Chapter Ten
Enzo
“Prepare to land,” Pascal announced over the intercom.
I leaned my head back against the leather headrest and exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours. “Finally.”
Dimitri leaned forward, all restless energy and coiled tension. “Time to get my brother back. I hope this Prince Killian is as attached to his mate as we think he is.”
Angelo glanced at him. “If not, there are other ways I can persuade him.”
Brutal. Painful. Deadly.
Through the tinted window, the Louisiana bayou had given way to Colorado’s rugged landscape. Pine trees and golden aspens stretched endlessly across the mountainsides, replacing the oak trees draped in Spanish moss and blooming magnolias I’d left behind. The air here would be thin and crisp, nothing like the thick humidity that clung to New Orleans like a second skin.
Everything about this place was the opposite of home—and the opposite of wherever Joy was trapped. While she suffered in the fucking Elder Dimension, I was in pristine mountainwilderness. The contrast was wrong, like I was abandoning her for a vacation.
Dimitri stirred in his seat beside me, checking his watch. “How long until we reach the Hollows?”
“Two hours by car.” Angelo replied, closing his laptop. “We can’t fly—not when we need to transport the prisoners back. Stefan will have them ready.”
Dimitri cracked his neck. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the mighty prince will give us some of his precious blood.”
“I doubt it,” I mumbled. “Killian’s not known for his generosity.”
I gripped the armrest tighter, watching the Rocky Mountains rise like ancient sentinels in the distance. Soon we’d have Prince Killian’s blood. Soon we’d tear down those wards.
We had to.
The plane landed smoothly on the tarmac and Pascal taxied it toward the private FBO terminal, away from the commercial aviation area.
We descended the stairs onto the tarmac. Pascal emerged behind us, pulling off his headset. “I’ve arranged for a black Escalade. It’s parked in the executive lot with the keys inside.”
“I can drive,” I said, already knowing the answer.
Angelo shot me a look. “You’re wound too tight. Dimitri drives.”
Frustration burned through me. Dimitri would be careful, methodical—exactly what I didn’t need right now. But arguing would waste more time than his cautious driving.
Dimitri shrugged. “Fine by me. I needed something to do with my hands anyway.” He was already moving away, his restless energy practically vibrating off him. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
I inhaled the sweet scent of pine and a cold wind brushed over my face. Definitely colder here than in New Orleans.
The black Escalade waited for us just like Pascal had said.
Dimitri opened the back door for Angelo. “Your Majesty.”
“Shut up, asshole.” Angelo glared at him as he slid into the back seat.
I opened the other door and slid next to him.
Dimitri got into the front seat. “Hollows, here we come.”
Angelo tapped him at the shoulder. “Do you even know how to get there?”
Dimitri grinned as he winked in the review mirror. “I will once you give me the address—Your Highness.”
“Check your phone,” Angelo said. “I just sent you the coordinates.”
