CHAPTER 1
“Are you okay?” Isabel asked, placing a hand over Oz’s shoulder. His body twitched as her fingers spread out slowly over his bony shoulder and then retreated to the back of his neck. Oz was still in pain, despite Isabel’s untiring efforts to make sure he recovered.
“It’s just not that easy,” he said, his tired eyes fixated on the white floor tiles of the waiting room. The airport was buzzing with people, and Isabel had to admit she was terrified to be out in the public eye again, even though she knew she didn’t have to resort to extreme measures to control her abilities. She didn’t need to wear sunglasses anymore; she didn’t even need to avoid eye contact with passers-by. All she needed was the will power to block out any outgoing signals from her end, and the truth was, she was getting pretty good at it. This morning, she slipped into one of the dresses Oz had bought her; black velvet, short with a plunging neckline. Isabel honestly felt great about herself. For once, she could dress up
whichever way she wanted without having to worry about shit going down.
“Are you feeling a little bit better, at least?” she asked, playfully tugging at Oz’s sleeve. Her compassion for him was growing stronger and stronger each day. Ironic as it was, she had developed a tender human connection with him, one that she didn’t feel with anyone else, not even Gavin.
“Yeah,” Oz nodded, raising his eyes to her. “Especially after last night… you know how to take care of me,” he said, licking his lips.
Isabel felt a warmth radiate through her. How the hell am I gonna make it through this flight? “I’d let you take care of me, over and over again,” she breathed. She caught Oz licking his lips again. Trying to seduce an angel in the middle of an airport probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do. Besides, Oz could control his urges if he had to, which Isabel found incredibly frustrating.
“I think we should go now,” Oz said, nodding towards the gates. Isabel got up, dusted herself off and headed for the sliding doors. “Here, let me get that for you,” Oz said, grabbing the handle of her suitcase. Isabel felt that tingly sensation spread out through her body again.
This is crazy. His mere touch made her hungry. Isabel kicked herself for all the fantasies that were popping into her head. They were all so invasive, so intrusive that Isabel was finding it almost impossible to shove them out anymore. You’re going to get on this plane, and then you’re going to sleep, no questions asked. “Why, thank you,” she said, batting her eyelashes. Isabel led the way across the asphalt, following the rest of the passengers onto the plane. “52H and 52J, that’s at the very back,” she said, trotting down the aisle. She could feel Oz’s eyes on her, an instinct she had acquired through her transformation.
“And you think Gavin didn’t do that on purpose?” Oz asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Isabel froze for a second. “What do you mean?” she asked, turning to look at him.
“He knows people,” Oz said, motioning for Isabel to take the window seat.
“Okay?” She tilted her head to the side.
“Don’t worry about it right now,” Oz said. “For now, let’s just enjoy the ride.”
Isabel smiled to herself. It had been a long time since she’d travelled someplace far away. She leaned back in her seat, wondering if Paris would be as she imagined. All her adult life she had listened to her wealthy girlfriends talk about how stunning Paris was, and never once could she ever imagine being in their place. She sighed loudly, staring out the window like a little girl, and it was only when she felt Oz’s hand reach up her dress that she was brought back to reality. “Here?” she asked, rolling her eyes at him. But the truth was, Isabel was getting hungrier by the second. If it were up to her, she would let him take her right then and there.
Oz shook his head. “Maybe not here,” he said, his lips curving to a smile. “But maybe…”
Isabel squinted at him. “Maybe?”
“In there,” he said, cocking his head towards the bathroom behind them. Isabel could feel her heart drop to her knees. A million thoughts were racing through her mind; images of Oz fucking her in that tight space were starting to take over, and she couldn’t help but let out a loud sigh.
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she said, her eyes fixated on Oz’s.
“You know you want to,” he said, holding her gaze. Instantly, Isabel could feel herself succumbing to his orders. She couldn’t resist the thought of him pushing her up against the wall, unzipping his pants and taking her from behind. She bit her bottom lip, her mind conjuring up images of pure lust. She brushed a hand through her hair and brought it to one side.
“I do,” she breathed. “I really, really do.” Oz flashed her a smirk, and it was only then that she became fully convinced of his fantasy. His fantasies were hers, too.
“We just got to wait until take-off, until everyone’s asleep,” he hissed. Isabel could feel her heart begin to race. She had never done anything like this before. Sure, she heard about it in the movies, but she didn’t think you could actually do something like this and not get caught. It all sounded so surreal to her, as if she was caught up in one big simulation. But she couldn’t resist the temptation; she couldn’t let Oz down. After all, he needed her to take care of him, and she needed him, too. The hunger was gnawing at her, and she could feel that spark regenerate inside her once more.
