CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CONNOR
“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Ms. H’s shrill anger was not only heard but felt an ocean and continent away. Falcone was giving me the stink eye, not liking the stress coming from the other end of my call. I shook my head, letting him know he could stand down. As if there was anything the old battle-ax couldn’t handle.
“Ms. H, it can’t be helped. I’m out of the country on Horsemen business. You’ll just have to cancel what you can’t handle on your own. Didn’t Warren hire you an assistant yet?” I asked as I rubbed my forehead, wishing I was snoring as peacefully as Lettie was right now. She had fallen asleep a few hours into the flight and had been out since.
Falcone had made the arrangements, and after we’d eaten, we had just enough time to shower, pack, and make it to the airfield for our 10:05 p.m. takeoff. We were taking the Horsemen’s private jet direct to Warsaw, minus a fuel stop. Once we landed, we planned to blend into the airport traffic to lose any possible Order tails as we made our way to a commercial flight that would backtrack us from Warsaw to Brussels under false identities Warren had cooked up. Tomorrow, after we slept off some jet lag, we would drive a rental to Ashbury via the Channel Tunnel, to the museum we were hoping had records of lineage more recent that we might be able to trace.
“Yeah, he’s a real stick in the mud. Makes a face like he’s sucking a dick every time I cuss. All prim and proper, thinks his shit don’t stink, but he’s gettin’ shit done. He’s an efficient condescending ass, at least,” she grudgingly admitted.
“Put up with him for now. I’ll have Warren look for a small group more fitting to our personalities, not his, and you can pick the next one. We can move that wanker to accounting. Paul is due for retirement next year. He can train him as his replacement. It’s a demotion and promotion at the same time. He would oversee his own lot of accounts, get an office of his own, but take a pay and title cut. Should work out well.”
“I’d rather have my Lettie back at her desk,” she sulked. Me too.
“I’ll see what I can do when all this blows over, Ms. H, but it will be up to her. She may want to work with Fal in the library instead. Though hell if I know why. Musty old man and musty old books, blah how boring! Aw, crap!” I had to duck as something—quite possibly one of his musty old books—went sailing past my head and across the cabin. But as I looked up, Fal was also smiling because he too could hear the old bat giggling on the phone from across the room.
“Fine, I’ll hold down the fort. You two take care of my girl.”
“On our honor,” I promised before I ended the call.
“You should wake her.” Fal nodded to Lettie’s sleeping form. “We land in little over an hour. She should eat something before we need to get moving.” He stood to move to the flight deck with our pilots, giving us some time alone.
I reached out mentally to him. It’s a good thing I didn’t kill you for trying to steal my mate. You’re my favorite brother.
No, I’m not. That’s Dean, and we all know it, but flattery does help heal my jilted heart. Go wake your princess, Connor, he shot back before dropping our mental link.
I moved over to the seat next to my snoring beauty. “Baby, we’re landing soon. You should probably eat. There won’t be another chance till we settle in for the night.” I softly swept my fingers across her forehead, gathering the hair that had fallen and tucking it behind her ear as a set of gorgeous sleepy eyes met mine from behind her crooked glasses. She is so fucking adorkable.
Suddenly aware of her surroundings, she jerked up and corrected her lenses. “What time is it? How long was I out?”
I got up and grabbed her a sandwich and drink from the mini-refrigerator across the aisle while answering, “It’s about 5:30 p.m. in Warsaw. We’ll be landing in about an hour. You got about six hours, which is good. We’ve been in the air nearly ten, and the flight to Brussels will be another four hours at least.” I handed her the food and pressed my lips to hers with one gentle openmouthed kiss that held the promise of much more. “Now eat.”
She pulled back, looking slightly dazed and breathless. Pride filled me as I took it for the compliment it was. Admittedly, I had seen that look on many before, but I never knew if it was me they wanted or that my power was overwhelming them and causing their attraction. But with Lettie, I knew she saw me, and it was my actual words and actions that affected her.
“Hey there, happy boy, what are you smiling about?”
“You. You make me happier then I can ever remember, Lettie,” I confessed. I didn’t care if it made me sound like a pussy. I’d spent weeks hiding and holding in my feelings, only to fuck things up over and over again. I was done with that shit.
“Don’t.” Crap! Too soon? “Don’t say amazingly sweet things when I have a mouthful of food, and we’re thirty thousand feet in the air. There’s nowhere private enough to strip you down and show my appreciation by living out one of the many fantasies of you that have plagued me since I discovered erotic romance novels existed in the Order library.”
