I knew better than to argue with Donatello. “Don’t do anything stupid.” I pulled him in for a quick hug.
“He’ll be fine,” Jaxon snarled, pushing me up the stairs.
“Get off me,” I snapped back at him, hurrying into the plane. The pilot was ready to take off. All the soldiers needed to do was to eliminate the last group of enemy soldiers who’d made it their mission to fuck up the rest of our day.
“We’ll need to talk,” he shot back.
“About what exactly? That you acted like an ass? That you still don’t understand that this is my life to live the way I want to? That Donatello is a great guy, no matter how you’re going to try and paint him as some traitor? Which one, Jaxon?”
He appeared hurt, as if I’d just punched him in the gut as he’d done with Donatello. “I’m sorry. I was worried about you. Okay? Vanishing wasn’t like you.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s because none of you wanted to see me as an adult perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I’m not stupid.”
“I never said that.”
“But you implied as much with your actions. I don’t mind you being protective, Jaxon, but give me some room to breathe.”
The puzzled look on his face only grew deeper. “I’m sorry, sis. I really am. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“And it’s not going to. Donatello…” Sighing, I clenched my fists. “He will protect me. He isn’t betraying you. Somewhere inside that pea brain of yours, you already know that.”
“Yeah, well, he had a funny way of showing it.”
My brother was many things including a brilliant leader, a talented musician, and a damn good assassin. He was also a loving uncle and from what I could tell, an incredible husband to Anastasia, but he sucked at being a brother. At least right now. We couldn’t finish this conversation. Not here. Not now.
But I did have one last thing to say to him. “If a choice needs to be made between my husband and my brother, I will choose him. Just know that.”
He remained unblinking as he studied me, finally nodding after a few seconds.
With anger keeping me tense, I moved toward the back of the plane, taking a seat away from where the soldiers would parkthemselves, and likely Jaxon as well. Not because I didn’t want to sit with them. I just didn’t want to be near my brother.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Hearing additional gunfire, I rushed to the opposite side of the plane, a flash of fear replacing my rage when I captured sight of Donatello. He was on the ground. For a split second, my heart stopped.
Then I became an animal who’d been caged, racing toward the front of the plane.
“Emmeline. Stop,” Jaxon called.
“Don’t you dare try and stop me. Don’t you fucking dare.” I was halfway down the rickety stairs when Donatello tossed his head in my direction, immediately lunging from his crouching position toward me.
I flew into his arms, already sobbing like some blubbering idiot.
“Hey. Hey. I’m fine,” he said, nuzzling into my hair.
“I heard more gunfire.”
“I was just doing my job. I’m fine.”
Shuddering, I pulled away, but he held both sides of my face in his cupped hands. The kiss was important, the need to feel him as close as possible completely overwhelming. We rubbed our hands over the other, both hungry for each other.
I sensed a presence a few seconds later and allowed Donatello to break the kiss.
“He will always have your back, Emmeline,” Alexander said. “Let’s go home.”
Donatello grinned, even though his face was already covered in bruises. He just didn’t care. I’d seen so many times that he was willing to make good on his promise to protect me, his life meaning nothing to him in his efforts. That bothered me more than I could express.
We loaded up, Alexander the last and the one to close the jet’s door. He headed into the cockpit to tell the pilot we could take off while I pulled Donatello to the seat I’d selected.
