More than that, I didn’t want to leave Royce. Not after all I had been through. Not after last night. Not after finally owning up to just how much I desired him.
“Try not to worry. You’ll be able to stay in touch with the phone—though you should take some care not to call too often. Authorities are looking for you, which means we’ll need to keep contact to a minimum until I can arrange for your return.”
That was a hell of a blow. Logical as the statement was, my heart still ached at the thought of our impending separation. Only the knowledge that I wouldn’t just be putting myself in a bad position, but that I might endanger Sara or his household, kept me from arguing to stay.
“You had a point, earlier. It’s unfair of me to keep so many things from you.”
And the hits just kept on coming. I frowned at him, having to clear my throat a couple of times before the raspy quality faded enough for my voice to be understandable. “Is that a roundabout way of telling me there’s more bad news you were going to hold off on sharing?”
His wry smile didn’t match the look in his eyes. “To a degree, yes. There are two things that may be of some interest to you. Firstly, I am sure you must have given some thought to what your family must have been doing in your absence.”
Actually, I hadn’t, and I was more than a little ashamed to realize this was the first time I’d given them more than a passing thought in quite awhile. Royce must have mistaken my stricken look, because he was quick to reassure me. “Your father had a mild heart attack, but he is out of the hospital and at home with your mother again. Your brothers have been paying them regular visits, and all four of them have been staying away from the press. Some of my people have been assigned to guard them at all hours, so you don’t have any reason to be concerned about their well-being.”
That was good to know. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, though my relief was short-lived.
“As for the other . . . I thought about keeping it to myself as I felt no need to alarm you or make you worry about yet another thing you have no control over. However, considering your current condition, it may be best for you to know that whatever this infection is, it may be a sign that you will find yourself drawn to run with the other Sunstrikers or perhaps force you into shifting should you be in their proximity during the full moon. It is part of the reason I think it a very good idea to send you away for the time being.”
Tension drew all the muscles in my neck and back into sudden, painful knots. To think, if I had chosen to hunt with Chaz and the White Hats instead of come after Royce, I might not have been able to walk away from the pack after the fight.
Though I wished someone had said something to me sooner, I couldn’t exactly blame Royce for keeping his silence. If he had said something about it while I was still under the influence of the belt, I might have rushed out to destroy what remained of the pack to ensure they would have no hold over me.
“I know that look,” Royce said, drawing my attention off my clenched fists in my lap to meet his gaze. “No more running off. Things are under control now. We have a plan. Even if it isn’t ideal, it is better than the other options available to us at the moment.”
That he said available to us—not to me or to him—went a long way toward making me feel better about the way things were going. As Royce had said, it wasn’t ideal, but it was enough for the moment. He accepted the hand I slid into his, twining his cool fingers with mine.
“I wish,” he said, leaning in to press a kiss to my temple and breathe his next words in a husky whisper against my skin, “that I had more time to romance you properly now that you’re open to the prospect.”
“When I get back,” I replied, tilting my head to reciprocate his kiss.
He leaned in to me, his free hand rising to cup my cheek. The other tightened around my fingers, pulling me close. While he held me tight, this wasn’t exactly like it had been last night. There was a touch of desperation in the hungry way his lips slanted over mine. It was in the way he pressed against me, in the small sound he made in the back of his throat as my lips parted so I could slide my tongue along his and taste the mint he had used to cover the underlying trace of salt and copper from the blood he must have drunk, and in the way his fingers moved over my skin. Though he was possessive, we both knew this was our good-bye, and that it might be the last time we held each other for a year or more.
It was a bittersweet way to end the night, but in that too short span we did everything we could to say without words what we felt, fighting to fit in years of need and repressed desire before the break of dawn.
Chapter 7
The flight and our arrival were uneventful. Prior to the flight, Sara and I spent most of the day left to our own devices. The majority of the vampires were taking their day rest, or busy on watch, and the flight wasn’t scheduled until late afternoon. I had hoped I might get to talk to my family or update the two cops who had helped me stay a step ahead of whoever in the NYPD was after me, but we were advised to keep the rest of our calls to a minimum until we were safely out of town. Royce couldn’t spend much time with me since he was busy with his lawyers and some mess at his corporate office that he was trying to handle by phone. The last thing he managed to tell me before he sent me back down to Sara was not to put my trust in Clyde—which made me feel ever so much better about this trip we were about to take.
For a little while, Analie kept us company, telling us stories about her best friend, Freddy, and her caretaker, Gavin. The Goliaths didn’t sound so bad when she was talking about them, but I was sure Sara and I wouldn’t be as welcome as someone who had been born and raised into the pack—especially if we showed up at Gavin’s place covered in the scent of vampires.
After hours of going bonkers with a combination of boredom and nerves, we were taken to a private airport. Though I knew little about planes, the one we were escorted onto was sleek, pristine, and full of so many gadgets and amenities that I was afraid to touch anything inside in case it might break. Sara was more at home, staying in her seat and reading a book while I prowled around the cabin.
A flight attendant came in at one point to see if we needed anything and tried to show me what a few of the doodads did, but it wasn’t as fun to poke around with someone following me around and sounding like she was parroting off a sales brochure. Eventually, exhaustion crept up on me, and I did my best to nap while we sped in our little flying tin can across the expanse of the United States.
Once we drew close to our destination, the flight attendant explained we were about to arrive at the Santa Monica airport, and that Mr. Royce had made arrangements for our pick-up and transportation to our destination. I stared out the window as we approached, noting the nearby ocean and pier and all of the tiny buildings and cars looking like toy models from this height. As we drew closer, I grew more and more nervous. Eventually I pulled the shade over the window and clutched at the armrests of my seat, closing my eyes. Sara laughed at me, but I didn’t care. Much.
The landing jarred us a little bit, but we arrived in one piece, so I couldn’t complain. Once we were on the ground, I opened the window again, peering out. The plane taxied off of the runway and into a huge, whitewashed hangar, the big door sliding shut once the plane stopped inside. A few minutes later, duffel slung over my shoulder, Sara and I stepped onto the gleaming white floor, glittering with polish that reflected the lamps high above our heads.