CHAPTER EIGHT

“ W illow, I said no,” Brayden growled low as the two vampires stepped back into the main cabin.

Craig broke eye contact with Brianna. Regretting it immediately, he glanced back, but her wall was back up, and she looked away.

Fuck.

The plane bounced in the sky as another bad section of turbulence struck them. Brianna clutched the armrest. He wanted to reassure her, but knew she’d just glare at him. He wanted her eyes back on him, looking at him as she just had. Like she wanted him and was open to letting him in. But he couldn’t. She didn’t belong in his world, and he would never be available to her. Not in that way.

And even if he could, Willow would likely cut off his balls, so there was that.

Bounce. Bouncy bounce.

“The fuck,” Brayden exclaimed, shoving himself in the seat beside his mate.

“I won’t, and—” Willow muttered.

“No, not you, baby. This turbulence.”

Bounce. Big bounce.

Craig glanced at Brianna, whose face had gone quite ashen, just as the door to the cabin flew open.

“My lord—”

The plane shook aggressively and loudly, and the copilot grabbed the wall to steady himself.

Craig and Brayden both stood at the same time, grabbing the seats and yelling questions over the noise.

“Not sure...it appears to be...a mechanical fault,” the copilot yelled between groanings of the plane.

Behind him, Craig heard Brianna cry out, and it hit him right in the chest. But right now, they needed to figure out what the hell was going on.

“It’s okay, Bri. It’ll be okay,” Willow reassured her friend. “Brayden, what the hell?”

Craig looked at Brayden. “You think—”

Before he could get another word out, Brayden came to the same conclusion. “Those motherfuckers!” He pushed the vampire back into the cockpit. “Where are we?”

“We’re over Los Angeles, sir.”

Craig watched as Brianna began to put her boots back on. He reached out. “Stop. Leave them off.”

Willow glared at him, and he shook his head.

“What? Okay,” Bri said, looking as delicate as a human could, and dropped the boots. Fuck, he wanted to hold her, and if things got any worse, he damn well would.

The aircraft was shaking like a motherfucker.

We’re going to have to port off this craft.

Brayden had switched to telepathy, which was both private and faster, given they had a human on board the plane. Not that it was going to matter in a few moments.

Yup. This thing could explode.

Grab Bri, and I’ll meet you at Willow’s house. We’ll sort out this mess when we get there.

Roger that.

He left Brayden to explain to Willow what was going on while he grabbed his backpack and slipped his arms through it, then grabbed her bag from under the chair.

“What are you doing?”

There was no time to explain, but the cat was about to be well and truly out of the bag, so he undid her seat belt, ignoring her cries, and lifted her off her feet.

He shoved her handbag between their bodies, wrapped his arms around her tight, and gave Brayden a nod.

“I’ve got you, little witch. Hang on to me.”