As Astrid sat in the plush chair inside the Muccino International private jet as it sat on the tarmac, she started to forget why she even had second thoughts of taking this job.

“Thanks, Steve,” she said to the handsome flight steward who refilled her champagne glass.

“My pleasure, Ms. Jonasson.” He tipped up the bottle. “Anything else I can get for you before we take off?”

“Hmm …” She took a sip of her champagne. “How about more of those salmon thingies? And some chocolate truffles?”

“Of course, Ms. Jonasson.” As he turned around and walked back toward the galley, Astrid couldn’t help but stare at the way his ass filled in those tight, white uniform pants. I could get used to living like this. She was sad, however, that she had to give up her job at The Vixen Den. Her mother had pointed out that with the mages in New York, they could attack her there and possibly get some of her friends hurt. Mr. G was also disappointed, but told her that she could come back anytime she wanted.

“Enjoying yourself, Astrid?” Adrianna peered at her over the newspaper she was reading.

“Thoroughly,” she answered saucily, then covered her mouth. “Sorry. Am I eating too much? I don’t mean to seem so crude. This is a really nice jet, and your food is delicious.”

Adrianna chuckled. “Not at all. Please, help yourself. It’s the least I can do after my overprotective brother roped you into this. But,” her eyes darted to the galley. “Steve’s not on the menu. And he’s actually on our team, I’m afraid.”

“Ha!” Oh why were all the hot ones gay? She gulped her champagne down. “I like you, Adrianna.” And she really did. Astrid had only spent one day shadowing the future Lupa of New Jersey, but she found Adrianna to be smart, capable, and had a no-nonsense attitude. “I want to be you when I grow up.”

“Thank you. And I like you, too, Astrid.” She put her paper down. “I hope you don’t find this all boring though, I really am sorry you got into this mess.”

“How could you be so calm after what happened?” Astrid couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine. “The mages tried to kidnap you, and you’re here, business as usual.”

“It’s not the first time that happened,” Adrianna said, her voice going quiet.

“What?” She nearly spit out her champagne. “What do you mean?

Adrianna leaned forward. “It’s not a big secret or anything, though my parents try to keep the details on the down-low. Obviously, as the children of the most powerful Alphas in the world and the CEO of a multinational corporation, my siblings and I are targets for lots of unsavory people. When Lucas and I were ten, we were abducted as we were leaving school.”

“No! Was it the mages?”

She shook her head. “No, just your garden variety kidnappers for ransom. They shot our bodyguard, Shane, and he almost died.” Adrianna’s face grew pale, but she took a deep calming breath. “They’d kept us for a few hours, and that’s when …”

“When what?” Astrid asked.

Adrianna’s gaze dropped to her lap. “That was the first time Lucas shifted. In bloodlust.”

“Wait, he was ten years old?” Astrid asked in disbelief. “But our kind don’t usually shift until we’re thirteen or fourteen.”

“I know,” she said. “I didn’t shift until I was fourteen. But Lucas … you see, I couldn’t stop crying and the kidnappers didn’t know what to do. One them smacked me in the face, and Lucas just lost it.”

“Shit!” Astrid shot to her feet and sat down in the chair next to Adrianna. “You poor thing!”

“Nick and your mother came in just in time,” she said. “Before Lucas could kill those men. He’d hurt them real bad, though.” She wiped her palms on her skirt. “I think that’s why he hates humans.”

“He hates humans?” she echoed.

“Yeah. I mean, he’d never say it, of course. But except for our best friend, Hannah, his only other close friends are Lycans, or hybrids, or other magical people. He never liked any of my human ex-boyfriends. He only tolerates those he has to work with and as far as I know, never even dated anyone who wasn’t Lycan.”

“Huh.” That made sense, kind of. He was only ten years old and his only experience with humans outside the Lycan world had been horrific. “Well I—”

“Good morning, ladies.”

