“Yes, and my father could make one call and ensure you no longer have this job. I’m tired of waiting. Open the gate.” Vyx’s eyes flip from her normal piercing green to harrowing yellow with a narrow slit for a pupil, a clear show of her impatience.
The gate buzzes open, and Vyx pushes her way through. Aerin and Emrys shuffle through behind her followed by Quinn. Malice takes the cards back, grumbling an apology and follows behind the group, carting their bags.
“Princess!” A Rabbit Shifter in an official tube uniform scurries up to them. “I was only just made aware of your travel plans, apologies, apologies.” He makes a gesture for the other workers to shoo away the photographers on the other side.
“Oh, they were no bother,” Aerin purrs, slipping herself under Emrys’s arm. The Wolf is still stiff despite making it through the gate.
“The bother was waiting around,” Vyx retorts, snapping her sharp teeth at the Rabbit who jumps.
“Apologies,” he says again. “Please, let us take your bags.” More Rabbits appear, taking the suitcases from Malice. “I’ll show you to your cart.”
They follow the Rabbit to the nearest cart, where two well-dressed Cougars are being informed that their cart has been commandeered for a Royal. The male growls but the female hits his arm, nodding towards Aerin.
“Sorry about this. You understand, right?” Aerin calls to them.
The Cougars, clearly only visiting Valtara, are speechless.
“It’s not always so bad, being the Princess,” Malice murmurs into Aerin’s ear. A shiver runs down her spine. She glances back to meet his ice blue eyes. He began this campaign when she announced her plan to overthrow her father and give up her title.
“I’m well aware of the things I’ll be giving up.” Aerin shrugs him off, keeping hold of Emrys while they step into the cart. They take seats in the spacious room. The chairs are plush, standard snack trays present on each table. Emrys sits next to Aerin, his honey brown eyes glancing around warily.
“Bring three bottles of sparkling wine. Then, do not disturb us for the remainder of the ride. Do you understand?” Vyx says to the still tense Rabbit Shifter from the doorway.
“Yes, right away.” The Rabbit scurries off, and the doors slide shut. Vyx collapses into a chair on the opposite side of the aisle from Aerin, next to Quinn.
The group knows her extra attitude is a front; the more she snarls at the staff now, the less likely they are to intrude. All part of the plan. Even though Aerin can tell it makes Emrys uncomfortable, she can’t bring herself to feel bad for the behavior. They have to do whatever is necessary to keep him safe.
“Better get those cameras off before we leave.” Vyx nods to the corners of the cart where four cameras are pointed at them.
Malice stands from his seat, disabling each camera by unplugging them and turning their lenses towards the corner, just to be certain.
A few minutes later the Rabbit Shifter is back, followed by another staff member carting in the wine and more decadent snacks. The staff member parks the cart and scurries away, clearly already warned about Vyx’s thinly veiled threats.
The Rabbit Shifter clears his throat, glancing up to the corner and seeing the dispatched camera.
“It appears the surveillance in the cart has been interfered with.” His gaze catches on Quinn, who flicks a bag of Pixie Dust she just pulled from her bra. “For your own safety?—”
“I said we are not to be disturbed!” Vyx snaps, wrapping her fist around the male’s lapel. He trembles under her grip as her eyes flash to narrow slits again. “There are some things that don’t need to be on camera.” The words slur as her forked tongue flicks out, half of her face covered in scales.
“Come now, V, let the poor guy go,” Aerin says. As she approaches the squabble, Vyx reluctantly drops him. Aerin presses a few large bills in his hand. “We want some privacy; You understand, right?” Aerin tilts her head at him, a half-smilepainted onto her face. The Rabbit looks back and forth between Aerin and Vyx.
“I’ll let the conductor know all is well. You won’t be disturbed.” He glances back to Quinn, now preparing lines of Pixie Dust, then over to Malice lounging back in his chair and looking every bit the mercenary he is.
The Rabbit can’t get out fast enough. The doors shut and lock behind him. Aerin adds her own band of magic to the external and internal door before dropping back into her seat between Malice and Emrys.
“Phase one, complete,” Aerin jokes. She’s met with quiet glances from the group. Quinn takes a line and Vyx puts her headphones on. Emrys shakes his head, shifting from his Fae form into a Wolf once again, settling at Aerin’s side.
It is going to be a long weekend.
34
MALICE
Malice watches Aerin from his seat across the tube cart. She strokes Emrys’s head absent-mindedly as she browses on her phone. Malice once again feels the ugly head of jealousy rearing. Ever since the Wolf joined them, his jealousy feels like a living breathing part of him, as real as Reikan. Malice wishes he could blame the feeling on the blood-bond, or the Dragon, or some kind of spell Aerin cast over him. But unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
The jealousy Malice feels watching Aerin with Emrys is as sharp as his desperate attempts to fend off his feelings for her. His mantra: selfish, vapid, reckless, is only getting him so far. The harder he fights both, the more worn he becomes. How long can he possibly battle before all the reasons to give in outweigh his will?
Taking Aerin in, Malice’s eyes draw from her sandal-clad foot up her bare legs, the hem of her dress, to the fabric draping over her body, her breasts filling out the bust. His eyes trail up to her delicate collar bones, even farther to her pouting lips and furrowed brow. Sensing his gaze, Aerin’s eyes flash up from herphone to meet his, and he’s caught by pools of gold. Even here, in this tube cart, the forest around them flying by, Aerin is glowing.
