He looked down at her hand, which couldn’t even wrap around his wrist. “Your soul?”
“Yeah. When you’re staring at death, that kind of thing matters. I want to go to a good place after this one.” Surely he understood.
His eyes softened a bit. “All right. I’ll just talk to her. After I go visit the rolling hills of Stoneton.”
She released his wrist, instantly feeling bereft at the loss of contact. “Rolling hills? What are you talking about?”
His chin lowered. “At Stoneton. It’s on a bunch of grassy hills, right?”
Realization ticked through her. “Oh. Well, the main campus is. I attended the satellite campus on the island for gifted students.” By the look on his face, he hadn’t known that. She forced a smile. “I’ll show you.” No way was she letting him leave her in the middle of a bunch of vampires who thought she was a threat.
Chapter Twenty
Garrett barked orders from the back seat of the helicopter, which was exactly where he didn’t want to be. While he trusted Logan to pilot the craft, and he knew Sam could fly as well as either of them from the copilot seat, it still didn’t sit well with him. But Dessie had looked terrified when he’d loaded her into the special Realm craft, which was supercharged beyond any other helicopter, so he’d sat in back with her. The smirk Logan had given him was going to get his buddy punched in the face.
Later.
“Would you stop snapping at everyone?” Sam drawled through the headset, his gaze at the sun coming up over the East Coast.
“No.” Garrett spoke into the mic attached to his headset. “I want the place cleared again.” His people had found the island by satellite once they knew where to look. Apparently someone at the school had shrouded the landmass, much as the dragons did their not-so-secret island north of Ireland.
Logan flicked a couple of buttons and banked to fly over the ocean. “We’ve had two teams clear the land. There’s nobody there, and no mines or explosives were found. It’s safe to take her in if you want, or you and Sam can rappel down, and I’ll keep her up here with me. Your choice.”
Garrett looked down at the sleeping woman beneath his arm. Her long lashes lay against her pale skin, and her pink lips were slightly open as she dreamed. She’d fallen asleep nearly an hour into their trek across the country, so he’d put an arm around her to keep her warm.
She held another book he’d gifted her in her hand. It was an older human text from the ancient Greeks, and he’d found it in the family library, figuring it would entertain her during the flight. Her delight had been so sweet. It was difficult to believe that the soft woman leaning against him had been trained to kill.
Possessiveness wrapped around him, swelling within him. Killer or not, she was his.
“Why did you bring her?” Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at Garrett.
“I thought maybe seeing the school or island again would jog her memory about who programmed her to kill us.” He wasn’t going to guess at an enemy yet. They had so many, and it’d be a mistake to zero in on the wrong faction.
“Then I’ll set down over at the far edge near the other copters,” Logan said, banking an even harder right.
Dessie stirred awake and peered out the window. “The middle area was where we practiced golf and other sports. It’s a better place to leave a craft.”
Garrett nodded. “We know, Dessie. Close to the edge, Logan.”
Logan turned and glanced at the woman before meeting his gaze. “We good, G?”
“We’re good. Just don’t crash us into the ocean.” Garrett placed his hand over Dessie’s, surprised once again by how small she was. How was he going to keep her safe?
For his entire life, he’d thought his dad was a mite over the top when it came to his mom’s safety. His mom had been human, and she was still delicate. Garrett had started putting his body between hers and any danger when he’d been just a gangly ten-year-old, and even though she’d tried to shield him, he’d been stronger than her even then. But that was nothing compared to the lengths Talen went to keep his mate safe.
Now Garrett got it. Completely.
Logan landed the copter perfectly, even though the wild wind blasted them. The craft rocked. He powered down. “It’s bad out there.”
Garrett peered through the front window at the bulbous gray clouds rolling toward them. “We’ll be quick.” He brushed the hair away from Dessie’s face. “We’re here.”
She looked toward the side window. “Come on, then. I’ll introduce you to the dean of students. She always looks like she’s sucking on a lemon, and you probably won’t like her.”
“This place is deserted, kitten.” Garrett reached over to zip up her jacket and dug a knit hat out of his pocket to plunk over her head. “There should be gloves in your pocket.”
She frowned and pulled them out. “It’s not that cold.”
“Put them on.” He waited until she’d complied before opening the door. “It’s fall semester, but oddly enough, there’s nobody here.” Jumping out, he turned to lift her free of the craft, noting Sam and Logan already taking up defensive positions around them.