Astrid’s spine went rigid at the sound of the voice. She looked over her shoulder. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Yes, I’m having a lovely day, Astrid,” Zac said in a droll voice. He strode into the jet and sat down on the seat opposite her. “Hello, Adrianna, are you feeling better?”

“Loads,” she said, straightening in her seat. “Thanks for offering to come, Zac. I know Lucas appreciates you taking time away from your busy schedule to escort me.”

“Escort you?” Astrid asked.

“Yes,” Adrianna said. “Usually Lucas, Uncle Dante, or one of my male cousins attend these events with me, at least for the first night.”

“The restaurant industry is still a boy’s club unfortunately,” Zac continued. “And a lot of these restaurant executives and bad boy chefs just can’t take no for an answer, especially from a woman.”

Adrianna sighed. “A couple years back, some drunk guy followed me back to my room and nearly broke the door down. So, since then, I’ve always had an escort, just to send the signal that I’m not there alone.”

“That’s just awful,” Astrid said. “You’d think that in this day and age, you wouldn’t have to worry about things like this.”

“I’ve told them lots of times I can take care of myself,” she said. “But, since I’ve refused any kind of regular security detail, this is my compromise with my parents. Lucas had to stay behind, and Zac happened to be free.”

“How convenient.” Astrid sank back into the chair and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Excuse me,” Adrianna stood up. “I need to check on something. I’ll be right back. We should be taking off soon.” She headed to the rear of the plane.

“What are you doing here, Zac?” The words spilled out of her mouth as soon as she was sure Adrianna was out of earshot.

“I’m here to escort Adrianna and keep those overly amorous chefs away from her.” He suddenly lunged toward her, his hands landing on the armrests of her chair to trap her. “Of course, if you’re bored, we could always entertain ourselves by joining the mile-high club.”

Astrid ignored the shot of heat that went straight to her core. “I don’t know. I’d rather have someone who’s already a member show me the ropes. Like that hot steward who gets me chocolates and champagne.”

His eyes darkened and he leaned close to her, his lips barely brushing her earlobe. “You really are asking for a spanking, aren’t you, Astrid?”

She was practically creaming her panties at the thought of being bent over Zac’s knee. And from the way his breath hitched, he knew it. Goddamn him!

“Zac, please,” she whispered.

“Please what, Astrid?” His breath was hot on her skin. “Don’t stop?”

“I—”

“Hello! Sorry I’m late!”

Zac pushed himself off the chair and landed back in his own seat. “Who the—Isabelle?”

Astrid looked up. Motherfucker fuck a duck! “What are you doing here?”

Isabelle shot daggers at her. “My mother owns this plane, what the hell are you doing here?”

“Technically, Muccino International owns this plane,” Adrianna said as she walked back into the cabin. “Isabelle, I said you could come along if you arrived on time and you behaved.”

“I did come on time. You said we were taking off at noon.”

“Which means you come here at least an hour before,” Adrianna retorted.

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I?” Isabelle’s cherry red lips curled up into a sweet smile.

“Why are you here?” Zac said.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been skiing in Vail.” She sauntered over to the empty seat beside Zac. “I thought I’d go since Adrianna was taking the jet anyway.”

“And what did Grant have to say?” Zac asked.

Isabelle placed a hand on his arm. “Actually, he thought it was a good idea. So did your dad.”

“They did?” Astrid asked.

“Yes.” She looked at Adrianna. “And I’ll be bringing along two guards. And if one of them happened to be around you—”

Adrianna’s mismatched eyes blazed. “What? Those sneaky … can’t believe he would do that. He knows how I feel about having someone follow me around.”

“Stop being stubborn, Adrianna.” Isabelle flipped her hair. “I don’t even know why you refuse to have a bodyguard. They’re so handy when I need privacy while shopping and for holding my bags.”

“The men and women of the Lycan Security Team aren’t your personal servants, Isabelle,” Adrianna said. “It’s wasteful and unnecessary to have two guards on you.”

