Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Runa

Tensions were high as we left Nathan’s home. Aiden was more suspicious of Nathan after their confrontation. Nathan didn’t react any better to Aiden. Andrew was worried, as was Heath, though for a different reason. Only Martha and Laurie remained calm and collected. They stuck close to me, one of them always having a hand on me to give me a boost of energy if I needed it.

I grudgingly agreed to let Nathan carry me out, only because I didn’t want to spend half the morning getting myself out to the car, only to be too exhausted to function if something went wrong. He placed me carefully in his truck in the front seat, going so far as to buckle me in. I allowed it because I could hear the snarl in his throat. He was anxious and his tiger felt uneasy. If I thought it’d help, I’d tell him why we were in such a hurry. But I knew better. It’d only make him more paranoid. I wasn’t going to tell him unless I absolutely had to. Not until he had better control.

“Drink.” Martha held out a bottle of water to me. She was seated behind me with Laurie on her left side, close enough to reach me if needed. I felt alright for the time being, though.

I accepted the water with a polite nod, taking a sip before asking, “How many of your clan are left? When my family was wiped out, I tried looking for another coven. I didn’t have a clue where to start.”

“To my knowledge, there is no coven bigger than twenty members who have magic, and we are all wide spread. How old were you when your line was lost?”

After so long without my family, I thought it wouldn’t hurt so much to talk about it. I was wrong.

“Fifteen,” I answered solemnly, turning to look out the window.

Barely old enough to use magic on my own. I only survived because I was assisting a birth at the time. I came home to my house burned and my family dead. The only reason I survived was my magic being more advanced than most witches my age. I had the skills to work as a midwife to keep myself fed and a strong connection to the spirits to keep me safe.

My admission seemed to stun the group, and they fell into silence for a while. I watched the scenery pass by in a blur, catching glimpses of the ocean through breaks in the trees. It was a nice place. Perhaps a place I would have been happy to visit. But I wasn’t sad to be going back. Despite the proximity to the beast, I looked forward to returning home.

“Nathan,” Heath cajoled. “It’s only a few hours, son. It’s totally safe.”

We were sitting on the tarmac beside a small private jet. Andrew was already on board, and Aiden stood at the top of the small stairway. Laurie and Martha were ready to board as well, but Nathan refused to even let me out of the truck. He eyed the small plane with suspicion and trepidation, hovering near my door to block anyone from coming closer to me.

In any normal circumstance, I would give Nathan the time to accept what was happening. But between getting packed and out the door, the drive, stops for food, and how long we’d been stuck here waiting for him to make a decision, we were losing daylight quickly. It put me on edge. The vision was at Nathan’s home, but fate was fickle and I wasn’t taking any chances.

Pushing the door open, I ignored Nathan’s snarl as he spun around. I slid out of my seat, holding my weight against the door so I didn’t crumple. Nathan was at my side in an instant, urging me back into the truck. I looked up at him with a glare.

“Either you bring me onto that plane or I’ll go myself. We aren’t staying here, Nathan.”

He looked physically pained to do it. His growl got louder, but his face was twisted into a grimace like he was fighting his instincts to even just stand here.

“It’s not safe,” he murmured.

Putting my hand on his cheek, I raised my eyebrows. “Tell me why.”

He leaned into the touch, his brows furrowed tightly. “If something goes wrong, we’re too far from the ground. Aiden isn’t the only dragon in the world. They could come for us. It’s safer on the ground.”

I tipped my head thoughtfully. “It is, and it isn’t. It took days for me to get out here by bus. A car ride wouldn’t be much shorter. It took a toll on me. And that was when I was stronger. For me and the cub, it’s safer to do a short flight than risk a long drive. Besides, this is a private jet. Should we need to land quickly, it would be much easier to do so.”

He still looked conflicted, but I could see reason start to override his instincts. The tiger took issue with the plane, but Nathan knew it was better in the long run.

I was still uncertain about Nathan, but I couldn’t ignore someone hurting. It went against my nature.

“Would it make you feel better if we sat together? So you could keep your cub close?”

He took a moment to think about it before nodding once. I pressed my lips together to muffle another sigh. I hated when people coddled me, but it seemed it was the only way Nathan would get on that plane.

“Fine. You’ll have to carry me. I’m not risking the seedling to climb those stairs myself.”

There was no argument from him. He scooped me up, and the snarl settled to a grumble as he headed on board. The bags had already been loaded and the rest of our little group followed him, finding seats in the obnoxiously fancy plane. Seriously, the thing was ridiculous and probably terrible for the planet. There were couches instead of seats along one side, and what looked like a bed in the back. Nathan sat me on a couch in the middle, his arm over the back of the seat so he could be close while still staring out the window.

Heath dropped into the seat beside his son, patting his shoulder. “Relax, boy. It won’t be that long. Couple hours. Want a gummy in the meantime?”

Nathan made a face, but I didn’t know why he would ask that. “Does candy help?”

The anxiety cleared on Nathan’s face for a moment as he rolled his eyes. “It’s a marijuana gummy. He’s a pothead and thinks it's cure-all.”

Ah. I mimicked Nathan’s face. “You shouldn’t give someone with anxiety marijuana. A bad batch could make it ten times worse.”

“Yeah, but a good batch could make it one hundred times better,” Heath countered, popping a gummy into his mouth. “Besides, it’s like catnip. I ain’t ever had a bad trip.”

Somehow I doubted that. He was just choosing not to remember it. I chose not to argue with him about it, watching as we pulled onto the runway and lifted off. I’d never tell Nathan myself, but I didn't like flying either. I didn’t often. When my magic was at its strongest, I couldn’t touch electronics without causing issues and it didn’t feel safe. Only in a genuine emergency did I risk it, and I had to spend the entire time meditating to keep my magic from causing trouble.

Because I was so weak, that risk was a lot lower, but I didn't enjoy it any more than I had before. I had to turn away from the windows and I felt uncomfortable until Nathan tucked me more against his side, the low rumbling purr of his tiger putting me more at ease.

“Did you know there are scientific studies that say purring alleviates stress and helps to heal?” I commented to distract myself from the familiarity.

“Tigers don’t purr,” Nathan replied, his eyes still glued to the window.

Heath snorted, bobbing his head in agreement. “We don’t. But we do have a grumble that’s sort of like a purr. Does that count?”

I lifted a shoulder. I wasn’t an expert on large cats. It sounded like a purr to me. Martha, who was sitting next to me, tipped her hand back and forth.

“Sort of. It can have those same properties on mates and cubs, but not so much on strangers.”

I straightened suddenly, scowling at her. The implication that I was Nathan’s mate because his purr relaxed me irritated me. We weren’t mates. I was not tying myself any more to the dragon’s line than I already had. A cub was bad enough.

I spent the rest of the flight fighting the urge to lean into the man beside me. He was warm, and I was tired, despite the little energy boosts Martha and Laurie gave me. I started slipping into unconsciousness at one point, and when Nathan drew me closer, I wanted to fight him off, but I was too exhausted to manage. I laid my head on his lap, blaming my position entirely on the situation. It was comfortable, and I needed the rest to protect my seedling. There was no other reason besides that.