“I am nothing if not self-aware ...” Jaeseok deadpans. “Self-aware and awesome.”
Jihun ignores the entertaining discourse and brings them back on topic. “If not the Kingdom of Sky, where should we go?”
“Las Vegas,” Ethan answers without hesitation. “Being around familiar surroundings might help her recover faster.”
“Las Vegas might not be the most discreet location, Your Highness,” Jihun says diplomatically. “The Jaenanpa had to have felt the unprecedented pulse of power when Sunny subdued Daeseong. They might not know about the existence of the Yeoiju, but those magic-crazed psychopaths will soon be after her. They’ll torture her—and dissect her if necessary—to find the source of her powers.”
“Which makes Vegas the ideal location,” Ethan counters. “The crush of people there will help mask our location. That’s how we evaded your pursuit, Captain.”
“Sweet.” Jaeseok coughs to cover his laugh. “Vegas it is. I’m a high roller at the Bellagio, so I’ll have them comp us some suites. How does that sound to you, roomie?”
“Dream on, goblin,” Hailey says archly.
Ethan stands up, with me cradled against him. “We’ll moon shift to Incheon, then lock down our magic. If we take a plane to Las Vegas, we’ll be harder to trace.”
“Is that what you and Sunny did?” Jihun sounds almost impressed. “She’s certainly well versed in staying hidden.”
“Did you say we’re going to take an airplane?” Hailey squeaks.
“I don’t believe this,” Jaeseok says slowly. “You can’t be afraid of flying. You literally fly all the time.”
“With magic,” she grits out. “Sitting in a hunk of metal six miles above sea level is a different experience altogether.”
“Flying is safer than driving, you know. My dad and I used to take commercial flights all the time,” the dragon says. “We were also good at staying hidden. Besides, most of us in the Mortal Realm can’t moon shift. The study of high magic was lost long ago.”
“And you know all this how?” Hailey asks, her fear of flying forgotten.
“My dad was a very old dragon spirit. He taught me a lot of things the beings of the Mortal Realm have forgotten.” The dragon’s voice is subdued. Poor kid. I wonder how they lost their dad.
“We can learn more about Draco’s life later,” Jihun interrupts the interesting discourse. Again. “We need to move.”
Wait. Who’s Draco?
“I said it once, and I’ll say it again,” Jaeseok scoffs. “Dracocan’t be their real name.”
“I told you,” the dragon bellows. “It’s my American name. I don’t use my Korean name.”
“Whatisyour Korean name?” Hailey sounds nefarious. “Is it really old fashioned? Like Boknam?”
“Or Cheolsu?” Jaeseok joins in the fun. “You should call yourself John Doe in the spirit of your super-generic Korean name.”
“My name is not Cheolsu.” The dragon spirit sounds like they’re ready to blow.
“Move.”Jihun’s voice leaves no room for argument. “Second Lieutenant, I’ll give you a ten-minute head start to find us a secluded location near Incheon Airport. Then we’ll track your magic and meet you there.”
“Yes, sir.” Jaeseok sounds credibly formal until he adds, “Don’t miss me too much, Hailey. You, too, Captain.”
Hailey and Jihun don’t deign to answer the dokkaebi. Or maybe I’ve fallen asleep again. Probably the latter, because the next thing I hear is the din of the airport.
“You must be tired, Your Highness. Allow me to carry her,” Jihun offers.
“No,” Ethan growls. His chest shifts as he takes a deep breath. “No, thank you, Captain. She hardly weighs anything.”
“How about if neither of you carry me?” I croak, squinting my eyes against the bright lights.
“Sunny.” Ethan nearly drops me before he tightens his grip around me. “How long have you been awake? Are you hurting anywhere? What do you need? Tell me.”
Before I can answer any of his questions, he crushes his mouth against mine. I melt against him until I remember with a jolt that he ... that I ... We can’t be together. For so many reasons.