“Whatever. It’s too late.” She motioned behind them toward the plane’s door where two burly men were coming on board, suitcases in hand. “They’re here. And we’re about to take off, right? You wouldn’t want to delay takeoff, would you, Adrianna?”

Adrianna grabbed her seatbelt and yanked it across her lap. “You can bet I’ll be talking to Papa when we land.”

A few more minutes passed, and soon they were in the air. Once they reached cruising altitude, Steve came out to serve them lunch.

“Thank you, Steve,” Astrid drawled as the handsome steward poured her another glass of champagne. Zac’s mouth twisted into a scowl, though when Isabelle began to flirt with him and draw him into a conversation, he turned his attention to the younger woman.

Astrid sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. No, she was not jealous of Isabelle. Not at all, despite the fact that it took all her might to rein in her wolf, who was roaring to get out and rip Isabelle to pieces.

“Excuse me,” she murmured as she got out of her chair and headed for the lavatory. She went inside and though she wanted to stay there even after she was finished freshening up, she knew she had to get out eventually. When she pushed the door open, she was surprised when she bumped into something very solid. “I—ugh!” It was Zac of course, and when he didn’t move out of her way, she pushed at his chest.

“Where’s the fire, Astrid?” he asked, capturing her wrists. “I think Steve’s a little busy, but if you’re still looking for someone to show you the ropes—”

“Just get out of my way,” she bit out, yanking her hands away. When she sidestepped to move away from him, he moved into the lavatory past her, brushing his body against hers. “I—” But before she could complete her sentence, the door slammed in her face. Asshole.

She made her way back to the main cabin and slunk down into her seat. Isabelle’s nostrils flared and her gaze narrowed. “Nice pants, Astrid. Did you get those at the Big and Tall shop?”

She stared down at her baggy stonewashed jeans, which probably had been Cross or Gunnar’s at some point. “Nice bag, Isabelle.” She pointed her chin at the bag that lay at the younger woman’s feet. It was pink with a fluffy fur lining. “Did you skin a cat from the shelter to make it?”

Isabelle’s eyes flashed with anger. “At least I’m not wearing hand me—”

“Isabelle!” Adrianna warned. “Apologize to Astrid, now.”

“She insulted my bag!”

“You started it,” her sister said. “Do it or you’ll be headed home with this plane.”

“Fine.” She pouted at Astrid. “I’m sorry.”

Her tone didn’t sound sorry at all, but Astrid was not in the mood, so she murmured an acceptance and put her seatbelt on.

Zac came back shortly after, and as soon as he sat down, Isabelle once again turned on the charm. Astrid grabbed the nearest magazine within her reach and opened it to the first page. She convinced herself that the article on enhancing restaurant efficiency with the latest POS system really was riveting and enjoyable, despite the fact that she had read the same paragraph five times without really understanding it.

“Actually, if you ladies don’t mind, I have to make a conference call,” Zac said as he stood up. “I’ll be in the bedroom. I should be wrapped up right before we land.”

“Don’t be too long, Zac,” Isabelle cooed after him. As soon as he was gone, she grabbed her phone and began to tap the screen with rapid-fire efficiency.

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, as she really didn’t think she could stand hearing Isabelle’s voice for the next three hours. The time passed quicker than she thought it would, and she estimated that they must be landing soon. Sure enough, Steve came out of the galley.

“I’m sorry,” the steward began. “The captain asked me to inform you that we’ll be delayed another thirty minutes.”

“Thirty minutes?” Adrianna’s delicate brow shot up. “Why?”

“Some dignitary had to leave and has tied up the runway. I do apologize.”

Adrianna sighed. “It’s not your fault, Steve. I guess we’ll just have to wait.”

Astrid was not looking forward to spending another minute in the jet, and she briefly wondered if her Lycan body would be able to survive the freezing temperatures outside the plane, if she poofed herself on the wing. Probably not.