“I can’t wait,” she whispered. Soon enough, the plane took off, and Isabel couldn’t help but get lost in her own little world. She stared out the window, her eyes following the movement of the foamy clouds gliding across the sky. She flinched when she felt Oz’s hand come over her shoulder. “Sorry,” she said. “I got distracted.” She turned around to meet his gaze, and immediately felt an electric current rush through her.
“Shall we?” he asked, his head cocked to the side. Isabel laughed at how Oz tended to phrase his words as questions, when all they really were was a continuous series of commands.
“We shall,” she smiled, her eyes darting from the empty aisle, to the bathroom door, and then to the aisle again. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Most people are still awake, this is a daytime flight… there’s no way all these people will go to sleep at once.”
“Oh, you underestimate yourself, Isabel,” Oz said, glaring at her. “What did we say about your ability to control the minds of all men?”
Isabel paused for a second, confused. “Does that entail putting them to sleep?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
“It entails shutting down certain parts of their brain so they’re somewhat… sedated.”
“And how do I do that?” she asked, suddenly nervous. “What if I end up putting the pilot to sleep or something?” Isabel had never been so disoriented. This was no joke: they were literally thousands of feet up in the air. What if she fucked up? Her body shuddered just thinking about it.
Oz chuckled. “You won’t sedate the pilots, don’t worry,” he said, tilting his head towards her. “All you have to do is focus all your energy on the person you want to put to sleep… and remember, you have to look them in the eye.”
“And what about the women?” Isabel asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it taken care of,” he said, folding both arms across his chest.
Isabel nodded. She waited for the flight attendants to finish distributing the lunches, and then she got up and made her way down the aisle. “Excuse me,” she said. “Can I just get a cup of water?”
“Sure,” the woman said, staring at her for a moment before gesturing for her to go back to her seat. Isabel smiled and then turned around. She stood there for a second, inspecting the men around her. She made eye contact with one and then held his gaze. For a second his jaw dropped.
No, no, no, Isabel thought. This was no time for a passenger to be captivated by her, not in that way. Okay, Isabel, just focus. She took in a deep breath and let it out through her nose. Suddenly she could feel the energy surging through her. She didn’t take her eyes off his, and then, slowly but surely, his eyelids began to droop.
“Ma’am, ma’am?” a woman’s voice sounded from behind her. It was as if Isabel was caught in a trance; she wasn’t moving, and neither were the men she tried to fixate. Suddenly they all dropped, one after the other, as Isabel finally pushed her way down the aisle. She averted her gaze to Oz, who just smiled at her, unaffected by the sedative power she had over everyone else. The flight attendant pushed past her, nose wrinkled, eyebrows furrowed.
“Yep, she definitely thinks I’m a freak now,” Isabel said, shifting in her seat.
“Now, for the women,” Oz said, clenching his eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Isabel watched as his entire body seemed to twitch. She held onto the back of her chair, her eyes darting from one woman passenger to the other, watching as their heads dropped like deflated balloons.
“What even?” Isabel said, turning to Oz. He opened his eyes again and looked at her, a wry grin settling over his face.
“Didn’t I tell you?” he said. “Your transformation is almost complete, you just need someone to guide you through your abilities, because believe me, they’re a lot.”
Isabel couldn’t resist him any longer. She could feel a warm sensation wash over her like a wave, and she reached down and touched herself, her fingers becoming soaking wet as she made contact with her panties. “Let’s go inside,” she whispered, her eyes fixated on Oz’s.
Instantly, he got up, took her hand and rushed to the cabinet. It was already dark inside, and reduced to pitch black when Oz locked the door behind them. Isabel had always loved that feeling of utter and complete seclusion with him. He flashed her a little smirk in the darkness, calling her in closer, and instantly her hands found their way round to the back of his neck, her fingers slightly grazing at the base of his scalp. He pressed his lips to hers, and Isabel let the tip of her tongue rub up against the floor of his mouth in rhythmic, controlled motion. Once, twice, and a third time she slid her tongue all the way in, letting it collide with his in between her little moans and his brief gasps for air. When he was done tasting her, he slowly worked his way down the length of her neck, lightly sucking at the skin and exhaling fully in between. She cocked her head to the side, feeling her heart rate escalate and her body stiffen as he briefly slid his tongue into her ear. She could hear the little crackling noises his tongue made once his lips parted. She let out a sigh, and then she let her hands roam his chest, her fingers tracing circles around the buttons of his shirt.