t have.
