Jesse gripped the steering wheel of the rental car, trying to think of something he could say to bridge this gap between him and Shea. But nothing came immediately to mind.

Dammit! He needed more time. More time to bond her to him. More time to make her understand what it was he had to do, and why.

But they were out of time.

“Where are we going?” Her tense voice broke through the silence. It was the first time she’d spoken since they’d left the temple.

“To the airport. We’re flying to Shaolin Temple, or more specifically, to the Forest of the Dagobas.”

“Is that where the blood is hidden?”

“Yes. The clues show different dagobas throughout the Forest. We must find them, and where the path to each connects. Where they come together. That’s where the blood is buried.”

“And what are we going to do with it once we find it?”

How to answer that without giving it away too soon? “What we have to do.”

She fell back into her brooding silence, but not for long. “What about Cruthú?”

Jesse fought back a smile. Much as Shea denied it, she was as fond of the raven as the bird was of her. “She’ll be fine. I paid the hotel an obscene amount of money to take good care of her until we get back.”

He felt Shea’s eyes on him, but she said nothing else, eventually turning away and gazing out the window again for the remainder of the trip.

Leaving the car at the rental place at the airport, he got them both through security without any issues and then left Shea seated in a waiting area while he confirmed the jet would be ready. While the pilot ensured all checks were done, he turned around and leaned back against the counter, ignoring the looks he received from both females and males as they rushed to their gates. His attention was completely taken by the female waiting for him in a seat overlooking the concourse.

She sat completely still, not fidgeting as humans often did. The lack of color in her clothing did nothing to deter from her beauty—just the opposite, in fact. It only made one focus on her striking features. Her long, dark hair was pulled away from her face. The thick braid lay over one shoulder, and contrasted beautifully against her pale throat and cheek. Again, he ached to touch that porcelain skin. He would bet anything that it was as soft and smooth as silk.

As Jesse watched, a young human man edged closer to her, his eyes hungry as they went from her face to her chest and back, and Jesse felt a flash of heat go through him. It took him a moment to realize it was possessiveness.

As the boy eased closer, Jesse pushed himself away from the counter and went to stand directly behind Shea. He said not a word, but knew the moment she sensed his presence by the sudden alertness of her muscles, the flush that stole across her chest, and the way her body seemed to sway toward him while barely moving at all.

The young male’s lips parted and his pupil’s dilated as he observed the changes in her. Narrowing his eyes, Jesse shot daggers at this one who dared to so much as look at his female with such thoughts in his head. The only thing that saved the young male at all was that his thoughts were completely without menace toward her, but only the natural attraction of boy to girl, human to vampire.

Keeping one eye on the young male, Jesse leaned down as close as he dared to whisper in Shea’s ear. “Come, Shea. The jet should be ready.” A rush of satisfaction cooled his ire as the male finally took notice of him, his eyes widening as he took a step back. Jesse supposed he probably shouldn’t have thrown that particular threat into the male’s head, but what fun would that be? As the human retreated a bit more, Jesse’s attention went back to the female who had claimed him as her own.

Shea closed her eyes for a split second, and as Jesse straightened, he noticed goose bumps along her skin. With a tight smile at the young human, who couldn’t seem to help but linger by the windows, he waited while Shea rose gracefully from her seat and walked around the row of seats to join him. As she headed toward their gate, Jesse took his place behind her, blocking the human’s view.

He was acting no better than an adolescent, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. It frustrated him to no end that he couldn’t show the world that she was his the normal way: holding her hand, touching her arm, a sweet kiss. But this is what it would have to be until he found a way to reverse the curse.

“You’re acting like a dog.”

Jesse dropped his eyes to the seductive sway of Shea’s hips as she walked in front of him. “A dog?” She was absolutely right. But he didn’t have to let her know he agreed with her.

“Why don’t you just piss on me and get it over with?”

“Don’t tempt me, love. How else will everyone know that your vampire blood has claimed me as yours?” That remark was a bit snide, but Jesse couldn’t help it. After all, the only reason he was acting this way was because she had decided he was her mate.

He studiously ignored the little voice in his head that was trying to remind him that he had claimed her the moment he’d first seen her.

They arrived at the door that would lead them out to the concourse and the private jet that would take them to the temple. Shea stood stiffly, waiting for the attendant to swipe her badge and allow them access.

Although he had promised to try to resist, Jesse touched his mind to hers, just briefly. The corners of his mouth tipped up when he heard her silently tell him, quite distinctly, to go to hell. She was becoming more sensitive to him, beginning to sense when he was in her thoughts. Jesse could only imagine the level of intimacy they would obtain if…no, not if—when…physical contact was added to the mix.

Shea breathed an audible sigh of relief when the door opened and they could go out to the jet. As expected, the attendant didn’t ask to see IDs or boarding passes, and they left the terminal without any deterrents to stop them.

