Page 101 of Lavender and Lightning

My face flushes hot, and I shoot him a half-hearted glare. Following Rhett’s lead, I move to an armchair at the table, sighing as I sink into the cloud-like cushions. I pass on refreshments when the flight attendant asks, but Lucas orders a double shot of espresso, his voice gravelly from sleep.

“This seems a little excessive,” I mutter, even as I relax.

“What’s the point of even owning a private plane if you don’t use it to fly frivolously short distances?” Lucas retorts, words dripping with sarcasm.

Rhett and I chuckle, and we fall into comfortable silence. Caleb boards shortly after us, taking a seat a respectable distance away. As we wait for the cabin crew and pilots to go through their checks, I shift in my seat, trying to relieve the itch on my left shoulder blade that has been growing steadily more annoying.

“Stop that. It won’t heal right if you itch it,” Lucas drones, not even looking at me.

“So what am I supposed to do? It’s really annoying,” I snap, leaning forward to rest my arms on the table and my forehead on them.

“Do you need more A&D cream?” Rhett asks.

I grumble something non-committal, stress and discomfort making me grumpy.

Rhett’s fingers on my back send a shiver up my spine. He rubs soothing little circles on my shoulder, and I sigh as it relieves the itch there. I can feel his touch even through the fabric of my shirt and the thin layer of plastic protecting my clothes from bleeding ink.

My mind drifts away from his touch and into speculation. Despite going over the plan with Lex, I can’t help but pick it apart. We’d gone over every contingency, even down to if the building suddenly catches on fire, but it still feels like we’ve missed something. It’s a simple plan: just get in, keep our heads down, and get out as fast as possible. But maybe it’s too simple. Caleb said anything more complicated could lead to unpredictable outcomes, but we’re relying on a lot of assumptions.

We’re assuming that Jason is right about my parents being out of town. If they or someone they know sees us at the bank, it could raise suspicions, and possibly tip my mother off to our plan. If she thinks she’s losing her meal ticket, there’s no telling what she’ll do. We’re assuming that we’re going to be able to avoid speaking to her at the wedding, but that’s a big ask. How could she possibly explain away my sudden reappearance when she’s been pretending I’ve been a missing person for four years? For all we know, she could be planning to make a big production of it, and who knows if we’ll be able to avoid unwanted attention then. And, most critically, we’re assuming everyone is going to believe our bluff.

Despite having the pack motto inked on my skin, I’m still not an official member of Pack St. Clair, at least not legally speaking. In all other ways, though, I am. My bank accounts are now protected under the pack name. I’m living with them. I have their mark, and the acceptance of the prime alpha. Given enough time, all of those factors would combine to make me a common law member regardless of a judge’s signature, but we don’t have six years to wait for that to happen. So we’re bluffing. We’re hoping that by the time anyone thinks to question my official standing, I’ll be back in Georgia with my money and under pack protection again.

But if it doesn’t work, and my father pulls rank, defying him will only bring more trouble. Lex and the pack could be charged with obstructing the rights of a prime alpha, or worse, kidnapping, and then I’d never see them again. The thought alone is enough to make my skin crawl.

“Seatbelt, love. It’s almost time,” Rhett says, pulling me from my thoughts.

I sigh and sit up, buckling the belt across my hips. The door is closed, the engines whirring to life outside. They aren’t as loud as I expected, just a pleasant background hum. Lucas is sitting up, though by the look on his face, it’s reluctant. I look past Rhett out of the small window as I feel the plane start to move, my lips pulling up into a little smile. Despite the fear and worry crowding my chest, there’s still a little kernel of excitement under it all. I haven’t seen Jason in person for over a year, and I can’t wait to see how he’s changed. We taxi along the runway, and then we’re off, gaining speed and rising through the rainy sky.

I settle back into my seat once we level out, trying not to rub my shoulder against the cushion when it starts to itch again. The captain lets us know that we’re at cruising altitude and can remove our seatbelts, which I do gladly.

“If it’s bothering you that bad, I know something to keep you distracted,” Lucas drawls suggestively.

Shooting him an unamused look, I cock one eyebrow. “It’s a three-hour flight,” I reply.

“What’s your point?” he asks, slightly confused.

“What would we do for the other two hours and forty-eight minutes?” I tease, smirking slightly.

Rhett snorts, trying to cover it with a cough, but I’m too distracted by Lucas’s growl. Moving faster than I’ve seen, he’s up off the couch and in front of me, one hand clamping around my wrist. I shriek as he yanks me to my feet, hefting me over one shoulder in a fireman’s lift and stalking away toward the back of the plane.

It doesn’t take long before my itchy tattoo and the uncertainty about what’s going to happen over the next few days are the last things on my mind.

Rhett, Lucas, and I are curled up together on the massive bed when the pilot announces we’re preparing for landing. I’m facing Rhett, with Lucas curled around my back, one hand idly tracing my new ink, massaging the healing cream into my skin. Besides my shirt, we’d put ourselves back together a while ago, but chose to stay back here enjoying one last moment of peace before whatever craziness is likely to come over the next few days.

“No matter what might happen tomorrow, we’re going to keep you safe,” Rhett says softly into my hair.

I nod, my heart twisting only a little at the thought of the wedding. I know Rhett will be with me the entire time, and Caleb won’t be far, either. He’s going to be at the reception with us, on guard but never out of line of sight if he can manage it. Lucas will be meeting up with a friend, but will be ready to move out if anything bad should happen. There are a lot of unknowns, but there isn’t anything to be gained by trying to plan for all of them.

“You aren’t going to murder Darren on sight, are you?” I ask, looking up into Rhett’s face.

He hums like he’s actually considering it, but then grins down at me when I gape. “No, love. I’m not going to intentionally cause a scene at your brother’s wedding.”

I relax a little, shaking my head slightly. Lucas lifts his head and looks at Rhett over me. I can only see Rhett’s reaction, and he just rolls his eyes.

“I said I wouldn’t kill him on sight, and I won’t. Though if he even so much as lays a finger on you, then I might be inclined to break a bone or two. Just for good measure,” Rhett adds.

“Breaking bones is causing a scene, Rhett!” I cry, running a hand over my face in exasperation.

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