My cock sprung to attention. We definitely liked the sound of that. My voice huskier with the need that was building fast as I wondered if we had imagined the same scenarios all this time or if she had something even better planned, I said, “I thought we decided to take it slow, baby.” My pants were getting painfully tight.
“No, Connor. You decided. I’ve been waiting for twenty-seven years for this, for you. I don’t want to want any more. Though, we should probably use a condom till this craziness is over. I’ve missed a few pills. I don’t think we need a child at the moment. We have an eternity to try for one later,” she announced, continuing to eat like she wasn’t blowing my mind. My heart felt like it was going to explode. I didn’t think it was possible to want her more, but the idea of her round with my child, a child of with a head of her golden ringlets… the image was so perfect, I ached now to see that become a reality.
“Baby, I am fucking elated that you’re thinking of our future that way. But you couldn’t get pregnant till the mating is complete, so we have nothing to worry about for now. It was one of the first things we checked into when Dean found Julie. Didn’t they teach you anything about us in the Order other then we are the devils incarnate?”
“Oh, well that’s one less thing to worry about for now. And no. I think Lord Decay was not forthcoming on those details because they could have been used against him too. He’s crazy, not stupid. What else can you tell me, since we still have time to kill?” I was about to answer when Falcone interrupted.
“You two aren’t doing the wild thing or whatever the kids are calling it these days, right?” he begged, walking in with his eyes covered. Lettie’s giggle was worth the insult to my manhood. People a block away would know the next time I pleasured my mate. I was making it my mission to see that I obliterated the last experience from both our memories.
“No, your delicate sensibilities are safe for another day. I was just picking Connor’s brain,” she responded between a chuckle and snort.
“Lettie was just asking what other things to expect from the mating bond. I think the only thing left to explain is the immunity she already has,” I replied as Falcone took the seat across from us.
“I have immunity? So like, I’ll never get the flu again?” she asked as she passed me the wrappers and empty drink container to dispose of for her. Silly, but doing little things like this for her the last two days had become as natural as breathing. It also gave me a sense of fulfillment to take care of my mate.
Wait, did she say flu? Crap! Fal, can she get sick? I can’t lose her now. I just found her. My chest tightened as I shouted out mental questions to Falcone. Any second, I was sure I would hyperventilate as worry threatened to consume me.
“Good gravy, Connor, take a chill pill… as Julie would say,” he barked, before turning his attention back to Lettie. “No, my dear, I don’t believe so. But I know for sure you’ll no longer be able to contract any human ailment once the mating is completed.” Holy Fuck, that’s a relief. “But that’s not the only thing you are immune to. One of the reasons we knew you were one of our mates is because you are immune to our powers. You’re not affected by any of the Horsemen’s gifts. It’s a blessing for us really. To have individuals who need never fear us, or can love us, like in Connor’s case, for who he is, not what his power is causing you to feel toward him.”
“Wow, that’s kind of beautifu—” Lettie cut off midsentence with a look of horror mixed with awe on her face.
“Baby, are you okay?” Worrying aloud, I slowly placed my arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. I didn’t want to startle her, but I could sense that whatever she was thinking had her upset, and it was kicking my protective instinct into overdrive.
“He knew. He knew all along and sent me anyway? Why?” she whispered.
“Who, Lettie? Who knew what, honey?” Falcone’s concern laced his voice as he leaned forward to grab one of my girl’s hands in a show of support. He thought of Julie, Fallon, and now Nicolette as his sisters. It took me a while, but hell, I’d been a little slow with catching up lately. But watching him with her now, it was no different. Nothing like the way I would catch him looking at Ms. H, even to this day.
“Lord Decay, he knew. He even told me so when he gave me the assignment, that I was perfect for Connor and how his powers had no effect on me. He thought it was very interesting, but I was too damn scared being in the same room with him to really give two shits. He was giving me the out I needed. I took it and ran.” A shiver ran through her as she took a calming breath and leaned more into me.
I looked to Falcone, trying to process what this meant. Kayne had known all along that Lettie was a Horseman’s mate, and rather than hold her as a pawn to achieve his goals, he found a reason to send her off to us. He had made an excuse to see that my mate was safe.
He knew she would be mine… and sent her home to me, I projected.
Falcone’s sad smile said it all. He was the only one who’d never given up on Kayne, and still held hope. I was starting to understand why.
“Sirs, we’re approaching the airport. We’re already cleared to land, so if you could return to your seats and secure all belongings, we will begin descending in just a few moments.”