Twilight Siege

20

“I want to be you when I grow up,” I said and the corners of his lips curved up in response. Neither of us spoke again on the short ride to the airport. Instead of driving us to the main entrance, we cut around to the back side and pulled up at a large metal building near a sleek white jet. “We’re taking a private jet?” I asked in astonishment. He opened the driver’s side door, but I sat motionless. At my question he paused and turned back to look at me with a smirk. “The Hunt has been around for centuries, longevity affords you the ability to amass a number of assets.” “You didn’t just charter the jet, you own it?” I gawked out the window while Lochlan exited the car without further comment and greeted a man who had come over from the building. In the three weeks I had known about the Hunt, their wealth had never crossed my mind. Now that it had been brought to my attention, what Lochlan said made sense. They were never flashy with their money, which I supposed was why I hadn’t put much thought into their financial status. But why operate a nightclub if they didn’t need the money? Was it just a way to kill time? I loved working at the museum, but if I didn’t have to work, there was a world of things I would rather do than sit at a desk. Lochlan waved me over and I hurried out of the car and followed the two men up the stairs and onto the plane. The interior was all soft creams and warm wood tones and the understated elegance stole the breath from my lungs. A set of leather chairs faced one another with a glossy wood veneer table between them. Across the aisle was a full-sized leather couch. Past that was another set of four leather chairs, the entrance to a bathroom, and a closed door to whatever was at the back of the plane. I would never be able to fly commercial again without feeling like a cow in a cattle car. I followed Lochlan’s lead and sat in one of the leather chairs. My fingers gently caressed the supple leather as my eyes continued to examine every square inch of the cabin. The man who had joined us had lowered himself into the cockpit and was fast at work flipping switches and talking on the headset. “Is this your first time on a small craft?” Lochlan’s words startled me out of my musings and when my eyes flew to his, the amusement in his gaze sent tingles cascading down my arms. I was suddenly aware of the intimate nature of our surroundings and dropped my eyes to cool my rapidly heating libido. “Yeah, I’ve only ever flown commercial, and coach at that.” My voice shook ever so slightly, and I was sure his sensitive ears would pick up on the irregularity. “But you’ve traveled before?” “Extensively. My parents, Mom especially, lives to travel, so we were on the go whenever she could scrape together enough money. I had assumed that was why I looked for a job abroad, that my travel bug itch needed to be scratched, but now I realize there were other factors in play.” He paused for a moment before responding, his deep blue eyes intent and meaningful. “You’re still you, you know. Becoming Fae doesn’t mean you become a different person.” Damn he was perceptive. His comment touched on one of my biggest fears and was reassuring to some extent, but it didn’t explain away the changes that had occurred. “When I was a little girl, I had blond hair and hazel eyes. Not until I got this necklace did my coloring change. Plus, the necklace kept me from wanting to take it off and I have no idea how many other subtle suggestions it planted in my psyche.” “Not removing a necklace and drawing you to Ireland is a far cry from changing your personality.” “That’s true, but with so many changes and so much uncertainty, it’s hard for me to feel confident about much of anything.” “You know everything you need to know.” “You get a kick out of talking in riddles, don’t you?” I arched an eyebrow in his direction and the corners of his lips twitched with the hint of a smile. He lifted the newspaper off the table and flicked it open between us, effectively ending our conversation. The flight only took about an hour and I spent most of that time imagining what would happen at the museum and enjoying a companionable silence with Lochlan. A black sedan with heavily tinted windows waited for us at the small private airport in the outskirts of London. Lochlan spoke with the driver as I crawled into the back seat and then we were off. “I still have no idea what the plan is—how exactly are we supposed to get the sword out of the museum?” “We’ll go in and take it.” His face was somewhat perplexed, as if he was confused with such an inane question. He may have had no doubt that the extraction would go as smoothly as he expected; however, I was an anxious mess. I wouldn’t be able to help save the world if I was locked up in a jail cell for breaking and entering. I found little assurance in his words but there was no point in arguing with him. “Do you know where the sword is being kept?” “We obtained the museum schematics, archive location, and the type of alarm system. Not that any of it is crucial, but we try to stir up as little trouble as possible.” “What happens if we get caught?” “We won’t get caught.” “Easy for you to say, you can just poof out of there easy peasy and I’d be caught red handed.” He assessed me for a minute before leaning his head down toward me. “Rebecca, I’m not going to leave you.” The intensity of his gaze and his gravelly voice had my heart flip flopping in my chest. I nodded in response since my voice had abandoned me. The closer we got to the museum, the more anxiety churned my stomach. By the time we arrived, I had chewed my nails to the quick and was ready to heave on the sidewalk. I had seen Lochlan unlock a door with magic, so that wasn’t a concern, but I had no idea how he planned to circumvent the museum alarm system, not to mention cameras and security guards. He ushered me around the back of the building to a door beside a loading dock. Swinging his black backpack around, he pulled out a small electronic device that was totally foreign to me. Once the pack was back in place, his eyes met mine to ensure we were both ready before he turned to open the door. A clicking sound signaled the lock giving way and he quickly stepped inside, holding the device up to the alarm panel. The characteristic beeping signaling the alarm countdown never sounded, just chilling silence. After several taps and a small heart attack on my part, he lowered the device and swiveled his head to scan our surroundings.