Ask them how much longer until this thing is on the ground? This is torture! I can hardly hear myself think over the engine noise, Wolf growled.
Alek had his hands clasped in front of his stomach, his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the thick cushioning of his first-class chair, trying to remain as calm as he could. He had a set of Dolby earbuds pressed inside his ears, with the sounds of nature filtering through his mind. Wrath was surprisingly quiet and focused. Very focused. So much so that it was having a positive effect on him. Alek didn’t feel like he wanted to throw up the moment the sleek jet had picked up speed on the small runway and the wheels had left the ground. Wolf, on the other hand, was driving them insane.
Will you turn off those fake waterfall sounds… it’s stupid. And it DOESN’T WORK!
For fuck’s sake, Wolf. Alek lowered the volume on his cell phone’s music app, rolling his eyes. You’re not the only one who’s uncomfortable. Farica and Mac haven’t stopped holding hands since we took off six hours ago.
Good for them. Wolf snarled, pacing like a caged beast. I want off this thing!
Alek held still. He peeked at his siblings who were both huddled together. Farica was whispering something in Mac’s ear, words that he assumed were meant to soothe him. Surely, Mac’s wolf was just as pissed as his. Alek reclined farther, feeling relieved that his baby brother and sister weren’t going insane. He was again surprised at how cool he was… and Wrath. He could still feel his energy on the surface, so he hadn’t gone far. Wrath’s mood was good, dare he even say pleasant. This one-eighty Wrath had pulled was far too extreme for him not to question it. He didn’t want to be suckered or walk into any kind of trap. Demigods were very cunning, charming and exceptionally smart. However, the dark ones could be crafty as fuck. Alek was a naturally trusting and loving person. He wanted to let that part of himself free for Wrath to feel, but if it was mishandled, bad things would happen again.
Okay, what’s up with you? Why are you so quiet, Wrath?
Oh, am I?
Alek trembled in his seat at hearing Wrath’s smooth tenor after so many hours. That was the voice he much rather preferred over the threatening roar Wrath used to speak in. Alek blew an easy breath and spun his chair around so he was no longer facing his siblings or any of the mercenaries—who’d been taking advantage of the fully stocked bar at the rear of the jet—to conceal any reactions. He guessed he and Wrath were about to have a conversation.
Alek’s body felt hotter the closer Wrath got. He rubbed his hand over his chest, noting its warmth. As a shifter, his normal temperature ran higher than a human’s, but at that moment, the heat far surpassed that. He glanced around to see if it was radiating off him and making others uncomfortable, but it didn’t appear to be. The vampire guards were in their seats, quiet, some with ear buds, others gazing out of the windows of the jet at the vast darkness. When the sky began to lighten as they flew further east, the shades were closed.
I didn’t realize I was… quiet. Wolf’s anger pleases me. It relaxes me, Wrath admitted.
Alek shook his head. Interesting. Anger relaxes you?
Yes. I’m Wrath. Is that so difficult to fathom?
Alek guessed it wasn’t. It was amazing how good he felt, how strong and confident he was. For so many years, they’d operated as three separate beings, and it’d done more harm than good. If they were going to save Bell, then unity was the only way to accomplish that. Wrath kept pushing that into their minds, and Alek believed him.
I’m glad my pain amuses you, Wolf barked.
Alek caught his chuckle in his fist before it escaped. He didn’t want anyone to think he was talking back to the voices in his head. What is this heat I’m feeling, Wrath? I don’t remember this. We have to be mindful of the people around us.
It’s my fire. It stays with me. No one will feel it unless we want them to. You’re older, Alek. More mature. You can handle it now. Alek could sense Wrath’s pride in his abilities flowing through him. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Yes, Alek whispered. He couldn’t describe the radiant, almost indestructible sensations.
We’re getting close to our mate. Very close, Wrath said, going still and quiet again. Open the window shield, Alek.
Fuck. Alek reached over and slowly lifted the cover a fraction so too much light didn’t filter through. It was almost five-thirty in England, and the time zone jump made Wolf feel off-balance. Most of the vampires had black sleep masks over their eyes, the cabin of the jet still shrouded in darkness. Alek chanced a quick peek out of the small oval window and saw nothing except wide open sky. The sun had set and the sky was cast in a deep gray, almost dreary color as the plane coasted through it. Staring at nothing but land so far down made his stomach flip.