Twenty minutes later, they were strapped into their plush leather seats across the aisle from each other as the jet taxied down the runway. Leaning back in his seat, Jesse folded his hands across his stomach and closed his eyes. His thoughts jumped around from what he needed to do, and what his heart wanted him to do.

Jesse knew if he carried through with his plans as they were, there was a very good chance that he would lose Shea forever, fated mate or not. It wouldn’t surprise him at all if she chose starvation and death over being with a liar and a traitor.

He couldn’t say that he would blame her, but giving up his vampire was not an option for him. And neither was giving up what he had worked so hard for, risked his own life for, when he was so very close to achieving that end.

There was a slim chance she would understand. If she gave him the chance to explain his reasoning—and they were damn good reasons—and if he could do so in a way that would make her understand why it had to be this way, she would stay with him.

He would need to assure her there was nothing for her to fear, that he would be able to protect her. That he was the only one who would be able to protect her. Hell, he’d even protect her entire vampire family if that was what it took.

Jesse feared very few things, but for reasons he was only beginning to understand, losing Shea terrified him. He would make her understand.

He didn’t know how long he’d been lost in his thoughts when there was suddenly a loud pop from Shea’s side of the plane. The air whistled through the small engine outside, so loud, he could barely hear his own thoughts. A few seconds later, the cabin began to shutter, and Jesse’s stomach flip-flopped as the nose of the plane dipped and righted itself again.

His immediate concern was for Shea. She had a white-knuckled grip on the arms of her seat, and her fangs were revealed with a hiss as she stared back at him with fear in her wide, green eyes.

Jesse unbuckled his belt, catching himself with one hand on the ceiling as the plane bucked again.

“Where are you going?” Shea reached over as if to grab his hand before remembering herself and renewing her death grip on the armrest. Jesse noticed the metal had bent with the strength of her panic, and now held the imprint of her small hand. She would break his bones if she held onto him like that.

And he would relish the pain just to be able to hold her.

“Jesse?”

With a quick shake of his head, he came back to the real world. “I’m going to speak with the pilot. I’ll be right back.”

“Jesse, please don’t leave me back here by myself.” Though her voice sounded calm, he knew she was anything but.

With one hand on the ceiling and one on the back of his seat to steady himself against the jostling of the aircraft, he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m sure he has everything under control. I just want to find out what’s going on.”

Leaving Shea strapped in her seat, Jesse made his way to the cockpit, moving quickly to avoid smashing his head into the ceiling. They were losing altitude. This couldn’t be good. With the heel of his hand, he struck the door separating the pilots from the passengers just above the lock. It flew open, smashing into the wall behind it.

The scene within was something right out of a bad action movie.

Ignoring the co-pilot, who was frantically trying to get a hold of the tower over the radio, Jesse went straight over to the pilot. He had to raise his voice to be heard above all the commotion. “What the fuck is going on?”

Never taking his eyes from the instruments, the pilot shook his head, the movement spastic. “I don’t know! We’ve lost the electrical—”

Jesse leaned down to speak directly into the man’s ear. “I thought you performed all of the checks on this aircraft?”

Panicked eyes swung his way for a fraction of a second. “I did! I swear to you. This aircraft is in perfect condition.”

“Then how the hell did we lose power to the electrical system?”

“I don’t know, sir. But right now, I’m just trying to keep this plane in the air until I can find somewhere to land. I would suggest you get back to your seat and let us do our job.”

Jesse straightened, slightly taken aback by the no-nonsense tone that had replaced the fear in the man’s voice. A tiny inkling of respect for the middle-aged human crept into his original opinion of him. With a glance at the pasty co-pilot, who was still on the radio and still ignoring him, Jesse made his way back to Shea.

“What’s happening?” she asked him before he even had a chance to sit down.

He longed to sit next to her, to reach over and take her hand, but all he could do was try to keep his voice calm. “It appears we’re having some issues with the electrical system. The pilot is looking for a safe place to land.”

The nose of the plane dipped forward suddenly, and Jesse’s eyes widened as he watched the wing outside of Shea’s window peel away from the body of the jet with a thunderous sound.

Shea’s head whipped around to look out the window. “Oh my gods. It’s gone. Jesse, the wing is completely gone!”

Jesse sat down and snapped his seat belt buckle closed, his heart pounding, and his jaw clenched with frustration that he was unable to do anything to protect her. Less than a second later, the plane dipped sharply to the side, and this time, it didn’t right itself. The overhead compartments opened and the yellow cups came tumbling out.

The pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “Brace for impact! Repeat. We’re going down. Brace for impact!”

The last thing Jesse remembered was Shea’s hand reaching for him across the aisle.

And his regret that he didn’t sit beside her.