Page 79 of Cruel Tides

Barren shrugged, his jaw rigid as he said, “She didn’t tell me her last name.”

Leander planted a foot as he took a step forward. “So you gave her yours?” He growled, and I had to wonder if we were about to get kicked out of this airport.

“Hey, hey, it’s fine,” I said, cutting in between them. “I probably never said my full name.” I glanced up at Barren, and I could see the muscles in his shoulders and back tightening. “Although you could have asked my last name,” I added. “Or warned me.” My face was so hot.

I wasn’t sure if I could pull off being his fake wife for the duration of this trip. Did I even look mature enough to be settled down and married?

“Let’s forget about it, and just go,” I said, trying to drag them all away. Kai came up beside me, pointing at the signs.

“I think we’re supposed to go that way,” he said, nodding toward security.

Security, right—the final barrier between us and our boarding gate.

At least things would calm down once we got on the plane, right?

19

Claira

Getting through security wasn’t anywhere near as stressful as I’d feared, but as soon as I looked through our boarding passes, my stomach plunged.

Nope—this wouldn’t go smoothly.

“Now boarding group four,” a voice chirped over the intercom.

Barren rose to his feet. “That’s us,” he said, snatching the two tickets with his name on them from the stack he’d asked me to hand out to the group.

He threw my carry-on over his shoulder, positioning it next to the belt bag he’d slung over the top of his arm brace, and turned to me with a gruff, “After you.”

“Time to go?” Kai sprung up, pushing his arms over his head in a big stretch. Once he’d worked out his back, he offered Leander a hand up. Prince Golden Grump ignored it, of course, but the rejection didn’t seem to affect Kai’s mood. “It’s about time! My legs were getting all sleepy.”

“Just your legs?” I teased, watching as he gave his thighs a good smack. Moments ago, he’d looked close to dozing off, even though the chairs at our gate were horribly uncomfortable. Leander, too.

Kai grinned as I pulled his ticket from the bunch, but before I handed it over, I checked it once more, confirming my fears from earlier. By the time I looked over Leander’s, I was frowning. “Actually, you’ve got to wait here,” I said, pointing at the group eight printed on both of their tickets. “Barren and I are in a different boarding group.”

Leander let out a hollow laugh as he stood. “Sounds about fucking right.” His tone was cutting when he turned to Barren. “No surprise that you’re the one who gets to board with her.”

Barren gave a shrug, looking completely unconcerned with Leander’s comment. “I took the tickets that were available.”

Right—that made sense. This was a last-minute flight, after all. It would be difficult for all four of us to board at the same time, though I’d naively assumed we’d be staying together.

“Last call for group four boarding,” the voice echoed through the airport terminal. I flinched, scrambling around for my carry-on before remembering Barren had it.

“It’s fine. You guys will be right behind us,” I said, giving Leander a quick hug he didn’t seem to want to let go of. “They’ll call you in a few minutes, okay? Group eight,” I reminded, hugging Kai next. As soon as I let go, he deflated with an exhausted sigh, melting back into his seat like a wilting marshmallow.

I nudged Leander’s ribs. “Don’t let him fall asleep, okay?”

He nodded, still grumpy as he’d been since he realized Barren gave me his last name. He folded his arms securely across his chest, and it was hard to ignore the way his fists clenched, his sharp gaze boring into the back of Barren’s neck. “Don’t worry,” he said firmly. “Go on. We’ll be with you soon.”

With some hesitation, I followed Barren’s lead up to the boarding gate. It didn’t feel right to leave them, but as Leander said, we’d all be together again soon. By the time it was my turn to show my boarding pass, my nerves had returned in full force.

We were really doing this. Going on anairplane.

“You first.” Barren steered me with a gentle touch on my hip. A narrow hallway that seemed to have been constructed just to reach the airplane curved in front of us. Despite the wind whistling through the cracks of the walls and the ground shaking with each step Barren made, I felt a sense of comfort having him right behind me.

“Watch your step,” his rough voice warned as the ground slanted, and I could definitely see myself stumbling a step—not from the uneven hallway, but from the effect his nearness had on me.

“Thank you,” I breathed, my heart rate kicking up faster with each step closer to the plane’s entrance.

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