Page 35 of The Heir
“I think Mason overslept as well, he’s not here yet.”
I thought about correcting Thor and telling him that Freya hadn’t overslept. We’d been awake for at least an hour and been about to come down here together when she’d told me she needed to use the bathroom. With the time it had taken her, I guessed that her nerves were playing havoc with her stomach. It was a bit of a puzzle to me why going to France made Freya so incredibly nervous. She seemed fine and spoke like it wasn’t a big deal, but the energy I picked up from her told a different story.
“Indy, can you go check up on Mason?” Freya asked and gestured at me. “Come on, Linea. Don’t mind Thor’s rudeness. He’s making a silly statement with that jacket. Ignore it.”
I wasn’t as offended as she might think. My father had spoken about the circle of life since I was a child and although I wouldn’t wear leather myself, I wasn’t in the habit of judging others.
“What about our luggage?” I asked, looking over my shoulder to my bag on the floor.
“Thor will take care of it for us. Won’t you?”
He sounded a little dry when he answered. “My pleasure.”
The drone was the largest privately owned drone I’d ever been in. On the outside it was shaped like a diamond. Stepping inside, there was a small bathroom and a staircase to a second floor where the ten luxurious passenger seats were placed in a circle, all able to rotate so that the passenger could face any direction.
“If you want to sleep, you can lay down the seats completely,” Freya told me and moved to open a latch in the floor. “Good, the kitchen filled up the fridge. Pick a seat while I fetch the scones, cookies, and breakfast sandwiches that they prepared for us.”
Freya hadn’t been gone for more than a minute when Thor came up the stairs. “So, are you ready to go flirt with some French guys?”
Thinking he was trying to make a joke I went along with it. “I can’t wait. I already learned how to sayVoulez-vous coucher avec moi?”
Thor shrugged off his jacket and asked. “What does that mean?”
“Do you want to sleep with me?”
He stiffened and scowled at me. “You’re not sleeping with a French guy.”
I just stared at him. Did he think I’d been serious?
Before I could even blink, Thor was in my personal space. “I’m not bringing you along so you can fuck every French man you see, and you’ll stay away from Victor, do you understand?”
His domineering way both excited me and pissed me off. “I think you’re confusing me with someone who thinks your opinion matters. I’m an adult woman who can do as I please.”
A low growling sound came from his throat as the cabin filled with heavy, hostile energy.
“I’m not yours to control,” I said in a firm voice.
Sounds of feet on the stairs made us move away from each other.
“Good morning.” Mason came in with his hair pointing in all directions. “I’m sorry that I’m late but Belle wanted to wish me a happy journey and I’m not going to reject my wife’s loving attention.”
Despite my heart racing from the confrontation with Thor, I smiled at Mason. “I’m happy that you and Belle are still in love. It must be wonderful.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” Mason placed his large frame in one of the chairs and spun it to look at me while he reclined it. “My wife and daughter are the two most important people in my life. I love being their protector.”
“That’s great.” Thor sat down in one of the other chairs. “It’s a good thing that Belle allows you to protect her. Some women don’t see the value when a man tries to influence her choices.”
I knew Thor’s comment was aimed at me, but with Indiana and Freya entering, the room was busy with us finding our seats.
After Thor instructed the navigation system to take us to France, Mason asked me:
“Are you excited to come with us?”
“Very. I’ve heard a lot about France, and I’ve studied their language these past two weeks. I’m excited to experience all the bright colors of their buildings and clothes. And their foods of course.”
“You’ll love it. It’s weird but in a fun way. I’ll show you all my favorite places from when Aubri and I lived there, and tomorrow night we’re going to a night club. It’s part of the social agenda this week.”
“What’s a night club?” I asked Indiana but because he’d just taken a big bite of one of the muffins that Freya had offered us, Freya answered for him.