The delay in landing wasn’t as long as the captain had predicted, which Astrid was grateful for. A car picked them up from the private airstrip, and after battling some traffic, they finally arrived at the Blue Mountain Ski Resort in Vail. It was the perfect day for skiing—bright skies, white powder snow, and the air was fresh and clean. No wonder the resort was busy, plus there was the conference going on. As soon as they entered, however, Zac excused himself, saying he needed to find a private place to conduct a phone call.

Astrid stood in the corner with their bags, while Adrianna went to the front desk, refusing to let the bodyguards check them in. She really admired Adrianna, that despite her upbringing, she remained grounded and humble. In fact, most of the Anderson siblings did. Except—

“Oh my God, Maxie, I’m soooo disappointed,” Isabelle said as she came up to where Astrid was waiting. She had her smartphone up to her face, teetering on her stiletto boots as the two bodyguards walked behind her, their arms full of luggage and bags. “So, I heard from Brianna, who heard from Shaylene, who heard from the bellman that His Highness just left.”

“Prince Karim?” Maxine’s high-pitched squeal made the tinny speakers on Isabelle’s phone crackle. “But he was supposed to be opening that club you were going to tonight, right?”

“I know, I’m soooo annoyed.” Isabelle’s delicate nose wrinkled. “He had some business back in his kingdom or something. He’s the reason we had to circle around before landing.”

“Well, now I don’t feel so bad I couldn’t come to Vail with you,” Maxine said.

“Yeah, now I’m stuck with—” When her mismatched eyes landed on Astrid, she turned away, but murmured something about “man pants.”

“Isabelle,” Adrianna barked as she approached them. “Get your goons to take your bags up to our suite.”

“Our suite?” the younger woman whined. “Papa said I could have my own room.”

“Yeah, well change of plans.” She handed Astrid a keycard. “Astrid will take the single suite and you’ll be bunking in with me.”

“B-b-but Papa—”

“I’m sure he’ll be relieved to know your two guards will only have to monitor one room,” Adrianna pointed out.

“Fine.” She grabbed the keycard her sister offered to her. “I’ll see you later.” She sauntered away, her two Lycan guards following in her wake.

Adrianna shook her head. “It’s a fourteen hundred square foot suite! You’d have thought I was asking her to move into a hostel with ten bunk beds.”

“I would have been happy sharing the suite with you, Adrianna,” Astrid said. “Clearly if she’s unhappy—”

Adrianna tsked. “No, no. She has to learn she can’t always have her way. Madre de dio.” She shook her head. “My parents—or rather, my father—spoil her way too much.”

“Maybe she’ll grow out of it.”

“I hope so.” Adrianna took her hand. “Now, about tonight.”

“What about tonight?”

“There’s a reception for all the attendees.”

“Oh, right.” That was something she should have known as Adrianna’s ‘assistant.’ “So, did you need me to chill out or maybe stalk the security room.”

“No,” Adrianna said. “I’ll need you in there with me.”

Astrid’s heart dropped. “Um, I’m not really good in those situations. Plus, I don’t have anything to wear.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Adrianna said. “I always bring a few extra clothes.”

She didn’t want to point out that Adrianna was about five inches shorter than her. “But—”

“Ay, basta.” Adrianna clucked her tongue. “You want to be able to keep an eye on me, right?”

“I suppose.”

“It’s settled then.” Adrianna straightened her shoulders. “Now, I’ll have someone send the dress up to your room. Do you need makeup or anything? You can go ahead and buy some from the gift shop, and just charge it to our account.”

“I should be fine. I’ll make sure not to embarrass you as your date,” she joked.

“Oh, no worries. Zac is my real date for this one. Okay, I’ll see you later.”

Adrianna hurried off before her words had fully sunk into Astrid’s brain. Oh, mother of all that was holy. How could she have forgotten that Zac would be there as well? She groaned inwardly. Maybe I’ll develop a pox before evening. But then again, she wasn’t that lucky. She just hoped she wouldn’t be embarrassed like she had been five years ago.