Page 69 of Queens and Monsters

The gentleman led us through a marble entry and back to glass doors that went out to a pool. The dark sky blanketed the back deck and yard. The only illumination came from the flashing blue-and-red lights on the helipad.

Shit—he was serious.

I wrapped my arms around my midsection, shivering in the cool night breeze. Rei’s attention was focused on the blackness above us. It wasn’t long before the vibration of a helicopter could be felt as well as heard. Rei placed his hand in the small of my back, pulling me toward his warmth, as a bright spotlight shone down, aimed at the helipad beyond the pool. While the helicopter landed, my hair that Rei had unleashed, blew around my face in the whirling coil from the propellers.

“Dile al Señor Ruiz gracias,” Rei said to the gentleman, making his voice louder.

The gentleman waved.

As the rotors continued to spin, Diego opened a door on the side of the helicopter. I hesitated, wondering where I was going. Rei reached for my hand. His warmgrasp encapsulated my fingers, sending the spark of his touch through my circulation.

He’s your husband.

It was a too-late pep talk, meant to reassure myself that I was where I was supposed to be. I’d told Dario I wanted to marry Rei, and yet in the blink of an eye, I was being whisked away from the only home I’d ever known. A look around the dark yard and at the unfamiliar mansion told me that the man holding my hand was my anchor in this new storm.

I had to trust him.

Beneath the whirling rotors, Rei led us forward. There weren’t steps but a high footboard. Soon, the two of us and the pilot were aboard with our luggage. Rei and I were seated in the back seat. I expected some kind of four-point harness, yet our seat belts were like those in a car. Rei handed me a pair of headphones with a microphone, motioning to me to cover my ears.

I placed the headphones over my ears, muffling the thumping of the propellers and held my breath as we were lifted off the ground. The pilot’s voice came through the earphones. Like so many other aspects of my new life, I was at a complete loss as to what was said. I looked to my husband for a translation.

“He said the wind is calm. We should reach Bella in less than twenty minutes.”

Once the lights of the mainland disappeared, we were surrounded by darkness. The helicopter’s dashboard cast an eerie green glow throughout the interior of the cabin. Without the city lights, a million starssparkled in the sky while below us the Pacific Ocean was a blanket of black.

I gasped as Bella came into view. In a sea of nothingness, blue LED lighting glowed like an aura surrounding the monstrous yacht. The closer we flew, the better I could see what Rei referred to as a big boat. Holy crap. It wasn’t a big boat; it was a superyacht. I counted at least four levels, with a swimming pool and hot tub, both glowing with underwater lights. A Mexican flag flew from the rear deck.

“Why the flag?” I asked.

“When Bella is in international waters, as she is now, she is governed by whatever country’s flag she flies. Bella is a piece of Mexico in these waters.”

I remembered what Camila had said about getting married in Mexico. A peek at my hand told me another wedding wasn’t necessary. Rei and I were already married.

“As soon as we land,” Rei said, “I will show you to our cabin.”

Our.

I turned, taking in his profile. Even in the green hue of the interior lights, Rei was beyond handsome. The ease with which he directed his guards, the man back at the mansion, and the pilot demonstrated his confidence and power.

Would he remember what I said about going slow?

Would it matter?

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Jasmine

Iforgot to breathe as the pilot lowered us to the helipad near the stern of the yacht. Once the landing skids touched down, I took a deep breath.

“We’re safe,” Rei said.

He sounded a bit annoyed with my fear. That was fine. It was my first helicopter ride over miles of open sea. I had the right to be frightened.

The pilot spoke through the headphones. As before, I couldn’t understand. I turned to my husband for a translation.

“He’s stopping the rotors. We need to wait until they come to a complete stop. As they slow, they lower. No decapitations on our wedding day”

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