I turn my head away and push against his chest. “Put me down.”
“Are you sure you can—”
“Now,” I snap. “Put me down or I’ll break your jaw.”
Despite the threat of violence, Ethan puts me down with utmost care, his hands hovering nearby in case I fall. I lock my knees when they threaten to buckle and clench my teeth to fight against a wave of dizziness. When I’m sure I won’t pass out, I push his hands away. Then I stumble over to a row of chairs and sink into one.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat. My clothes are shredded and crusted with dried blood, but someone glamoured me so I don’t look like I ran away from a chain saw massacre. I shoot a quick glance at Ethan and Jihun. They’re neatly glamoured as well, but my heart shudders as I take in the vicious gashes on their real clothes.
“We got the tick—” Hailey stops midsentence and lunges for me. “You’re awake. Oh, Sunny. I was so worried.”
I don’t have the heart to push her away, even though she kept me in the dark about Ethan’s identity, along with Jihun and Jaeseok. We fought together. We almost died together. Welivedtogether. No, I can’t stay mad at her ... or at any of the suhoshins. Their loyalty lies with their prince. They did what they had to do.
I return her hug and whisper, “You don’t need to worry anymore. I’m fine.”
Fineis an overstatement, but I don’t feel detached from my body anymore, like my spirit couldn’t decide whether to stay or leave. That’s something. Ethan hovers nearby while Jaeseok ruffles my hair like an older brother. A gorgeous teenager with hair the same cerulean as the dragon’s scales, probably Draco in their human form, gives me a sullen nod. Yup, that’s them. Finally, Jihun crouches down in front of me so our eyes are level.
“What you did back there ... Thank you.” His voice is oddly husky as he brushes the hair out of my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ethan step closer. “See, I told you. You aren’t a mass murderer.”
“Yourthank youdoesn’t mean as much when you follow it up withI told you soin the same breath.” I offer him a wobbly smile. His presence steadies me even as Ethan’s unwavering gaze bores into me.
“I honestly wish we could linger for this sweet reunion, but we’re late for our flight,” Jaeseok gently reminds the group.
“Wow, look at you.” Hailey punches his arm. “When did you become so responsible?”
“Well, with the captain preoccupied with simultaneously thanking Sunny and rubbing her face in it, someone had to step up.” He grins incorrigibly, all evidence of Mr. Responsibility gone.
“All right. Let’s go,” Jihun says, getting to his feet.
He offers me his hand at the same time Ethan offers his. I glance up at the two beautiful males holding out their hands, their gazes trained intently on my face—it’s like they’re having a staring contest without looking at each other. Rolling my eyes, I grip the armrests and push up to my feet without help from either. I’m not getting in the middle of whatever is going on between them. Did they have an argument while I was out?
We make a mad dash—no, we actually make excruciatingly slow progress as I stumble along with Hailey’s help—to our gate. We’re the last to board the plane, and we prepare for takeoff as soon as we reach our seats.
I stare out the window as Hailey crushes my hand in a death grip, terrified despite Draco’s reassurance. I made sure I sat as far away from Ethan as possible, which isn’t very far. We’re in first class again, and he’s sitting in a double suite one row ahead of us. Jihun and Jaeseok flank him in the single suites by the windows. I take evil pleasure in the fact that Ethan is sharing his suite with Draco for the duration of the twelve-hour flight.
But I gasp, making Hailey startle beside me. In a sudden panic, I lift my ass halfway off my seat, ready to jump from the moving plane, when Ethan glances over with a crooked grin. He casually places my backpack on his armrest and pretends to rummage through it, showing me the rainbow bokjumeoni and the “recorder.” He must’ve glamoured it himself.
I give him a subtle nod and settle back in my seat. My heart aches at the disappointment on his face, but I’m not ready to share secret smiles with him over an inside joke.
“Who paid for the tickets?” I ask to distract Hailey as the plane takes off.
“The Bank of the Order of the Suhoshin.” She smiles at me, her grip on my hand relaxing a fraction. “All of us who travel to the Mortal Realm are given a black card in case of emergencies.”
“Fancy.” I grin back. “As far as Suhoshin perks go, it’s a toss-up between the black card and the ability to fly.”
“Oh, gods. I would give up my black card in an instant if it meant I could just fly myself to Las Vegas.”
“You’re doing great,” I say. “Take a nap, watch a couple of movies, and we’ll be there in no time.”
I take my own advice on napping. I can’t seem to stay awake for longer than a few minutes. And I feel so ... weak. It’s not my favorite. I sleep and sleep, waking up only to eat the fancy first-class food. But it gets harder and harder to wake up each time. When I almost plant my face into the seaweed soup, I give up trying to eat and go back to sleep.
“Sunny,” Hailey yells in my ear and gives my shoulders a sharp shake.
“Hey ... stop.” I swat limply at her and close my eyes again.
“Thank gods. You’re alive. You need to wake up, Sunny.” She shakes me until my head flops around. “We’re here. We need to get off this cursed airplane.”
“Let her sleep,” Ethan says quietly. “I got her.”
